When Louisiana Tech and Hawaii square off Saturday night, the Bulldogs will be looking for their first win on the island.
Tech is 0-5 in Honolulu all-time.
Let's take a look at some individual comparisons between the two teams before the big matchup.
If Louisiana Tech wants to win this game, J'Mar Smith must play well. It's that simple. Tech will need 30+ points in this one to have chance to win.
Cole McDonald has had a huge sophomore season accumulating 39 total touchdowns. He is expected to get the start, but don't be surprised if Chevan Cordeiro sees some action. Cordeiro led the Warriors to a come from behind win against UNLV when McDonald was benched in Hawaii's 12th game of the season by completing 4/5 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
How can Tech limit the explosive Hawaii offense? Run the ball effectively. Jaqwis Dancy is fully healthy for the first time in quite a while and Tech will need 100+ yards out of its talented tailback.
Furuta and Holly III will be used minimally throughout the night on the ground, but will need to be accounted for in the passing game.
With Hawaii having a weak secondary, Adrian Hardy and Teddy Veal are going to have the opportunity to have a field day. With it being the last game of Veal's collegiate career, I expect him to rise up and make some big plays in the passing game.
Farris II, Wilson, and Ford lead the Warriors with one interception apiece. These are the only three interceptions that Hawaii has all season.
I mentioned earlier that Tech needs to have some success on the ground, and it all starts up front on the offensive line. Michael Rodriguez being healthy should give the offensive line a big boost.
Padello leads the Warriors with 7.5 sacks from his defensive end position.
Bulldog fans will get one final opportunity to see Jaylon Ferguson put on a uniform Saturday night. Ferguson is only 1.5 sacks away from tying Terrell Suggs' all-time record of 44. Getting pressure on McDonald will be a big key in the Tech defense slowing down the Warriors potent attack.
Hawaii's offensive line has allowed 37 sacks in 2018, which ranks 110th in the country. Tech should be able to get some pressure, but they must keep McDonald in the pocket or he hurt them with his scrambling abilities.
The Tech secondary will be challenged more Saturday night than they have all season. Amik Robertson and L'Jarius Sneed have been the best cornerback duo in Conference USA this season, but this game is not about them. This game could boil down to how well Jordan Baldwin, Daniel Lewis, and Darryl Lewis play at safety. With Hawaii having picked up 67% of their yards through the air over the middle, the trio must play well.
Ursua is the best wide receiver in the Mountain West Conference with over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2018. He'll play primarily out of the slot. Will Blake Baker have Amik Robertson shadow him throughout the evening?
I mentioned above that the safeties must play well in order for Tech to win, the same goes for the linebackers. With all the crossing routes that Hawaii likes to run, the linebackers must make plays in the passing game. It would not be a surprise to see Tech take a linebacker off the field in order to get an extra defensive back on the field.
Tavai is perhaps one of the better linebacker prospects for the 2019 NFL Draft, but he is expected to miss the game with a shoulder injury.
On paper, this game appears to favor the Warriors, but on paper many expected SMU to beat Tech a season ago in Frisco before the Bulldogs beat them 51-10. Tech will be up for this one, can they win a fifth consecutive bowl game?
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