The Air Force Falcons travel to play the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium this week in a clash between two MWC teams. If it can pull out a win this week, Air Force (4-3) could begin to get back on track. While they have had some success this season, the Falcons have struggled lately, losing three in a row. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 31 at 10:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBSS.
Hawaii fell to Nevada 30-20 last week. Devan Stubblefield had an outstanding performance in the loss, registering eight receptions for 91 yards and two TDs. Air Force is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it blew out Fresno State 42-14. Jalen Robinette had a good game for the Falcons, totaling three receptions for 79 yards. Bryan Driskell also had a big day, contributing 144 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
The Rainbow Warriors, a seven-point underdog, will be looking to defend their home field when Air Force comes to town.
Heading into Week 9 of the college football season, the Rainbow Warriors are 2-6 Straight Up (SU) and 3-5 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Hawaii is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS. Air Force might not have much success throwing the ball against the Rainbow Warriors. The Falcons average 101.4 yards per game through the air, 125th in the nation. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Rainbow Warriors can take advantage of the fumble-prone Falcons, who rank close to the bottom of the nation in fumbles lost with 1.1 per game.
On the other side, the Falcons have a record of 4-3 for both ATS and SU. The Falcons went 2-3 for both SU and ATS over the last five games. Air Force has found a lot of success on the ground. Its 333 rushing yards per game ranks third in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Air Force defense can dominate if it takes advantage of some favorable matchups. Air Force’s defense ranks in the top half of the nation for rushing yards allowed and will look to bolster its statistics this week against the 125th-ranked rushing attack of the Rainbow Warriors, which only averages 97.1 yards on the ground per game. The Rainbow Warriors need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Falcons. The Air Force defense ranks 23rd in the country in sacks with 2.9 per game. The Falcons make it hard on their opponents down the stretch, averaging 10.9 points in the final quarter. Don’t be surprised to hear lots of calls against the Rainbow Warriors when they take the field. Hawaii is among the most penalized teams in the country, receiving an average of 8.1 penalties per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Air Force, ATS Winner – Air Force
Notes
Hawaii is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
Hawaii is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hawaii’s last 5 games.
Air Force is 4-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Hawaii is 2-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Air Force is winless (0-3 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (3-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Air Force is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its third-ranked rushing attack will face the 116th-ranked run defense of Hawaii, while its 37th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 125th-ranked running game of the Rainbow Warriors.
