The Herd put in another long day Friday in preparation for Saturday night’s scrimmage. The afternoon installment offered some examples of quarterback Rakeem Cato’s ability to extend plays and throw on the run. He made a couple of nice ones to Tommy Shuler and Angelo Jean-Louis.
Watching those throws reminded me of something Doc Holliday said during my interviews with him for my season-opening feature on Cato. It didn’t make the story, but it rang true on Friday …
When things break down and what you call chaos takes place, that seems to be when he’s at his best. When he improvises, he’s dangerous. A lot of people, when they get pressure in the pocket and things don’t work out, their eyes go down and they can’t handle it. Whereas his eyes are constantly down the field.
Speaking of Jean-Louis, he had another spectacular catch in traffic where he absorbed contact, kept his balance and kept running to the end zone. That’s not to say the defense didn’t have its highlights. Antavis Rowe had a beautiful interception, leaping over Deon-Tay McManus to rip it away.
Friday’s practice also gave us a new face on the field — Cincinnati, Ohio, product Zach Higginbotham. The Cincinnati Country Day School product was the 2012 Southwest District Division VI defensive player of the year. He went to the University of Cincinnati in 2013 as a preferred walk-on, but was wearing No. 57 on Marshall’s field Friday.
I’m not sure what to expect in Saturday’s scrimmage, mainly because of who hasn’t been practicing over the last few days. Guards Michael Selby and Blake Brooks were still out, though Clint Van Horn worked during the light afternoon session. Defensive end Gary Thompson was not in pads and corner Darryl Roberts was limited.
What you’ll probably see is the final audition for the No. 2 QB spot behind Cato. Holliday said he’d like to have that decided by Monday. Now, this is just from an outside observer, but I really don’t see any reason to burn Cole Garvin’s redshirt unless absolutely necessary.
Saturday’s scrimmage starts at 7 p.m. and is open to Big Green members and Marshall students. Students need a valid MU ID. Big Green folks need their membership cards. Big Green reps will be there Saturday if anyone wants to join.
