Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
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Hawaii (10-3, 7-1) versus Tulsa (9-3, 6-2)
Friday, Dec. 24, 8:00 PM ET ESPN, Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI.
Hawaii favored by 10, over/under 73.
The Golden Hurricane will look to blow through Aloha Stadium on Christmas Eve after finishing the 2010 season with a six game winning streak as meet up with the Warriors who will have a big home field advantage despite the fact that the bowl is being played at a neutral location.
The Warriors turned in a respectable, if not impressive season claiming a share of the Western Athletic Conference title and posted its sixth 10-win season in school history.
The Warriors offense has been hotter than Hawaiian lava and was ranked ninth in the nation in scoring offense at 39.9 points per game and first in the country in passing with 387.8 yards per game.
Quarterback Bryant Moniz has been the key to Hawaii’s offensive success, leading the nation in passing yards with 4,629 yards and is tied for first with 36 touchdowns. He has played catch with Greg Salas (106 receptions, 1,675 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Kealoha Pilares (88 rec., 1,306 yards, 15 touchdowns) all year long helping both Salas and Pilares rank first and sixth in the country for receiving yards.
While known for its pass-happy happy, the Warriors can run the ball well enough to keep the opposition’s defense off balance with senior running back Alex Green. Green ran for 1,168 yards and 17 touchdowns this year.
This could be a problem for a Tulsa defense that has had its share of troubles stopping the opposition’s attack, allowing nearly 30 points per game. The Tulsa secondary is going to be chasing around Hawaii receivers all day and will have a difficult time keeping points off the board.
However, Tulsa also possess a potent offense, ranking tenth in the nation in scoring offense at 39.7 points per game, just one spot behind the Warriors.
Unlike Hawaii, the Golden Hurricane enjoy a more balanced offensive attack and are led by junior dual threat quarterback G.J. Kinne who finished the regular season with 3,307 yards, and 29 touchdowns, while also leading the team in rushing with 557 yards.
Favorite target wider receiver Damaris Johnson leads the receiving corps with 771 yards and is the second leading rusher with 462 yards.
The Warriors’ defense will need to keep an eye on Johnson who also shoulders a lot of the punt and kick returning duties.
Hawaii’s defense surrendered an average of just 22.7 points per game while the secondary picked off more passes than any other team in the country with 23 INTs.
Hawaii leads the series with Tulsa 5-3, winning four of six when the teams were WAC rivals from 1999-2004.
This should be a track meet with two of the nation’s most high-powered offenses going head-to–head as both Tulsa and Hawaii have put up a ton of points and I don’t see how this will be any different. However, the Warriors defense should make some big stops and with the home crowd support, should edge out the win.
The odds makers have the Hawaii Warriors as a -10 point favorite with an over/under of 73.
MATT’S PREDICTION: Hawaii 45, Tulsa 35
Hawaii Warriors Betting Trends:
- Hawaii is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hawaii’s last 7 games
- Hawaii is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Trends:
- Tulsa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- Tulsa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Hawaii
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