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Louisville vs. Marshall prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins between the Cardinals and Thundering Herd.

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Louisville vs. Marshall Game Preview

When: Saturday, Sept. 24 – 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV

TV Broadcast: CBSSN

The Cardinals and Thundering Herd are coming off of very different results last week. Bobby Petrino’s squad dismantled Florida State, while Doc Holliday’s team was steamrolled by Akron 65-38 at home. Marshall finished with 560 yards, 31 first downs and a 13.5-minute advantage in time of possession, but it also had four turnovers.

While Marshall is just 12-16 against Louisville in their series history, the Thundering Herd have wins over the Cardinals in the Motor City and GMAC bowls.

What To Know About Louisville

Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals dominated Charlotte and Syracuse the first two weeks of the season, but the dual-threat quarterback had his true coming-out party last week when the Cardinals thoroughly beat Florida State 63-20 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Defensively, coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit may have been just as exceptional, holding Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook to 54 yards and quarterback Deondre Francois to just 101 passing yards. The special teams play was outstanding, too, as the Cardinals almost had a second punt return for a touchdown.

What to Know About Marshall

In the season opener, Chase Litton threw for 309 yards with six first-half touchdown passes as the Herd shut out Morgan State 62-0. So no one expected Holliday’s squad to get blown out by Akron last week. However, the Zips’ cause was helped by a returned fumble and a blocked punt for touchdowns in a 34-point second quarter that put the Herd in a 41-21 hole. Marshall actually led 21-7 after one quarter behind three touchdown passes by Chase Litton, who finished 32 of 57 through the air for 413 yards and four touchdowns. However, he did have three interceptions, the last of which was returned 31 yards for a touchdown.

Advantages

Offense: Louisville. Lamar Jackson—enough said.

Defense: Louisville. Did you see what the Cardinals did to Jimbo Fisher’s Seminoles last Saturday?

Special Teams: Louisville. Marshall had a punt blocked that was returned for a 30-yard touchdown, and the Herd also blew an attempted fake punt by having too many guys on the line of scrimmage against the Zips.

Coaching: Louisville. Few offensive minds call a game quite like Petrino.

Intangibles: Even. The Herd have nothing to lose playing at home against one of the best teams in the country, but the ‘Ville is riding high after its rout of FSU.

Matchup To Watch

Jackson vs. Jackson

Marshall true freshman cornerback Chris Jackson was exposed by Akron. He allowed three touchdown receptions and had two pass interferences called against him. We have seen how dominant Lamar Jackson has been thus far this season, so expect him to pick on the young corner all day—when he isn’t gaining huge chunks of yardage on the ground.

Louisville vs. Marshall Betting Odds

Spread: Louisville -23

Over/Under: N/A

Louisville vs. Marshall Prediction

Litton will be able to connect for a few big plays through the air, but this is a Louisville defense that has SEC-caliber talent (in fact, a few have actually played in the SEC, including safety Josh Harvey-Clemons). The Cards do their thing on offense and roll to another victory. Then all eyes will be on the showdown with Clemson.

Louisville vs. Marshall Score Prediction: Louisville 54, Marshall 31

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