Hawaii Warriors (1-0) vs. Washington State Cougars (0-1)
Saturday, September 12, 4:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Hawaii -2.0

Sam’s Take (8 – 1):

After making some positive strides against Stanford, WSU has a great chance to even their record at 1-1 against Hawaii. The Cougars may not be favored, but they are more than capable of winning this game.

The number one reason that I am going with the Cougs is because of the encouraging play that I saw from QB Kevin Lopina week one (10-16 122 yards, 1 TD in opener). Lopina seemed to have a better grasp of what he was doing than at any point last season. Hopefully, he gained confidence from his performance against the Cardinal, and now we will find out if he can be consistent.

I think the Hawaii defense is vulnerable both on the ground and through the air, as the Warriors D is replacing a lot of proven starters from last season. I am also confident that the Cougars secondary will perform well against Hawaii’s pass-heavy attack, especially since this is not the explosive Warriors offense that it was under June Jones (scored only 25 points against Central Arkansas in opener).

In the end, I see RBs James Montgomery and Dwight Tardy getting going early in this one, and Lopina continuing his improved play. I see Wazzu getting a nice win on the Palouse this Saturday.

Prediction: Washington State 28 – Hawaii 23

Hawaii Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Greg Salas - He is the number one receiving option, and had a great game against Central Arkansas to start the year.

Washington State Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Jarred Karstetter - He is a big, reliable target that Lopina should continue to rely on as the season progresses (Karstetter had TD vs. Stanford).

Dave’s Take (8 – 1):

Games are won and lost in the trenches, as Washington State fans know all too well. Poor line play has been one of the contributing factors to disastrous results on both sides of the football over the past few seasons.

Not many games are going to come along that the Washington State Cougars just might have the upper hand in the trenches. This is one of those times.

Hawaii replaces three starters on both the offensive and defensive line, and it projects to be a big learning curve for the new guys coming in. Hawaii lives and dies by the pass, but with an offensive line that can’t hold up under any kind of pressure, it is pretty clear what needs to be done; blitz, blitz, blitz.

The Warriors will get their share of points, no doubt, but so will the Cougars. Hawaii’s defense will be a big problem this year, and the no huddle offense looked efficient against a Stanford Cardinal defense that is definitely a step above what Washington State will see this week.

Washington State showed me a lot last week in terms of their fight; they were just outclassed by a superior football team. This week, they face an opponent that just had fits beating a division two team on their home turf. This is a rare winnable game for Washington State, and I have to believe they want it more and go out there and take it.

Prediction: Washington State 24 – Hawaii 17