The Army West Point Black Knights and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are set to collide on the turf at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to get going at 12:30 a.m. ET and interested parties can witness the action live on CBS Sports Network.
Betting Preview: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Army West Point Black Knights
In this Saturday game, Hawaii is tabbed as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3 points. The Black Knights are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Rainbow Warriors are -155. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 56.5 points, and if one school can create a bunch of points early, it will likely lead to a decent in-game betting scenario.
The disappointing Black Knights have lost 8.8 units so far in 2019 and are 5-6 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a decent under bet and have posted an O/U mark of 4-6-1.
The Rainbow Warriors have been a pleasant surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 6.8 units. The team is 6-6 ATS and has an O/U record of 7-5.
The Black Knights have gone 5-6 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Rainbow Warriors are 8-4 SU.
When these two programs met a year ago, Army West Point knocked Army West Point off by a touchdown 28-21.
The Black Knights are on the upswing after a 47-6 victory over VMI on November 16 in which Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed four-of-7 passes for only 49 yards and one interception. Hopkins Jr. (208 yards on 16 rush attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Connor Slomka (64 yards on 11 carries, three TDs). Camden Harrison (three receptions, 48 yards) and Kell Walker (one catch, one yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Hawaii just earned a 14-11 win over San Diego State. As a group, the team collectively completed 22-of-35 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cole McDonald went 13-for-19 for 144 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Chevan Cordeiro was nine-of-16 for 71 yards. Miles Reed (53 rushing yards on 13 attempts) and Chevan Cordeiro (59 yards on eight carries) mounted the running game as Jason-Matthew Sharsh (10 receptions, 95 yards, one TD) and Jared Smart (seven catches, 82 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Army West Point has run the ball on 85.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Hawaii has an overall rush percentage of 40.6 percent. The Black Knights have rushed for 302.6 yards/game and have 40 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Rainbow Warriors are totaling 149.6 rush yards per game and have 18 total rushing TDs.
Judging by the results this season, the Black Knights may hold an advantage in terms of RB effectiveness, as their running backs has produced 5.3 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 4.1 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Rainbow Warriors have tallied 5.1 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 5.6 to opponents.
The Black Knights offensive scheme has averaged 83.1 yards in the air overall and has six passing TDs so far. The Rainbow Warriors have put up 330.3 pass yards per contest and have 33 total pass scores.
Army West Point seems to hold the upper hand in both defensive facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 145.1 yards and pass for 178.7 yards per game. The Hawaii D has allowed 233.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 188.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Black Knights are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.70 to opposing QBs, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up a 6.69 ANY/A.
Offensively, Hopkins Jr. is up to 501 passing yards this season. He’s completed 31-of-71 attempts with four scores through the air and four interceptions. He has a 4.89 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 0.50 over the last two games.
Cole McDonald has managed to complete 239-of-374 passes for 2,940 yards, 26 TDs and 13 INTs for Hawaii. His ANY/A sits at 7.28 for the year and 6.74 across his past two games.
Army West Point Black Knights at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Hawaii, ATS Winner: Hawaii, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Army West Point defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 19 times this season. Hawaii has produced just 13 sacks.
- The Hawaii offense has lost 12 fumbles this season while Army West Point has let 10 get away.
- The Black Knights offense has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have put up 13 such plays.
- The Army West Point defense has allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards, while Hawaii has given up nine such plays.
- The Army West Point offense has created 21 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Hawaii has created 12 such runs.
- The Black Knights defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up 23 such runs.
- The O/U for Hawaii’s last outing was 46.5. The under cashed in the team’s 14-11 victory over San Diego State.
- In its last three matches, Hawaii is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three games, Army West Point is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Army West Point’s last game was 65. The under cashed in the team’s 47-6 win over VMI.
- Army West Point has averaged 6.7 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 7.6 over its last two.
- Hawaii has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.5 over its last two.
