The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors get the luxury of hosting a home game for the bowl season, as Nick Rolovich and company welcome the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the Hawaii Bowl. The 6-7 Warriors may be in tough winning in front of their home crowd, as the Blue Raiders are 5-1 SU in their past six against teams with a losing record.
- Hawaii is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games against teams with winning records.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Middle Tennessee's last 7 games.
- Hawaii is 0-6 SU in its last 6 games after consecutive wins.
Sophomore quarterback Dru Brown blew up in the final game of the regular season, going 22 of 30 for 311 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. That looks good in a vacuum but it is less impressive when you remember UMass, Hawaii's opponent in that game, is 104th in the nation in passing defense with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 27-to-4. Senior receiver Marcus Kemp eclipsed the 1000-yard mark but has only topped the 100-yard threshold in a single game three times this season.
Hawaii has one of the worst defenses in the country, allowing 37.5 points per game. The Warriors have been especially terrible at run defense, as they are allowing 243.8 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry, both of which are the highest of any bowl team.
Brent Stockstill looked phenomenal for Middle Tennessee before going down with a broken collarbone against UTSA. Freshman John Urzua has gotten most of the snaps in Stockstill’s absence, but his pedestrian performances led the Blue Raiders to have four different players attempt a pass in their last game. No matter who is under center, we are sure to see a healthy dose of I’Tavius Mathers. The senior running back has rushed for 1504 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding another 589 yards through the air.
The Blue Raiders defense has been a non-factor this season, as the team ranks in the bottom third of the nation in passing and rushing defense. The only defensive player to really watch is Chris Melton, who leads the team in tackles while sitting second in tackles for a loss and sacks.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Hawaii Warriors Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will try to spoil to the party on Saturday; they are 6-4-2 ATS against the spread this season, while the Hawaii Warriors are 5-7 ATS. Middle Tennessee is 8-4 on the over under betting totals; Hawaii is 8-4. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Hawaii vs Middle Tennessee injuries news.
The game pits the Hawaii Warriors, currently No. 85 in our Odds Shark NCAA Football Power Rankings, against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who rate No. 43 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Hawaii's No. 81-ranked offense, averaging 26.46 PPG, against a Middle Tennessee defense that ranks No. 101 this week at 34.42 PPG. The Hawaii aerial game is averaging 222.31 yards per game, less than the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders secondary allows through the air, 247.08 YPG per game.
Defensively, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders feature the league's No. 78-rated road run defense, allowing 209.86 yards per game. Hawaii, meanwhile, ranks No. 40 in rushing offense at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
I'Tavius Mathers went over the 100-yard mark (213) in his team's latest effort as Middle Tennessee defeated Florida Atlantic by a score of 77-56 on Saturday.
Dru Brown led the way last time out for the Warriors, connecting for 311 passing yards and a 46-40 victory over the Minutemen at Aloha Stadium.
- Middle Tennessee is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Middle Tennessee's last 7 games
- Hawaii is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
- Hawaii is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Hawaii's last 7 games
