The only bowl game on Christmas Eve every year is the Hawai’i Bowl, set for Honolulu as Santa Claus starts his yearly journey around the planet. The Memphis Tigers face the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, as the Tigers are bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season. It took a comeback in the fourth quarter in their season finale against Tulane for Memphis to gain bowl eligibility, as the Tigers turned a 3-1 start into a 6-6 finish (3-5 AAC). The problem for Memphis was the defense, as the offense put up 30.1 points per game, but the defense ranked 96th in total yards permitted and 92nd in points permitted. Hawai’i (6-7) needed two wins in the last two weeks of the season and an NCAA waiver (because of their losing record). Both the starting quarterback and the top tailback have left for the transfer portal, and head coach Todd Graham has faced accusations of mistreatment of his athletes. How much motivation will the Rainbow Warriors have? Will Memphis’ defense show some more starch this time around?
We answer these questions in our college football betting preview.
NCAAF Preview: EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl (Friday, December 24)
Memphis vs Hawai’i
When: Friday, December 24, 2021, 9:00 pm ET
Where: Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu
TV: ESPN
Radio: No National Broadcast
Live Stream: Hulu
NCAAF Odds: Memphis -9.5 / O/U 55.5 // Memphis -340 / Hawai’i +270
Why should you bet on the Tigers?
Memphis will have to get their points without top wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who has opted out of the Hawai’i Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. This was not a surprise, as the senior had worked through an ankle injury in the second half of the 2021 campaign that had limited his time on the field. As a Tiger, he had 2,541 receiving yards and 22 touchdown receptions, second most in school history. Eddie Lewis and Sean Dykes will step up in Austin’s absence; Lewis scored touchdowns in three of Memphis’ four last games of the season, and Dykes had 48 receptions and seven touchdowns on the season.
Freshman Seth Hanigan has run the Tigers’ offense all season long, and he put up a terrific year, with a 25:8 TD:INT ratio and 3,322 passing yards. He did get turnover-happy in conference play, as he threw at least one pick in all but two AAC games and also fumbled the ball five times. He should be able to feast on the Hawai’i secondary, which came in last in the Mountain West in passing yards permitted per game (289.7). Hanigan has thrown the ball more than 40 times per game in the past month as injuries have ravaged Memphis’ running backs, including top tailback Brandon Thomas, who has just carried the ball nine times in the last five games of the season.
Why should you put your money on the Rainbow Warriors?
Chevan Cordeiro, the Hawai’i starting quarterback, and Dae Dae Hunter, the team’s top tailback, left after the end of the season to enter the transfer portal. In terms of yardage, those two combined for 72 percent of the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive production. Calvin Turner Jr and Dedrick Parson are ready to fill in at quarterback, but quarterback could be a different story. Freshman Brayden Schager filled in for Cordeiro when the starter was down with a shoulder injury, but he had just a pair of touchdown passes against six interceptions. Schager does have some talented receivers such as Nick Mardner, who gained almost 20 yards per reception, song with Turner, who led the team with 73 catches out of the backfield.
On defense, Memphis is also a dumpster fire; they came in eighth in the AAC in passing defense and ninth against the run. East Carolina, Houston and Tulane all had three rushing touchdowns in their meetings to close out the regular season.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
On offense, Memphis looks like they will have the edge, as they have not lost their key skill players to the transfer portal. Henigan looks to finish off a fantastic freshman season at quarterback with a road win. Hawai’i will be down in terms of motivation with their top players gone and their head coach standing under accusations of mistreating his team. I predict a final score of Memphis 30, Hawai’i 16.
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