The Marshall Thundering Herd (3-2) head down to Statesboro, Georgia to square off against the Georgia Southern Eagles (3-2) in a Week 7 Sun Belt Conference showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Thundering Herd enter this one after stomping a weaker Appalachian State team at home to get them to a 3-2 record on the year. Georgia Southern also enters this one with a 3-2 record after a solid road win at Georgia State a week ago.
These two teams have faced off each of the last two years, and Marshall got the best of Georgia Southern in both of those contests, but is this the year where the Eagles can finally get over the hump and beat Marshall?
Marshall is listed as a 1.5-point road favorite on the spread, with the over/under set at 61.5. Let's get to my Marshall vs Georgia Southern predictionsand my college football picks for Saturday, Oct. 12.
Marshall vs Georgia Southern Picks, Prediction
- Marshall vs Georgia Southern Pick: Georgia Southern ML (-110)
My Georgia Southern vs Marshall best bet is on Eagles moneyline, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Marshall vs Georgia Southern Odds, Spread, Over/Under
| Marshall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +100 | 57.5 -118o / -104u | -110 |
| Georgia Southern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -122 | 57.5 -118o / -104u | -110 |
- Marshall vs Georgia Southern Point Spread: Marshall -1.5 · Georgia Southern +1.5
- Marshall vs Georgia Southern Total: Over/Under 57.5
- Marshall vs Georgia Southern Moneyline: Marshall -110 · Georgia Southern -110
Marshall Football vs Georgia Southern Football Preview
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview: Tough Road Matchup for Coach Huff's Squad
Charles Huff is off to another solid start in his fourth year in Huntington, and he will look to continue to build on that with what figures to be a tough road matchup for his team.
They will need this one to keep the ball rolling towards a bowl berth, where they lost last season and ultimately finished with a losing record. Huff looks to right the past this season, and a win here would help big time.
We will see who Marshall ends up rolling out as quarterback this week after Stone Earle was a healthy scratch a week ago and the Herd turned to Braylon Braxton, who had a very productive day. Braxton threw for three touchdowns and ran for another two touchdowns, accumulating 129 yards through the air and a whopping 160 yards on the ground.
Either quarterback should be productive for Marshall in this one as both quarterbacks take care of the football and are very mobile in some of the read options Huff has them running.
The Thundering Herd rank 36th in rushing success and 46th in rushing explosiveness. This team runs the ball extremely well, and they should lean into that in this road matchup.
The glaring issue for Marshall is they rank 126th in points per opportunity, meaning they struggle finishing drives. They will need to finish on the road because the opportunities will be limited.
Defensively, this Marshall squad has been very sound. They are opportunistic on defense, ranking 58th in the nation on defense and holding a +3 turnover margin on the season. They have allowed 28 points per game on the season, but a lot of those points came from Ohio State, who currently is ranked #2 in the nation.
Marshall has been great against the pass ranking 19th in defensive pass success rate, but they struggle against the run coming in at 70th in the country. They will need to be better against the run, especially in high leverage situations if they want to steal this one on the road.
Georgia Southern Eagles Betting Preview: Keep the Defense on the Sidelines
Clay Helton, the former USC coach before Lincoln Riley, leads the Eagles into this one looking to help transform this program into a Sun Belt Conference contender each and every season. He is in his third season and has yet to get over the hump for his first winning season.
In order to get over that hump, he has to win these tough home games, and he will have the opportunity Saturday night.
Quarterback JC French has been pacing this offense with 32 points per game on the year. French has been leading this Clay Helton pass heavy attack, where they rank 19th in the country in pass play rate. Helton will need to abandon that mentality in this one because the weakness on that other sideline is their run defense.
Georgia Southern has run the ball well when they have wanted to, ranking 48th in rush success rate and 14th run explosiveness. They should lean into returning running back Jalen White, who is averaging nearly four yards per carry on the year.
They then can use their explosive pass attack to put up points in a hurry when Marshall’s defense finally adjusts to slow the ground game.
Georgia Southern’s defense has statistically looked awful, but they are better than the stats show. They allow 32 points per game and nearly 500 yards of offense per game.
Despite these gaudy numbers, it is worth noting they have played Ole Miss and Boise State this season, who have two of the top offenses in college football this season.
That being said, I think Helton’s game plan should look to keep this poor defense on the sideline with the ground game on offense, so they can be well rested to make plays. This defense ranks 116th in success rate struggling to stop both the pass and the run. They also struggle to force a lot of turnovers.
Fortunately, their offense does not cough up the football often, so they still sit at a +2 turnover margin. They need to win the turnover margin in this one and look like the Georgia Southern defense we have seen in games played against teams not named Ole Miss or Boise State.
Marshall vs Georgia Southern Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Marshall and Georgia Southern match up statistically:
Marshall Offense vs. Georgia Southern Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 21 | 134 | |
| Line Yards | 27 | 96 | |
| Pass Success | 91 | 96 | |
| Havoc | 14 | 106 | |
| Finishing Drives | 72 | 101 | |
| Quality Drives | 95 | 94 |  |
Georgia Southern Offense vs. Marshall Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 75 | 93 | |
| Line Yards | 122 | 59 | |
| Pass Success | 109 | 16 | |
| Havoc | 95 | 59 | |
| Finishing Drives | 15 | 90 | |
| Quality Drives | 95 | 84 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 66 | 64 |
| PFF Coverage | 7 | 21 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 112 | 2 |
| Middle 8 | 32 | 32 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.0 (43) | 26.2 (48) |
| Rush Rate | 58% (34) | 48% (101) |
How to Make College Football Picks For My Marshall vs Georgia Southern Prediction
Marshall has been fantastic against the spread this season, currently at 5-0 on the year, while Georgia Southern is 3-2. This game should be a high scoring fun one that will likely come down to the wire.
Because of that, I will be backing the home team in this one and taking the small underdog at home. Give me Georgia Southern to finally get over the hump and beat Marshall at home.
Pick: Georgia Southern ML (-110, FanDuel)
Marshall vs Georgia Southern Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | Allen E. Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, GA |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct 12 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Marshall vs Georgia Southern is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET live from Allen E. Paulson Stadium on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
