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Another dream destination matchup comes in the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl. The last two Hawai’i Bowls were cancelled due to Covid related illnesses. This matchup will take place on Christmas Eve between two teams who have been here before. Middle Tennessee out of Conference USA makes their return to the Hawai’i Bowl, where they lost to Hawai’i 52-35. San Diego State represents the Mountain West; they beat Cincinnati 42-7 in the 2015 Hawai’i Bowl.
When: Saturday, December 24th @ 8:00 PM ET
Where: Honolulu, Hawai’i
Who: Middle Tennessee vs San Diego State
Spread & Total: San Diego State -7; O/U 48.5
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Tale of the Tape: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The offense runs through quarterback Chase Cunningham. He’s mobile, adding 284 rushing yards on the ground and six of the team’s 20 rushing touchdowns. And he’s accurate, completing 67.4% of his attempts and turning the ball over on just 2.1% of his 420 pass attempts.
Defensively, while their pass defense allows the third-most yards through the air, they have the third most interceptions at 17. They have sacked the opposing quarterback 33 times, and the 246 sack yards lost ranks the 8th most nationally.
Transfer Portal Departures:
IOL Joseph Stone
Players to Know:
DL Jordan Ferguson
Named to All-Conference USA First Team. 61 total tackles ranks 4th on the team. 8.5 sacks leads the team. Recorded 16.0 tackles for loss and five pass deflections
S Teldrick Ross
All-Conference USA Second Team selection. 73 tackles ranks second on team. 16 pass deflections leads the team and ranks second nationally
Tale of the Tape: San Diego State Aztecs
The start of the season for San Diego State did not look great. The year started with a 38-20 loss to Arizona, who won just one game in 2021. They closed September with a three-game stretch against bowl eligible teams, defeating Toledo but losing to Utah and Boise State.
At the start of October, offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinski was fired. The Aztecs turned to Jalen Mayden, changing the course of their season. The Aztecs closed the season going 5-2, and averaging 23 PPG. They were 2-3 and averaged 19 PPG before the switch. Mayden threw for 1,721 yards, completing 62.3% of his attempts. He also added 289 rushing yards on 57 carries and three touchdowns.
Transfer Portal Departures:
S CJ Baskerville (36 tackles, three pass breakups)
Player to Know: LB Caden McDonald
Named to All-Mountain West First Team for the third time in his career. 41 total tackles (7.5 for loss). Recorded two sacks and nine quarterback hurries
PK/P Jack Browning
Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. Ranks top-10 nationally in punts downed inside the 20-yard line (28; T-4th), net punting (42.7; 6th), and punt average (46.0; 8th). Perfect 28/28 on PATs, 17/21 on field goal attempts
Bowl Game Trends:
- Brady Hoke is in his second stint at San Diego State; he is 2-0 in bowl games at SDSU
- Rick Stockstill is in his 17th season at Middle Tennessee; he’s 3-6 in bowl games
- The underdog is 7-3 ATS in L11, winning outright in six.
- Conference USA is 8-4 in the Hawai’i Bowl
Game Synopsis:
Middle Tennessee went 0-3 against bowl eligible teams. San Diego State was not much better, going 2-4. San Diego State took a turn with Mayden at quarterback, but their offense still struggled. Even after terminating their offensive coordinator in October, 23 PPG ranks outside the top-100. The San Diego State strength is in the run game, and that feeds into the Middle Tennessee defense. The Blue Raiders pull an upset in the Hawai’i Bowl.
Bowl Mania Pick To Win: Middle Tennessee
Bowl Mania Confidence: 9/43
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