Marshall rallies for bowl victory

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Rakeem Cato threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns to help Marshall beat Florida International 20-10 in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl on Tuesday night.

Tyler Warner kicked a pair of field goals and Cato threw TD passes of 31 and 35 yards to Aaron Dobson, the latter putting the game away in the closing seconds.

Warner’s 39-yard field goal set up by a blocked punt snapped a 10-10 tie with 5:16 remaining.

Marshall (7-6) overcame a slow start to win five of its last seven games and avoid a losing record in its second season under coach Doc Holliday.

FIU (8-5) was denied a school-record ninth victory amid speculation that coach Mario Cristobal may be a leading candidate to fill a job opening at Pittsburgh.

Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has reaffirmed his commitment to the Hawkeyes, saying he fully intends to coach in Iowa City in 2012 and “well beyond.”

Ferentz released a statement late Tuesday night in response to another round of speculation about his future.

Ferentz’s deal with Iowa runs through the 2020 season and pays him just under $4 million a year.