2011 Predictions & Game Story
Week 5 - Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
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Oct. 1 Hawaii 44 ... at Louisiana Tech 26
CFN Analysis: The offense stayed hot after the breathtaking performance against UC Davis. Bryant Moniz threw for 410 yards and four scores, and Royce Pollard entrenched himself further into the No. 1 receiver role with ten catches for 216 yards and three scores. The running game wasn’t great, but Joey Iosefa added a little bit of help averaging over six yards per pop with 99 yards on 16 carries. The offensive line is having problems in pass protection, and the secondary had problems, but Moniz and the passing attack were too strong. San Jose State is playing well, and it won’t be a layup for the Warriors, but they get two weeks off to prepare for what should be the easy part of the slate. They couldn’t be playing better at just the right time.
Just when it seemed like the Bulldogs were going to make a statement, they came up with their worst performance of the season. The pushed Mississippi State hard in a tough overtime loss, but there wasn’t any hope against the Hawaii passing game. The pass rush did its part, and the offense got a nice day out of Nick Isham, who threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, but the ground game couldn’t get rolling. With ten penalties and three turnovers, Tech gave the Warriors plenty of opportunities to take control, and they did. Now at 1-4 with five road games in the next six, the Bulldogs are in big, big trouble.
(AP) RUSTON, La. -- Bryant Moniz threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns to lead Hawaii to a 44-26 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night in the WAC opener for both teams.
Royce Pollard caught 10 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns for Hawaii (3-2, 1-0). Moniz had passing scores of 27, 13, 9 and 6 yards.
Joey Iosefa rushed for 99 yards on 16 carries for Hawaii.
Hawaii trailed only in the first quarter, but was able to build a 21-point lead in the third quarter when Richard Torres returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown. Tank Hopkins added another score when he returned a fumble 16 yards to give the Warriors a 41-13 lead.
The Bulldogs (1-4, 0-1) came no closer than 18 points.
Nick Isham threw for 305 yards, three touchdowns and had two interceptions. Quinton Patton caught seven of Isham's passes for 126 yards and a TD.
Hawaii (2-2) at Louisiana Tech (1-3) Oct. 1, 7:00, ESPN3
Here’s The Deal … It always seems like these to teams should play wild and crazy WAC games, but they just don’t. It’s possible that this year’s showdown will buck the trend.
The 2007 45-44 Hawaii win in Ruston was great, and the Warriors won a 44-41 shootout in 2003, but most of the games have been double digit blowouts. This year, it all depends on which teams show up.
Hawaii came up with a puzzlingly awful performance against a UNLV team that got obliterated a week later against an FCS squad, but at home, Bryant Moniz and the offense got working with seven first half touchdown passes in a 56-14 win over UC Davis. With a trip to San Jose State up in two weeks, Hawaii will have plenty of miles logged in during the meat of the WAC slate.
Louisiana Tech is within a hiccup of being 4-0, losing to Mississippi State in overtime and losing to Southern Miss and Houston by a total of three points, but it also needed overtime to beat Central Arkansas. The supposedly high-octane offense hasn’t exploded yet, the defense has been mediocre, and the offensive line hasn’t kept the quarterback clean, but the program appears to be really, really close to turning a corner. Beating Hawaii in the WAC opener would be a start.
Why Hawaii Might Win: The Warriors passing game appears to have finally realized the season has started. It’s not like the passing game was bad, but it wasn’t the normal Hawaii attack and it wasn’t putting up the video game-like numbers it’s supposed to. That all changed against UC Davis with Moniz throwing for 424 yards and seven first half touchdowns, and four Hawaii quarterbacks combining for 512 yards. Louisiana Tech’s secondary is better than UCD’s, but Houston’s Case Keenum threw for 351 yards and three scores and Austin Davis of Southern Miss had few problems in poor conditions.
Defensively, Hawaii has been dialed in with the pass rush, bringing pressure from all sides with 15 sacks on the year, while the Louisiana Tech offensive front has struggled way too much in pass protection and isn’t giving quarterback Nick Isham time. If this gets into a shootout, Hawaii can into the Bulldog backfield and screw things up, but it’s not a given that Tech can get into the Warrior backfield.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win: Again, Louisiana Tech isn’t UC Davis. The Warrior offense has sputtered and coughed was too much with no running game – who gains just six yards on the ground against UNLV? – and has been way too inconsistent. Hawaii can’t hang on to the ball with seven fumbles, including four against the Rebels, and outside of the UCD, the passing game has been pedestrian at best.
Louisiana Tech has been tested against three good teams in Southern Miss, Houston, and Mississippi State, and it has seen a little of everything. The offense has just enough pop and just enough balance to keep Hawaii on its heels, and after dealing with the toughness of the MSU and Golden Eagle defensive fronts, the line isn’t going to be fazed by an aggressive Hawaii line.
What To Watch Out For: With the Hawaii offense waking up against UC Davis, it might also have meant that Royce Pollard is ready to break out of his shell. The 6-0, 175-pound speedster was the team’s leading returning receiver, and he was decent over the first three games with 14 catches but no scores. Last week, he caught nine passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns, but the production has to continue. Hawaii needs a star to work around, and Pollard is experienced enough and good enough to grow into one.
Louisiana Tech already has a star target to work around in JUCO transfer Quinton Patton, who stepped onto campus and caught 29 passes for 475 yards and four scores in his first four games with eight grabs for 211 yards and two scores against Central Arkansas and 11 grabs for 87 yards and a touchdown against Mississippi State. At 6-1 and 195 pounds he has good size to go along with excellent deep speed, and head coach Sonny Dykes is making sure his new playmaker always has the ball in his hands.
What Will Happen: Louisiana Tech will finally win a close game. Hawaii’s performance last week was a bit of a mirage; the receiving corps just isn’t that great. Moniz will throw for over 300 yards and the offensive pop will be there at times, but Louisiana Tech will be balanced, consistent, and mistake-free enough to finally beat a team with a pulse.
CFN Prediction: Louisiana Tech 38 … Hawaii 30
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Louisiana Tech -3.5 O/U: 58.5
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