The North Carolina State Wolfpack (-6) and Marshall Thundering Herd are set to collide on the turf at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Kickoff for this showdown is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and CBS Sports Network will broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall enters this matchup as the underdog and is currently receiving 6 points. The Wolfpack are also receiving -240 moneyline odds while the Thundering Herd are +190. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 54.5 points, and on the surface it looks like there should be some solid live betting scenarios for this game.
The opening line was 6.5 while the O/U hasn’t moved since it opened at 54.5.
The Wolfpack are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 0-1.
The Thundering Herd are up 1.0 unit this season. The team is 1-1 ATS and owns an O/U record of 1-1.
The Wolfpack have gone 2-0 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Thundering Herd are also 2-0 SU.
The Wolfpack are looking to stay unbeaten after a 41-7 win over Georgia State on September 8Their defense allowed the Panthers to run for 107 yards on 31 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Devin Gentry had a productive day for the Panthers in that one with 83 yards on five catches. Offensively, Ryan Finley completed 31 passes on 38 attempts for 370 yards, two scores and one interception. Reggie Gallaspy (just 24 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the win while Thayer Thomas (nine receptions, 114 yards, one TD) and Kelvin Harmon (eight catches, 129 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Marshall take the field this week having just earned a lopsided 32-16 win over Eastern Kentucky. The defense let the Colonels run for 139 yards on 45 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Alphonso Howard was a bright spot in the defeat for Eastern Kentucky, posting 64 rushing yards on 13 attempts. For Marshall, Isaiah Green completed 23-of-39 passes for 278 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Keion Davis (19 rushing yards on 12 attempts) and Tyler King (31 yards on 11 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Tyre Brady (six receptions, 66 yards, one TD) and Xavier Gaines (three catches, 60 yards) led the receiving corps.
North Carolina State has run the ball on 42.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Marshall has a rush percentage of 46.5 percent. The Wolfpack have rushed for 99.0 yards/game and have four scores via handoffs this year. The Thundering Herd are totaling 130.0 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
It appears that the Thundering Herd may hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game, since their backfield has logged 3.9 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 3.1 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Wolfpack have registered 3.3 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 3.9 to opponents.
The Pack offense has logged a superb 367.5 yards per contest through the air overall and has four passing scores so far. The Thundering Herd have produced 275.0 pass yards per game and have five total pass TDs.
North Carolina State has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 135.0 yards and pass for 222.0 yards per game. The Marshall defense has given up 202.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 113.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Thundering Herd are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.13 to opposing QBs, while the Wolfpack have given up a 6.46 ANY/A.
Offensively, Finley is up to 370 passing yards this year, and has connected on 31-of-38 attempts with two passing scores and one interception. He has a sparkling 9.61 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.66 over the last two games.
For the home team, Isaiah Green has completed 23-of-39 passes for 278 yards, three TDs and one INT. Green’s ANY/A stands at 7.30 for the year and 7.49 over his past two games.
These two schools met last year with the final result being a 37-20 win for North Carolina State.
