Here is everything you need to know, from current betting odds to DFS picks and fantasy football players to play, included in our Louisiana vs. Marshall prediction.
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Louisiana vs. Marshall Betting Preview
- Spread: Marshall (-10.5)
- Moneyline: Marshall (-410); Louisiana (+330)
- Over/Under: 47.5 points
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV
- Predicted weather at kick: 71 degrees, scattered thunderstorms (49%), 7-10 mph winds
A game fit for the college football realignment discussion, new Sun Belt foes Marshall and Louisiana headline the one-game Wednesday slate. Marshall, a new entry in the Sun Belt pool, welcomes the recent Sun Belt power Ragin’ Cajuns for a midweek date that’s expected to be pelted with scattered thunderstorms all night long. Both teams are likely set to run the ball in inclement conditions, but just how much will that really affect their intended offenses after all?
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Henry Colombi, Marshall ($15,000)
- QB Chandler Fields, Louisiana ($13,000)
- QB Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana ($13,000)
- RB Khalan Laborn, Marsyall ($17,500)
- RB Chris Smith, Louisiana ($14,000)
- RB Terrence Williams, Louisiana ($8,000)
- RB Jacob Kibodi, Louisiana ($6,500)
- RB Ethan Payne, Marshall ($6,500)
- WR Corey Gammage, Marshall ($12,000)
- WR Michael Jefferson, Louisiana ($11,500)
- WR Talik Keaton, Marshall ($11,000)
- WR Caleb McMillan, Marshall ($10,000)
- WR Charles Montgomery, Marshall ($8,000)
- WR Shadeed Ahmed, Marshall ($7,500)
- WR Jayden Harrison, Marshall ($7,000)
- WR Peter LeBlanc, Louisiana ($7,000)
- WR Errol Rogers Jr., Louisiana ($6,500)
- TE Johnny Lumpkin, Louisiana ($9,000)
- TE Devin Miller, Marshall ($8,500)
- TE Neal Johnson, Louisiana ($7,500)
- TE Pearse Migl, Louisiana ($6,500)
The weather certainly will have an effect on this game if it is to be as bad as it appears. With rain all evening long in the forecast, both ground games are in play for your daily DFS lineup. As this is the lone game on Wednesday, you’ve got to be savvy with your picks to differentiate your lineup enough while ensuring you have the top players.
Khalan Laborn is the bell cow for Marshall and is the safest bet for your Superflex or MVP spot, depending on the platform you are using. Next, the best bets are running back Chris Smith at Louisiana and grabbing Neal Johnson for the tight end spot. Outside of Michael Jefferson and Errol Rogers, Smith and Johnson are the most targeted players on the Ragin’ Cajuns lineup.
Johnson and Smith are the safety valves in the Louisiana offense, and though they haven’t put up gaudy numbers, they could be bigger features in this lineup due to the weather.
Figuring out the quarterback situation and which one of the Louisiana signal-callers you’d want to ride with, if any at all, is next. Marshall’s Henry Colombi makes sense, as he has a high ceiling when they decide to throw it in the red zone which the team has done with great success this season.
Both Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge have appeared in every game for Louisiana this year with little differentiation in their total production. Fields is the bigger threat with his arm while Wooldridge has carried it more. At their current price point in a single-game entry, picking between the two is an effort in futility, and you’d be best suited to spend your money elsewhere.
Prediction for Louisiana vs. Marshall
The Marshall defense is a unit not to be reckoned with. Specifically, in the run game, the Thundering Herd is a top-five team. They allow just 71.2 rushing yards per game, fourth-best in the country, while holding ball carriers to just 2.46 yards per rush, the fifth-best mark in the nation.
Their speed on the perimeter is what separates them from most units. Cornerbacks Micah Abraham and Steven Gilmore are not just good in coverage, they’re also terrific against the run and help set the edge. Linebackers Abraham Beauplan, Eli Neal, and Charlie Gray have quickly made their names known in the Sun Belt, and the defense does well when it funnels everything to the middle where they do their best work.
Offensively for the Ragin’ Cajuns, they’re a far cry from where they were under Billy Napier just a season ago. Napier’s departure to Florida and the subsequent transfers that left after his exit have harmed this roster in more ways than one. It’s a solid unit in fundamentals, but it lacks star power.
Most notably, Louisiana lacks the ability to control the line of scrimmage. They’re beaten far too often at the point of attack. For a zone-blocking unit that looks to utilize its speed, they’re a tick slower than usual, and that half-second beat is losing them the line of scrimmage. Marshall has the players on the interior of the defensive front to stymie the Louisiana rushing attack all game long.
This line, however, has rectified itself after opening closer to a touchdown. Even as late as Tuesday morning, it sat at Marshall (-9.5). We would’ve liked fewer than 10 points to bet on this game, as Marshall (-10.5) is pretty on the nose here. Grab the under if the weather holds.
Still, in a muddy, dirty, low-scoring affair, take the more athletic unit from top to bottom. Back the Herd.
Prediction: Marshall 24, Louisiana 13
