BYU Cougars vs Hawaii Warriors Pick, Odds, Hawaii Bowl Prediction 12/24/2019

Game: BYU Cougars vs Hawaii Warriors

Date: Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Hawaii Bowl

Location: Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Hawaii +2

Total/Over-Under: 62

Cole McDonald and the Hawaii Warriors play the BYU Cougars at Aloha Stadium on Tuesday, December 24, 2019 in the Hawaii Bowl. BYU opens this game as 2-point favorites. The Cougars are 4-8-0 ATS and 5-5-1 when betting on the total. The Warriors are 8-6-0 when wagering on the over/under and 7-7-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the BYU Cougars faced the San Diego State Aztecs and were defeated 13-3. Running the show from under center for the Cougars was Zach Wilson who went 31/53 with 316 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He threw 2 interceptions in the game. Zach Wilson led the team in rushing in the game. He had a long run of 17 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He ran for 29 yards on 8 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.6 yards per carry. Talon Shumway was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 83 yards on 6 receptions. He notched an average of 13.8 yards per reception in the game. The Cougars ran the football 27 times and racked up 78 yards earning them an average of 2.9 yards per run. In the game, they ran 81 plays which gave them a total of 416 yards. For the game, the Cougars totaled 23 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 20 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. When discussing the defense, BYU allowed 19 catches on 25 throws totaling 172 yards, and a completion percentage of 76.0%. On the ground, the Cougars allowed 97 yards on 35 carries which gave them an average of 2.8 yards per carry allowed. On the day, they allowed a total of 269 yards but didn't get any takeaways.

The Cougars head into this matchup 7-5 this year. For total yards, they sit in 2nd among D-1 Independent teams and 42nd in D-1 with 5,278 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country averaging 28 points per game, which has them at 72nd in D-1. As a unit, they are averaging 154.3 yards on the ground per contest which is 3rd among D-1 Independent teams. The Cougars have one of the middle tier defenses in the country, giving up 24.4 points per contest which has them at 3rd among Independent teams. When it comes to yards through the air, the Cougars have conceded 2,446 yards. Opponents are completing 64% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.9 yards per try. In discussing rushing yards, BYU is allowing 181.3 yards per game which has them at 3rd among Independent teams and 89th in the country. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.5 yards per rush putting them 3rd among D-1 Independent teams and 87th in D-1 overall. In total, they have allowed 2,176 rushing yards through 12 contests.

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In their last game, the Hawaii Warriors played the Boise State Broncos and were beaten 31-10. Leading the way at QB for the Warriors was Cole McDonald who went 20/36 with 241 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He walked away with 1 interception in the game. Miles Reed led the team in rushing during the game. He broke a long run for 25 yards and he added 1 TD for the contest. He rushed for 87 yards by way of 12 carries which meant he averaged 7.3 yards per run. Jason-Matthew Sharsh was the receiving yardage leader by earning 74 yards on 7 receptions. He earned an average of 10.6 yards per reception during the game. The Warriors rushed the ball a total of 26 times and added 79 yards which earned them an average of 3.0 yards per carry. For the game, they ran 62 plays for a total of 320 yards. Overall, the Warriors totaled 16 first downs and they totaled 9 infractions for 61 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, Hawaii allowed 21 completions on 31 tries for a total of 220 yards, and a completion percentage of 67.7%. In the game, they allowed 364 yards and forced 1 turnover. Against the run, the Warriors allowed 144 yards on 37 tries which is an average of 3.9 yards per carry allowed.

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The Warriors come into this game with a record of 9-5. Hawaii is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 143.6 yards on the ground per contest, ranking them 91st in the country. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 2,010 yards rushing through 14 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Warriors average 469.6 yards per game overall ranking them 13th in college football and 1st in the Mountain West. The Warriors are conceding 31.7 points per contest ranking them 8th in the Mountain West and 97th in the nation. Their pass defense is one of the mediocre groups in D-1. They are giving up 225.3 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Warriors are ranked 5th in the conference. When it comes to points given up, they have given up 444 points in total. In regard to yards rushing, they are allowing 201.1 yards per game which puts them at 106th in college football and 11th in the MWC. In 2019, they have allowed a total of 2,815 yards on the ground and 33.6 rushing touchdowns.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Cougars -2 and under the total points

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