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James Madison looks to continue their undefeated season as they face Marshall. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a James Madison-Marshall prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
James Madison enters at 6-0 on the season after beating Georgia Southern 41-13 last week. Other than two games, JMU has not dealt with a lot of stress this year. Against Virginia, JMU scored twice in the fourth quarter to take a 36-35 victory over their in-state rival. Then, the next week, they fended off Troy. Troy scored in the fourth quarter to make it a two-point game, but could not score again.
Marshall enters the game at 4-2 on the year. They started with a 4-0 record after a scare from Albany to start. They beat Albany 21-17, but then, they beat East Carolina 31-13. It was two close games that followed. They beat Virginia Tech 24-17 and then knocked off Old Dominion 41-35. The first loss of the season came against NC State. Marshall was down one point going into the fourth but would be down 48-34 later in the game. Marshall scored with 1:29 left in the game but would fall 48-41. Last time out, Marshall was down just three going into the fourth, but Georgia State would score twice in the fourth quarter to win 41-24.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: James Madison-Marshall Odds
James Madison: -2.5 (-110)
Marshall: +2.5 (-110)
Over: 49.5 (-105)
Under: 49.5 (-115)
How to Watch James Madison vs. Marshall Week 8
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why James Madison Will Cover The Spread
Jordan McCloud is coming in off of one of the best games of his career. He went 20 for 31 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the game. He had one big-time throw according to PFF, but he did not have a turnover-worthy pass. This season he has been dominant. He has completed 98 of 155 passes this year for 1,388 yards and 14 touchdowns. McCloud has thrown just three interceptions this year and only had five turnover-worthy passes. He also has dealt with pressure well, being sacked just seven times this year, while scrambling away for positive yards ten times this season.
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Meanwhile, Kaelon Black has been solid out of the backfield for James Madison. He has run for 445 yards this season with a touchdown. Black has been solid after contact, with 3.16 yards after contact per rush this year. Meanwhile, he has also forced ten missed tackles this season. Ty Son Lawton has 244 yards on the ground this year. He has rushed just 61 times and is averaging five yards per carry. Meanwhile, he has scored four times this season.
At receiver, the combination of Reggie Brown and Elijah Sarratt has been solid. Brown has brought in just 19 of 37 targets with five drops, but he also has 423 yards this year. Further, he has 195 yards after the catch and has scored three times. Stewart has brought in 24 of 30 targets this season. He also has three touchdowns this year, with 385 yards.
The pass rush has been dominated by Jalen Green this year. He has nine sacks this season with 33 pressures. Mikail Kamara has also been solid, with five sacks and 21 pressures this year. JMU has also been solid in the run defense. They have 95 stops for offensive failures this year, with just 19 missed tackles. Kamara has also been solid in the run game, with 13 stops for offensive failures this year. In coverage, JMU has been solid as well. While they have given up ten touchdowns through the air, they also have ten interceptions this year, led by edge rusher Jalen Green, who has two of them.
Why Marshall Will Cover The Spread
Cam Fancher leads this Marshall offense. He has been solid for the most part this year. On the season he is 144 for 209 yards passing with 1,505 yards. Fancher has seven touchdown passes this year with six big-time throws this season. He has five interceptions this year with eight turnover-worthy passes as well. Fancher has struggled with pressure the last two games. He has been sacked nine times in the last two games, with just 12 overall.
He has had the same ups and downs on the ground this year. Fancher has 272 yards this year with two touchdowns. Still, he had fumbled seven fumbles this year. Meanwhile, Rasheen Ali has been great in the run game this year. He has 640 yards this year while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He is getting almost three yards per carry before contact, while also forcing 16 missed tackles this year. Ali has also scored 11 times this year.
The receiving game has been a full team effort. Nine receivers have over 100 yards this year, with eight of them having over ten receptions. No receiver has more than 200 yards this year though. Caleb Coombs leads the way with 197 yards and two scores. He is the only one with two scores this year, while seven other receivers have scored this season.
The pass rush has been solid this year with 30 sacks on the season. Eli Neal is tied for the team lead with six of them while having 11 quarterback pressures this season. Sam Burton is tied with Neal for the team lead. Boston has 20 quarterback pressures, while also batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage. The run defense is good as well. They have missed just 34 tackles this season. Owen Porter leads the way with 16 stops for offensive failures this year, with a forced fumble, and just one missed tackle.
Final James Madison-Marshall Prediction & Pick
James Madison has been solid this season. They are coming off a short rest, going on the road. Marshall is also solid at home. Still, the Marshall run defense is not going to be good enough to stop the James Madison run game. The biggest concern in this game is that James Madison has won their away games by a combined ten points. They are averaging victory by under four points per game. This is going to be another tight game for both teams. James Madison is the better team, and while they will not be able to play for the conference title, they will show they are the best in the Sun Belt in this one.
Final James Madison-Marshall Prediction & Pick: James Madison -3.5 (-110)
