The Marshall Thundering Herd (9-2, 6-1) travel to play the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-2, 7-0) this week in a clash between two of the best in the CUSA. The nation’s fourth-leading passer, Brandon Doughty (3,814 yards, 37 TDs), will have a major impact on this contest. Players will take the field Friday, Nov 27 at 12:00 p.m. ET and it will air on FS1.
Western Kentucky won easily over FIU 63-7 last week. Antwane Grant had a solid game, racking up 96 total yards and two TDs. He got most of his yards running the ball, registering 59 yards and a TD. Taywan Taylor also had a big game with 100 receiving yards and a TD on three receptions. Not to be outdone, Marshall blew out FIU 52-0. Remi Watson had a big game on the ground for the Thundering Herd, gaining 97 yards and two TDs on 11 carries. Chase Litton finished with 169 yards and three TDs through the air.
The Hilltoppers, a 10-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Marshall visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 13 of the college football season, the Hilltoppers are 9-2 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Hilltoppers have records of 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. The Hilltoppers offense is averaging 524.8 total yards per game during their last five games. Turning to the Hilltoppers defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Thundering Herd will be matching up against a stout Western Kentucky pass defense, which only allowed 197.8 passing yards over their last five matchups. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Thundering Herd can protect the ball against the ambitious defense of the Hilltoppers, who rank 16th in the nation with 2.1 turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Thundering Herd have 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Marshall has a record of 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. Hopefully Western Kentucky’s defense is better than its timing. It will be matching up against a Thundering Herd offense that is on fire lately, averaging 502 total yards over their last five games. The Marshall pass defense has given teams fits during the past five games as well. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 184.6 passing yards against this intimidating unit.
Predictions: SU Winner – Western Kentucky, ATS Winner – Marshall
Notes
Western Kentucky is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky’s last 6 games.
Western Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Western Kentucky’s last 5 games at home.
Marshall is 7-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Western Kentucky is 9-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, Western Kentucky is only 1-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (6-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
