The No. 18 Utah State Aggies (-18) and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are set to go at it on the turf at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. The game kicks off at 12:00 a.m. ET and spectators can witness the action live on SPEC.
Utah State Aggies vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview
Hawaii is entering this MWC game as a significant underdog and is currently being given 18 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline bettors would currently need to spend $1,500 to net $100 back on the Aggies (-1500). The Rainbow Warriors are getting +810 moneyline odds. Should one program finds paydirt early it’ll produce a decent live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) pretty highly at 73 points.
Sharp bettors are apparently siding with the Aggies. The opening line was initially set at 17 and the over/under was originally 73.5.
Both of these teams have been profitable this year as the Aggies have gained 4.0 units while the Rainbow Warriors are up 12.5 units.
The Aggies are 7-1 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against conference opponents. The Rainbow Warriors are 6-4 SU overall and 3-2 SU in conference play.
Utah State enters this contest on a zero-game losing streak while Hawaii has won each of its last zero. The Aggies are coming off a resounding 61-19 win over New Mexico last week. The defensive unit did its part in the win, limiting the Lobos to just 220 passing yards and 71 rushing yards. Aaron Molina had a good day for the Lobos in that one with 49 yards on three catches. On the offensive side, the Aggies completed 30-of-42 passes for 516 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Love went 23-for-34 for 448 yards and four touchdowns while Henry Colombi completed seven-of-eight for 68 yards. Eltoro Allen (just 18 rushing yards on nine attempts) led the ground attack while Ron’quavion Tarver (seven receptions, 112 yards, one TD) and Jalen Greene (four catches, 108 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
One game ago, Fresno State knocked off this Hawaii team by a score of 50-20. The Rainbow Warriors defense allowed the Bulldogs to pass for 348 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 214 yards. Ronnie Rivers had a solid outing for Fresno State, recording 125 rushing yards and a score on 11 attempts. As a group, the Rainbow Warriors collectively completed 20-of-35 passes for 286 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Cole McDonald went 17-for-28 for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Jeremy Moussa was three-of-six for 61 yards and one touchdown. McDonald (62 yards on 12 rush attempts) handled the running game as Cedric Byrd (five receptions, 45 yards) and John Ursua (five catches, 70 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Utah State’s run the ball on 51.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Hawaii has a rush percentage of 44.9 percent. The Aggies have produced 190 rush yards per game (including 171 per game versus Mountain West opponents) and have 24 scores on the ground this year. The Rainbow Warriors are putting up 129 rush yards per game (138 in conference) and have nine total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then it seems like the Aggies may hold an advantage when it comes to RB effectiveness. Their running backs has produced 5.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.5 to opponents. The Rainbow Warriors have registered 4.1 yards per carry and allowed 4.6 YPC to opponents.
The Aggies offense has tallied 281 yards per contest through the air overall (326 per game versus conference opposition) and has 18 passing scores so far. The Rainbow Warriors have produced 305 pass yards per outing (290.4 against MWC competition) and have 33 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Utah State appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 156 yards and pass for 197 yards per game. The Hawaii defense has allowed 256.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 182.6 yards per game on the ground. The Aggies are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.79 to opposing QBs, while the Rainbow Warriors have allowed an 8.43 ANY/A.
Offensively, Love has put up 2,005 passing yards this season, and has connected on 67 percent of his 220 attempts with 18 passing scores and only three interceptions. Love’s got a sparkling 9.67 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.20 over the last two games.
Cole McDonald has managed to complete 195-of-306 passes for 2,573 yards, 27 TDs and four INTs for Hawaii. His ANY/A stands at 8.69 for the year and 6.97 across his past two outings.
When these two teams faced each other last year, Utah State knocked Hawaii off soundly 38-0.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Utah State Aggies at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
SU Winner – Utah State, ATS Winner – Hawaii, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Hawaii defensive unit has created 23 sacks on the year while Utah State has 21.
Hawaii has lost seven fumbles in 2018 while Utah State has lost nine.
The Aggies offense has recorded five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have accounted for 11 such plays.
The Utah State defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Hawaii has given up nine such plays.
The Utah State offense has created 17 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Hawaii has created nine such runs.
The Aggies defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up 17 such runs.
The Over/Under for Hawaii’s previous matchup was set at 59.5. The over cashed in that 50-20 loss to Fresno State.
Over its last three matches, Hawaii is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three contests, Utah State is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Utah State’s last game going into it was 64. The over cashed in the team’s 61-19 victory over New Mexico.
As a team, Utah State has produced 4.6 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.0 over its last two.
Hawaii has averaged 3.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.3 over its last two.
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