A conference championship is on the line when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4) take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (10-1) Saturday in the Conference USA Championship. The game will begin Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN 2.
In its last game, Marshall lost a game they could have won against Western Kentucky 67-66. Steward Butler had an outstanding performance running the ball in the loss, carrying it 24 times for 233 yards and two TDs. Davonte Allen also had a big day, contributing 141 yards and two TDs on six catches. Louisiana Tech is looking to repeat last week when they crushed Rice 76-31 in their matchup. Kenneth Dixon had a great game on the ground for the Bulldogs, running it 17 times for 137 yards and three TDs. Cody Sokol also had a great game with 387 yards and four TDs through the air.
Notes
Louisiana Tech is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Marshall is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games.
Louisiana Tech is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road.
Marshall is 9-2-1 ATS in its last 12 games at home.
Marshall is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home.
Louisiana Tech is 6-2 SU when leading at the half this season. Marshall is 9-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Louisiana Tech is 8-2 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Marshall is 10-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
Louisiana Tech is 5-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle this season, and an even 2-2 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Louisiana Tech defense has forced an average of 2.2 turnovers over its last five games, but Marshall is 5-1 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2 times in a game.
Dating back to last season, Marshall is 11-2 SU against C-USA opponents, while Louisiana Tech is 8-5 SU against conference foes.
Nationally, the Marshall passing attack is ranked 20th, while the Louisiana Tech pass defense is only ranked 76th. The Bulldogs passing game is ranked 36th, compared to the 37th-ranked pass defense of the Thundering Herd.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, Marshall appears to have the overall advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing attack (ranked second in the C-USA) will face the fifth-ranked pass defense of Louisiana Tech, while its second-ranked pass defense will look to limit the fourth-ranked passing game of the Bulldogs.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Marshall is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its seventh-ranked rushing attack will face the 15th-ranked run defense of Louisiana Tech, while its 51st-ranked run defense will look to contain the 91st-ranked rushing game of the Bulldogs.
Marshall also has an advantage in the run game when analyzing just conference rankings. Its first-ranked rushing attack will face the second-ranked run defense of Louisiana Tech, while its fourth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the ninth-ranked ground game of the Bulldogs.
Louisiana Tech has allowed 29.7 points per contest on the road, which is ranked only 71st in the nation. Marshall has scored 47.2 points per game at home (ranked fifth overall).
