Marshall @ Florida International preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2013 ) Marshall 48, Florida International 10

Rakeem Cato looks to establish himself atop an impressive list and continue unbeaten Marshall's strong start when he leads the Thundering Herd into a Saturday night matchup at Florida International. Cato threw three touchdowns in last week's 49-24 victory over Middle Tennessee, giving him 38 straight games with at least one touchdown pass. That ties former North Carolina State and Wisconsin signal-caller Russell Wilson for the all-time FBS record.

Cato's phenomenal start, which also includes five rushing scores, has fueled Marshall's best start since its 13-0 run in 1999 while thrusting the No. 24 Thundering Herd into the national rankings for the first time since the end of the 2002 season. Cato threw for four touchdowns in a 48-10 win at Florida International last year but will be facing an improved Panthers' defense that leads the nation in forced turnovers (24). Florida International hurt itself with five giveaways in a 16-13 loss to Texas-San Antonio last week, its first setback in conference play.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, American Sports Network. LINE: Marshall -21.5

ABOUT MARSHALL (6-0, 2-0 Conference USA): Cato gets the bulk of the headlines, but running back Devon Johnson has been just as dominant, especially in league play. He has 332 yards on only 39 carries in his first two C-USA games while scoring three touchdowns in each affair to push his season total to 11, tied for third among FBS rushers. The junior, who ranks sixth in yards per carry (7.8), has five 100-yard games, two shy of the school record for one season.

ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (3-4, 2-1): Alex McGough's two interceptions were part of the Panthers' sloppy showing last weekend and continued a downward trend as it relates to the freshman's accuracy. He is 43-of-91 over his last four games, throwing four picks against three touchdowns in that span. Florida International ranks 119th among the 125 FBS teams in total offense, standing as one of eight teams that average fewer than 300 yards per game.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cato has 990 career completions, 36 shy of Chad Pennington's school record.

2. Marshall WR Tommy Shuler needs 14 receptions to move into second on the school's all-time list.

3. FIU has had weather delays in each of its last three home games.

PREDICTION: Marshall 42, Florida International 17