Military Bowl Capsule
By The Associated Press
Military Bowl
Marshall (9-4) vs. Maryland (7-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Marshall by 2½
Series Record: First meeting
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Maryland is looking to win its first bowl game under third-year coach Randy Edsall. It's the final game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Terrapins, who move to the Big Ten in 2014. Marshall seeks to bounce back from a loss to Rice in the Conference USA title game and secure its first season with double-digit wins since 2002.
KEY MATCHUP
Marshall QB Rakeem Cato against Maryland's depleted secondary. Cato has thrown for 3,579 yards and has at least one TD pass in 31 consecutive games. The 6-foot junior will be facing a defensive backfield that has two sophomores and a freshman and is without injured starter Dexter McDougle (shoulder). But cornerback Jeremiah Johnson is back after missing much of the season with a fractured toe.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Marshall: WR Tommy Shuler has 97 catches for 1,097 yards and 9 TDs.
Maryland: QB C.J. Brown has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 2,045 yards and run for 12 scores and 538 yards despite missing two games with injuries.
FACTS & FIGURES
Cato has 88 career TD passes, just one fewer than former Marshall star Byron Leftwich and third in school history behind Chad Pennington, who had 115. ... Maryland's last bowl appearance was in 2010, when coach Ralph Friedgen led the Terrapins to a 51-20 rout of East Carolina. ... The Thundering Herd has 10 players from the Washington area on its roster. ... Marshall topped the 40-point barrier a whopping eight times and is averaging 502 yards and 43 points per game. ... Both teams went to OT against Virginia Tech on the road. Maryland won, Marshall lost. ... Marshall is 7-3 all-time in bowl games, Maryland is 11-11-2. ... Maryland has 36 sacks, including 17 in its last five games. ... Gator Hoskins has scored 13 TDs for Marshall, most among tight ends in NCAA play.