The Nevada Wolf Pack (+4) will clash with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-4) at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. The opening kickoff for this MWC game is scheduled for 12:00 a.m. ET and you can tune in to the action on SPEC.
Betting Preview: Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
This Saturday MWC matchup showcases the Wolf Pack as the dogs and they’re currently getting 4 points. The Wolf Pack are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Rainbow Warriors are -175. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 70 points. If the underdog gets out in front early, it will probably produce a solid in-game betting opportunity.
The Wolf Pack are 3-4 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.4 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an Over-Under mark of 2-3-1.
The Rainbow Warriors have been a nice surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 13.7 units. The team is 3-4-1 ATS and the over has hit in five of its games.
The Wolf Pack have gone 3-4 straight up (SU), including 1-2 SU against conference opponents. The Rainbow Warriors are 6-2 SU overall and 3-0 SU in conference play.
These two schools met a year ago with the final outcome being a 35-21 win for Nevada.
The Wolf Pack look to get back on track after a 31-27 loss to Boise State last week. The Wolf Pack defense allowed the Broncos to run for 207 yards on 40 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. On the offensive side, Ty Gangi completed 24-of-42 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Toa Taua (only 16 yards on nine rush attempts) propelled the running attack while Romeo Doubs (five receptions, 78 yards) and Moore (four catches, 12 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
A week ago, BYU knocked off this Hawaii crew by a score of 49-23. 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) handled the running game as John Ursua (nine receptions, 89 yards, one TD) and Cedric Byrd (six catches, 80 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
When looking at offensive play-calling, each of these teams has a remarkably similar (45-55) run-pass ratio on the season. Having said that, the Wolf Pack have produced 151.3 rush yards/game (including 130.3 per game against Mountain West opponents) and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Rainbow Warriors haven’t been quite as successful. They’re averaging 135.8 rushing yards per game (163.0 in conference) and have nine total rush TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then it seems like the Wolf Pack should hold an edge when it comes to RB efficiency. Their running backs has logged 4.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.6 to opponents. The Rainbow Warriors have registered 4.3 yards per carry and allowed 4.3 YPC to opponents.
The Wolf Pack offensive scheme has logged 273.6 yards/contest in the air overall (252.7 per game against conference opposition) and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Rainbow Warriors have produced 313.0 pass yards per contest (302 in the MWC) and have 28 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Nevada has allowed 143.9 rush yards and 262.3 pass yards per game. The Hawaii D has allowed 244.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 174.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Wolf Pack are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.05 to opposing QBs, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up a 7.96 ANY/A.
Offensively, Gangi is up to 1,636 passing yards this season, and has connected on 59 percent of his 225 attempts with 13 scores through the air and seven interceptions. Gangi has 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 last two games.
Nevada Wolf Pack at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Hawaii, ATS Winner: Hawaii, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- The Hawaii defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 22 times this year. Nevada has produced 18 sacks.
- Both offenses have lost six fumbles this season.
- The Wolf Pack offense has registered seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Rainbow Warriors have put up nine such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Nevada defense has given up 10 pass plays of 30+ yards while Hawaii has given up 11 such plays.
- The Nevada offense has created 14 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Hawaii has created eight such runs.
- The Wolf Pack defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up 13 such runs.
- The Over/Under for Hawaii’s previous outing was set at 57. The over cashed in the 49-23 loss to BYU.
- In its last three games, Hawaii is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- 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 Over/Under for Nevada’s last game was 58. The O/U pushed in the team’s 31-27 defeat to Boise State.
- As a team, Nevada has produced 3.9 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.2 over its last two.
- Hawaii has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.4 over its last two.
