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BYU Football: Cougars host Hawaii in sneaky fun Week 7 tilt

By Zach Bigalke

MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Tanner Mangum #12 of the BYU Cougars looks to pass in the first quarter of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Tanner Mangum #12 of the BYU Cougars looks to pass in the first quarter of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BYU football has lost two straight. Hawaii is riding a three-game winning streak. Can the Cougars snap both streaks and get back to winning ways on Saturday night?

After BYU took down Wisconsin in mid-September, it appeared that the Cougars were poised to challenge for a possible New Year’s Six at-large berth — or, perhaps, even more. Then Kalani Sitake‘s team backslid immediately, losing two straight to Washington and Utah State. Now they head into their showdown at home against Hawaii hoping to get out of the skid to salvage hopes of a decent season.

Tanner Mangum has fluctuated between good performances and abysmal showings. He has yet to string together a truly great game this season. Even in the wins over Arizona and Wisconsin, the quarterback has failed to live up to the early promise he showed as a freshman. BYU is 3-3 despite ranking 124th in the country in yards gained and 117th in scoring at only 21.2 points per game.

Hawaii, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise in 2018. Through their first six games, the Rainbow Warriors are 5-1. Their only loss came at Michie Stadium against Army in a 28-21 defeat. If not for that slip at West Point, Nick Rolovich‘s squad would be perfect at this point. Only Ohio State picks up more first downs than the Rainbow Warriors.

Cole McDonald ranks third in the country, throwing for an even 350 yards and four touchdowns per game, and he is 14th nationally in efficiency. McDonald was forced to miss the last game with an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to be back for the showdown against the Cougars.

Can BYU get back to their winning ways on Saturday night in Provo? Or will Hawaii take care of business on the mainland and improve to 7-1? Here’s how you can watch the Week 7 game between BYU and Hawaii:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 13
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Location: Provo, Utah
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For BYU to live up to their surprising position as double-digit favorites, BYU needs Mangum to have his best game of the 2018 season to date. He needs to outduel Cole McDonald through the air, while the backfield has to give Mangum enough ground support to balance the offense and prevent the Rainbow Warriors from teeing off.

Hawaii needs to make sure that they don’t allow BYU to win the field position battle. The Rainbow Warriors have been conceding an average of 25 yards on each kickoff return, putting them 112th in the FBS. They also need to crack a BYU secondary that gives up fewer than 200 passing yards per game to rank in the top 40 nationally.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: BYU -11
Over/Under: 56.5

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Prediction

BYU is going to have a back-and-forth battle with the Rainbow Warriors, and this game is probably going to go to overtime. Hawaii will be on defense first. After they pick off Mangum, all they will need is a field goal to take the spoils. In the process, the Rainbow Warriors will become the first Mountain West team to ensure bowl eligibility. It seems the most fitting way possible for Week 7 action to conclude as Saturday bleeds into Sunday across the country.

Final Score: Hawaii 38, BYU 35 (OT)

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