Marshall Thundering Herd at Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Preview

Week 4 of the college football season kicks off with an interesting matchup between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. This is a battle of 2-1 teams that are both looking to sneak into the AP Top 25.

Marshall won the first two games of the season before suffering an upset loss to East Carolina in Week 3. The Thundering Herd are one of the betting favorites to win Conference USA this season, but that league is loaded.

Appalachian State could easily be 3-0 on the year but came up just a little bit short in an upset loss to the Miami Hurricanes. This team is always tough to deal with at home and is one of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Mountaineers are 7.5-point favorites over the Thundering Herd on Thursday night.

Marshall Must Defend

If Marshall is going to keep this game close or pull off the upset, then they are going to have to find a way to get some stops. Marshall gave up 42 points to ECU in Week 3, and the Pirates are not nearly as explosive as the Mountaineers.

Marshall is averaging over 600 yards of total offense each game, and they are going to be playing fast when they have the ball. The Thundering Herd have plenty of talent on offense, but they won’t be giving their defense much rest.

Quarterback Grant Wells has already thrown for over 1,100 yards this season, but he also has five interceptions. If Marshall turns the ball over on Thursday night, then it will prove to be costly.

Appalachian State Can Be Explosive

Appalachian State is only averaging 446 yards per game, but they have also faced a very tough defense in Miami. This Mountaineers team will be looking to take some deep shots, especially against a Marshall team that gave up some yards in Week 3.

Running back Camerun Peoples leads the Appalachian State offense with 275 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and he will get the ball a ton. This team will attack Marshall in a number of ways, but establishing the run is a priority.

The Appalachian State defense is giving up just 109 rushing yards per game, and that unit should be able to take control of this game as well to set the tone.

Mountaineers March Over Marshall

The loss to East Carolina last weekend exposed some flaws for Marshall on both sides of the football, and those same flaws are going to haunt them in this game. This defense had been dominant up to that point, but that unit is going to face a massive test in this game.

Appalachian State has been terrific in all areas this season, even in the close loss to Miami. The Mountaineers just have so much talent on both sides of the ball, and that offense is not going to slow down on Thursday night.

This might be a competitive game for a half, but Appalachian State will take control from that point. Bet the Appalachian State Mountaineers -7.5 as they cruise to a double-digit win over the Marshall Thundering Herd on Thursday night.

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