HAWAII BOWL – Aloha Stadium – Honolulu, HI
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

Middle Tennessee State will be looking to cap off an impressive season with a victory over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday.

The Blue Raiders are going to a bowl game for the second year in a row, but they’ll be looking to snap a three-game bowl-losing streak that dates back to 2010. This just might be the year for Middle Tennessee, as it is facing a Hawaii team that finished the year at below .500. The Rainbow Warriors struggle to score the football, as they scored 17 or fewer points in three of their final four games this season. That type of performance just is not going to cut it against a Blue Raiders team that hung 77 on Florida Atlantic in the season finale. Middle Tennessee is as explosive of a team as there is in the country and Hawaii must find a way to keep up on Saturday. One situation that sticks out when looking at this game is that home underdogs that allowed 37 or more points in their most recent game (Hawaii) are 20-49 ATS over the past 10 seasons when facing an opponent that was leading its past two games by 14 or more points at the half. Hawaii is, however, 4-1 ATS after scoring 37 points or more over the past three seasons. The health of QB Brent Stockstill (Collarbone) is something that is lingering over this game. Stockstill is questionable for the Blue Raiders, and it would be a complete game changer if he were to be out there on Saturday.

If QB Brent Stockstill (2,801 yards, 27 TD, 5 INT) is able to go on Saturday then the Blue Raiders will have no problem throwing the ball. Stockstill has been outstanding all season, and he even threw for 399 yards with three touchdowns against a good Vanderbilt defense early in the year. He is, however, very capable of missing this game, as he has missed three straight and is still experiencing some serious discomfort. If he can’t go then the Rainbow Warriors are going to see a ton of WR Richie James (97 rec, 1,463 yards, 11 TD). James is one of the best receivers in the nation, but he’ll do a whole lot more if Stockstill sits in this one. Last game, James operated out of the wildcat against Florida Atlantic and he was excellent. James rushed 22 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns in that one, and he also caught four passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The Blue Raiders are not very confident in their backup, so James would be in for yet another action packed game if Stockstill is out. RB I’Tavius Mathers (1,504 yards, 16 TD) will also need to have a big game with or without Stockstill in there. Mathers had 213 yards and three touchdowns against Florida Atlantic, but things won’t be as easy against this Hawaii defense on Monday.

If Hawaii is going to find a way to beat Middle Tennessee on Saturday then QB Dru Brown (2,214 yards, 15 TD, 7 INT) is going to need to be on his game for the Rainbow Warriors. Brown is coming off of his best game of the season against Massachusetts, as he threw for 311 yards with five touchdowns and no picks. He also rushed for 44 yards on 10 carries in that game. Brown will need to be accurate on Saturday, and he can’t afford to hesitate to use his legs either. He is a very good runner at the quarterback position, and Hawaii needs him to use that to his advantage in a game that should have a ton of scoring. When Brown does go to the air, he’d be wise to target WR Marcus Kemp (70 rec, 1,036 yards, 7 TD). Kemp is coming off of a fantastic season for the Rainbow Warriors, and he had a touchdown in that game against Massachusetts. Hawaii could use a big performance from him in this one. Defensively, Hawaii needs to find a way to slow down the run. The Rainbow Warriors were gashed on the ground this year, allowing 243.8 rushing yards per game. They’ll need to patch things up or the Blue Raiders will blow them out on Saturday.