Arizona Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Hawaii in Week 0

TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Khalil Tate #14 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after rushing the football against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first half of the college football game at Arizona Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /

2. This game will be a serious shootout

The sport of college football has a flair for the weird and the dramatic. This seems to especially be the case when Pac-12 teams play late at night. In 2019, there’s no easing into it. When the Wildcats and Warriors meet, things will get crazy.

The Arizona offense has two dynamic playmakers. There is the aforementioned Tate, but also running back JJ Taylor. A year ago, he gained 1,434 yards on the ground. Behind him is Gary Brightwell, the junior back who averaged 5.8 yards per carry a year ago.

Point being, the Wildcats have a strong ground game. Meanwhile, Hawaii’s rush defense finished ninth in the Mountain West and 103rd in the country. There’s not much turnover on Corey Batoon’s defense, so the results will likely be similar.

Hawaii and head coach Nick Rolovich have a similar mismatch. Quarterback Cole McDonald was tremendous is his sophomore season. He finished top ten in the nation in both touchdown passes and passing yards. Opposing him will be Marcel Yates’ Wildcat defense, which ranked 12th in the Pac-12 and 121st nationally against the pass.

Both of these teams have porous defenses, and both have the perfect offensive tools to take advantage. This should be a very high scoring affair.

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