Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall meets Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee (1-0) at Marshall (0-1), Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. EDT.

Opening Line: Marshall by 13.5. Against the spread: Marshall 0-1, Middle Tennessee 1-0.

How to watch: ESPN+

Key stats

Marshall Offense

Overall: 147 yards per game (134th in FBS)

Passing: 103 yards per game (125th)

Rushing: 44 yards per game (129th)

Scoring: 0 points per game (133rd)

Marshall Defense

Overall: 487 yards per game (121st in FBS)

Passing: 324 yards per game (121st)

Rushing: 163 yards per game (103rd)

Scoring: 45 points per game (124th)

Middle Tennessee Offense

Overall: 396 yards per game (73rd in FBS)

Passing: 200 yards per game (91st)

Rushing: 196 yards per game (54th)

Scoring: 38 points per game (50th)

Middle Tennessee Defense

Overall: 290 yards per game (63rd in FBS)

Passing: 145 yards per game (50th)

Rushing: 145 yards per game (90th)

Scoring: 14 points per game (56th)

Marshall ranks 134th in third down percentage, converting 8.3% of the time. Middle Tennessee ranks 52nd on defense, allowing its opponents to convert at 30%.

Marshall is 111th in the FBS with a -2 turnover margin, compared to Middle Tennessee's 34th-ranked +1 margin.

Middle Tennessee ranks 118th in the FBS averaging 81 penalty yards per game, compared to Marshall's 52nd-ranked 45 per-game average.

Middle Tennessee is 106th in FBS in red zone offense, scoring on 66.7% of trips. Marshall's red zone defense ranks 48th at 80%.

Both teams rank low in time of possession. Marshall is 125th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 23:47, while Middle Tennessee's 117th-ranked average is 25:42.

Team leaders

Marshall

Passing: Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, 102 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 68 completion percentage

Rushing: Del Rio-Wilson, 30 yards on 13 carries, 0 TDs

Receiving: Toby Payne, 55 yards on 8 catches, 0 TDs

Middle Tennessee

Passing: Roman Gagliano, 200 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 76.9 completion percentage

Rushing: Antonio Martin, 103 yards on 15 carries, 0 TDs

Receiving: Cam'ron Lacy, 118 yards on 8 catches, 1 TD

Last game

Marshall fell to Penn State 45-0 on Sept. 5. Del Rio-Wilson threw for 102 yards on 17-of-25 attempts (68.0%) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 13 times for 30 yards. Joshon Barbie carried the ball five times for six yards, adding three receptions for 10 yards. Payne had eight receptions for 55 yards.

Middle Tennessee won 38-14 over Murray State on Sept. 5. Gagliano led Middle Tennessee with 200 yards on 20-of-26 passing (76.9%) for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball two times for 25 yards and one rushing touchdown. Martin carried the ball 15 times for 103 yards, adding two receptions for 10 yards. Lacy had eight receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Next game

Marshall plays at Missouri State on Sept. 19. Middle Tennessee hosts Nevada on Sept. 19.

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