Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Marshall Thundering Herd Prediction, 9/19/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Marshall Thundering Herd

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020

Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Appalachian State (-4.5)

Total/Over-Under: 57

Grant Wells and the Marshall Thundering Herd play the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, September 19, 2020. Marshall opens this game as 4.5-point underdogs. The O/U opens at 57.

Last week the Appalachian State Mountaineers faced the Charlotte 49ers and notched a win by a score of 35-20. Zac Thomas finished 14/21 with 204 yards by way of the pass and added 1 TD. He gave away 1 interception on the day. Marcus Williams Jr. paced the team on the ground for that game. His longest run of the day went for 34 yards and he added 1 touchdown in this outing. He racked up a total of 117 yards on 14 carries which had him averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Thomas Hennigan was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 120 yards on 5 receptions. He notched an average of 24.0 yards per catch for that game.

The Mountaineers head into this game after finishing 13-1 for last season. They were one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 38.8 points per contest, ranking them 9th in the nation. As a team, they had an average of 232 rushing yards per contest which was 4th in the conference. For total yards, they ranked 2nd in the conference and 17th in the nation with 6,072 yards. They were a team that had one of the most potent offenses in the Sun Belt Conference and they are capable of putting up big points on any given night.

The Mountaineers had one of the top tier defenses in D-1 allowing 20 points per game, which had them at 2nd in the conference and 21st in Division 1. When it comes to yards through the air, the Mountaineers conceded 2,824 yards. Opponents completed 55.6% of the throws they attempted against them and averaged 6.4 yards per try. When talking about yards on the ground, Appalachian State allowed 129.4 yards per game putting them 1st in the Sun Belt and 29th in the country. They allowed teams to run for an average of 3.7 yards per rush putting them 1st in the Sun Belt Conference and 33rd in D-1 overall. In total, they conceded 1,812 rushing yards through 14 games.

Last week the Marshall Thundering Herd faced the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and ended up getting the win by a score of 59-0. Knowledge McDaniel led the team on the ground in this game. He tore off a long run of 18 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on this day. He ran for a total of 93 yards on 14 carries which means he ran for an average of 6.6 yards per run. Talik Keaton led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 68 yards on 2 catches. He notched an average of 34.0 yards per catch in this game. The quarterback for the Thundering Herd was Grant Wells who went 16/23 with 307 yards by way of the pass and completed 4 TD's. He walked away with no picks.

The Thundering Herd step onto the field after holding a record of 8-5 in 2019. Marshall made teams respect their running game by averaging 193.5 yards per contest, which had them at 35th in the country. As a unit, they had a total of 2,516 rushing yards through 13 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Thundering Herd averaged 393.8 yards per game overall ranking them 73rd in the nation and 7th in Conference USA. When looking at their ability to score points, the Thundering Herd sat at 8th in Conference USA and 88th out of all the teams in the country averaging 25.8 points per game.

The Thundering Herd allowed 25 points per game which put them at 5th in Conference USA and 47th in the nation. Their pass defense was one of the mediocre units in the nation. They gave up 231.6 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Thundering Herd sat in 9th in the conference. In discussing points allowed, they allowed 325 points in total. When talking about yards on the ground, they conceded 148.8 yards per contest which put them at 55th in D-1 and 7th in Conference USA. For last year, they gave up 1,934 yards rushing.

Who will win tonight's Mountaineers/Thundering Herd college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Thundering Herd +4.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here