The Ohio State Buckeyes began their national title defense with a bang on Monday as they took care of business in the second half of their game versus Virginia Tech with an imposing 42-24 win. The Buckeyes will certainly relish softer competition, and they’ll get just that this weekend when they face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
However, Hawaii also got off on the right foot in Week 1 with a tough 28-20 victory in Honolulu over the Colorado Buffaloes. Will the boys from the Aloha State be able to pull off possibly the biggest upset in college football history this coming Saturday?
Continue reading to know more about this intriguing and unpredictable matchup. For more NCAA Week 2 coverage, check out our preview and predictions for LSU vs. Mississippi State and Idaho vs. USC.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Preview
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus
When: Saturday, September 12, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Ohio State Buckeyes – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: BTN
Betting on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Hawaii head coach Norm Chow has got to be proud of the way that his Rainbow Warriors came out with a season-opening win. Chow, known widely as Pete Carroll’s previous offensive coordinator back in USC, has not had as much success in the 50th state as he did during his stint in SoCal, earning just eight wins through his first three seasons with the Rainbow Warriors.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]However, Chow may have found the team’s saving grace from his former employer. Starting quarterback and USC transfer Max Wittek was mostly impressive in his debut for the Rainbow Warriors this past Saturday, throwing for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-38 passing against Colorado.
Wittek had quite a day making full use of his weapons downfield with the spectacular tandem of Hawaii wideouts Marcus Kemp (166 receiving yards and a touchdown) and Quinton Pedroza (41 yards, 1 TD) lighting up the Buffaloes’ secondary.
Both of these streaky receivers must provide quality outings yet again this Saturday, especially for the team to stay competitive at the very least against Ohio State. Kemp and Pedroza combined for 115 of Hawaii’s receptions last season.
The Rainbow Warriors’ defense will probably be in for a long day against a Buckeyes offense that’s overflowing with talent. Expect star defensive tackle Kennedy Tulimasealii, who had two of the team’s six tackles against Colorado, to try and keep the D afloat.
Unfortunately, history does not favor the Rainbow Warriors’ odds at an upset. They are 10-38 lifetime against ranked teams and just have three victories against top teams in the top 10. Also, Ohio State has not lost in 14 consecutive games dating back to the previous season.
The NCAA college football action is just getting warmed up. Create a betting account now to start wagering on the best programs from around the country while there are still a ton of games on the slate.
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes
No sir, there will be no repeat of an upset this year for Virginia Tech. The Hokies – the last team in the nation to beat the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes – put up a good fight last night, but only for the first two quarters of the game.
The Buckeyes overcame a 17-14 deficit at halftime by putting up four unanswered touchdowns in the second half of their season opener en route to a 42-24 victory. Head coach Urban Meyer looks like he made the right call by appointing Cardale Jones as the team’s starting quarterback, especially after Jones filled the stat sheet both in the air and on the ground on Monday.
Jones finished the game with 186 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and an untimely pick on 9-of-18 passing. He also had 13 carries for 99 yards and another score. What’s better is that he had great chemistry in the offense with the team’s very own former starting QB in Braxton Miller.
Miller, who transitioned to the wideout position in the offseason after losing the starting job to Jones (and to JT Barrett to some extent), was electric in his first game back under his new role. He had a couple of 50-yard plays for the highlight reel – one in the air and one on the ground – that resulted in both a receiving and a rushing touchdown, and wrapped up his day with 140 all-purpose yards.
If there wasn’t enough Heisman candidates for Ohio State to throw at opponents, prolific running back Ezekiel Elliott torched the Hokies last night for another stellar rushing performance. Elliott rumbled for 112 yards on just 11 carries, including an 80-yard sprint for a touchdown on his first rushing attempt of the game.
The Buckeyes proved that their team has what’s probably the deepest and most balanced roster in the nation. We haven’t even discussed about their formidable defense, which will have defensive star Joey Bosa back from suspension, in greater detail yet. But the team may just need its offense to show up this coming Saturday in Columbus against Hawaii, considering that the Rainbow Warriors finished merely 98th in the nation in total offense and 108th in scoring offense last season.
Writer’s Prediction
Ohio State finds a golden win at the end of the Rainbow Warriors’ own defeat, 52-10.
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