Hawaii Warriors vs. Nevada Wolf Pack Prediction and Week 4 Preview
The Hawaii Warriors are set to travel to Mackay Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21 to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack. Nevada is 1-2 through the first three weeks, while Hawaii is 0-2. Neither team has been explosive on offense, but then again, neither has dominated defensively, either.
Hawaii Warriors (0-2) @ Nevada Wolf Pack (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 8:05 PM ET @ Mackay Stadium
Moneyline: Hawaii +290, Nevada -380
Spread: Hawaii -10.5
O/U: 55
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Something has to give in this matchup, and while it won’t be the most-talked about battle of the weekend, it has potential to provide nail-biting entertainment for fans of both sides.
Hawaii
The numbers haven’t been pretty for Hawaii through its first two games. It is 120th in the nation in points (13.5 per game), 91st in points allowed (31.5), 92nd in passing yards (189 per game) and 123rd in rushing (46). All that said, the Warriors are 2-0 ATS this season, and they’ll look to keep that trend going, as they’re favored by 10.5 points entering the weekend.
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If Hawaii has anything going for it at this point, it’s the fact that it is coming off of a bye week. It ultimately fell to an unimpressive USC team in Week 1, and it struggled to contain the pass against Oregon State in Week 2. Now it has had a chance to rest heading into a battle with the Wolf Pack.
Luckily for the Warriors, Nevada has had more success on the ground this season than through the air. The Wolf Pack will look to attack with their running core, but Hawaii has had success up to this point in that defensive category.
Nevada
The Wolf Pack have had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with a brutal schedule early in their season. Following a 58-20 loss to the then-No. 21 UCLA Bruins, the team took advantage of UC Davis with a 36-7 win. The problem is that they had no time to celebrate, as a matchup with No. 10 Florida State saw them fall 62-7 in Week 3. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Now, the Wolf Pack has a chance to show what they can do against a team that is more their size. Entering this matchup, Nevada is 1-2 ATS in action against the Warriors at Mackay Stadium, but it has an aspect of its offense that could do some damage: the ground attack. Despite being just the 100th-best passing team in the country, Nevada’s rushing game has given them 188.7 yards per showing. It’s hardly something to note against the bigger programs around the country, but at 58th in the nation in that category, it gives them an element to their approach that Hawaii simply doesn’t have.
From a number’s standpoint, this game puts Nevada’s No. 95 offense against the No. 91-ranked defense. Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack, the Warriors’ run defense skyrockets to the No. 8 spot in the standings. This is largely because of the fact that USC (Week 1) was missing Silas Redd and Oregon State (Week 2) is the No. 1 passing team in the country. Hawaii’s rushing defense has been a force thus far, but we’ve yet to see it against a team that is willing to put the ball down their throats.
Hawaii is expected to come away with the win, but Nevada should keep it closer than expected. The Wolf Pack are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 after being outgained while the Warriors are just 1-9 in their last 10 in-conference contests. Hawaii is also just 3-7 ATS when on turf, while Nevada is 5-5.
Score Prediction: Hawaii 25 – Nevada 17
