Arizona football kicks off the 2019 season in the paradise of Hawaii. However the Wildcats may not find their trip to the islands to be so pleasant.
Nothing like a little Pac-12 After Dark to begin the 2019 season. Week 0 begins with what surely will be an offensive showdown between Arizona and Hawaii.
Arizona is looking to rebound from a rough first season under coach Kevin Sumlin. Khalil Tate is the key to the offensive machine for the Wildcats. He entered 2018 with some Heisman hype but was slow to pick up Sumlin’s offense and he struggled early. He will be looking to go out on a high note for his senior year.
The Wildcats have a strong backfield of runners, but inexperienced receivers leaves some questions.
Hawaii, like Arizona, returns a top notch quarterback in Cole McDonald who threw for 3,875 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. He is an offensive machine and head coach Nick Rolovich prefers it that way.
Expect McDonald to pick up where he left off and put on an offensive show at home. Hawaii’s defense will be strong this year as well, as they return nine from last season. Including three along the defensive line.
Here is how you can watch this late night offensive showdown:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Venue: Aloha Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBS Sports Network
Keys to Victory
In order for Arizona to get out of Hawaii with a win, Tate has to be good. By good I mean be the quarterback that entered 2018 with Heisman hype. He’ll have help in the backfield from JJ Taylor, who rushed for over 1,400 yards last season. Tate will have to control the game with his arm and legs, even with unproven receivers, a good quarterback can improve their game, which Tate can do. The Wildcats defense can be concerning, especially against an offensive machine like Hawaii, making Tate that much more valuable.
As Tate is important to Arizona, so is McDonald to Hawaii. He has the tools to pick apart Arizona’s defense and if they let him get hot then it could be a long night. In order for the Rainbow Warriors to get the win, they have to stop the run, something they couldn’t do all of last year. Hawaii allowed almost six yards per rush, a statistic that doesn’t look good going up a great dual threat quarterback and a 1,000 yard rusher.
Prediction
What a way to open 2019. This game should be an offensive showdown with the winner possibly being who has the ball in their hands last. Hawaii has the offense to beat Arizona but it all depends on their defense. Hawaii at home is going to put up points, Arizona has to hope to just mitigate it and score as often as possible.
Based on Hawaii’s run defense deficiencies, however, I think Tate and Taylor will be able to take over and really run over the Hawaii defense. Arizona sneaks out of Aloha Stadium with a close win over Hawaii to begin the 2019 season.
Final Score: Arizona 49, Hawaii 42