HUNTINGTON - There was one - and only one - reason to check out Marshall's home football game against hapless Norfolk State.
His name was Chase Litton.
His is a fascinating story that added another chapter Saturday on a sunny, gusty afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Recognized as the most talented high school quarterback in the Tampa, Florida area, Litton once made a mistake that dogged him. He and a Wharton High teammate were arrested on burglary and theft charges that led to a pre-trial intervention program, community service and, ultimately, administratively dismissed charges. By all accounts, though, he was genuinely apologetic and learned from it.
MU coach Doc Holliday took note. He recruited Litton. And he might be repaid with a standout QB for four years. We saw a glimpse of what could be on Saturday, when Marshall breezed by the Spartans 45-7 before 24,114.
Norfolk State's secondary won't be confused with that of the 1994 San Francisco unit with Deion Sanders or that of the 1970s Oakland Raiders with Jack Tatum.
But NSU's soft spot set up nicely for Holliday and Litton. It did not for Michael Birdsong, the former starter who didn't even dress for Saturday's game because of a bad shoulder.
It paved the way for a very encouraging sign for Marshall fans. Holliday didn't have to mess with putting Litton in on the suggested third series. Instead, he just threw the QB into the proverbial fire. There wasn't any hand-the-ball-to-Devon-Johnson-to-get-the-nerves-out philosophy.
Litton trotted onto the field, all 6-foot-6, 211 pounds of him, completely composed. On the very first pass, the very first play from scrimmage, he threw a completed hitch to Deon-Tay McManus for 5 yards. Litton didn't look back.
In the first half, Litton was 7 for 7 passing before Norfolk cornerback D'Metrius Williams made a nice play against Justin Hunt. Litton was on the button downfield, even though Davonte Allen once failed to make a catch. He proved to be on point all day.
In the first half, Litton was 17 of 22 for 187 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. That was with at least three drops.
Actually, Litton didn't throw a bad pass until there was 6:18 left in the second quarter when he missed McManus wide. Yet on the very next play the QB hit tight end Ryan Yurachek for a 15-yard gain to the Norfolk 20.
Oh yeah, and for half of the game he was throwing into the wind.
Litton capped off the afternoon early. In the third quarter, with his team up 31-7, the freshman dropped back to pass, saw the blitz, rushed forward and earned 19 yards, putting the Thundering Herd at midfield.
At game's end, Litton had completed 24 of 31 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns. His quarterback rating was at 193.2. It's a terrific MU sign - unless you're Birdsong.
"The thing I think he did the best was use his eyes, made good decisions and threw the ball on time for the most part," said MU offensive coordinator Bill Legg. "If you do that at quarterback for us, we have enough skill kids to make plays for you."
Try 11. That's how many different players caught Litton passes on Saturday. He saw the field. He hit the correct receivers. He took care of the ball. And he stepped into his throws.
"Put a little mustard on it," said Deandre Reaves with a smile.
When he was on the sideline, Litton was walking up and down his team's bench. With his white headband and Nike sleeves in place, he encouraged his teammates.
"He was calm, cool and collected," Reaves said.
"I came in to play football," Litton said. "They gave me a chance and I made plays."
"To his credit, he worked extremely hard this week," Legg said. "He spent a lot of extra time studying and knew what he was going to get based on their secondary pre-snap and so forth."
Nervousness? Nah.
"When I first ran out onto the field I was a little antsy," Litton said. "But after the first play it was go time."
"The mental aspect is what I was most impressed with," Legg said. "We've always known he has a ton of talent since the day we first started recruiting him. That mental part of the game, though, really took a huge leap this week."
"Today was fun," Litton said. "I was a little rusty, but when the receivers made the plays they did, it made things easier."
He made it look easy. And now maybe Holliday, Legg and the rest of the MU contingent can rest easier.
"Bright future," Legg said of Litton. "We've always said it wasn't a case of 'if' but 'when' with him."
When started on Saturday.