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South Alabama Jaguars at Marshall Thundering Herd

Oct 20, 20266:30 PM CTESPN2Huntington, WV
By JR·3 min read
South Alabama(4-2)
Marshall(3-3)
6:30 PM

TLDR: South Alabama has been playing a different sport lately: 52 points, then 56. Marshall gets them on Tuesday, October 20, sitting 0-2 in the Sun Belt and needing a stop it hasn't shown it can make.

TUE 10/20, 6:30 PM CT · Week 8ESPN2
South Alabama
(4-2)
WWLWL
Marshall
(3-3)
LLWWW
Kickoff 56°

South Alabama (4-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) visits Marshall (3-3, 0-2) on Tuesday, October 20. The Jaguars have scored 108 points in their last 2 games even after losing 3 pass-catchers for the season, but they've given up 84 in those same 2 games. Marshall has dropped its first 2 conference games by a combined 34 points, and with its starting quarterback benched after a 3-interception outing, the game likely comes down to whether the Herd offense can take advantage of a defense that has been giving up yards all month.

South Alabama Jaguars
  • Phillips: 157 rush yards, 3 TDs at Arkansas State
  • Scored 52 and 56 after 3 pass-catchers ruled out
  • Hollins settled at QB: 7 TDs, 2 INTs
  • Allowed 84 points across the last 2 wins
  • 2 WRs and a TE out for the season
  • Gave up 418 passing yards to Arkansas State
Marshall Thundering Herd
  • Faces a defense that just allowed 49
  • Clean injury report on game day
  • Extra rest at home before a Tuesday kickoff
  • 0-2 in Sun Belt, outscored 72-38
  • Del Rio-Wilson benched after 3-INT outing
  • 3 wins by a combined 9 points, 1 over Gardner-Webb

This is a quarterback-and-tailback game more than anything else. South Alabama's offense runs through Jared Hollins and Keenan Phillips, and both did damage in the 56-49 win at Arkansas State. Hollins took over when Bishop Davenport got hurt at Tulane and kept the job after Davenport came back. He has 855 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Phillips leads the team with 444 rushing yards, and at Arkansas State he ran for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns and added a 100-yard kickoff return. Hollins scored twice on short runs 21 seconds apart before halftime. That game set the high for combined points in an FBS game this season, and the 62 first-half points were also an FBS season best.

There's a catch in that offense, and it's on the injury report. South Alabama ruled out 2 wide receivers, K. Marion and B. Barnes, plus tight end M. Lynch, all expected to miss the rest of the year. All 3 were listed out on October 1, and the Jaguars scored 52 against UL Monroe and 56 at Arkansas State after that. So far they've replaced the lost targets by running the ball, with Brendan Jenkins (21 catches, 355 yards) left as the top receiver. Marshall's report is still empty on game day, which counts for a lot this deep into a season.

The schedule works for both teams. The Jaguars played on Thursday, October 8, and Marshall played on Saturday, October 10, so each got a long week and a half to get ready for a Tuesday night game in Huntington on ESPN2. Neither team played again before this one. The board is up now: South Alabama is a short road favorite, and the total is set for a lot of points, which fits how the Jaguars' last 2 games went.

Marshall's season has gone sideways fast. It started 3-0, but those 3 wins came by a combined 9 points, including a 36-35 escape against Gardner-Webb at home. Then Sun Belt play started. The Herd got run out 45-17 at James Madison and lost 27-21 at home to Coastal Carolina. They've lost 2 straight and have been outscored 72-38 in conference play.

South Alabama Jaguars
(4-2)
10/08W@Arkansas State56-49
10/03WvsUL Monroe52-35
09/26L@12Kentucky21-45
09/19WvsOhio41-36
09/12L@Tulane24-28
Marshall Thundering Herd
(3-3)
10/10LvsCoastal Carolina21-27
10/03L@James Madison17-45
09/26WvsGardner-Webb36-35
09/19W@Missouri State30-24
09/12WvsMiddle Tennessee28-26

South Alabama's defense is what keeps this from being a mismatch on paper. The Jaguars allowed 35 to UL Monroe and 49 to Arkansas State, and Red Wolves quarterback Trey Owens threw for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns against them. The Herd's problem is figuring out who takes advantage of that. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson leads Marshall with 1,041 passing yards and 6 touchdowns, but in his most recent outing he went 2-of-6 for 37 yards with 3 interceptions before he was benched. A Marshall offense that has topped 30 only once in its last 5 should find openings. Whether it can keep pace for 4 quarters with a team that has scored 108 points in its last 2 games depends a lot on who's taking the snaps.

For Marshall, this is close to a season-defining night. Falling to 0-3 in the league would leave the Herd behind most of the Sun Belt with half a season left. South Alabama is 2-0 in conference, 4-2 overall, and has won 2 straight. A road win in Huntington would make the Jaguars a real contender in the league. The likeliest version of this game is the one South Alabama has been playing all month: lots of points, and whoever gets the last stop wins.

South Alabama vs. Marshall: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 20) — South Alabama's Track Meet Offense Heads to Huntington for Tuesday Night · Barstool Bush