The Rainbow Warriors (-4) are set to welcome their in-conference nemesis Nevada Wolf Pack to Hawaii. The matchup kicks off at 12:00 a.m. ET and SPEC is scheduled to broadcast the action.
Nevada Wolf Pack at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Betting Preview
Nevada is the road underdog in this MWC matchup and is currently getting 4 points. The Wolf Pack are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Rainbow Warriors are -175. Some decent live betting opportunities might be unveiled during this matchup, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 70 points.
The Wolf Pack are 3-4 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.4 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-3-1. The surprising Rainbow Warriors have gained 13.7 units this season. They’re 3-4-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 5-3.
The Wolf Pack are 3-4 straight up (SU), including 1-2 SU against MWC opponents. The Rainbow Warriors are 6-2 SU overall and 3-0 SU in conference play.
The Wolf Pack look to bounce back after a 31-27 loss to Boise State last week. Ty Gangi completed 24 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Toa Taua (just 16 rushing yards on nine attempts) provided the running attack while Romeo Doubs (five receptions, 78 yards) and Moore (four catches, 12 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
One game ago, BYU took care of this Hawaii crew by a score of 49-23. The Rainbow Warriors defense let the Cougars run for 280 yards on 47 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. Lopini Katoa had a productive showing in the win for BYU, recording 83 rushing yards and a score on 16 attempts. For Hawaii, Cole McDonald completed 22-of-38 passes for 248 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. McDonald (22 yards on 13 rush attempts) and Dayton Furuta (28 yards on 10 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game while John Ursua (nine receptions, 89 yards, one TD) and Cedric Byrd (six catches, 80 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Each of these squads sports a similar (45-55) run-pass ratio on the season. Having said that, the Wolf Pack have run for 151 yards/game (including 130 per game against Mountain West opponents) and have 12 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Rainbow Warriors haven’t been quite as productive, as they’re averaging 136 rushing yards per game (163 in conference) and have nine total rush TDs.
Judging by the numbers so far, it appears the Wolf Pack could own the edge when it comes to RB effectiveness, as their running backs has produced 4.7 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 3.6 YPC to opponents. The Rainbow Warriors have tallied 4.3 yards per carry and given up 4.3 YPC to opponents.
The Wolf Pack offense has averaged 274 yards through the air overall (253 per game versus conference opposition) and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Rainbow Warriors have produced 313 pass yards per game (302.3 in the MWC) and have 28 total pass scores.
Defensively, Nevada has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 144 yards and pass for 262 yards per game. The Hawaii defense has allowed 244.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 174.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Wolf Pack are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.05 to opponents, while the Rainbow Warriors have allowed a 7.96 ANY/A.
Offensively, Gangi has amassed 1,636 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 59 percent of his 225 attempts with 13 passing scores and seven interceptions. Gangi’s got a 6.74 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.81 over the last two games.
Cole McDonald has completed 178-of-278 passes for 2,348 yards, 26 TDs and three INTs for Hawaii. His ANY/A sits at 8.88 for the year and 5.24 over his past two outings.
When these two teams met a year ago, Nevada knocked Hawaii off by a pair of touchdowns 35-21.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
SU Winner – Hawaii, ATS Winner – Hawaii, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Over/Under for Nevada’s last game going into it was 58. The O/U pushed in the team’s 31-27 defeat to Boise State.
Nevada has averaged 3.9 yards per carry across its last three games and 3.2 over its last two.
Hawaii has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.4 over its past two.
Both teams have lost six fumbles this season.
Over its last three matchups, Nevada is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Nevada has lost four of its last five games SU, with a three-point victory over Air Force on September 29th representing the only win over that span.
The O/U for Hawaii’s last match was set at 57. The over cashed in the 49-23 loss to BYU.
In its last three matchups, Hawaii is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Wolf Pack offense has recorded seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have put up nine such plays.
Both teams have allowed eight pass plays of 40+ yards. The Nevada defense has given up 10 pass plays of 30+ yards while Hawaii has yielded 11 such plays.
The Nevada offense has created 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Hawaii has created eight such runs.
The Wolf Pack defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up 13 such runs.
The Hawaii defense has sacked opposing QBs 22 times this season. Nevada has recorded 18 sacks.
*****
