Marshall visits North Texas on 10/15/2021 at 7:00PM.
Marshall and North Texas face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! Marshall sports a record of 3-3 this season. North Texas is 1-4 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…
Marshall Team Defense Preview
Marshall has had 74 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 5.99 plays per drive. The struggle is real. Marshall struggles to find a way to get opposing offenses off the field. Three and outs are not common and this means that when a three-and-out is necessary late in a game to get the ball back, it is just not happening. Marshall has had a generally average defense. Nothing too special about it, but they are capable of rising up when needed. Marshall opponents passes the football 40.18% of the time.Their opponents run the ball as opposed airing it out.
Marshall is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 3.16 yards per carry. Their defense gives offensive lines too much control over them on the ground, too much push from the opposing offensive line. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. They are capable of giving up a long run, which is really demoralizing when the opposing team has the ball deep in their own territory.
This Defense has had average success disrupting the flow of the opposing offense. Getting more specific, this front seven is a cause of a lot of headaches for offenses. They may be good enough to cause trouble in pass rush with just four rushers!Marshall has had shown themselves to be better at stopping the pass than the run this season .
Marshall Team Offense Preview
Marshall has had 69 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.78 plays per drive. Marshall run a lot of plays per drive and this could wear an opposing defense down. Marshall has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Passing plays are 56.89% of their play calls.This is an Air Raid Offense team, they are passes the ball a lot and running plays are only used to keep opponents honest.
Move the pile forward, falling forward, making progress, ensuring north-south running, smart Quarterback reads, well-adjusted alignments to ensure leverage, and an offensive line that is getting a great push forward are cornerstones of this season offense. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Marshall can take credit for 3.25 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average offensive line as far as their ability to set up the running game. This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. They are capable of busting out a long run, which is really good when the team has the ball in their own territory.
Defenses have had average success disrupting the flow of the Marshall Offense. They have had done a relatively good job done by this Offensive Line to prevent opposing front sevens from causing problems consistently. Marshall is a better running team than passing team this season .
North Texas Team Defense Preview
North Texas has had 53 total defensive drives this season and they yield 4.68 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, North Texas are not a team that allows many plays per drive. The defense either gives up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. North Texas opponents passes the football 40.32% of the time.Their opponents run the ball as opposed airing it out.
North Texas is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? North Texas can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 2.87 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. They are capable of giving up a long run, which is really demoralizing when the opposing team has the ball deep in their own territory.
North Texas have had made the turnover belt, chain, pads, lunch pail or whatever gimmick they use change hands a lot. This is a Defense that causes pure aggravation. North Texas should have a sign ready for opponents near the Visitor Locker Room that says “Welcome to Hell”, their front seven is deep and they cause a lot of problems. North Texas is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
North Texas Team Offense Preview
North Texas has had 54 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 6.09 plays per drive. When you are among the best at plays per drive, you are certainly a team that aims to wear down the opposition with a high play count or with long, physical grinding drives that eat up a lot of clock. We need to find out more here when it comes to North Texas. Struggles to get ahead of the chains and convert on third and fourth down are common, the offense can stagnate. Passing plays are 46.50% of their play calls.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
Move the pile forward, falling forward, making progress, ensuring north-south running, smart Quarterback reads, well-adjusted alignments to ensure leverage, and an offensive line that is getting a great push forward are cornerstones of this season offense. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. North Texas can take credit for 3.32 yards per carry. It is acceptable to say that this season ‘s offensive line may be underappreciated, even though the running backs get the attention. The North Texas coaching staff really deserves credit for how they prepared this season ‘s offensive line, but they could be a little bit better! This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. With a relatively average explosiveness in the running game, breakout rushing plays are possible, but it is not something to count on from them.
Defenses have had average success disrupting the flow of the North Texas Offense. They have had done a relatively good job done by this Offensive Line to prevent opposing front sevens from causing problems consistently. North Texas is a better running team than passing team this season .
The Marshall Roster
The Players to Watch for Marshall
Grant Wells QB 6’2″ 210 Freshman
Grant Wells put up 1864 yards, tossed 8 touchdowns, and he threw 9 interceptions this season. He threw deep and medium passes to receivers more often than not. His average completed pass was 8.6 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was 0.9 yards.
Rasheen Ali RB 6’0″ 200 Freshman
Rasheen Ali had 566 rushing yards on 103 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 11 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 5.5 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 5.5 yards.
Corey Gammage WR 6’4″ 227 Sophomore
Corey Gammage picked up 506 yards through the air. He caught the ball 38 times this season. He reached the end zone 0 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 13.3 yards.
Charlie Gray DL 6’3″ 209 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Marshall, Charlie Gray, had 32 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 7 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2 sacks this season.
E.J. Jackson S 6’1″ 176 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Marshall, E.J. Jackson, had 38 tackles this season.He forced 0 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 sacks this season.
The North Texas Roster
The Players to Watch for North Texas
Jace Ruder QB 6’2″ 225 Sophomore
Jace Ruder put up 544 yards, tossed 3 touchdowns, and he threw 5 interceptions. He tends to throw shorter length passes, he’d be accused of being too safe or not being trusted by his coaches. His average completed pass was 5.7 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was 2.1 yards.
DeAndre Torrey RB 5’7″ 195 Senior
DeAndre Torrey had 601 rushing yards on 115 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 4 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 5.2 yards. He was relied upon as a receiver in their offense this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 5.2 yards.
Roderic Burns WR 5’10” 179 Sophomore
Roderic Burns picked up 363 yards through the air. He caught the ball 30 times this season. He reached the end zone 2 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 12.1 yards.
Roderick Brown DT 6’1″ 285 Freshman
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for North Texas, Roderick Brown, had 10 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 3 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2 sacks this season.
Dion Novil DL 6’4″ 330 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for North Texas, Dion Novil, had 13 tackles this season.He forced 1 tackles for loss this season.He was a non-factor as far as sacking Quarterbacks was concerned this season.
Makyle Sanders S 6’0″ 210 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for North Texas, Makyle Sanders, had 18 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 3 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks this season.
Marshall vs. North Texas Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: Marshall 41 North Texas 26
Spread Pick: Marshall -11 -115 BetOnline Get Up to a Grand in Your Hand Now!
Moneyline Pick: Marshall -385 SportsInteraction
Over Pick: Over 65 -115 WagerWeb Perpetual Bonuses? They’re crazy enough to do that?!? Jump on that deal.