St. Petersburg Bowl Connecticut vs. Marshall Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
In the first of six bowl games on Saturday, Connecticut will take on Marshall at 11:00AM ET in what should be a low-scoring contest.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Thundering Herd is a 3-point favorite over Connecticut in the St. Petersburg Bowl this morning. Marshall opened as a 4-point favorite but the number has dropped down to the key number of 3, while the total opened at 44 and that's where it currently sits.
Connecticut has been the perfect "under" team all season because its defense ranks 16th in the nation in points allowed (19.8) and is 118th in the country in points per game offensively (17.8). The Huskies are 33rd in total yards allowed defensively (352.2) and 120th in yards gained (318.4) offensively, so they can hold opponents in check but can't move the ball themselves.
Marshall has been equally impressive on defense, finishing the season ranked 13th in scoring defense while holding opponents to 18.4 points per game. The Thundering Herd isn't as ineffective offensively as the Huskies are, but they still only rank 64th in total yards per game (401.3) so it's not as if Marshall is some kind of juggernaut on offense either. This game should be low-scoring throughout.
ST. PETERSBURG BOWL FREE PICK: CONNECTICUT/MARSHALL UNDER 44