The Marshall Thundering Herd (10-3) face off against the Army Black Knights (11-1) on Saturday, December 28th. This game will be played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Kickoff is set for 9:15 ET.

Marshall Thundering Herd vs Army Black Knights

 

Marshall Offense Breakdown

Marshall’s offense ranks 33rd in scoring, averaging 31.8 points per game, and they are 55th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 1. Their strength lies in their running game, with 206.3 rushing yards per game on 38.1 attempts, ranking 14th nationally. A.J. Turner leads the ground attack with 864 yards, averaging 8 yards per carry and scoring six touchdowns.

Quarterback Braylon Braxton has thrown for 1,624 yards, with 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 111. Christian Fitzpatrick leads the receiving corps with 576 yards and six touchdowns on 34 catches. Marshall ranks 100th in passing yards per game.

Army Offense Breakdown

Army’s offense has been dominant on the ground, leading the nation with 316.2 rushing yards per game. They are second in rushing attempts, averaging 53.9 per game, and rank 11th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 9. The Black Knights are also 5th in third-down conversions, converting 50% of their attempts, and they are 27th in scoring, with 32.9 points per game.

Kanye Udoh has rushed for 1,064 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry, and has scored 10 touchdowns. Bryson Daily has thrown for 877 yards, with eight touchdowns and just one interception, giving him a passer rating of 127.

Marshall Team Defense

Marshall’s defense was impressive in their recent game against Louisiana, allowing just 3 points. They held Louisiana to 11 first downs and 256 total yards, including only 57 rushing yards on 27 attempts. The secondary allowed 199 passing yards but also came up with an interception.

So far this season, Marshall’s defense is ranked 48th nationally, giving up 23.1 points per game. They are allowing 198.8 passing yards per game and 179.2 rushing yards, which ranks 128th in the country. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 79.3 against Marshall, completing 57.8% of their passes.

Marshall Team Defense

Army’s defense has been impressive this season, ranking 6th nationally by allowing just 15 points per game. They’ve given up 104.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 15th, and 193.9 passing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 76.9 against Army’s defense, completing 64% of their passes.

In their recent game against Tulane, Army’s defense allowed 14 points, giving up 324 total yards. Tulane ran the ball 29 times for 115 yards, while Army’s secondary allowed 209 passing yards but also forced an interception.

Marshall vs Army Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Marshall Thundering Herd have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 6-3-1 vs. the spread. The team averaged 21 points per game in this stretch.
• Across their ten previous home games, Army has an ATS mark of 7-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 6-4 while averaging 23 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Marshall Thundering Herd have a straight up record of 3-7. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-4-1.
• Over the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Army Black Knights struggled vs the spread going just 1-2. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-0.

Thundering Herd vs Black Knights Prediction

Army is favored by -14.5 points in their week one matchup against Marshall, with our projected final score being 31-23 in favor of the Black Knights. However, we like Marshall to cover the spread as road underdogs.

For the over/under, with the line set at 48.5 points, our projection of 54 points suggests taking the over as the best bet.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.