Hawaii Football: 5 reasons Hawaii will beat Arizona in Week 0

1. Cole McDonald will start the season hot once again

No matter who is out running patterns, junior quarterback Cole McDonald is going to have a field day against Arizona’s secondary. Last year, McDonald started the season on fire as he completed more than 70 percent of his passes and threw for more than 400 yards in each of Hawaii’s first two victories. In five of his first six games, McDonald finished with at least 300 yards through the air and threw for multiple touchdowns.

We are going to see more of the same against Arizona, as McDonald shows that he is back to his dynamic ways after a midseason MCL injury limited his effectiveness once he returned to the field. Now fully healthy and ready to lead the Rainbow Warriors to their fullest potential, McDonald has an easy mark in the Wildcats to start his junior season in style.

Expect McDonald to finish with somewhere north of 350 yards through the air. Getting to 400 is a real possibility against this Wildcats secondary. The quarterback will toss somewhere between four and six touchdowns through the air as this game breaks down quickly into a shootout.

That is exactly the type of game that Hawaii is built to win with their quick-strike aerial attack. McDonald is going to make an early dark-horse Heisman case as he helps the Rainbow Warriors start the season with a statement victory over their Pac-12 visitor.