Hawaii Bowl 2018: 3 reasons to watch Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech

2. Cole McDonald takes on a decent Louisiana Tech secondary

Cole McDonald has been a revelation at quarterback for Hawaii, closing out the regular season with nearly 3800 passing yards and averaging 315 yards per game through the air. The sophomore broke out as one of the top 10 passers in the entire country, even as he fought an injury that kept him out of the Wyoming game in early October.

McDonald takes on a Louisiana Tech secondary that has been solid throughout the course of 2018. The Bulldogs give up fewer than 200 yards per game through the air to their opponents, putting them in the top 30 in the FBS. They also have been good at limiting quarterbacks from beating them with big plays, as they sit 36th in the country in opponent passing efficiency.

This will be a battle of strength versus strength. Even if the Hawaii offensive line can keep McDonald upright (hardly a guarantee with Jaylon Ferguson on the field), the quarterback will then have to contend with an athletic secondary that has already picked off 10 passes this year. A Hawaii team almost entirely dependent on its passing game for offense needs McDonald to find a way to break down the Bulldogs defensive backfield.