Marshall at Troy 9/24/22 - College Football Picks & Predictions

The Troy Trojans host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Sept. 24. Marshall is 3-2 all-time against Troy, but these teams have not met since 2004. This will be the Thundering Herd’s first ever Sun Belt Conference game.  

The Trojans are coming off a crazy 32-28 loss Saturday at Appalachian State, a game in which they were 14-point underdogs. Troy led 21-14 at halftime but trailed by three, 24-21, at the end of the third quarter. The Trojans reclaimed the lead at 28-24 with 10:10 to play and then led 28-26 after taking a safety on purpose with 15 seconds remaining. After the kickoff and three incompletions, Appalachian State’s Christan Horn caught a deflected Hail Mary around the 6-yard line and ran it in for a 53-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock.

Troy began the season with a 28-10 loss at Mississippi before beating Alabama A&M at home, 38-17. The Trojans’ lone win is the only time they’ve failed to cover the spread this season as they were favored by 37.5 points. Troy was a 21.5-point underdog in its 18-point loss to Ole Miss. The total has gone over in two of Troy’s three games.   

Marshall also found itself on the losing end of a heartbreaker Saturday, falling in overtime at Bowling Green State, 34-31, despite being a 17-point favorite coming off a stunning 26-21 upset at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were favored by 20 points against the Thundering Herd. Marshall easily covered the 40-point spread in its season-opening 55-3 win at home against Norfolk State. The total has gone under in two of the three games but just barely both times. The O/U was 47.5 points at Notre Dame and 59 against Norfolk State.   

Marshall led 14-0 after the first quarter against Bowling Green, but the score was tied 21-21 at halftime. It remained that way until BGSU scored with 13:08 left in regulation to lead 28-21. The Thundering Herd tied it again with 5:43 to play. Marshall scored first in the overtime with a 38-yard field goal, but BGSU answered with a touchdown to get the win.  

Marshall quarterback Henry Colombi has completed 77.8% of his passes for 688 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Khalan Laborn is the team’s leading rusher with 67 carries for 422 yards and five touchdowns. Corey Gammage leads all receivers with 12 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson has completed 67.8% of his passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions. Watson has also run for two scores. Kimani Vidal is the team’s leading rusher with 33 rushes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Jabre Barber has caught 16 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Catch up on all the college football previews.