C-USA NEWS

Cato looks to break Russell Wilson’s record

The Sports Xchange

October 14, 2014 at 12:17 am.

Rakeem Cato is one of the nation's best playmakers. (Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports)

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

1. Marshall takes its act on the road this week as the target on the Thundering Herd’s back gets even bigger. Ranked in the Top 25 for the first time this season, MU will try and keep its dream season alive against an FIU team that sports one of the league’s better defenses. Will the Herd be able to maintain its level of play as the pressure mounts week-by-week?

2. The surprise of the league’s East Division has been the play of Alabama-Birmingham under coach Bill Clark. The Blazers’ high-flying offense heads north to visit Middle Tennessee in a crucial conference clash which will allow the winner to remain in the league title discussion. Middle Tennessee will need a much better defensive performance than the one it had last week in a 49-24 loss at Marshall to have a chance in this matchup.

3. Louisiana Tech has roller-coastered its way to a 3-3 record, but the Bulldogs are 2-0 in conference and out in front of the league’s West Division. Tech got a bye week to sit back and watch Texas-San Antonio break a four-game losing streak with a win against Florida International. The Roadrunners were believed to be a dark-horse pick in C-USA in 2014, but that notion will be over with a loss Saturday in Ruston, La.

4. Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky both had bye weeks that forced them to sit and marinate in rough conference losses. The two meet in South Florida still looking to keep slim East Division title hopes live. That will only happen for FAU if the Owls can slow down the WKU offense. The Hilltoppers need to find answers on defense to have any shot of turning their season around.

5. Two teams in desperation mode end the weekend of C-USA action Saturday night in Denton, Texas. It’s there that the North Texas and Southern Mississippi will try and get a first league win. With both teams teetering in the edge of being completely eliminated from the championship race, which side rises to the occasion of a must-win game?

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MIDDLE TENNESSEE
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No. 25 Marshall (6-0, 2-0 Conference USA) will put a pair of impressive streaks on the line when it visits Florida International (3-4, 2-1 C-USA) on Saturday.

Marshall senior QB Rakeem Cato has thrown at least one TD pass in 38 consecutive games, tying the FBS record set by Russell Wilson at North Carolina State and Wisconsin. The Thundering Herd will also put its unblemished 6-0 season mark on the line when it faces a Panthers team that forced three more turnovers in a win at Texas-San Antonio last week, extending its nation-leading total of forced miscues to 24.

Alabama-Birmingham (4-2, 2-1 C-USA) continues to make big plays and post big offensive numbers, topping the 40-point mark in all four of its victories. The Blazers travel north to Middle Tennessee (4-3, 3-1 C-USA), a team that has averaged nearly 48 points during its four wins.

“I am constantly talking to our seniors to explain to the rest of the team, ‘I don’t have another year.’ That is what a senior does,” UAB coach Bill Clark said. “It is our job to help them understand the 24-hour rule of, ‘Hey, that was great,’ or, ‘That was bad.’ We have to move on. Our guys are starting to get that. We saw that Saturday. We did the best about eliminating distractions and honing in. Every week I try to say, ‘This is something we have had an issue with, how do we fix it?’ It is so much about focus. We have to stay super hungry. As we have said before, it’s all about this game. It’s all about this week. It’s nothing about anybody else. If we do that, we have a chance.”

Western Kentucky (2-3, 0-2 C-USA) and Florida Atlantic (2-4, 1-1) will square off earlier in the day Saturday. Senior QB Brandon Doughty and the Hilltoppers’ offense produces no matter where they play, while junior QB Jaquez Johnson and the Owls have fared much better (2-0) in the friendly confines of FAU Stadium this season.

Louisiana Tech (3-3, 2-0 C-USA) will look to make it two straight wins at home when it welcomes Texas-San Antonio (2-4, 1-1, C-USA) to Ruston, La. Junior RB Kenneth Dixon has scored at least one touchdown in five straight games to lead the Bulldogs offense, while the Roadrunners received a strong effort through the air and on the ground from freshman QB Austin Robinson in his first appearance last week, leading UTSA to a win over FIU.

A pair of teams still seeking their first conference win meet when Southern Mississippi (2-4, 0-2 C-USA) visits North Texas (2-4, 0-2 C-USA) in the league’s final game of the weekend.

ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (4-2, 2-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Middle Tennessee, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET. The Blazers take a two-game conference winning streak into Tennessee looking to continue to be the surprise of the league. After wins at Western Kentucky and at home against North Texas, UAB can win three conference games for the first time since 2011. Middle, still in the C-USA title race, will try and rebound from a blowout loss at Marshall.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Cody Clements had another stellar game in a conference win for UAB. The junior threw for 316 yards and two scores and rushed for another as the Blazers blew out North Texas. In the past two games, both league wins, Clements has thrown for 616 yards and four scores while completing 82.9 percent of his passes.

–CB Lamarcus Farmer played a huge role in UAB’s 35-point victory over North Texas with several key plays, but none was bigger than his 22-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. Farmer’s second interception of the season came on the ensuing play from scrimmage. In addition to his interception, Farmer recorded five tackles, registered a tackle for loss, recovered a fumble and had a pass breakup in his best overall performance of the season.

–WR J.J. Nelson caught four passes for 104 yards and a score last week against North Texas, continuing to be one of UAB’s most-dangerous weapons. Nelson now has 443 yards receiving on the year, 515 returns yards and scored three touchdowns.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (2-4, 1-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. Western Kentucky, Saturday, Noon ET. Both teams come off a bye week desperate for a league win. The Owls lost 38-10 at Florida International on Oct. 2 while Western Kentucky lost 42-39 at home to Alabama-Birmingham on Oct. 4. The two programs have met four previous times with FAU winning 37-28 in Bowling Green, Ky., last year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Jaquez Johnson appeared to have the FAU offense back on track after leading a game-winning drive at home against UTSA, but the junior was shut down against rival Florida International in the next game. Johnson only completed 45 percent of his throws in that contest and was picked off for the first time this season. In the five games he’s played, only Wyoming had kept him out of the end zone until FIU achieved the same feat.

–S Damian Parms now leads the FAU defense with 55 tackles. The senior has also recorded three tackles for loss and has forced a fumble. Parms started all 12 games in 2013 and finished the year with 78 stops.

–LB Andrae Kirk leads the Owls with four tackles for loss. The senior has two sacks, a team-high eight passes defended and seven broken up and has also forced a fumble. Kirk led Atlantic with 84 stops in 2013 as a team captain.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (3-4, 2-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. No. 25 Marshall, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET. Florida International will look to upset No. 25 Marshall under the lights in Miami, Fla. The Thundering Herd enters the Top 25 for the first time this season after waxing Middle Tennessee last week. FIU is coming off a last-minute loss at Texas-San Antonio. The two programs have met twice before with MU winning 48-10 last year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–CB Richard Leonard continues to be a force on both sides of the ball for FIU. The redshirt-junior has racked up 513 return yards (on kickoff and punt returns and interceptions) while making 24 tackles. Leonard has a team-high four interceptions and 10 passes defended.

–S Demarkus Perkins has racked up a team-leading 50 tackles in seven games. The senior also has 3 1/2 tackles for loss, 1/2 a sack, an interception and fumble recovery. Perkins had just 31 tackles in eight games in 2013.

–QB Alex McGough took a step back last week during his up-and-down freshman campaign. In the 16-13 loss at Texas-San Antonio, McGough was 11-for-25 and threw two interceptions. McGough has played interception-free in the Panthers’ three wins this season, but has thrown a total of four in four losses.

LOUISIANA TECH (3-3, 2-0)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. UTSA, Saturday, Noon ET. After a week off, Louisiana Tech will look to stay perfect in league play and atop the West Division. UTSA broke a four-game losing streak with a 16-13 home win against Florida International. The two programs have met twice with UTSA winning 30-10 in 2013 and Tech winning 51-27 in 2012.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Cody Sokol, a transfer from Iowa, had his worst game statistically, yet Tech blew out UTEP 55-3 on Oct. 4. Sokol was a dismal 6-for-16, but three of those completions went for touchdowns. Sokol turned to his feet where he rushed for 60 yards and a TD.

–RB Kenneth Dixon added another touchdown last week to give him eight through six games. Although Dixon only totaled 86 yards on 21 carries in a blowout win against UTEP, he’s still averaging five yards per carry.

–DB Xavier Woods is fourth on the team in tackles with 27. A sophomore, Woods has a tackle-for-loss, a sack, a team-high four interceptions, a team-high six passes defended and has forced a fumble. Woods had 61 tackles as a freshman in 2013.

