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Hawaii vs. Colorado State: Keys To A Warriors Win, TV Schedule, Odds, Prediction
Can Hawaii pull one out over Colorado State at home?
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Warriors hosting the Rams
The Warriors host the Colorado State Rams on Saturday night at TC Ching Field. It’s senior night for a group of Warriors that have seen the highs and lows of college football. There are 39 seniors listed on the roster but because of the COVID year some of those will have the option to return for one more season. Regardless, there are a lot of impact players that could be playing in their last home game as Warriors.
The Rams enter the contest at 3-7 after dropping their last game to Air Force. Similar to the Bows, they are an inconsistent team. They lost to FCS South Dakota State by 19 in the season opener but also led the fifth ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at the half before the Hawkeyes rallied to a 24-14 victory. On the other side, Hawaii beat a top 25 ranked Fresno State but lost last week to UNLV putting them in last place in the West division.
Contain Trey McBride…
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay listed Trey McBride as his number 29 ranked prospect and number one tight end in the 2022 NFL Draft. That would put him as a projected late first round pick, an exciting feat for a Mountain West player. At 6’4” 260lbs, McBride certainly has an NFL frame and he also has the production to match. He is currently the Mountain West leader in receptions at 78 and is ranked 3rd in receiving yards at 919.
He has only scored one touchdown on the season but that is due to being double and even triple teamed in the red zone. It will take a team effort to slow down McBride because the combination of his size and athleticism makes him a mismatch. If they do decide to play man coverage on him, I expect to see Khoury Bethley, Hawaii and possibly the Mountain West’s most versatile defender, to draw the match up. That would be an exciting matchup and one for Bethley to make a name for himself should he decide to forgo the extra year of eligibility and enter the 2022 Draft.
Week 8: Colorado State Rams (3-7, 2-4 Mountain West) vs Hawai’i Warriors (4-7, 1-5 Mountain West)
When: Saturday, November 20th, 2021 – 9pm MT/8pm PT
WHERE: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex; Honolulu, Hawai’i
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.
RADIO: The Colorado State broadcast can be found in and around the Fort Collins area on 102.9 FM. The Hawai’i broadcast can be found in and around the Honolulu area on 92.7 FM.
SERIES RECORD: This will be the 26th all time matchup between these two schools. CSU leads the series 15-10. The last game between these two schools was a 43-34 Hawai’i win in Fort Collins.
LAST WEEK: Colorado State lost to Air Force 35-21, while Hawai’i lost to UNLV 27-13
WEBSITES: CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website | HawaiiAthletics.com, the official Hawai’i athletics website
GAME NOTES (PDF): Colorado State | Hawai’i
ODDS (as of 11/3, via Vegas Insider): Colorado State -2
SP+ PROJECTION: Colorado State by 1.2
FEI PROJECTION: Colorado State by 6.6
Protect the QB…
Apparently asking Bo Graham to call a decent game last week was not a reasonable key to victory. It is up to the offensive players to put the bad game plan on their shoulders and carry Bo like Dae Dae Hunter did when he slashed through the Nevada defense for two long touchdown runs in the first half of that contest. Those two long runs were not spectacular play designs nor do I believe that Bo even thought they would go for 80 yard touchdowns, but they did and that is how the Warriors offensive players need to play this week.
The Rams defense comes into this game ranked 2nd in the conference with 33 sacks and Hawaii’s offense is tied for last place in the conference giving up 34 sacks. In order for Hawaii to move the ball they cannot afford negative plays. Sacks and penalties push back the down and distance and have been a problem all season. Gone are the days where 3rd and long seems like a manageable conversion with the right play call and reads by the quarterback and receivers.
Heck, with this offense the Bows struggle to convert on 3rd and 3. Junior linebacker Mohamed Kamara leads the Rams with 7 sacks on the season which is tied for 5th in the conference and Camron Carter and Scott Patchan have chipped in 6 and 5 sacks respectively. The Hawaii offensive line has struggled protecting the passer this season, but the blame is not solely on them. Receivers need to create separation and get open and more importantly, the Quarterbacks (Either Cordiero or Schager) need to get the ball out on time. The Quarterbacks have held onto the ball too long on many occasions this season and in some instances, Cordeiro has looked to escape the pocket too early and has gotten himself into trouble that way.
Establishing the run will also be helpful as the Rams defensive front will have to respect that and cannot pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.
This is the last home game of the season and I’m hoping the Warriors come out to play and send this senior class out the right way. A Bowl berth is already out of the question, but the Warriors need to finish this season strong to build some momentum going into recruiting and the off season. As always, let’s go Bows!
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