Saturday, October 1, 2016

Heinz Field

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The Marshall Thundering Herd take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at Heinz Field. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh as 1 point favorites. This season the Thundering Herd are 1-1-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 3-0-0. The Panthers have an over/under record of 3-1-0 and they are 1-3-0 against the spread.

Garet Morel finished with 59 yards through the air for Marshall last week. He completed 9 passes out of 21 attempts for a 43% completion percentage. The Thundering Herd were led in rushing by Tony Pittman, who finished with 54 yards on 7 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 8 yards per carry. Ryan Yurachek was the team leader in receiving with a total of 16 yards and 2 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 8 yards per reception. As a team in that game Marshall got a total of 16 first downs. Of those first downs, 10 came on the ground while 2 came through the air. They ran 64 total plays for 207 yards for the game. The Thundering Herd ran for 148 yards on 43 attempts.

Nathan Peterman finished with 140 yards passing for Pittsburgh last week. He went 14 for 18, resulting in a 78% completion percentage. The Panthers were led on the ground by Quadree Henderson, who finished with 107 yards on 9 carries. He ended the game with an average of 12 yards per rush. James Conner led the team in receiving with 64 yards and 4 catches. He finished the game with an average of 16 yards per reception. Pittsburgh had 21 first downs total. 13 came from running the ball and 8 came from a pass. They ran 73 total plays for 421 yards for the contest. The Panthers ran for 281 yards on 55 carries as a team.

Marshall scores 42.7 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 19th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 18.7 passes on 34 attempts for a 54.9 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 272.7 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 38th in college football. The Thundering Herd run for an average of 164 yards per game on 40 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. That ranks them 83rd in the nation. They also run 74 plays per contest and average 5.9 yards per play for an average of 436.7 yards per game, ranking their offense 61st overall this season. The Thundering Herd average 23 first downs per game which ranks them 47th in the country. They accumulate 115 penalty yards per game via 11.3 penalties, which ranks 1st in the nation.

Marshall allows 323.7 passing yards per game, ranking 121st in D-1, and they allow 41.3 points per contest on defense, which ranks 121st. They give up 20 completions on 36.3 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 55. The Thundering Herd allow 155 rushing yards per game on 35.7 carries for an average of 4.3 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 67th in the country. Marshall allows 478.7 total yards per game including 6.6 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 113th in terms of yards per game. They force 2.7 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 11 penalties for 119.3 yards per game, ranking them 128th among D-1 teams.

Pittsburgh averages 36 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 48th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 14.5 passes per game on 24 attempts for a 60.4 percent completion percentage. They throw for 160.8 yards through the air per game, ranking them 115th in Division 1. The Panthers run for an average of 256.5 yards per game on 49.5 attempts for an average of 5.2 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 14th on the ground. They also run 73.5 plays per game and average 5.7 yards per play for a total of 417.3 yards per game, ranking them 71st in the country on offense. The Panthers get an average of 20.5 first downs per game, which ranks 81st in the nation. They average 58 penalty yards per game via 6.3 penalties, ranking them 54th in college football.

Pittsburgh allows an average of 361 passing yards yards per game, which ranks 127th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 32 points per contest, which has them ranked 95th in the nation. They give up 25.3 completions on 39.8 attempts for a completion percentage of 63.5 per game. The Panthers allow 61.3 rushing yards per contest on 29.5 carries for a 2.1 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 3rd in the country. Pittsburgh allows 422.3 total yards per game for an average of 6.1 yards per play, which ranks 89th in D-1. They force 2.3 turnovers per contest and 6 penalties for 46.8 yards in each contest, ranking 32nd in the nation.

Marshall Betting Trends

Marshall is 3-0-0 against the over/under this season

Marshall has an ATS record of 1-1-1 this season

Pittsburgh Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is 3-1-0 against the over/under this season

Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 1-3-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Marshall

09/25/16 QB Chase Litton Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Pittsburgh U
08/28/16 S Tiquan Lang Dismissed has been dismissed

Pittsburgh

09/25/16 DB Damar Hamlin Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Marshall
09/25/16 WR Zach Challingsworth Shoulder "?" Saturday vs. Marshall
09/16/16 DE Dewayne Hendrix Foot out indefinitely
09/16/16 WR Dontez Ford Collarbone out indefinitely
09/16/16 LB Elijah Zeise Ankle out indefinitely
08/31/16 WR Chris Wuestner Personal has left team

Guy's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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