College Football Odds: UL Lafayette vs. Marshall

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UL Lafayette is 2-3 this season but has lost three straight games after starting 2-0. The Rajun Cajuns are coming off a much-needed bye week. In their last appearance on October 1st, they lost on a last-second field goal to South Alabama: 17-20. UL Lafayette is 0-2 in conference play thanks to their loss to UTSA and a week-four loss to UL Monroe.

Marshall enters this matchup with a 3-2 record. They, too, are coming off a bye week. The Thundering Herd made headlines after their week two upset of then-8th ranked Notre Dame, but dropped back-t0-back games to Bowling Green and Troy. In their last matchup before the bye week, Marshall took care of Gardner-Webb: 28-7.

College Football Odds: UL Lafayette-Marshall Odds​

UL Lafayette: +10.5 (-112)

Marshall: -10.5 (-108)

Why UL Lafayette Could Cover The Spread​

The Rajun Cajuns have struggled to replicate last season’s success thus far in 2022. UL Lafayette had their 2nd best season in school last year – finishing 16th in the final AP Poll. However, they have had particular trouble finding a replacement for last year’s starting quarterback Levi Lewis. Lewis was the school’s all-time leader in touchdowns and thus far UL Lafayette has relied on a dual approach in replacing the Cajun legend.
Two quarterbacks have split time for the Cajuns through five regular season games. Sophomore Chandler Fields has operated as the prototypical starter for UL Lafayette, but the Cajun coaching staff hasn’t been shy in utilizing backup Ben Wooldridge. It hasn’t exactly been a 50/50 split, but it’s more than just an occasional spell. The Fresno State transfer Wooldridge has completed 65% of his passes for 440 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Fields has gotten nearly 20 attempts more than Wooldridge but has been less efficient. For the season Fields has completed 57% of his passes for 608 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Neither quarterback has given the Cajun coaching staff much confidence in naming an every-down starter. No matter who the starter is, though, they’ll be locked in on one main guy on the outside.

Receiver Michael Jefferson has flashed enormous potential in his now-five college seasons. This year, however, he seems motivated to finally capitalize on it. The 6’4″ senior had a 12-touchdown season back in 2019 with Alabama State but didn’t get a ton of opportunity upon transferring to UL Lafayette. He’s taken advantage of his chances this season. Through 5 games Jefferson’s caught 20 passes for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s coming off a quiet outing in their more recent loss to South Alabama but against a stout Marshall run defense the Cajuns will be turning to him early and often on Wednesday night.

Why Marshall Could Cover The Spread​

Marshall captured arguably their biggest victory in franchise history early this season when they visited then-8th-ranked Notre Dame in week two. Marshall ran all over the Fighting Irish in that game – something they’ve done all season long. In their huge win, Marshall ran for 219 yards. For the season the Thundering Herd averaged 224 rushing yards per game (good for 15th in all of College Football). Their potent rushing attack is spearheaded by senior running back Khalan Laborn.
Laborn is a former five-star recruit who transferred to Marshall this spring from Florida State. He’s an incredible story (he was dismissed from the football team in 2020 following a violation of team rules but finished his degree before transferring) but an even more incredible player. Laborn is 4th in the country in rushing yards with 731 and he’s tacked on 8 touchdowns as well. He’s coming off his best game of the season – a 35 rush, 191 yards, and 2 touchdown performance in Marshall’s win over Gardner Webb. UL Lafayette allows nearly 130 yards rushing per game and has given up 116, 227, and 146 yards rushing in their three losses. No one on UL Lafayette’s defense can slow down Laborn – giving backers confidence they’ll be able to maintain a lead once they get one.

The Thundering Herd’s run game is their biggest advantage but their defense will be a major factor in whether or not they cover a 10.5-point spread. Marshall has allowed just 16 points per game and only 280 yards of total offense. They’ve only allowed more than 21 points once this season.

Final UL Lafayette-Marshall Prediction & Pick​

If Marshall can follow the script and pound the ball on the ground they should have no problem taking care of a sputtering UL Lafayette team. The Thundering Herd rush attack is too potent for the Rajun Cajun’s to slow down – making this an easy pick.

Final UL Lafayette-Marshall Prediction & Pick: Marshall Thundering Herd -10.5 (-108)

 

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College Football Odds, Picks, Predictions for Louisiana vs. Marshall: Betting Value on Wednesday’s Over/Under​

Week 7 kicks off Wednesday night with a Sun Belt battle between the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Marshall Thundering Herd in a rematch of last year’s New Orleans Bowl.

The Herd come into this game with 10 days of rest after beating FCS Gardner Webb, 28-7, to get back into the win column.

Louisiana is also coming off of a 10-day break between games. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns will head to Huntington looking for their first win in over a month. Their last win came on Sept. 10 when they took down Eastern Michigan, 49-21. They have since suffered losses to Rice, Louisiana Monroe, and most recently, South Alabama.

