The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the UMASS Minutemen are set for another thriller in Massachusetts on Saturday, August 26th, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. EST. The contest can be seen on the Eleven Sports Network/Spectrum. As of now, the Rainbow Warriors are a slight -1 point favorite and the game’s total rests at 64.5.
The match-up the will help kick off the 2017 NCAA College Football season. The two clubs are set to do battle at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Massachusetts on Saturday evening. Hawaii is coming off a 7-7 season where they finished victorious in the Hawaii Bowl. UMASS ended their 2016 campaign with a 2-10 record that included a season-ending loss to the Rainbow Warriors.
On Thanksgiving weekend last fall, the Rainbow Warriors outlasted the Minutemen at home to the tune of 46-40. Hawaii’s gunslinger Dru Brown threw for 311 yards with five touchdowns and no picks. The home team also racked up 168 yards on the ground, keeping the Minutemen guessing for four quarters.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Last year, the Rainbow Warriors’ offense was unstoppable at home against UMASS. Now, Hawaii returns Dru Brown as their quarterback heading into the schools second year under head coach Nick Rolovich. In 2017, Brown threw for 2,488 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The running back position is primed and ready for a successful year. Tailback Diocemy Saint Juste had his way in last season’s contest. The shifty back rushed for over 120 yards on 14 attempts and a score. The Floridian is back and set to have another big game up north.
The wide receiver position took a big hit when leading receiver Marcus Kemp graduated. In last season’s contest, slot receivers John Ursua and Dylan Collie reeled in five balls for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Collie was especially good, racking up 83 of the yards and both scores. Both will be at quarterback Dru Brown’s disposal on Saturday.
The Rainbow Warrior’s defense won’t be dominant by any means. That being said, they will find some success up front against a mediocre Minutemen offensive line. Expect linebacker Jahlani Tavai to be all over the field on Saturday. Tavai might be the Mountain West Conference’s best defender. The 6′ 4, 235-pound maniac was a beast in 2016, stacking up 129 tackles with seven sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss with a pick.
UMASS Minutemen
UMASS return’s seven offensive starters from last year’s team that compiled a horrendous 2-10 record. Among the seven are quarterback Andrew Ford and tight end Adam Breneman. Ford completed 24 of 38 passes for over 340 yards and three touchdowns last time they faced off. Four of those passes went to Breneman for 30 yards and a score.
Although Adam Breneman could be the nation’s best tight end, wideout Andy Isabella is a dangerous target. He had no problem racking up yards against Hawaii last year. Over the course of four quarters, he caught seven balls for 134 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Marquis Young also returns for the Minutemen. In last years battle, Young had his way with the Rainbow Warriors. He carried the ball 19 times for 117 yards and a trip to the back of the end zone.
Ten starters are back on a defense that was awful. At least it’s an experienced group that has seen the Rainbow Warrior’s offense before. This time around, the UMASS defense will need to at least put together a few more stops. The key though is to at least allow the offense to keep pace with Hawaii who will score their fair share of points.
Prediction
Hawaii gets a huge break when it comes to the game’s kick-off time. In a perfect world for UMASS, the game would start in the morning. Instead, the 6:00 pm ET start won’t matter much for the Rainbow Warriors.
I fully expect another shootout to develop as the two teams work out their kinks in the early going. Last year, the two offenses combined for 650 yards of offense through the air. All the team’s pieces are back for another up and down affair.
Obviously, Las Vegas expects the game to be competitive. They have the Rainbow Warriors as a slight one point favorite. In my opinion, that bodes well for the over. The over/under has come down from 62 to 60.5.
It wouldn’t surprise me a bit to see this line move back up a few points before kick-off. Either way, I’m suggesting that bettors take the Rainbow Warriors to cover the point and both teams to put up their fair share on the scoreboard. Hawaii 34-30 over UMASS.
Trends
Hawaii is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Hawaii is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Hawaii’s last 5 games
Massachusetts is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Massachusetts is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts’s last 6 games
The getmoresports.com NCAA College Football Throwdown Podcast will be returning to the air on August 24th. We will be highlighting the first five games on August 26th of the 2017 NCAA College Football season. That will be the first of three installments leading into the first week of the season. We also we will be covering our expectations for the Heisman Trophy front runners as well as predictions for conference winners and team totals.
Our second NCAA College Football Throwdown is penciled in for August 29th. In that installment, we will be discussing all the games that will be played on August 31st and the 1st of September.
Our third segment will officially be airing on August 31st. In this edition of the NCAA College Football Throwdown, we will be covering all the relevant games for Sept 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Keeping with tradition, EJ the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun will give their predictions for the contests. On top of that, we will be providing our dog play of the podcast as well as cash money plays for the week. Join us for all three opening episodes and improve your college football knowledge while increasing the size of your sports book betting account. Come join us and help everyone make it rain. #moneytreesgrow Also, feel free to download the
Join us for all three opening episodes and improve your college football knowledge while increasing the size of your sports book betting account. Come join us and help everyone make it rain. #moneytreesgrow Also, feel free to download the getmoresports app from the Google Play Store. It makes finding all your sporting information easy and available with just a touch of an icon on your mobile device.
