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The University of Hawaii Warriors leave the islands for a visit to the Rocky Mountains to face the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field this Saturday in a matchup of under .500 teams looking to find solid footing. BetDSI has the Buffaloes as an 8.5 point favorite in this 1:00ET contest.
Pac-12 vs. Honorary Pac-12
Non-conference schedules can sometimes create strange situations. In this case, it has a Warriors team that has played more Pac-12 teams at this point in the season than the Buffs, who actually are a member of the conference. In those games, the Warriors put up solid showings, but fell short 17-16 to Washington in the opener, and 38-30 to Oregon State the following week. Both games were at home. The Warriors finally got their first win of the season with a 27-24 over Northern Iowa at home last week. Starting quarterback Ikaika Woosley has completed a paltry 46 percent of his passes this season, with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Steven Lakalaka will look to shoulder the load in the ground game, with starting tailback Joey Iosefa watching from a distance with an ankle injury. The offensive line has been mediocre, producing only 155 rushing yards a game, and allowing eight sacks. Hawaii has fared somewhat well defensively, allowing 373 yards a game. The red zone has been a problem for them however, with opponents converting a perfect 10/10.
The Buffaloes began the season with a 31-17 loss to rival Colorado State. They won at UMass the following week 41-38, and followed that up with a 38-24 loss at home to Arizona State in their conference opener. Quarterback Sefo Liufau has been solid early on this season, completing 63 percent of his passes for 837 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. The Buffs have a decent running game, averaging 177 yards per contest.
Receiver Nathan Spruce has had a spectacular start to the year, racking up 24 catches, 346 yards and six touchdowns. He accounts for 40% of the Buffaloes receiving yards on his own. Defensively, Colorado fares well against the pass, allowing 201 yards a game, but allows almost as much rushing yards with 198 per game. Their opponents also have a perfect redzone scorecard, going 14/14 with 12 touchdowns allowed. The Buffs were very competitive in their recent loss to ASU, but hurt themselves with crucial turnovers, and an inability to score in the redzone, wasting a goal line opportunity in the 2nd half with the score still close. They will look to limit these mistakes and missed opportunities against the Warriors.
Important Stats
Hawaii is 3-0 ATS this season. It’s worth noting that they are 8-0 ATS in non-conference games. In their only win this season, they were favored by two, and won by three. The Buffaloes are 1-2 ATS. They are 0-5 when they allow more than 200 yards on the ground. They lost by 14 to ASU last week, when the Sun Devils were a 15.5 point favorite.
Prediction
Though both teams are 1-2, it is safe to say that they are still better than last year, where they combined for five wins. Aside from the Buffs season opening loss, they have been very competitive in all their games. The Warriors defense can be stout, but their offense is lagging behind. The Buffaloes have shown offensive prowess in their first three games, and their defense should be up for the task against a mediocre Warrior offense. Hawaii will struggle even more with Iosefa off the field. Look for the Buffaloes to play confident at home, limit mistakes, and play a balanced game, opening up the field for Spruce to make some big plays, with that thin mountain air tiring out Hawaii’s secondary. Both defenses will do their jobs keeping the score from getting out of hand.
Pick: Colorado (-8.5) and under 60
