Cato completed 15-of-29 passes and hurled two touchdown passes for Marshall (2-0), extending his streak of throwing a TD pass to 34 games - the longest active run in the NCAA and four short of the record held by Russell Wilson. Devon Johnson, a converted tight end who ran for 151 yards and a pair of scores in the Thundering Herd's opening-week win over Miami (Ohio), added 137 yards on 14 carries and opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.

Mack Lowrie was 17-of-28 for 111 yards in coach Jim Fleming's debut for Rhode Island (0-1), which has had 12 consecutive losing seasons. The Rams mustered just 175 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.

Marshall rolled up 388 of its 724 total yards in the first half and held the Rams to just 63 and eight punts but only led 17-0 due to a pair of fumbles. Justin Haig kicked a 25-yard field goal 2:22 into the second quarter and Cato provided some breathing room before halftime with a 27-yard TD pass to Tommy Shuler.

Cato threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Angelo Jean-Louis five minutes into the third and Marshall piled it on later in the quarter with two TD runs by Stewart Butler. The Rams got on the board when Lowrie hit Charlie McKeeman for a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth before Cato scooted 63 yards for a TD and Haig added another short field goal.