The James Madison Dukes face the Marshall Thundering Herd in a Sun Belt matchup in Week 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 19 from Huntington, West Virginia.
JMU (6-0, 3-0 SBC) has been dominating in conference play. The Dukes most recently beat Georgia Southern, 41-13, as quarterback Jordan McCloud passed for three touchdowns and the defense grabbed two interceptions. McCloud has passed for 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in the Dukes’ undefeated season, which includes wins over Utah State and Virginia. And despite the justified protestations of Virginia politicians, the Dukes are still ineligible for the postseason.
Marshall (4-2, 1-1 SBC) had a strong start to the season, but has now lost their last two games. The Thundering Herd fell to NC State in a close game, just missing a last-second comeback attempt, and were blown out by Georgia State, 41-24, in Week 7. Their offense looked solid — quarterback Cam Fancher passed for 301 yards and a touchdown, and running back Rasheen Ali added 103 yards and two touchdowns on the ground — but their defense could not stop the Panthers.
Here’s everything you need to know and a pick for the game.
SP+ Rankings
JMU: 42 overall, 46 offense, 45 defense
Marshall: 77 overall, 88 offense, 56 defense
Injury update
James Madison
N/A
Marshall
OL Ayden Conley – Questionable (undisclosed)
TE Cade Conley – Questionable (ankle)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
JMU: 4-2 ATS
Marshall: 2-4 ATS
Total in 2023
JMU: Over 3-3
Marshall: Over 4-2
Team Pace (through Week 6)
JMU: 2.22 plays per minute of offense
Marshall: 2.3 plays per minute of offense
Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: James Madison -4
Total: 49.5
Moneyline: JMU -185, Marshall +154
Weather
66°F, Cloudy, 10% chance of precipitation, 8 MPH winds
Our Best Bet for James Madison vs. Marshall
Marshall +4
This is going to be a very exciting Sun Belt matchup. Marshall hosts and they have not yet lost at home this season, while allowing less than 30% of third downs to be converted. They’ll go up against a very tough James Madison defense, but the Thundering Herd have weapons in the air and on the ground. I think they can keep it close in this one, and perhaps even hand JMU their first loss of the season.