The Florida Atlantic Owls (4-2) host the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-3) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET in a game that will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
The line opened at 5-½ points and has held steady with Florida Atlantic receiving 53% of the action. The forecast shows a 50% chance of rain in Boca Raton, FL as of Monday so be sure to keep your eyes on the weather.
Season of ups and downs for Marshall
The Thundering Herd have gone through their share of highs and lows. They started the season with a dominating 56-17 win over Virginia Military Academy and had Boise State on the ropes in week two before losing 14-7.
Expectations were elevated after that game and they followed it up with a 33-31 win against the Ohio Bobcats. However, after that they got crushed 52-14 by Cincinnati and 24-13 by Middle Tennessee State.
Last week, they took care of business against Old Dominion in a game they won 31-17.
This is a team that is clearly still hungry. The morale is high and their season isn’t lost. Expect them to play like it.
Florida Atlantic off to a fast start
The Owls were thrown to the wolves to start the season. They got punched in the face by Ohio State in their opener, a game they lost 45-21. Then, they headed to UCF who clobbered them as well, beating Florida Atlantic 48-14.
You might say those tough games served them well as it has been entirely clear sailing since then. This team is on a four-game winning streak having strung together victories against Ball State, Wagner, Charlotte and Middle Tennessee State. They won all of those games easily.
It’s tough to have a feel for how good Florida Atlantic really is. Yes, they’re hot, but they’re beating up on nobodies. Marshall isn’t great, but they’re definitely not a nobody. Can they continue to win against a team that presents them with resistance? We’re going to find!
Sophomore QB Chris Robison key to FAU offense
Strong QB play is something every team desires and FAU is getting that from Chris Robison right now. He has been cool as a cucumber under center with a TD/INT ratio of 13-2. That is in spite of being sacked 13 times so far in 2019.
He will feel more pressure than usual against Marshall, but if he can stand up to Ohio State and UCF without completely blowing it then he figures to do just fine against the Thundering Herd.
Marshall will run early and often
One of the bright spots for Marshall is their running game. They rank 32nd in the FBS at 210.7 yards per game. Bruising sophomore RB Brenden Knox keys their attack.
He has racked up 499 yards and 5 TDs on 95 attempts this season. That’s an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Definitely above average! If he can break off a couple of big runs then his teams chances of winning will go way up. That’s not impossible.
Our Pick – Florida Atlantic -5.5