Hawaii vs. San Jose State: Warriors Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Preview
Warriors looking for one more
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One more time for Hawaii
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Week 13: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (3-9, 2-5) @ San Jose State Spartans (6-4, 4-3)
When: Saturday, November 26th – 12:30 PT
Where: CEFCU Stadium; San Jose, CA
How to Watch: Livestream on Team1Sports App
Odds: San Jose State -15 Over/Under 57
What a way to send a very deserving group of Seniors out in the home finale. Program pillars Blessman Taala, Micah Vanterpool and Ilm Manning along with twenty other seniors were honored during the Senior day festivities after a hard fought 31-25 victory over UNLV. These seniors not only have helped to set a solid foundation for head Coach Timmy Chang, but they played a big role in keeping this team together through the turmoil that went on last December. To say that the program has come a long way in a year would be an understatement. If you want to put a tag on this year’s squad, I think a pretty accurate description would be that this team plays together and they play hard and that personality can be attributed to this senior class. Mahalo Seniors for your contributions to the program. We wish you the best in all your future endeavors.
This week, the Warriors hit the road to close out the 2022 campaign against the San Jose State Spartans led by former Hawaii co-captain and starting quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. It is the elephant in the room and the biggest storyline of the game so let’s get that out of the way. We’ve seen local quarterback products like Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa go on to mainland Universities, have tremendous success and cheered them on as one of our own as they made the Islands proud with every touchdown throw and humility filled post-game interview. This however is a different and more unique situation. Unlike Mariota and Tagovailoa, Cordeiro chose to stay home and represent the home team. He did so for four seasons and in no way am I trying to downplay the importance of some of the big wins and memorable moments during his time in Manoa, but arguably his most impactful contribution to the program was leaving. His transfer was what sparked the transition into a new era of Hawaii football. An era we wished he could’ve been a part of, but also understand that he needed to do what he did. As a fan, I know that I appreciate Chevan’s contributions to the program, but it’s Bows over everything.
Cordeiro is as elusive as quarterbacks come. He has been especially dangerous in the redzone accounting for eight touchdowns on the ground this season. An emphasis needs to be put on containing him. Pass rushers need to be disciplined and whoever is playing the “spy” role needs to have a big game. Logan Taylor continued his streak of double digit tackle games against UNLV and he could be tasked with keeping an eye on the slippery quarterback. Last week the Warriors defensive front had one of their best games of the year with three sacks and seven tackles for loss. The Bows will need another strong effort from that group.
Cordeiro’s go-to-guy has been wide receiver Elijah Cooks. Cooks has been one of the best receivers in the conference with 862 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season. He’s averaging over 16 yards per catch and is a big play threat down the field. Another interesting stat is that tight ends have accounted for 6 touchdowns this year. They are a big factor in the Spartan redzone attack and something to keep an eye on.
Offensively, Brayden Schager is coming off one of his best games as a Warrior after throwing for three touchdowns in the win over UNLV. He threw no interceptions but he did have a costly fumble that the Rebels picked up and returned for a touchdown, so there is still room to grow. What I liked is that he seems to be playing with more confidence now. It looks like he’s putting more zip on his ball, taking more shots down the field and trusting the offense and his abilities. Another thing I noticed is a little bit of a swagger for the first time after throwing the 55 yard touchdown to Zion Bowens.
Taking shots down the field helped to open up space for the run game. Dedrick Parson ran for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Tylan Hines added 63 yards on just 9 carries. Parson has been solid this year and is averaging over 4.5 yards per carry this season. He has been the thunder and Hines has been the lightning with his explosive plays. I get on the edge of my seat when 24 gets the rock.
Win or lose, this is the last game of the season for the Bows as a bowl game is no longer in question. One more game for this respected group of seniors to cap off their collegiate careers. A win on the road, against a division rival would be a great way to end the season for the program and it would be the signature win in Timmy Chang’s inaugural season. Can the Warriors end their season strong and carry the momentum into a pivotal offseason? One last time for the seniors, let’s go Bows!
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