The Marshall Thundering Herd will meet their in-conference nemesis Old Dominion Monarchs at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. This afternoon game is scheduled to get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET and STAD has the TV rights.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Old Dominion Monarchs Betting Preview
The Thundering Herd are down 0.6 units so far and 1-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 3-2. The Monarchs have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 6.4 units. The team is 2-4 ATS and five of its games have gone over the total.
The Thundering Herd are 3-2 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against CUSA opponents. The Monarchs are 1-5 SU overall and 0-3 SU in conference play.
The Thundering Herd fell to Middle Tennessee 34-24 in a contest where the passing attack the big culprit as Alex Thomson completed only 17-of-34 passes for 173 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tyler King (165 rushing yards on 27 attempts) and Anthony Anderson (77 yards on 17 carries, one TD) led the ground attack in the loss while Tyre Brady (six receptions, 58 yards) and Obi Obialo (six catches, 49 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.
Back on October 6, Florida Atlantic knocked off this Old Dominion team by a score of 52-33. The Monarchs defense allowed the Owls to pass for 339 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 266 yards and five scores. Devin Singletary was outstanding, recording 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts for the Owls. For Old Dominion, Blake LaRussa completed 39-of-51 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kesean Strong (99 yards on 21 rush attempts, three TDs) handled the ground game in the defeat as Travis Fulgham (10 receptions, 151 yards, one TD) and Jonathan Duhart (eight catches, 100 yards) led the receiving attack.
In terms of offensive play-calling, each of these teams has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Marshall has run the ball on 47.4 percent of its offensive possessions while Old Dominion has a rush percentage of 45.7. The Thundering Herd have produced 127 rush yards per game (including 161 per game versus Conference USA opponents) and have five touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Monarchs are logging 104 rush yards per game (111 in conference) and have 12 total rushing TDs.
Based on the early season results, the Thundering Herd may own the edge when it comes to RB effectiveness. Their backfield has produced 3.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 2.9 to opponents. The Monarchs have ran for 3.1 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 5.2 to opponents.
The Thundering Herd offensive scheme has averaged 256 yards in the air overall (231 per game versus conference opposition) and has 10 passing scores so far. The Monarchs have put up 304 pass yards per outing (302.7 against CUSA competition) and have 11 total pass TDs.
Marshall appears to have the upper hand in both defensive facets. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 103 yards and pass for 272 yards per game. The Old Dominion defense has allowed 298.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 226.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Thundering Herd are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.12 to opponents, while the Monarchs have given up an 8.45 ANY/A.
Offensively, Green is up to 1,108 passing yards this season, and has completed 55 percent of his 158 attempts with eight scores through the air and six interceptions. He has a 6.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.80 over the last two outings.
Tyre Brady (265 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns this season), Tyler King (293 rush yards, one rush TD) and Obi Obialo (168 receiving yards, three TDs) have each played key roles recently.
Blake LaRussa has completed 81-of-119 passes for 1,068 yards, seven TDs and two INTs for Old Dominion. His ANY/A sits at 8.63 for the season and 5.26 over his past two outings.
Jonathan Duhart (602 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns this season), Travis Fulgham (403 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Kesean Strong (120 rush yards, four rush TDs, 50 receiving yards, one receiving TD) have combined to account for 555 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns over the last two games.
When these two squads met last year, Marshall knocked Old Dominion off easily 35-3.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Old Dominion Monarchs
SU Winner – Marshall
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Marshall defense has sacked opposing QBs 17 times this season. Old Dominion has registered just 10 sacks.
The Old Dominion offense has lost two fumbles this season while Marshall has lost seven.
The Thundering Herd offense has produced three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Monarchs have accounted for four such plays.
The Marshall defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Old Dominion has given up eight such plays.
The Marshall offense has created four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Old Dominion has created five such runs.
The Thundering Herd defense has allowed zero rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Monarchs have given up 14 such runs.
Old Dominion was favored by 14 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was set at 63.5. The over cashed and Old Dominion failed to cover in the 52-33 loss to Florida Atlantic.
Over its last three games, Old Dominion is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
Over its last three contests, Marshall is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Marshall was favored by 3 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 51. The over cashed and Marshall failed to cover in the 34-24 loss to Middle Tennessee.
As a team, Marshall has averaged 3.48148148148148 yards per carry over its past three contests and 3.7 over its last two.
Old Dominion has averaged 2.6 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 2.0 over its past two.
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