The Marshall Thundering Herd and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders meet in week 4 college football action from Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders prediction.
Marshall Thundering Herd Recap
The Marshall Thundering Herd come into this game looking to add on to their 38-7 win over Eastern Kentucky last time out to sit at 1-2 on the year. After this game, Marshall will head on the road for a game against Louisiana.
Marshall Looking To Build On First Win
Zion Turner has thrown for 183 yards and an interception on 61.3% passing while Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has thrown for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season. Turner’s also rushed for a team-high 110 yards and a touchdown while Justin Williams-Thomas has 100 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns so far this year. Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw leads Marshall with 79 receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Kerion Martin has a team-high 26 total tackles including 1.5 sacks while Cannon Lewis has 20 total tackles. Jibreel Al-Amin has 1.5 sacks while Boogie Trotter has a pair of interceptions and Braydin Ward has a team-high 2.5 sacks. As a team, Marshall has combined for 11 sacks and 3 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Marshall Thundering Herd will win
- Marshall has won eight of its last nine games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Middle Tennessee has lost seven of its last eight games in September.
- Marshall has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games.
- Middle Tennessee has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight home games.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Recap
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders come into this game looking to build on their 14-13 win over Nevada last time out to sit at 1-2 on the year. After this game, Middle Tennessee will head on the road for a game against Kennesaw State.
Blue Raiders Also Looking To Add On To First W
Nicholas Vattiato has thrown for 548 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 55.9% passing while Jekail Middlebrook leads the Blue Raiders with 142 rushing yards as well on the year. Nazhae Cox leads Middle Tennessee with 14 grabs for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns while Myles Butler has 116 receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Parker Hughes has a team-high 21 total tackles including 12 solo tackles while Muaaz Byard has 17 total tackles with 10 solo tackles. Zeion Simpson-Smith has a pair of sacks and Juwon Gaston has a pair of interceptions.
Why the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will win
- Middle Tennessee has won three of its last four games as an underdog against Marshall.
- Marshall has lost each of its last four road games against non-conference opponents.
- The underdog has covered the spread in five of Marshall’s last six games.
- Marshall has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games against opponents from the Conference USA.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Middle Tennessee’s last four home games against Marshall have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of Marshall’s last four games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Prediction
I’m going to side with the under here. These are just two teams I really don’t trust to do much of anything offensively in this game, and this to me honestly feels like a 14-10 or 17-13 kind of game. There’s much better options to be had on Saturday’s card, but if ugly, sloppy football is your jam, then buckle up and settle in for this one. Give me the under here.