The Marshall Thundering Herd and Georgia Southern Eagles face off on Saturday in a college football showdown at Paulson Stadium. This is the first meeting played between the two teams.
Georgia Southern comes into this game with a 5-5 record and they have gone 6-4 against the spread. In the last game against Louisiana, Georgia Southern scored only 17 points, and the defense gave up 36 points. Quarterback Kyle Vantrease did play pretty well and he completed 28 of his 49 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. The running game wasn’t good enough, and that will need to be better here. Georgia Southern is averaging 34.3 points while their defense is giving up 31.7 points per game.
On the other side of this matchup is Marshall who sits with a 6-5 record and they have gone 5-5 against the spread. It hasn’t been the best season for Marshall, but they have won two games in a row. In the last game against Appalachian State, Marshall scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter to pace the team on the way to the seven-point victory. Cam Fancher had a solid game completing 16 of his 28 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Marshall is averaging 23.9 points while their defense is giving up 16.1 points per game. The defense is ranked 8th.
Marshall is 6-2 against the spread in their last eight road games. Georgia Southern is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games on grass. The under is 4-1 in Marshall’s last five road games. The under is 11-4 in Georgia Southern’s last 15 games following an against the spread loss.
Marshall has been impressive heading into this game and it’s been the defense that has led to the success. Look for Georgia Southern to struggle to score in this game. The Eagles defense is also giving up 31.7 points per game, and they are going to struggle to defend Marshall. The Thundering Herd will move the ball here, and Marshall will cover the spread. This is one of my favorite plays on the board.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
Mitch's Take...
