It was a one-possession contest for the majority of last week’s Sun Belt Game of the Week.
Georgia Southern led for the entire first half before Arkansas State pulled ahead on the first possession following intermission. The Red Wolves never relinquished the lead and held on for a 34-24 victory. ASU is now 4-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
In this week’s nationally-televised matchup, both teams are coming off a bye.
How To Watch Marshall-Coastal Carolina
The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday and will air on ESPN2.
Marshall-Coastal Carolina Betting Odds
Marshall is a 4.5-point college football betting odds favorite over Coastal Carolina, as of this writing. The Over/Under is at 54.5.
Marshall-Coastal Carolina Coaches & Records
MU: Tony Gibson (4-3 overall/at Marshall)
CCU: Tim Beck (18-15 overall/at CCU)
Last meeting: Marshall won 31-19 last year at home. Coastal Carolina leads the series 2-1.
Marshall Preview
Fresh off its first-ever Sun Belt title, the Thundering Herd lost their head coach and a handful of their top players when Charles Huff departed for the Southern Miss coaching job.
There were some questions about how the program would regroup, especially with a first-time head coach in Gibson taking charge. I think Gibson has done a solid job so far, though, and that Marshall has already exceeded expectations.
The Thundering Herd (4-3, 2-1) are coming off wins over Old Dominion and Texas State. They outlasted Texas State in double overtime. It was their second double OT game this season, with the other coming in a 54-51 loss to Louisiana. Their other losses came to Missouri State by one point and against Georgia in Week 1. The Herd truly are a few plays away from being 6-1.
Quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has been dangerous for opposing defenses this season. The dual-threat Syracuse transfer has at least 200 yards passing and 80 yards rushing in the last three games. He has nearly 1,500 total yards and 16 total touchdowns on the season.
Running back Michael Allen is second on the roster with 310 rushing yards and three TDs while Demarcus Lacey leads the team with 35 receptions for 484 yards and four scores. Marshall is averaging 35 points per game.
Defensively, Marshall is allowing 30.9 points and 413 yards per game, which both rank in the bottom half of the league. The Thunderding Herd have been stingy with the ball, however, and have forced the second-most turnovers in the league (14). They also have the second-best turnover margin in the conference.
Linebacker Kerion Martin has a team-high 45 total tackles while Javae Gilmore 38 total tackles and seven tackles for loss. Boogie Trotter leads the league with four interceptions.
Coastal Carolina Preview
The Chanticleers have been one of the tougher teams to gauge this year.
In their three losses, they have been outscored 133-14 but they’ve also had decent showings in their four victories.
During last week’s win over App State, CCU scored a TD on its final four possessions and two in the final four minutes to secure its third conference win. The Chants have also defeated ULM and South Alabama. However, none of their wins have come against a team that currently has a winning record.
A win over Marshall would be somewhat of a statement that would keep CCU in second place in the Sun Belt East with Georgia State and Georgia Southern on tap.
To defeat Marshall, I expect CCU’s offense will likely need to play like it did in the second half against App State when it scored 28 points. The Chanticleers have scored more points in the past two weeks than they did in their first five games combined.
The offense currently ranks last in the Sun Belt, averaging 307 YPG, and their 19 PPG are the second lowest.
CCU starting QB Tad Hudson was out against App State, but Samari Collier drew the start and had 118 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, and three total TDs. He has brought a spark to CCU’s offense over the past two weeks. It looks like Hudson will be available this week, but it’ll be interesting to see if Collier still sees some action.
Ja’Vin Simpkins leads CCU with 360 rushing yards, and Dominic Knicely has chipped in with 264 yards on the ground.
The Chanticleers are led by Xamarion Gordon on defense. He has 37 total tackles, four pass breakups, and two interceptions. Redshirt junior defensive end Zeke Campbell has four sacks and five TFLs.
Marshall-Coastal Carolina Prediction
I predict Marshall wins and covers the spread.
CCU could show up to play and pick up a big victory in front of its home crowd, but it’s hard for me to trust the Chanticleers after the up-and-down season they’ve had while Marshall has been much more consistent.
