NCAA Football

Predicting the Final Score of Florida Atlantic vs. Marshall

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By @papreps

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The biggest surprise of the Top 25 this season has to be Marshall. But that’s only to the casual fan, because the Thundering Herd have been a well-coached team for a while under Doc Holliday, who was able to lure a gem of a defensive coordinator from Temple in Chuck Heater two years ago. Heater, while in the same capacity at Florida before his stint at Temple, won a national championship.

The No. 23-ranked Thundering Herd are 7-0 because of Holliday, Heater and quarterback Rakeem Cato. Florida Atlantic, on the other hand, sit at 3-4 but it is a solid 3-4, including an impressive 50-21 win over Tulsa and a 41-37 win over Texas San-Antonio. The Owls typically recruit the second tier of athlete in Florida, and that second tier is usually better than the first tier in most states. That alone makes the team dangerous against a team like Marshall, especially as a 27.5-point underdog.

Heater has Marshall ranked No. 7 in points allowed and, while at Temple, had the Owls ranked No. 3 in the nation in points allowed behind only Alabama and LSU in 2011.

As impressive as the Marshall defense is, Cato — who has thrown TD passes in 39-straight games — has the Thundering Herd third in the nation in points scored per game (47.4). On paper this looks like a mismatch, but the Owls are athletic enough to stay in the game until the fourth quarter and the four touchdowns seem to be overvaluing the Thundering Herd.

Prediction: Marshall 31, Florida Atlantic 17

Mike Gibson is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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