MARSHALL (6-0, 2-0)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Florida International, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET. Florida International will look to upset No. 25 Marshall under the lights in Miami, Fla. The Thundering Herd enters the Top 25 for the first time this season after waxing Middle Tennessee last week. FIU is coming off a last-minute loss at Texas San Antonio. The two programs have met twice before with MU winning 48-10 last year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Rakeem Cato, a potential Heisman candidate, continued to build his resume with another strong performance, this one in a blowout win against Middle Tennessee. The senior threw for 337 yards and three scores and also had a score on the ground. Cato has thrown for 1,698 yards and 15 scores while rushing for 200 yards and five TDs.

–LB Neville Hewitt is now tied for the team lead in tackles after a monster game last week against Middle Tennessee. Hewitt recorded 14 stops to bring his season total to 36. The senior also has a team-high five tackles for loss, has recorded 1 1/2 quarterback sacks and recovered a fumble.

–RB Devon Johnson came into the season with five carries for 13 yards. Today he’s Marshall’s No. 1 running back after rushing for 134 yards on 19 carries against Middle Tennessee. He added three more TD runs to bring his total to 11 this year. The junior averages 7.8 yards per run.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE (4-3, 3-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. UAB, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET. The Blazers take a two-game conference winning streak into Tennessee while looking to continue to be the surprise of the league. After wins at Western Kentucky and at home against North Texas, UAB can win three conference games for the first time since 2011. Middle, still in the C-USA title race, will try and rebound from a blowout loss at Marshall.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Austin Grammer had another strong game throwing the ball last week (25-of-37 for 201 yards and two scores), but was contained in the running game. In three losses this season, the sophomore has been held to a net rushing total of 11 yards. In four wins, that total jumps to 253 yards.

–LB T.T. Barber leads the MTSU defense with four tackles for loss on the season. Barber also has a team-high 48 stops and has forced a fumble to go along with an interception. Barber was a preseason all-conference selection and led Middle with 119 tackles in 2013.

–RB Jordan Parker has been a bit of a wildcard through seven games this season. His 100-yard performance last week at Marshall was just the second time the junior has hit the century mark. Parker has been held to 67 yards or less in Middle’s other five contests and has reached the end zone only twice.

NORTH TEXAS (2-4, 0-2)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: vs. Southern Mississippi, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET. In a matchup of two winless conference teams, North Texas returns home for the first time since Sept. 20 looking to break a two-game skid. The Mean Green has been outscored 98-42 in two conference losses and 185-73 in all four defeats. Southern Miss, which was off last week, has lost 17 of 18 in conference play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–WR Carlos Harris has emerged as North Texas’ top receiver in 2014. His 27 receptions for 342 yards dwarfs numbers put up by any other teammates through six games. Harris is already well over halfway to his 2013 totals in receptions and yards.

–LB Derek Akunne continues to lead the Mean Green’s defense in tackles. A 6-foot, 240-pound senior, Akunne has made 51 stops — two for a loss — and has forced a fumble. Akunne was an honorable mention all-conference selection a year ago with 90 stops.

–QB Dajon Williams took over as starter Sept. 20 and put up big-time numbers — albeit against an overmatched opponent in Nicholls State. In his second start of the year, Williams was 18-for-34 for 205 yards and three touchdowns, but the freshman was also picked off twice by the Indiana defense. Last week, in a blowout loss at UAB, Williams was 11-of-21 for 124 yards and was picked off twice more.

OLD DOMINION (3-4, 1-3)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Idle.

Next: at Western Kentucky, Oct. 25

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Taylor Heinicke bounced back with a better showing last week at UTEP despite another ODU lost. One week after being held to 85 yards, Heinicke threw three TD scores to bring his career total to 51 and his 196 yards brought his career total 5,837.

–RB Ray Lawry had a second consecutive big-time performance last week. The freshman finished with 117 yards on 13 carries and scored twice. In the last two outings, Lawry has 248 yards on 29 carries — an average of 8.6 yards per run. He had 155 yards rushing through the season’s first five games.

–WR Zach Paccal added another receiving touchdown and eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his young but already stellar career. The sophomore’s three catches for 49 yards and a TD brought his ODU totals to 1,043 and 11, respectively.

