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3 things to know for the Hawaii Bowl
Need a brief primer before you attempt to watch all 40 bowl games this season? We’ve got you covered. Here are three things you need to know about the Hawaii Bowl.
HAWAII BOWL
Middle Tennessee (8-4) vs. Hawaii (6-7)
Dec. 24, 8:00 p.m. ET
ESPN
– Hawaii had to rally with back-to-back wins down the stretch just to make a bowl in its first season under Nick Rolovich. A 6-7 record doesn’t look very good on the surface, but it was a nice way to rebound after winning a combined 10 games in four seasons under Norm Chow. On the other side, Middle Tennessee looked like a Conference USA contender until quarterback Brent Stockstill suffered a broken collarbone in a Nov. 5 loss to UTSA. A loss to three-win Marshall followed the UTSA loss, but MTSU was able to rebound with two straight wins over Charlotte and FAU to finish out the regular season.
With a win Middle Tennessee can reach the nine-win mark for just the second time in Rick Stockstill’s 11-year tenure. The last time MTSU got to nine wins was in 2009, when the Blue Raiders beat Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl to finish 10-3. MTSU hasn’t won a postseason game since then.
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– The Blue Raiders beat teams with their offense. And now that Stockstill is slated to return from the collarbone injury, MTSU could have a big day against a Hawaii defense that allows 455.4 yards and 37.5 points per game. Stockstill has plenty of weapons to spread the ball around to, mainly running back I’Tavius Mathers and receiver Richie James. Mathers racked up 1,504 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground while catching 62 passes for 589 yards and three more scores. James put up 97 catches for 1,463 yards and 11 touchdowns. MTSU’s offense will have to deal with Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai (118 tackles, including seven sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss), a first-team all-Mountain West selection.
Hawaii’s offense has been up-and-down. After scoring a combined 29 points in its first three games in November, Hawaii put up 46 points in its bowl-clinching win over UMass. Sophomore quarterback Dru Brown threw five touchdown passes in the win.
– Homefield advantage has to count for something, right? The Rainbow Warriors have endured an absurd amount of travel this season, beginning with a season-opening trip to Australia to play Cal, followed by another flight to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. To play at home for a bowl game probably isn’t the best thing in the world, but UH gets to play a postseason game in front of friends and family against a team that traveled thousands of miles.
This is the seventh appearance in the bowl for Hawaii, and the Rainbow Warriors are 3-3 all-time. Hawaii’s last win in the Hawaii Bowl came in 2006 before losing to Notre Dame and Tulsa in 2008 and 2010, respectively. That 2006 win is the program’s most recent bowl victory.
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Mascot prediction: A blue raider and a rainbow warrior? I feel like a warrior is more of a well-rounded fighter if we’re going strictly by definition. This game is being played in the rainbow warrior’s backyard, too. Let’s give Hawaii the edge.
Real predictions:
Graham Watson: MTSU 45, Hawaii 38
Nick Bromberg: MTSU 52, Hawaii 40
Sam Cooper: MTSU 41, Hawaii 24
Chris Herbert: MTSU 38, Hawaii 31
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
