The Marshall Thundering Herd (-6.5) are set to take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Johnny (Red) Floyd Stadium. This CUSA game is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and FCBK will showcase the action.
Betting Preview: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
In this Saturday Conference USA matchup, Marshall is getting picked as the favorite and is currently giving up 6.5 points. The Thundering Herd are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Blue Raiders are +210. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 57 points, and if one side can get out in front early, it’ll likely create a decent live betting opportunity.
The Thundering Herd are 1-3 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.0 unit so far. The team has posted an O/U mark of 3-1.
The Blue Raiders have lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 4-0.
The Thundering Herd have gone 2-2 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any CUSA competition yet. The Blue Raiders are 1-3 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
These two teams met last year with the final result being a 34-24 victory for Middle Tennessee.
The Thundering Herd fell to Cincinnati 52-14 in a thumping where their defense allowed the Bearcats to run for 230 yards on 51 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. On the offensive side of the ball, Isaiah Green completed just 11 passes on 29 attempts for 131 yards. Brenden Knox (just 49 yards on 16 rushes) led the running attack while Knox (four receptions, 50 yards) and Corey Gammage (two catches, 28 yards) manned the receiving duties in the defeat.
A week ago, Iowa knocked off this Middle Tennessee team by a score of 48-3. As a group, the team collectively completed 17-of-27 passes for 136 yards. Asher O’Hara went 15-for-22 for 110 yards while Chase Cunningham was two-of-five for 26 yards. O’Hara (33 rushing yards on 10 attempts) spearheaded the running game as Jarrin Pierce (six receptions, 43 yards) and Ty Lee (two catches, 16 yards) led the Middle Tennessee pass-catchers in the loss.
Marshall has run the ball on 56.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Middle Tennessee has an overall rush percentage of 47.3 percent. The Thundering Herd have rushed for 206.5 yards/game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Blue Raiders are totaling 130.5 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
Judging by the early season results, it seems like the Thundering Herd should hold an advantage in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has generated 5.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 4.3 to opponents. The Blue Raiders have rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and given up 5.6 YPC to opponents.
The Thundering Herd offensive scheme has averaged 183.3 yards through the air overall and has seven passing scores so far. The Blue Raiders have put up 234.5 pass yards per contest and have eight total pass TDs.
Defensively, Marshall has allowed 166 rush yards and 248.3 pass yards per game. The Middle Tennessee D has allowed 252.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 254.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Thundering Herd are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.68 to opponents, while the Blue Raiders have given up an ugly 8.72 ANY/A.
O’Hara has completed 59-of-84 passes for 694 yards, six TDs and two INTs. O’Hara’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 7.78 for the season and 5.44 across his past two games. In the other locker room, Green is up to 425 passing yards this year. He’s completed 39-of-74 attempts with four passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Green’s got a 4.90 ANY/A, including 6.15 over the last two games.
Marshall Thundering Herd at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Pick
SU Winner: Marshall, ATS Winner: Marshall, O/U: Over
Betting Trends
- The Marshall defensive unit has twice as many sacks as Middle Tennessee this year (eight versus four).
- Both offenses have lost two fumbles this year.
- The Thundering Herd have made five pass plays of 30+ yards while the Blue Raiders have produced four such plays.
- The Marshall defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Middle Tennessee has given up two such plays.
- The Marshall offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Middle Tennessee has created five such runs.
- The Thundering Herd defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Blue Raiders have given up eight such runs.
- The Over/Under for Middle Tennessee’s last game was 50.5. The over cashed in that 48-3 loss to Iowa.
- Over its last three matchups, Middle Tennessee is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Over its last three matchups, Marshall is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Marshall’s previous game was 47. The over cashed in the team’s 52-14 loss to Cincinnati.
- As a team, Marshall has produced 5.5 yards per carry over its past three contests and 5.7 over its last two.
- Middle Tennessee has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.9 over its last two.
