in ,

9/8/2018 Free Pick: Rice Owls at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Rice Owls and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are set to do battle on the turf at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 12:00 a.m. ET and SPEC has the TV rights.

Rice Owls at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview

Rice is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 18 points in this game. The Owls are also receiving +800 moneyline odds while the Rainbow Warriors are -1450. There might be multiple good live betting opportunities in the game.

The line initially opened at -17 and the sharp action has been siding with the Rainbow Warriors

The Owls are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units this season. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-0. The surprising Rainbow Warriors have gained 12.1 units so far. The team is 2-0 ATS and also has an O/U record of 2-0.

The Owls are 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Rainbow Warriors are 2-0 SU.

The Owls fell to Houston 45-27 in a thumping where the defense allowed the Cougars to pass for 320 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 257 yards and three scores. Marquez Stevenson was unmatched for the Cougars in that one with 60 rushing yards and a score on two attempts, along with 107 yards and a score on five catches. On the offense, the Owls completed 24-of-41 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Shawn Stankavage went 20-for-31 for 204 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while Jackson Tyner completed four-of-eight for 88 yards. Austin Walter (just 55 yards on 19 rush attempts) and Emmanuel Esukpa (81 yards on 17 carries) led the ground attack in the loss while Trammell (seven receptions, 62 yards) and Aaron Cephus (five catches, 95 yards) shared the receiving duties.

Hawaii just got a blowout 59-41 win over Navy. The Rainbow Warriors defensive unit let the Midshipmen run for 326 yards on 49 rush attempts, including five rush TDs. Malcolm Perry had a productive showing in the loss for Navy, posting 108 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts. For Hawaii, Cole McDonald completed 30-of-41 passes for 428 yards and six touchdowns. Fred Holly III (82 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground game in the win as Cedric Byrd (11 receptions, 90 yards, two TDs) and John Ursua (10 catches, 167 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching attack.

Rice has run the ball on 58.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Hawaii has an overall rush percentage of 44.8 percent. The Owls have produced 229 rush yards/game and have three touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Rainbow Warriors are totaling 143 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.

The Owls offense has logged 190 yards per game in the air overall and has three passing scores so far. The Rainbow Warriors have put up an astonishing 427 pass yards per contest and have nine total pass TDs.

Defensively, Rice seems to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 199 rush yards and 282 pass yards per game. The Hawaii defense has allowed 311 yards per game to opposing passers and 221.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Rainbow Warriors are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 10.07 to opponents, while the Owls have given up a whopping 11.61 ANY/A.

Offensively, Stankavage has amassed 204 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 20-of-31 attempts with three passing scores and one interception. Stankavage has a 6.12 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.12 over the last two outings.

On the other sideline, Cole McDonald has completed 30-of-41 passes for 428 yards, six TDs and zero INTs. McDonald’s ANY/A sits at 11.73 for the year and 12.09 over his past two games.

Free Prediction: Rice Owls at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii

Click Here to Start Betting Today!

Notes

Team Betting Trends

Each team defense has produced three sacks this season.

The Hawaii offense has lost two fumbles this season while Rice has yet to lose any

The Owls offense has created zero pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Rainbow Warriors have accounted for four such plays.

The Rice defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Hawaii has given up two such plays.

The Rice offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Hawaii has created three such runs.

The Owls defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up four such runs.

+++++

Written by GMS Previews

9/8/2018 Free Betting Preview – Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines

9/8/2018 Free Preview – Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Georgia Southern Eagles