RICE (3-3, 1-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Idle.

Next: vs. North Texas, Oct. 25.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Driphus Jackson has been impeccable during the Owls’ three-game winning streak. The junior is completing 59.1 percent of his throws during that span and has thrown for 635 yards and seven scores. Jackson now has 17 career TD passes to just four interceptions.

–DE Brian Nordstrom has a team-high 8 1/2 tackles for loss through the first six games this season. A former walk-on, Nordstrom has made 18 total tackles and three sacks.

–WR Jordan Taylor missed the first three games of the season and was held to just one catch in the win at Southern Mississippi on Sept. 27. But Taylor, who has at least 55 catches each of the past two seasons, has come back with a vengeance by grabbing eight balls for 175 yards and two scores the last two weeks. Taylor was a second team all-conference selection a year ago.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (2-4, 0-2)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: at North Texas, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET. In a matchup of two winless teams, North Texas returns home for the first time since Sept. 20 looking to break a two-game skid. The Mean Green has been outscored 98-42 in two conference losses and 185-73 in all four defeats. Southern Miss, who was off last week, has lost 17 of 18 in conference play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Nick Mullens continues to improve each week and has the Golden Eagles on the cusp of winning, it appears. Mullens threw for 426 yards and three scores Oct. 4 at Middle Tennessee. It was the best game of the sophomore’s season in terms of yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. Mullens now has 21 TD passes in his career compared to 20 interceptions.

–DL Dasman McCullum is tied for the team lead with seven tackles for loss and tied for fifth with 31 total tackles. The senior also has 3 1/2 sacks, has forced three fumbles — one of which he recovered for 29 yards — and blocked a kick.

–RB George Payne surpassed his 2013 rushing total with a breakout game at MTSU on Oct. 4. The sophomore rushed for 89 yards and a score to give himself 183 yards on the ground this season on 56 carries inside USM’s aerial offense.

TEXAS-EL PASO (3-3, 1-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Idle.

Next: at UTSA, Oct. 25.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–RB Aaron Jones recorded his fourth 100-yard game of the season in the Miners’ win over Old Dominion last week. Jones had 18 carries for 103 yards to bring his season total up to 762. Jones hasn’t scored since Sept. 13 when he did so twice against New Mexico State.

–DE Roy Robertson-Harris has been a menace up front for the UTEP defense. Harris, a junior, has a team-high 3 1/2 tackles for loss, has forced two fumbles and made 15 tackles. Harris played in all 12 games as a sophomore and made eight starts.

–QB Jameill Showers, a transfer from Texas A&M, had one of the better games of his senior season by managing a win at Army. He threw for 152 yards and two scores. In three UTEP wins this season, Showers has thrown for four scores compared to one pick.

TEXAS- SAN ANTONIO (2-4, 1-1)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Noon ET. After a week off, Louisiana Tech will look to stay perfect in league play and atop the West Division. UTSA broke a four-game losing streak with a 16-13 home win against Florida International. The two programs have met twice with UTSA winning 30-10 in 2013 and Tech winning 51-27 in 2012.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–K Sean Ianno booted a 39-yard field goal with 50 seconds remaining, the fourth game-winning field goal of his career, lifting UTSA to a 16-13 win over FIU. Ianno, who kicked a trio of field goals to push his season total to 11 (in 14 attempts), tied the game at 13-13 with a 27-yarder with 1:54 remaining and earlier was good from 42 yards out.

–DE Robert Singletary was a one-man wrecking crew for the Roadrunners in their come-from-behind 16-13 victory against FIU on Saturday night. UTSA’s senior defensive end racked up 10 tackles, including a program-record 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a UTSA-record two forced fumbles, one pass breakup and a quarterback hurry to help lead a defense that held the Panthers to just 259 yards of offense (118 rush/141 pass).

–QB Austin Robinson will be the latest quarterback the Roadrunners trot out. Freshman Blake Bogenschutz broke his right hand and Tucker Carter injured his left shoulder, leaving the spot for redshirt-freshman Robinson. Robinson was 14-for-17 for 144 yards last week in a win against Florida International.

