BYU Cougars (-1.5) are coming into the SoFi Hawaii Bowl as narrow favorites as they prepare to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Kickoff for this big game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPN.
Betting Preview: BYU Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Hawaii is the home underdog in this game and is currently being given 1.5 points. The Cougars are also receiving -120 moneyline odds while the Rainbow Warriors are +100. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 64 points. It appears that there will likely be some good in-game betting possibilities for this matchup.
This game’s total was initially set at 62, but sharp bettors are hammering the over.
The Cougars have gained 0.9 units so far in 2019 and are 4-8 against the spread (ATS). The team has recorded an O/U mark of 6-6.
The Rainbow Warriors have gained 6.8 units this season. The team is 7-7 ATS and owns an O/U record of 8-6.
The Cougars have gone 7-5 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Rainbow Warriors are 9-5 SU.
The Cougars are reeling from a 13-3 defeat to San Diego State on November 30. The Cougars allowed the Aztecs to pass for 172 yards and rush for 97 yards. On the offense, Zach Wilson completed 31-of-53 passes for 316 yards and two interceptions. Lopini Katoa (22 rushing yards on 10 attempts) mounted the ground attack. Talon Shumway (six receptions, 83 yards) and Matt Bushman (six catches, 59 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Back on December 7, Boise State knocked off this Hawaii crew by a score of 31-10. Cole McDonald completed 20-of-36 passes for 241 yards and one interception. McDonald (-11 yards on 12 rush attempts) and Miles Reed (87 yards on 12 carries, one TD) handled the running game while Jason-Matthew Sharsh (seven receptions, 74 yards) and Jared Smart (four catches, 72 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
BYU has run the ball on 49.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Hawaii has an overall rush percentage of 40.1 percent. The Cougars have produced 153.1 rush yards per game and have 21 scores on the ground this year. The Rainbow Warriors are putting up 143.4 rush yards per game and have 20 total rushing TDs.
The Cougars offense has logged 285.6 yards/game in the air overall and has 20 passing scores so far. The Rainbow Warriors have produced 325.9 pass yards per game and have 38 total pass TDs.
Defensively, BYU appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 181.3 yards and pass for 203.8 yards per game. The Hawaii defense has allowed 225.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 200.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cougars are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.64 to opposing QBs, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up a 6.54 ANY/A.
McDonald has managed to complete 279-of-436 passes for 3,392 yards, 26 TDs and 14 INTs. McDonald’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 7.08 for the season and 6.96 across his last two games. In the other huddle, Wilson has amassed 1,815 passing yards this season, and has connected on 158-of-259 attempts with seven passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Wilson’s got a 5.53 ANY/A for the year, although that number sits at 7.47 over the last two games.
These two teams met last year with the final outcome being a 49-23 win for BYU.
BYU Cougars vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Free Pick
SU Winner: Hawaii, ATS Winner: Hawaii, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Hawaii defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 16 times this year. BYU has registered 12 sacks.
- Hawaii has lost 13 fumbles this season while the BYU offense has lost nine.
- The Cougars offense has recorded nine pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Rainbow Warriors have accounted for 16 such plays.
- The BYU defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Hawaii has given up 10 such plays.
- The BYU offense has created 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Hawaii has created 16 such runs.
- The Cougars defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up 30 such runs.
- The Over/Under for Hawaii’s last matchup was set at 64.5. The under cashed in the team’s 31-10 loss to Boise State.
- In its last three matchups, Hawaii is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three contests, BYU is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for BYU’s previous game going into it was 38.5. The under cashed in the team’s 13-3 loss to San Diego State.
- BYU has averaged 5.4 yards per carry across its past three games and 5.9 over its last two.
- Hawaii has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.7 over its past two.
