Marshall Thundering Herd vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Prediction, 12/7/2024 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Marshall Thundering Herd vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Location: Cajun Field in Lafayette, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Ragin' Cajuns (-5.5)

Total/Over-Under: 56.5

Cajun Field is the site where the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (10-2) will attempt to beat the Marshall Thundering Herd (9-3) on Saturday, December 7, 2024 in the Sun Belt Championship. Louisiana opens this game as 5.5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The betting total comes in at 56.5.

The Marshall Thundering Herd come into this game with a record of 9-3 for this season. In their last matchup, the Thundering Herd faced the James Madison Dukes and notched a win by a score of 35-33. The Marshall Thundering Herd ran the ball 38 times and totaled 141 yards, which came out to an average of 3.7 yards per carry. In all, they ran 63 plays which gave them 261 yds. Marshall conceded 14 pass completions on 19 tries for a total of 138 yards, and a completion percentage of 73.7%. On the ground, the Thundering Herd gave up 244 yards on 53 attempts, which averages out to 4.6 yds per rush surrendered.

The Thundering Herd have tallied 4,566 total yards this year. When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Marshall has earned 25 passing touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the football 10 different times. Marshall has tallied 233 1st downs as a unit, and they have been called for 64 penalties for 506 yards. Offensively they're averaging 200.4 yards in the run game which is 19th in D-1. Concerning scoring, the Marshall Thundering Herd have an average of 31.9 points per game.

In terms of passing yardage, the Thundering Herd have given up 2,389 yds which ranks them 41st in the country. They are giving up 199.1 yards per outing via the pass in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 58.9%. Over the course of this year, they have surrendered 388.3 yards/game putting them at 89th in the nation. They have relinquished 16 touchdowns via the pass and 22 touchdowns via the ground game. They are allowing an average of 4.6 yards per attempt on the ground and 189.3 yards on the ground per contest for the year. During this campaign, they have conceded 2,272 yards via the ground game in 12 games. The Thundering Herd are ranked 68th in Division 1 when it comes to the opposition scoring, conceding 24.8 PPG.

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The Ragin' Cajuns come into this matchup with a record of 10-2 this year. For their last game, the Ragin' Cajuns walked away with a victory by a final of 37-23 when they faced the UL Monroe Warhawks. The Ragin' Cajuns finished the game with a total of 411 yds while running 70 plays (5.9 yards per play). Louisiana ended up running for 5.1 yards per tote, finishing with a total of 223 yds on 44 carries. Louisiana surrendered 36 attempts on the ground for 167 yards (4.6 yds per rush). The Ragin' Cajuns secondary allowed a completion rate of 48.4%, relinquishing 168 yards on 15 out of 31 passing.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have an average of 445.7 yards per outing, ranking them 18th in Division 1. The Louisiana offense has totaled 526 penalty yards on 67 infractions, which ranks 75th in the nation in terms of hurting your team. They maintain an average of 180.0 run yards per game and have rushed for 2,160 yards for the season. They have thrown 6 picks while surrendering 2 fumbles and they have tallied 266 1st downs. In relation to their scoring prowess, the Ragin' Cajuns rank 15th in the country scoring 35.6 points per outing. During the season so far, the Ragin' Cajuns have compiled 3,188 yards through the air in addition to an average of 265.7 passing yards per outing, which is ranked 28th in D-1.

The Ragin' Cajuns are relinquishing 22.8 points per game, which has them ranked 44th in Division 1. Louisiana has given up a total of 1,832 yards rushing (152.7 yards per outing) as well as 18 touchdowns by way of the ground game this year. This year, they have conceded 274 points in total. They have given up 13 touchdowns via the pass as well as 189.1 yards/game, which has them ranked 29th in the nation. The Ragin' Cajuns defense has taken the field for 770 plays, ranking them 40th in Division 1. They have 5 fumbles recovered and 16 interceptions so far this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Thundering Herd +5.5

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