The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-13) are heading west to take on their MWC rival San Jose State Spartans at CEFCU Stadium. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. San Jose State Spartans Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mountain West game, Hawaii is tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 13 points. The Rainbow Warriors are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Spartans are +375. Should one side can find paydirt early, it’ll probably create a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The line opened at 9 and the early action has leaned toward the Rainbow Warriors.
The surprising Rainbow Warriors have gained 12.1 units so far and are 2-2-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-2. The Spartans have lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 0-2.
The Rainbow Warriors are 4-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against MWC opponents. The Spartans are 0-3 SU overall and 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a resounding 42-21 victory over Duquesne last week where Cole McDonald completed 24-of-40 passes for 273 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. McDonald (56 rushing yards on 12 attempts) also mounted the running attack and was complemented by Dayton Furuta (114 yards on 12 carries). Cedric Byrd (seven receptions, 55 yards, one TD) and JoJo Ward (six catches, 89 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
San Jose State just dropped a 35-22 game to Oregon a couple of weeks ago. The defense allowed the Ducks to pass for 309 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 134 yards and two scores. CJ Verdell put up a productive showing, recording 42 rushing yards on 15 attempts, along with 85 yards and a score on five catches for Oregon. As a group, the Spartans collectively completed 20-of-41 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Josh Love went 15-for-31 for 238 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while Montel Aaron was five-of-10 for 29 yards. Malike Roberson (25 yards on 16 rush attempts, one TD) mounted the running game as Josh Oliver (six receptions, 41 yards, one TD) and Bailey Gaither (six catches, 90 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Each of these teams has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Hawaii’s run the ball on 43.7 percent of its offensive possessions while San Jose State has an overall rush percentage of 42.4. Having said that, the Rainbow Warriors have produced 147 rush yards per game and have seven scores on the ground this year. The Spartans haven’t been as productive, as they’re totaling 60 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
The Rainbow Warriors offense has logged a superb 353 yards per game in the air overall and has 20 passing TDs so far. The Spartans have recorded 244 pass yards per outing and have four total pass scores.
Defensively, Hawaii seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 183 rush yards and 245 pass yards per game. The San Jose State defense has allowed 391.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 133.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Spartans are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.08 to opponents, while the Rainbow Warriors have allowed an ugly 8.78 ANY/A.
Offensively, McDonald is already up to 1,438 passing yards this season, and has completed 68 percent of his 151 attempts with 18 passing scores and only one interception. McDonald’s got a sparkling 10.75 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.64 over the last two games.
John Ursua, Dayton Furuta and Cedric Byrd have combined for 501 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns over the last two outings.
Josh Love has completed 29-of-60 passes for 347 yards, two TDs and three INTs for San Jose State. His ANY/A stands at a very poor 3.70 for the year and 4.73 over his past two outings.
We also expect the San Jose State offense to utilize a balanced attack this Saturday. Bailey Gaither (227 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns on the year), Malike Roberson (27 rush yards, one rush TD, 78 receiving yards) and Josh Oliver (127 receiving yards, one receiving TD) have combined for 278 total yards and two touchdowns over the past couple of games.
When these two teams faced each other a year ago, Hawaii earned the win 37-26.
Free Pick: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at San Jose State Spartans
SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Hawaii D has three times as many sacks as San Jose State this year (nine versus three).
The San Jose State offense has lost one fumble this season while the Hawaii offense has lost three.
The Rainbow Warriors offense has recorded seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Spartans have accounted for three such plays.
The Hawaii defense has allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards, while San Jose State has given up three such plays.
The Hawaii offense has created seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while San Jose State has created two such runs.
The Rainbow Warriors defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Spartans have given up four such runs.
San Jose State was favored by 43 points in its last matchup and the O/U going into it was 69. The under cashed and San Jose State did not cover in the 35-22 defeat to Oregon.
Over its last three games, Hawaii is 0-2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Hawaii was favored by 37 points in its last game and the O/U going into it was 69.5. The under cashed and Hawaii failed to cover in the 42-21 triumph over Duquesne.
Hawaii has averaged 5.7 yards per carry over its last two outings.
San Jose State has averaged 0.7 yards per carry over its last two.
*****
