UTSA Roadrunners vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Pick & Preview – Frisco Bowl
The college football bowl season is well underway, and there are going to be some interesting matchups throughout the week. On Tuesday night it will be the UTSA Roadrunners taking on the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.
UTSA finished the regular season with a record of 8-4, but they are looking to bounce back after a loss in their final game. The Roadrunners come from the American Athletic Conference, and it was their first year in the new league.
Marshall will be representing the Sun Belt Conference in the Frisco Bowl, and it wasn’t a good year for them in league play. The Thundering Herd did finish the year by winning two of their final three games to get back to 6-6 overall.
The UTSA Roadrunners come into the Frisco Bowl as big 11.5-point betting favorites over Marshall.
Roadrunners Playing Fast
This UTSA team wants to play extremely fast when they have the football, and that is going to create some challenges for Marshall. UTSA is averaging 31.8 points per game this season, and they are a team with a ton of balance on offense.
Quarterback Frank Harris has thrown for 2,506 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, and he has also racked up 323 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Joshua Cephus will be a player to watch in this game as he has 82 receptions for 1,049 yards.
UTSA is going to give up some points on the defensive side of the ball as they allowed at least 21 points in four of their last five games to end the regular season.
Marshall Must Get Stops
Most college football teams are looking to outscore their opponents, but that’s not this Marshall team wants to play. The Thundering Herd are averaging just 23.3 points per game this season, and they can’t afford for it to become a shootout.
Running the football has been a real problem for this team in 2023 as they are averaging just 134 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Cam Fancher is going to have to play well this season, but he has as many interceptions as touchdowns thrown.
Marshall doesn’t want to try to win this game with offense, but some extended drives are going to be needed in order to give this defense a chance to take a break.
Roadrunners Roll to Big Win
The Marshall Thundering Herd football program has been extremely solid over the past decade, but this just wasn’t a good year. Not only did Marshall have trouble scoring some points, but the defense really struggled to stop the best teams on the schedule.
UTSA wants to play fast when they have the football, and that is going to create some issues for Marshall. The Roadrunners have the ability to spread games out in a hurry, and that is what will happen in the Frisco Bowl.
Bet on the UTSA Roadrunners to win big and cover the 11 ½ point betting spread in this matchup.