Losses aren’t the only issue for the Ragin’ Cajuns either; starting quarterback Chandler Fields and lead running back Chris Smith are dealing with Injuries. Head coach Michael Desormeaux said in a press conference Saturday that Fields would not play against Marshall, while Smith’s status is unknown.

Last year’s New Orleans Bowl was the first-ever meeting between these two teams, and Louisiana came away with a 36-21 win over Marshall. The Herd will look to not only settle the series but also win their first conference game as a member of the Sun Belt.

Head coach Charles Huff called on fans to show up and show out in their first home matchup against an FBS opponent this season. The team will pull out all of the stops, including new uniforms to go with the planned “Black Out.”

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns​

With Fields out for the Ragin’ Cajuns, Ben Wooldridge will get the start at quarterback. Wooldridge was solid when he came in against South Alabama, going 18-of-29 for 90 yards while throwing one touchdown and one interception. He also added 37 yards on the ground.

But ultimately, the three turnovers were too much for Louisiana to overcome, losing to the Jags, 20-17.

Turnovers have been an issue for the Ragin’ Cajuns, but they’ve been a manageable problem because their defense has brought in more than double the number of turnovers they’ve given up.

The real issue for this Louisiana team has been penalties. It ranks second-to-last among Sun Belt teams in that area, racking up 41 penalties for a total of 366 yards on the season.

Louisiana hasn’t been exceptional on either side of the ball, but it’s been exceptionally bad in one area: the red zone.

The Ragin’ Cajuns rank 111th nationally in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 93.3% of attempts inside the 20-yard line. On offense, Louisiana scored on just 75% of trips to the red zone, ranking 94th among all FBS teams.

Marshall Thundering Herd​

The Thundering Herd have used their 10 days off for some much-needed rest after quarterback Henry Colombi and wide receiver Caleb McMillan suffered injuries against Gardner Webb. Luckily for them, Huff expects both to play this week.

Marshall has had some severe ups and downs so far this season, with the high point being its upset over Notre Dame in South Bend. However, the Herd followed that up by losing their next two games to Bowling Green and Troy.

Colombi has been solid, completing 73.7% of his passes for 875 yards on the season. But the Thundering Herd offense begins and ends with the rush.

Running back Khalan Laborn leads the Sun Belt with 731 yards rushing, averaging 146.2 per game. He also ties Georgia Southern’s Jalen White for the conference lead with eight rushing touchdowns on the year, while he’s ninth in yards per carry at 5.5 per rush.

Laborn has run for over 100 yards and recorded at least one touchdown in every game this season while logging 30 attempts or more in three of his five games. Expect him to be a vital piece of the offense once again this week.

Defensively, Marshall has been one of the best units in the Sun Belt. The Herd rank second in the conference in terms of defensive scoring, holding opponents to just 16.2 points per contest. They also rank third in the conference with eight interceptions this season.

Marshall ranks second nationally in Defensive Finishing Drives and fourth in Defensive Success Rate — two areas in which the Ragin’ Cajuns rank outside the top 75.

Louisiana vs. Marshall Betting Pick​

Both of these teams have found a way to force turnovers on defense but have struggled to limit them on offense. Louisiana ranks second nationally in turnover margin, while Marshall comes in at 13th.

Both teams also rank inside the top five among Sun Belt teams in defensive scoring, while Marshall ranks fourth in defensive third-down conversion percentage at 22.6%.

Louisiana sits at 46th in rush defense, giving up just 128.2 yards per game, and should be able to slow down the Herd’s dynamic ground game.

However, I’m not confident in a backup quarterback going up against a Marshall defense that ranks 13th in total defense and allows just 281 yards per game.

I’m taking the under in this midweek matchup. I locked in the under at 49.5, but I feel confident at any number 47 or better.

Pick: Under 47.5 (Play to 47)​

 

[MinnesotaFats]

ULL can win straight up if they don't fukk themselves w stupid penalties.

Their D is full of ball hawking playmakers

It's worth a unit on the +320 or whatever, it's not as lopsided a match up as the book makes it seem

 

[Tanko]

ULL can win straight up if they don't fukk themselves w stupid penalties.

Their D is full of ball hawking playmakers

It's worth a unit on the +320 or whatever, it's not as lopsided a match up as the book makes it seem

I agree. I think La-Laf can win but I took the more conservative route with the spread.
Marshall -10.5 is waaaaay to high. This is a 3-4 pt game IMO.

 

[MinnesotaFats]

ULL can win straight up if they don't fukk themselves w stupid penalties.

Their D is full of ball hawking playmakers

It's worth a unit on the +320 or whatever, it's not as lopsided a match up as the book makes it seem

All I do is give out winners