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NCAA Football Mid-Major Free Betting Picks: Marshall Thundering Herd Week 6


by - 10/5/2017

Chase Litton Marshall Thundering Herd

It's time for the sixth edition of the college football mid-major betting report. Let's get back to focusing on Marshall football once again.

This is the seventh straight season I'm doing the mid-major report for Doc's Sports. How have the selections on the mid-major betting report done? Overall, the record is 40 wins and 29 losses with a gain of $1,500.

For the report this season, I'm following the Marshall Thundering Herd. This is a team with a proud past in college football, and they are coming off an extremely disappointing season. Many believe their coach is on the hot seat, and there is pressure for them to perform in the year ahead. I expect a much-improved team. I'll be following beat writers, following players and coaches on Twitter, and reading the press conference transcripts to find information on the Thundering Herd. I'll be looking to make myself an expert on this Thundering Herd team.

Marshall thumped Cincinnati last week, and the Thundering Herd are now 4-0 against the spread on the season. So far, they have indeed been a much-improved team. We have a long way to go, and we'll see if they can keep the momentum going.

Last Game

The Marshall Thundering Herd beat Cincinnati 38-21 last week. Marshall led 24-0 at halftime. Chase Litton was 21/34 passing for four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He definitely led the way in last week's win. Ryan Yurachek is a great tight end, and he found the end zone three times on Saturday night. If you were looking for a negative from this game, it would be the team's lack of success on the ground. Marshall averaged only 3.0 yards per carry.

The Marshall defense dominated this game. Cincinnati lost three fumbles in this game. Marshall ended up allowing 349 yards of offense to Cincinnati, but much of that came in garbage time. The Bearcats were having no success on the first-team Thundering Herd defense in this one. Hayden Moore threw the ball 45 times and completed only 22 passes. He averaged only 4.7 yards per pass attempt in this one.

The key play in this game was late in the second quarter when Marshall had fourth-and-two to go on the Cincinnati 28-yard line. They went for it and threw it deep for a touchdown to grab a 17-0 lead. This was the best win of the season for Marshall. The Thundering Herd crushed Cincinnati despite being a 3.5-point underdog. The two unit selection on Marshall plus the points cashed in easily.

Notes of Interest

-Grant Traylor, writer at The Herald-Dispatch, wrote this week about the Marshall debut of Juwon Young. Young transferred to Marshall from the Miami Hurricanes, and he was suspended for the first four games. Young has as much talent as anyone on this team, and he's taking a leadership role on the defense. In this article, Litton talked about how much Young's play on the scout team defense has helped him and the Marshall offense get better. Litton said, "He's a hard worker and he's the type of kid who didn't just sit and mope through those four weeks." Doc Holliday said Young's work ethic is tremendous. Look for Young to be on the field making a big impact right away.

-Senior left tackle A.J. Addison was injured in last week's game, and freshman Will Ulmer is expected to start at that spot this weekend. Ulmer was actually No. 3 on the depth chart at that position coming into the season.

-Marshall's kick return team deserves a lot of credit for giving the team good field position so far this season. The Thundering Herd are averaging 101.5 yards per game in kickoff return yardage. That is 10th best in the nation.

-Marshall's defense hasn't given up the big play this year. The Thundering Herd are one of only 14 teams in the country to have zero plays of 50 yards or longer allowed so far this season.

-Charlotte is the Thundering Herd's opponent this week, and the 49ers are 107th in the country in yards per play on offense at 5.00 yards per play. They did get a new offensive coordinator before last week's game, and in that game against FIU they averaged a season-high 6.55 yards per play.

Betting Trends

-Marshall is 2-7 ATS in their last nine conference games.

-Charlotte is 7-18-2 ATS in their last 27 games overall.

-The 'under' is 17-5 in Marshall's last 22 conference games.

-The 'over' is 5-0 in Charlotte's last five games against a team with a winning record.

Marshall vs. Charlotte College Football Odds

Marshall opened as a 15-point favorite in this one, and they remain a 15-point road favorite . There's been almost no movement at any books this week on the side. The total opened at 49.5 and has gradually been bet up to its current level of 51 points.

Marshall vs. Charlotte College Football Picks

Marshall won 34-10 two years ago in their last visit to Charlotte. The Thundering Herd lost 27-24 at home last year to Charlotte despite being a 13-point favorite in that game.

I am at least somewhat concerned that this could be a letdown spot for Marshall after an emotional victory over a bigger school last Saturday night. Still, this is a Conference USA clash, and they lost to Charlotte last year. The team should be motivated. Charlotte is one of the worst teams in the country, and their performances year to date aren't impressive at all even on their home field.

Marshall adds in another ultra-talented defender in Young, and the Thundering Herd should be too much for Charlotte here. I'll lay the 15 points for a two unit selection.

Pick #325- Marshall -15 (2 unit play)

Season Results- 4 Wins 1 Losses (+$480)

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