Hawaii had its two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday night with a narrow 41-38 loss to UNLV. The Rainbow Warriors had no answer for Lexington Thomas who rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries, including a game-changing 34-yard touchdown run with 4:58 remaining. That triggered a late 10-0 UNLV run that all but sealed Hawaii’s fate in this match.
It’s back to the drawing board for head coach Nick Rolovich and the rest of the Rainbow Warriors who will next face the reeling Air Force Falcons. Hawaii have lost each of its last two meetings with Air Force. The Rainbow Warriors suffered a humiliating 58-7 loss to the Falcons in their lone meeting last season. Air Force amassed 576 yards of total offense in that contest, 496 of which came on the ground.
It’s paramount for the Rainbow Warriors that they put the clamps on Air Force running back Jacobi Owens. He wreaked havoc against the Hawaii defensive line, rushing for 137 yards and two scores last season. Such was Air Force’s dominance in that contest that the Falcons were able to run a whopping 92 offensive plays.
Defense may still be a problem for Hawaii this season but the Warriors can take comfort in the fact that they have progressed leaps and bounds on the offensive end this year. The Warriors are 63rd in the nation in scoring, averaging 30.4 points per game this season. Providing the impetus for Hawaii’s offensive resurgence is quarterback Dru Brown. He has passed for 931 yards and six touchdowns while adding 194 yards and two scores on the ground this season.
Hawaii is 1-9 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Air Force’s playoff hopes were dealt a major blow on Saturday when it suffered a gut-wrenching 45-40 defeat to the New Mexico Lobos. The Falcons had no answer for New Mexico running back Teriyon Gipson who accounted for 152 total yards and two scores. It was a disappointing result for the Falcons who have now lost two consecutive games.
They will look to get their season back on track when they lock horns with Hawaii this coming weekend. For the Falcons to record the much-needed victory, they will need to get a much-improved performance from their defensive line. They allowed New Mexico to post a whopping 373 yards on the ground on Saturday. That was quite a shock considering Air Force entered that contest with the nation’s second-ranked defense against the run. The Falcons had allowed just 401 rushing yards all season coming into that clash.
Apart from their defense, the Falcons also need quarterback Nate Romine to deliver a solid performance this coming weekend. On the season, he has completed 39 of 89 passes for 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions. Romine has also run for 179 yards and two scores this campaign. He will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing a Hawaii side that’s allowing 487.6 total yards per game this season, ninth-worst in the FBS.
Air Force is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 home games.
