G5 Original Blog Material
STATS
SHANE CARDEN
TOTAL YARDS 7255
TOUCHDOWNS: 56
INTERCEPTIONS: 20
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: 70.5 % 2013
RAT: 150
AWARDS: CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2013
RAKEEM CATO
TOTAL YARDS: 10,176
TOUCHDOWNS: 91
INTERCEPTIONS: 31
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: 59.7% 2013
RAT: 147
AWARDS: OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR CONFERENCE USA 2013
OVERVIEW
Shane Carden and Rakeem Cato represent two important reasons why Conference USA has enjoyed its stellar reputation as one of the best offensive leagues in College Football. Carden and Cato are prototypical Conference USA QB's. Both were under recruited, both have mastered their spread systems and both have placed their respective schools in contention for good things this fall.
In typical sports reasoning one has to be better than the other right? In this case, however, there may simply not be one that is better than the other. Both are very talented, but very talented at doing different things on the football field.
Cato for instance, has great feet and can hurt you with his scrambling along with his arm. Carden is more cerebral and patient in the pocket. He also has speed, but less so than Cato's. When hot, Cato is one of the best passers in College Football. Carden, on the other hand is the model of consistency and patience . Cato is a fiery , sometimes emotional player, while Carden is even tempered and steady in the face of pressure
Cato was asked to grow up quickly at Marshall as he was forced into the starting lineup his freshman year. Carden was red shirted and did not take over the ECU offense until midway into the 2012 season. Both players however, have lead their teams to bowl wins and 10 game winning seasons.
PICK ONE
Carden and Cato are the two best QB's in the Gang of 5 right now and both are in the top 15 nationally. Carden has received more press of late and was picked by ESPN Insider as one of the best 8 QB's in the College Football.
If there is a knock on Cato, it would be his mental focus at times. He has been known to yell at his coach's on the sidelines especially when Marshall has fallen behind in games. This might be the reason that Cato has been left off of some of the top lists Carden has found himself on this Spring and early Summer. Carden, is known for his clear head, and level temperament . He is also the undisputed leader on the ECU team. Cato's sometimes rocky relationship with Marshall Head Coach, Doc Holiday, makes Cato's field leadership more complicated than does Carden's.
Cato however, is more athletic than Carden. Cato also has great field recognition and can see multiple receivers at one time down the field. Carden has an excellent short to medium passing game, in fact one of the best in College Football. Carden, however, struggles with the deep ball, as does Cato at times.
So who do you want on your team? A great short to medium range passer, with excellent leadership skills or a superior athletic who can beat you with his eyes, hands and feet?
Whichever one you pick, it is clear that both QB's represent the style of play and team philosophy of their respective Head Coaches. Shane Carden is a Ruffin McNeill(ECU Head Coach) player from head to toe. McNeill who preaches selflessness , community and humility has found in Carden a mirror image of his coaching ethos and vision. Rakeem Cato is a Doc Holiday( MARSHALL Head Coach), player all the way. Cato represents the uber gifted, sometimes brash, but overlooked Florida athlete that Doc Holiday has made a living on for the past several years at Marshall.
CONCLUSION
The real test for both Carden and Cato will come this year. Both begin the season with high expectations, talented rosters and seasoned coaching staffs. Carden and ECU join the AAC, a step up in competition from Conference USA, and Cato begins Conference USA with not so quiet tones of an undefeated season to come. Both will need to remain healthy and focused if they want to lead their teams to the type of season fans and supporters expect from each of them. In the end, who you choose as the better QB is ultimately a choice between styles and philosophy.
There is no disputing that Shane Carden and Rakeem Cato are among two of the best QB's to ever play in Conference USA. Both also, in many ways, represent the end of an era for Conference USA. A conference that at one time, in its not so distance past, boasted teams that could consistently play on the national stage largely because of QB's like Carden and Cato.
Both Cato and Carden are poised to do very good things this year. Stay tuned to see which one is able to live up to the high expectations that have been placed on them for their last year of collegiate play. The ultimate measuring stick between the two however, will most likely come in the form of their win/loss record at the end of next season. It is going to be a very interesting year to be a Marshall and ECU fan. Stay tuned.
These are two very, very talented guys that I've seen a lot of over the past 3 years. My take...you nailed it. They both are quarterbacks that any team would love to have, and both are impact players from the word "go." As much of a homer as I am towards my Herd, I wouldn't put one over the other. They are just different.
ReplyDeleteCharles,good to hear from you . No question both are very good QB's. I think Marshall has a very good chance to be a national story this year, as does Rakeem Cato.
ReplyDelete"Carden and Cato are the two best QB's in the Gang of 5 right now" chuckie keeton at utah state might debate that ..and since the p5 consider byu a g5 team, taysom hill might debate that
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. You raise two good points. Keeton, imo, will have to prove that he still can be as dangerous as a dual threat after recovering from both acl and mcl tears last October. Hill, imo, is to inconsistent with his throws to be considered one of the top two QB's in the G5. His passing percentage was in the 60's last year when BYU won and in the 40'when they lost. I do think ,however, that Hill and Keeton are very good QB's. I give the go ahead though to Cato and Carden by a slim margin.
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