One NCAAF game is scheduled for Monday, December 19, and that’s a Bowl tilt in Conway, SC, so feel free to check out the best Thundering Herd vs. Huskies betting pick and odds.

Marshall and UConn will battle for the Myrtle Beach Bowl when they meet at Brooks Stadium. The Thundering Herd are 10-point favorites on BookMaker Sportsbook, while the total is set at 41 points. These non-conference rivals will meet for the first time since 2015.

Thundering Herd are on a four-game winning streak

The Marshall Thundering Herd (8-4-0, 6-6-0 ATS) perhaps failed to reach the Sun Belt championship game but they did finish the regular season with four consecutive wins. The Herd trailed 17-14 against the Georgia State Panthers at home after three quarters, but then scored a pair of touchdowns in the space of five minutes and celebrated a 28-23 win in the end.

Cam Fancher completed 18 of 28 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 69 rushing yards on ten carries, but Khalan Laborn was the one who managed to find the end zone on two occasions on the ground. Laborn ended with 100 yards on 11 attempts, while Rasheen Ali had a game-high 102 yards on 16 carries. Charles Montgomery and Rasheen Ali scored receiving touchdowns, while Corey Gammage led the team with 65 yards on four catches. Defensively, Koby Cumberlander was outstanding as he was credited with three of the team’s seven sacks. Sam Burton registered a game-high ten tackles.

WR Talik Keaton has a lower-body injury, and his availability for the Myrtle Beach Bowl against UConn is unknown.

Huskies couldn’t make it four straight but earned a Bowl spot

The UConn Huskies (6-6-0, 9-3-0 ATS) ended the regular season with three wins in four games, but they couldn’t make it four in a row after losing to the Army Black Knights on the road. The Huskies were actually a bit better in total yards (370-320) and first downs (18-15), but they committed two turnovers and didn’t force any on the other end. Army’s defense and special team dominated in a 34-17 victory.

Zion Turner completed 14 of 24 passes for 116 yards and two interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown. Victor Rosa led the Huskies with 111 yards and a score on 12 carries, while Devontae Houston contributed 83 yards on ten attempts. On defense, Jackson Mitchell and Brandon Bouyer-Randle were solid with combined 29 tackles.

Trends:

Marshall:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game
  • 7-3 ATS in the last ten Bowl games

UConn:

  • 0-4 ATS in the last four neutral site games
  • 2-8 ATS in the last ten games in December

Marshall Thundering Herd vs. UConn Huskies Pick

UConn was a regular participant in Bowl games in the second part of the 2000s, but this will be the Huskies’ first Bowl game since 2015 and it came by surprise. Interestingly, the Huskies lost that 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl to Marshall! The Thunder, on the other hand, will play their Bowl game for the sixth time in a row and are looking for the first win since 2018. Marshall has the 7th best defense in the country that allows 16.2 points per game, while UConn scores 19.8 ppg, so I am backing the Thundering Herd’s rock-solid D to dominate and prevail here.

Pick: Take the Thundering Herd at -8.5 (-130)

The Total

These two teams are excellent in running but not so good when it comes to pass offense. Marshall is just outside the top 20 with 205.6 rushing yards per game, while the Huskies average 194.9 rypg. I expect to see a lot of running here, but I am backing the Herd to be more successful. The Herd’s run defense is the 5th best in football as it surrenders just 88.8 yards per contest, so the Huskies will have a hard job moving the chains. Under is 7-2 in the Thundering Herd’s last nine games overall; Under is 5-2 in the Huskies’ previous seven games overall, while Under is 4-0 in UConn’s last four non-conference games.

Pick: Go Under 42 points (-130)