Thursday night CFB action features a Sun Belt matchup between the Thundering Herd and Chanticleers at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2. SBR's Mike Spector offers some betting insight in his Marshall vs Coastal Carolina prediction:
Over/Under pick: Over 53.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
Game prediction: Marshall -5.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
"Marshall's last four games have seen 70-plus points. However, the Under has cashed in all three Coastal Carolina home games, averaging 27.3 points per game. So, I'm more partial to backing the Thundering Herd’s point spread as the road betting favorite.
Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who has made a strong case as the best Group of Five quarterback this season, has another great opportunity to show his talent on national television.
Del Rio-Wilson entered his last game averaging 311.7 total yards per game with 12 total touchdowns and no turnovers over the prior three weeks. While his turnover-free streak ended in a home win over Texas State, he posted a season-high 277 passing yards and his second-highest rushing total (88 yards) of the season.
Coastal Carolina should also do its part offensively, as Marshall ranks outside the top 100 in defensive stop rate (55.7%), allowing 2.65 points per drive. But the Thundering Herd have proved successful in high-scoring games, covering the spread in seven of their last eight conference games."
Player prop bet: Demarcus Lacey Under 72.5 receiving yards (-115 via bet365)
"Del Rio-Wilson has thrown for 219 or more yards in the last four games, but the O/U on his yardage total in this game is 188.5.
Demarcus Lacey is clearly the focal point of the Thundering Herd's passing attack, as his 484 receiving yards are more than double the next-closest teammate. He has four straight games with 88 or more receiving yards, and his quarterback ranks in the top three in FBS in completion percentage (74.4%) and quarterback efficiency (184.1).
I'm siding with the contrarian nature of this play and banking on Coastal Carolina to use its third-ranked defensive line in conference play (per PFF) to contain Marshall’s running game so it can commit more defensive attention to Lacey."
Over/Under pick: Over 53.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
Game prediction: Marshall -5.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
"Marshall's last four games have seen 70-plus points. However, the Under has cashed in all three Coastal Carolina home games, averaging 27.3 points per game. So, I'm more partial to backing the Thundering Herd’s point spread as the road betting favorite.
Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who has made a strong case as the best Group of Five quarterback this season, has another great opportunity to show his talent on national television.
Del Rio-Wilson entered his last game averaging 311.7 total yards per game with 12 total touchdowns and no turnovers over the prior three weeks. While his turnover-free streak ended in a home win over Texas State, he posted a season-high 277 passing yards and his second-highest rushing total (88 yards) of the season.
Coastal Carolina should also do its part offensively, as Marshall ranks outside the top 100 in defensive stop rate (55.7%), allowing 2.65 points per drive. But the Thundering Herd have proved successful in high-scoring games, covering the spread in seven of their last eight conference games."
Player prop bet: Demarcus Lacey Under 72.5 receiving yards (-115 via bet365)
"Del Rio-Wilson has thrown for 219 or more yards in the last four games, but the O/U on his yardage total in this game is 188.5.
Demarcus Lacey is clearly the focal point of the Thundering Herd's passing attack, as his 484 receiving yards are more than double the next-closest teammate. He has four straight games with 88 or more receiving yards, and his quarterback ranks in the top three in FBS in completion percentage (74.4%) and quarterback efficiency (184.1).
I'm siding with the contrarian nature of this play and banking on Coastal Carolina to use its third-ranked defensive line in conference play (per PFF) to contain Marshall’s running game so it can commit more defensive attention to Lacey."