Hawaii vs. Duquesne: Game Preview, Hot to Watch, Odds, Prediction
Can Warriors get their first win?
Contact/Follow @MWCwire
A get right game?
WEEK 1: DUQUESNE (1-2) vs. Hawaii Warriors (0-2)
WHEN: Saturday, September 17 — 6:00 PM HT/9:00 PM PT/10:00 PM MT
WHERE: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex; Honolulu, HI
TV: Spectrum Pay-Per-View
STREAMING: For fans on the mainland, the game can only be streamed using the Team1Sports application, which is available for download on Android and Apple devices and over-the-top platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire. Please note that the game will not be available on desktops or laptops.
Alternatively, you can try this stream, courtesy of lsufootball.net:
Hawaii live video looks good to go: https://t.co/6ijqeuvlkQ.
— lsufootball.net (@lsufootballnet) September 4, 2022
RADIO: You can stream the Hawaii radio broadcast on ESPNHonolulu.com & Sideline Hawaii app (Google | Apple)
GAME NOTES (PDF): Duquesne | Hawaii
We’ve talked a lot about looking for growth this season and I believe the Hawaii Warriors took a step in the right direction last Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines. Yes, the score was lopsided as we expected, but the Warriors stuck together and played hard for four quarters and that’s what we wanted to see. This was not the same team that lost 63-10 at home to Vanderbilt. The Warriors showed improvement against a tough Wolverine team and the hope is they will continue that trend against the Duquesne Dukes this week.
One improvement the Warriors made against the Wolverines is protecting the football. Hawaii was plagued with costly turnovers in its first two games, but against the number 4 team in the nation, they actually won the turnover battle 1 to 0.
Another topic we talked about in the preview was reserve players getting a shot at more playing time and taking advantage of the opportunity. No Warrior did that better than freshman running back Tylan Hines, who took a handoff 54 yards for the first touchdown of his young college career. Hines is a player we highlighted going into the season and we’ve been waiting for him to make a splash. He led the Warriors with 75 yards rushing on just 8 carries. Look for him to get more opportunities this week.
We were looking for a quarterback to emerge and although his statline wasn’t great, Joey Yellen did enough in the Big House to earn another start on Saturday against the Dukes. The Wolverines defense held Yellen to a QBR of 14.4 (13/36 113 yards), but he hung in there and protected the football.
What we’re looking for this week:
Control the line of scrimmage…
Against an FCS opponent, Hawaii needs to be physically dominant on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The veteran offensive line was seen as the strength of the team and at times this season they have played well, but have also struggled with consistency. From the first drive of the game, I’d like to see Ilm and the boys take over and establish the run game. Open up some holes for Dedrick Parson to gash them on the ground, and make life easy for Joey Yellen.
Defensively, the Warriors recorded their first two sacks of the season. No, it wasn’t the edge rushers we spent the off-season talking about, but rather defensive tackles Blessman Ta’ala and John Tuitupou.
If they can dominate the interior of the line and create consistent pressure up the middle, that would do wonders in helping the rest of the defense improve. This week I’m looking for production off the edge from Mataio Soli and Jonah Kahahawai-Welch as well as Wynden Ho’ohuli and Tariq Jones.
Solid Quarterback play…
After playing one of the best defenses in the country last week, the game should slow down for Joey Yellen this week. This is a good opportunity for the offense to get some rhythm and confidence before entering conference play.
Yellen averaged just 3.1 yards per completion last week mostly due to having to get the ball out quick against an aggressive defensive front, but I’d like to see him take some shots down the field this week. I’m not saying to get reckless with the ball, but I think taking a few shots down the field will make the defense respect the big play and open up the RPO and quick game underneath. This week the goal should be to sustain drives and move the ball consistently. One question I have is, will we see Brayden Schager this week? or has Yellen taken over as QB1 going forward?
Don’t play down to Duquesne…
The Dukes are an FCS opponent but that does not mean the Warriors should take them lightly. The Bows need this win badly for morale and not that it matters, but I’m a little worried what the reaction of the general public will be should the Warriors lose this one. The Dukes opened their season against Florida State so they will not be intimidated coming into the game. I think the Warriors need to start fast and not let Duquesne hang around. The longer you let an underdog hang around, the more momentum they start to build. We’ve seen other teams in the Mountain West fall to FCS opponents and let’s hope the Bows stay out of that club.
With so many new players on the roster, and so many of those new players seeing their first significant playing time at the FBS level, Hawaii is a team that needs to learn how to win. I don’t see this victory being handed to them. They are going to need to earn this one. They don’t need to blow the Dukes out, but it would be nice to see the Warriors execute the things that winning teams do. Things like winning the turnover battle, controlling the line of scrimmage, playing hard for four quarters and limiting mental errors. If they can give the same effort that they did against Michigan, I’d say they’re already halfway there. It’s homecoming night in Manoa so get out there and support the hometeam. Let’s go Bows!
