Boca Raton BOWL, Marshall Wins: 52-23: Marshall (13-1) vs. Northern Illinois (11-3) Hosted at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL, December23, 2014, 6pm

Rakeem Cato performed as advertised Tuesday night, leading Marshall to a resounding 52-23 shellacking of Northern Illinois in the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl. Cato completed 25 of 37 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns, and the Thundering Herd handed NIU its third consecutive bowl defeat. "That's what great quarterbacks do, they put it on the dime," NIU coach Rod Carey said. "He did and we didn't get it out. We had a chance to battle for those balls and get 'em out and make them line up again." Marshall (13-1) flirted with a perfect regular-season record. Marshall's lone defeat — 67-66 to Western Kentucky in double overtime came on Nov. 28. "One game isn't going to take away what a great season we had," Carey said. "We just won the fourth MAC championship in school history … the third in four years. And they can't take that away from this senior class." Marshall receiver Tommy Shuler caught 18 of Cato's passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. "Cato did a good job of making plays when he needed to," NIU cornerback Dechane Durante said. "They were just staying on the field and wearing our defense down. Quick throws … gashing us up the gut. He did a good job." The Huskies big failure was not taking advantage red-zone opportunities, settling for three field goals from freshman Christian Hagan. NIU quarterback Drew Hare was off his game, completing 15 of 27 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times. "We have to do a better job of protecting Drew, and that's on us," tackle Ryan Brown said. NIU took a 7-0 lead with 7 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first quarter on a 19-yard pass from Hare to Juwan Brescacin. Marshall's Deandre Reaves returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for the tying touchdown. Cato scored a go-ahead touchdown from 5 yards out to make it 14-7 after the first quarter. NIU missed a scoring opportunity when Hagan missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt wide right. Marshall extended its lead to 17-7 when Justin Haig booted a 28-yarder. At the end of a 64-yard drive, NIU had to settle for a 19-yard Hagan field goal. A 2-yard TD run by Marshall's Devon Johnson made it 24-10. Hagan's second field goal of the night, this one from 30 yards, pulled NIU within 24-13 at the half. NIU recovered an onside kick to start the second half but could not convert a first down on a fourth-down run by Cameron Stingily. "I thought we ran the ball well at times, but not when we needed to," Carey said. "There were a lot of tears. There's a lot of heartache in there. And that's because these guys care. And they poured their whole selves into this thing. But when the dust settles, the first thing they are going to think of is MAC championships and things like that they have been a part of." (fmitchell@tribpub.com) ====================================================================== CFT Pre Game Views: The Boca Raton Bowl WHO: Northern Illinois (11-2) vs. Marshall (12-1) WHAT: The inaugural Boca Raton Bowl WHERE: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida WHEN: 6:00 p.m. ET Dec. 23 on ESPN HERE's THE SKINNY: The brand new Boca Raton Bowl has quite the match-up of non-power conference champions. The champions of Conference USA (Marshall) and the MAC (Northern Illinois) should provide for a good, quality game. For Marshall, it may be one last attempt to prove itself to be the top non-power conference champion after passed over by Boise State for a spot in the New Years Six line-up. Marshall and NIU combined for a record of 23-3 this season. Marshall’s offense centers around the veteran quarterback Rakeem Cato. Cato should be able to find his targets — Tommy Shuler and Davonte Allen are his top two receivers — against NIU’s secondary, which ranks 64th in the nation in pass defense. Cato may have to extend some plays with his feet though, as NIU should be expected to bring pressure in the backfield. NIU recorded 30 sacks this season, but they go up against a Marshall offensive line that has done well in protecting their quarterback. Cato may have to extend some plays with his feet at times. Fortunately for the Conference USA champions and head coach Doc Holliday, this is something Cato does well. Cato has rushed for 457 yards and six touchdowns this season. Marshall went 3-0 against the MAC this season with wins against Miami, Ohio and Akron, but NIU will be the biggest test for the Thundering Herd. NIU started the season off a little bit on a slow note as they looked to replace Jordan Lynch, but the Huskies ended the season hitting their stride at a very good time. Drew Hare has come along as a dual-threat player under center, but the running game is powered mostly by Cameron Stingily, a tough and physical back with the ability to wear down Marshall’s defense. Marshall has won three straight bowl games dating back to 2009. The Huskies of NIU are looking to snap a two-game losing streak in postseason bowl action. Head coach Rod Carey is 0-2 in bowl games, including one Orange Bowl loss to Florida State in an interim role at the end of the 2012 season after Dave Doeren left the Huskies for NC State. THE PREDICTION: NIU 34, Marshall 31 by Kevin McGuire on December 23, 2014, 8:08 AM EST IMAGES of this EVENT will be published at this Web-Page following the Game.