Marshall vs UConn Betting Picks and Prediction

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16 December 2022

Marshall vs UConn Betting Picks and Prediction

Nobody could blame fans of the UCONN Huskies football team for having low expectations heading into 2022. After all, the Huskies have won just seven games since 2017. Let that sink in. The team who appeared in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl fell on hard times and came into 2022 with a record of 26-83 in the last ten years.

Randy Edsall, the man who took them to great heights before leaving for Maryland, returned in 2017, but the same success could not be replicated as he had during his initial tenure in Storrs. Player defections, coaching staff upheaval, and fan apathy plagued the once-proud program.

Last games records

Enter Jim Mora Jr., a veteran of four NFL seasons and five as the Power 5 level has a head coach. Granted, all of Mora’s experience was on the West Coast, and UCONN brass felt he was the right man for the job. Thus far, they’ve been proven right as Mora took a team synonymous with losing and lopsided scores and led them to a bowl appearance, the program’s first since 2015, ironically against Marshall, the team they’ll face in this game.

Not to be forgotten, Marshall and second-year head coach Charles Huff burst onto the scene early in September, downing Notre Dame 26-21 under the Golden Dome as three-touchdown underdogs.

Only the bravest and contrarian bettors dared to make their Marshall Thundering Herd picks in that contest, especially on the moneyline.

The team was unable to sustain the momentum gained in South Bend as they lost to Bowling Green and Troy in the weeks following the historic win, but they did manage to right the ship and win eight games, going 4-0 in November, including a win over traditional Sun Belt heavyweight Appalachian State.

In this piece, we will arm you with all you need to know when it comes to Marshall vs. UCONN betting, as it’s the only game on the NCAAF schedule Monday.

Marshall vs. UConn

Matchup Info

The Thundering Herd and Huskies have met one time on the football field, the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl. It was the last time UCONN went to a bowl, and Marshall emerged with a 16-10 victory.

Marshall Performance Recap and Analysis

Picked to finish second in the Sun Belt East behind Appalachian State, Marshall continued to make progress under second-year leader Charles Huff. The team came into 2022 on a 5-year bowl streak and made it six postseason trips in as many years as 2022.

All of the college football took notice when the Thundering Herd went to Notre Dame and won, but then the team fell on some hard times, dropping its next two. A game that really turned the season around was the 26-12 win in Harrisonburg against James Madison. The Herd were 9.5-point underdogs in that affair and won outright.

After a home loss to Coastal Carolina, Marshall won four NCAAF games in a row, starting with a 12-0 shutout of Old Dominion. Huff’s teams run an average of 79 offensive snaps per contest, 14 more than UCONN, and have a pretty equal balance between run and pass plays.

Key Injuries

A quick scan of college football injuries shows a pair of Marshall receivers, Talik Keaton and Caleb McMillan, as probable for the game. Luckily for Huff and company, no Herd players have entered the portal (as of yet) or are sitting out.

Betting Trends to Know

Marshall is 6-6 against the number in 2022.
Marshall is 0-5 against the number in the last 5 December games.
Under is 5-0 in games following an ATS loss by the Herd.

UCONN Performance Recap and Analysis

As mentioned, the proverbial bar was set extremely low for UCONN heading into 2022, given its ineptitude and place among the worst FBS programs in the last five years.

At the end of September, with their football team sitting at 1- 4 (its lone win came over FCS member Central Connecticut)

Another awful season with meaningless games appeared to be in the offing, fans of the Huskies began to clamor for hardwood action.

As the calendar turned to October, it all began to change as the Huskies, as 23.5 point home dogs to a Fresno team traveling cross-country, won 19-14 at home (holding the Bulldogs to just 30 rushing yards). They followed that up with a convincing road win in Miami over FIU. After a loss to Ball State, next up was a game against ACC doormat Boston College.

UCONN held the Eagles and their star tandem of QB Phil Jurkovec and receiver Zay Flowers in check, winning 13-3. The words “bowl game,” which suddenly hadn’t been uttered in Storrs for years, were starting to pop up. After a home win over UMass, the Huskies pulled another upset, downing Liberty 36-33 as a two-touchdown home dog to punch their postseason ticket.

On the season, the Huskies run 58 percent of the time.

Key Injuries

Receivers Cam Ross and Keelan Marion have missed most of 2022, but reports out of Storrs suggest they may be back in time for the Bowl.

One player who won’t be donning the navy and white of UCONN is running back Nathan Carter, the team’s third-leading rusher who has entered the portal.

Betting Trends to Know

Huskies are 9-3 ATS this season which is a huge factor when it comes to Marshall vs. UCONN betting.
Huskies are 5-0 against the spread in the last 5 non-league games.
UCONN is 0-4 ATS in the last four neutral site contests.

Marshall vs. UConn Odds

Looking at NCAAF odds, Marshall is a 10-point favorite and the total has been set at 41 points. On the moneyline, Marshall is -420 while UCONN is +310.

Marshall vs. UConn Betting Picks

Moneyline

Marshall should be able to prevail. They have faced a better schedule enter the game relatively unscathed and should win the game.

Over-Under

This is bowl season, so both teams will play free and easy. While neither the Herd nor the Huskies can be confused as offensive juggernauts, they both have the capability to score.

Spread

UCONN will be motivated and should come out ready to go. Early reports say ticket sales for both programs have been somewhat strong so there’ll be some juice in the stadium. As such, we like UCONN to cover the 10 points.