The Memphis Tigers will travel to Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday night to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl.
The Tigers are 6-6 this season and are coming off a 33-28 home win over the Tulane Green Wave. Freshman quarterback Seth Henigan finished 27-of-42 for 336 yards with three touchdowns.
The Rainbow Warriors are 6-7 so far and are riding a two-game winning streak after going on the road with a 38-14 win over the Wyoming Cowboys. Sophomore quarterback Chevan Cordeiro went 19-of-31 for 323 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
Memphis at Hawaii Betting Preview
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Senior tight end Sean Dykes has been playing well this season for the Memphis Tigers as he has recorded 48 receptions for 657 yards (13.7 yards per catch) with seven receiving touchdowns. In his last game against Tulane, Dykes finished with seven catches for 89 yards (12.7 yards per reception).
The Memphis Tigers need to improve a bit defensively as they are giving up 29.3 points per game thus far. In their previous game against the Tulane Green Wave, Memphis allowed 28 points on 452 total yards of offense (147 passing, 305 rushing).
The Tigers forced four turnovers in the game (two fumble recoveries, two interceptions). Tulane also ran the ball extremely well as they averaged 6.9 yards per rushing attempt.
NM Stepping Up
Sophomore wide receiver Nick Mardner has been doing well for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors as he has 46 catches for 913 yards (19.8 yards per reception) with five receiving touchdowns. In his last game against Wyoming, he finished with a pair of receptions for 28 yards (14 yards per catch).
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have been struggling this season on the defensive side of the floor as they are allowing 31.4 points per game. In their previous game against the Wyoming Cowboys, Hawaii gave up 14 points on 305 total yards of offense (186 passing, 119 rushing).
The Cowboys were able to average 3.2 yards per carry. They also went 6-of-14 on third-down attempts but did not convert on either of their two fourth-down tries.
Who to Bet: Memphis Tigers or Hawaii Rainbow Warriors?
According to the top sportsbooks across America, the Memphis Tigers are currently listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this bowl game. Memphis is already without running back Brandon Thomas and wide receiver Calvin Austin III, so that means their top rusher and top receiver are already ruled out.
The Tigers are scoring 22 points in their previous five games while the Rainbow Warriors are averaging 28.4 points in their last five games, so that is going to be the major difference in this game.
Memphis is 1-5 against the spread in their last six Bowl games, so go with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors getting points in this game to cover the spread.