WESTERN KENTUCKY (2-3, 0-2)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: at Florida Atlantic, Saturday, Noon. Both teams come off a bye week desperate for a league win. The Owls lost 38-10 at Florida International on Oct. 2 while Western Kentucky lost 42-39 at home to Alabama-Birmingham on Oct. 4. The two programs have met four previous times with FAU winning 37-28 in Bowling Green, Ky.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

–QB Brandon Doughty has thrown for 2,165 yards and 16 touchdowns in five games. The senior is completing 69 percent of his passes and is the only QB to take a snap for the Hilltoppers this year.

–RB Leon Allen missed time in a 42-39 loss to UAB with a bruised knee. That gave sophomore Anthony Wales a chance to run 14 times for a season-high 138 yards and three scores. Allen is scheduled to return this week at FAU.

–WR Jared Dangerfield, a junior college transfer, is one of five WKU players with at least 20 receptions. Dangerfield is second on the team in that category with 26, but is first on the team with four receiving scores.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato has now thrown at least one TD pass in 38 straight games, tying the major college record set by Russell Wilson at North Carolina State and Wisconsin from 2009-11. Cato now has 990 career completions, passing Byron Leftwich (939) for No. 2 in Thundering Herd history.

–Old Dominion senior Taylor Heinicke and Cato are two of the most productive active quarterbacks in the FBS. The two players have combined for 2,099 pass completions for 25,082 yards and 226 touchdowns, with Heinicke throwing 120 and Cato tossing 106 scoring strikes.

–With Marshall’s 49-24 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday, the Thundering Herd remains one of six unbeaten teams in the FBS. The others are Baylor, Florida State, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Notre Dame.

–UAB’s 56 points on Saturday against North Texas was its highest total since the 2004 season. The team has now scored 40 or more points four times in six games in 2014. The Blazers scored 40-plus points just four times in the previous three seasons combined. After averaging 23.9 points and 394.5 yards of total offense per game last year, UAB is averaging 40.2 points and 490.0 yards this season.

–Marshall is the only FBS school that has scored 40 or more points in every game this season.

–Louisiana Tech junior running back Kenneth Dixon has scored at least one touchdown in five consecutive games entering this week’s contest vs. UTSA. He now has 39 career rushing TDs, which ranks third among all active FBS players and second among all running backs.

–The John Mackey Award has released its 2014 Midseason Watch List for the honor given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end. FIU sophomore Jonnu Smith, UAB senior Kennard Backman, UTEP senior Eric Tomlinson and WKU senior Mitchell Henry are the Conference USA representatives among the 33 midseason candidates.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We lost to Minnesota and we came back and won. We lost to Memphis and came back and won. This is a mentally tough team and we will respond as we have always responded to every setback and every victory. This is a resilient team and we will put the loss behind us. We lost to a good team in Marshall. You have to be mentally tough enough to come back. I am not worried about this team’s mental approach.” — Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill on his team’s loss to Marshall last week.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

1. Marshall takes its act on the road this week as the target on the Thundering Herd’s back gets even bigger. Ranked in the Top 25 for the first time this season, MU will try and keep its dream season alive against an FIU team that sports one of the league’s better defenses. Will the Herd be able to maintain its level of play as the pressure mounts week-by-week?

2. The surprise of the league’s East Division has been the play of Alabama-Birmingham under coach Bill Clark. The Blazers’ high-flying offense heads north to visit Middle Tennessee in a crucial conference clash which will allow the winner to remain in the league title discussion. Middle Tennessee will need a much better defensive performance than the one it had last week in a 49-24 loss at Marshall to have a chance in this matchup.

3. Louisiana Tech has roller-coastered its way to a 3-3 record, but the Bulldogs are 2-0 in conference and out in front of the league’s West Division. Tech got a bye week to sit back and watch Texas-San Antonio break a four-game losing streak with a win against Florida International. The Roadrunners were believed to be a dark-horse pick in C-USA in 2014, but that notion will be over with a loss Saturday in Ruston, La.

4. Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky both had bye weeks that forced them to sit and marinate in rough conference losses. The two meet in South Florida still looking to keep slim East Division title hopes live. That will only happen for FAU if the Owls can slow down the WKU offense. The Hilltoppers need to find answers on defense to have any shot of turning their season around.

5. Two teams in desperation mode end the weekend of C-USA action Saturday night in Denton, Texas. It’s there that the North Texas and Southern Mississippi will try and get a first league win. With both teams teetering in the edge of being completely eliminated from the championship race, which side rises to the occasion of a must-win game?

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