Week 10 brings a Sun Belt Conference matchup between the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (5-2) from the West against the Marshall Thundering Herd (4-3) from the East. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Warhawks will travel to Huntington, West Virginia, for an afternoon game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. They enter this one following a brutal road loss at South Alabama.
Marshall enters this one coming off a win against Georgia State, followed by a bye last week.
Marshall is a 10.5-point favorite with a 47.5-point over/under.
Let’s take a look at my ULM vs Marshall predictions and my college football picks for Saturday.
ULM vs Marshall Prediction
- ULM vs Marshall Pick: UL Monroe +10.5
My UL Monroe vs Marshall best bet is for ULM to cover the spread. I am betting it at +10.5.
ULM vs Marshall Odds
ULM Odds | ||
---|---|---|
Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 47.5 -110 / -110 | +320 |
Marshall Odds | ||
---|---|---|
Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 47.5 -110 / -110 | -400 |
- ULM vs Marshall Point Spread: ULM +10.5 (-110) · Marshall -10.5(-110)
- ULM vs Marshall Total: Over/Under 47.5
- ULM vs Marshall Moneyline: ULM +320 · Marshall -400
ULM vs Marshall Preview
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Betting Preview: Warhawks Don't Travel Well
Coach Bryant Vincent has impressed in his first season in Monroe but has failed to show one thing.
His team has struggled on the road, where they are 1-2 with a -73 point differential.
He needs to find a way this week to keep his team focused and avoid distractions from travel and the opposing fan base.
Sophomore quarterback Aidan Armenta now leads the Warhawks after benching General Booty, their starter at the beginning of the year. Armenta is now pacing this offense to 22 points per game.
Armenta may lead the offense, but the most important person on this offense outside of the offensive line is freshman running back Ahmad Hardy.
Hardy averages five YPC on heavy volume, given Louisiana-Monroe’s ranks fourth nationally in rush rate. The Warhawks run the ball, play physically, and sprinkle in some play-action shorter throws when needed.
The pass attack has been awful, ranking 127th in Pass Success Rate. They need Armenta to play clean, mistake-free football.
The Warhawks’ defense has been quite interesting. They allow nearly 24 points per game, but they do so in a unique style. Louisiana-Monroe ranks third in Explosiveness allowed yet rank 100th in Success Rate allowed. They have not proven they can stop teams traditionally, yet they get many of the stops they need by forcing turnovers.
The defense relies on its offense to give it a good field position, making it very difficult to make big plays. This can be especially frustrating against teams that want to air it out and win.
The problem with this defense is that it is horrible at slowing down the run game. It ranks 126th in Rush Success allowed. It will need to be better than that in this road matchup.
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview: Prolific Offense
Coach Charles Huff has another good team in Huntington, and he will continue to maximize the talent on this team. With an additional week to prepare for this one, I would expect the team to be a little more fresh and come in focused.
Junior quarterback Braylon Braxton has emerged as the team’s new starter after Stone Earle had some struggles earlier in the year, and the Thundering Herd have continued to produce with Braxton. Marshall is averaging 30 points per game.
The Thundering Herd like to run a lot of RPO looks, especially with Braxton’s ability to run the football. Given Marshall’s success on the ground, where it ranks 36th in Rush Success Rate, teams look to key into stopping this and forcing more passes. Marshall ranks 53rd in pass play rate but runs a very balanced offense.
Marshall will need to play clean football if they want to win this one and establish that ground game, headlined by AJ Turner, early and often to wear down the Warhawk defense.
The Thundering Herd’s defense has not been great in limiting points. They allow 26 points per game, ranking 61st in Points per Opportunity allowed. However, these points do not tell the full story for this team, as they rank 41st in Success Rate allowed and 17th in Explosiveness allowed. They do an excellent job of making teams beat them with a steady attack.
The problem is that they cannot effectively stop the run; they rank 70th in Rush Success Rate allowed. This could spell problems against the Warhawks, who will try to impose their will on the ground.
ULM vs Marshall Pick & Prediction
With this one being a battle between two physical football teams that prioritize running the football, it is no surprise that the total is only 47.5 points.
Because of the low total and Louisiana-Monroe’s ability to run the football against what I suspect to be a weaker Marshall run defense, I will be taking the points with the Warhawks in this one.
Give me the University of Louisiana-Monroe +10.5
Pick: UL Monroe +10.5
ULM vs Marshall Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
Location: | Joan C. Edwards Stadium |
Date: | Saturday, Nov. 2 |
Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
ULM vs Marshall will be played at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ESPN+.