This Saturday the (1-3) Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the (0-4) New Mexico State Aggies will match up in the fourth week of the 2022 college football season. Kick-off will be at 8:00 PM EST inside Aggie Memorial Stadium. Both of these teams have struggled to begin the season, but they will be aiming to play better in this one.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors took down Duquesne 24-14 last week for their first win of the season. They were able to consistently move the ball up and down the field and their defense played great against the pass. They will need to build off of this win if they want to challenge the Aggies on the road.
The New Mexico State Aggies are entering this one after getting blown out by the Wisconsin Badgers, 66-7 in week 3. The Aggies will be looking to quickly forget about that game and move on to the rest of their schedule. Their defense has to be better in this one if they want t o show up at home against the Rainbow Warriors.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have not had the season that they were hoping for, but they were able to achieve their first win of the season last week. They will be looking to carry that momentum over into this game. According to Sports Reference, the Warriors are averaging 15.2 points per game, which is the 120th most in the country. Hawaii will look to move the ball on the ground and through the air, as they are averaging the 109th most passing yards per game and the 111th most rushing yards. As an offense, Hawaii is averaging 289.5 yards per game, which is the 120th most in the country. Watch for Joey Yellen, as the Warrior's quarterback has thrown for 324 yards this season and thrown two interceptions. He took the majority of the snaps last week and he will be starting in this one. He hasn't thrown a touchdown pass this season, either. The Warriors will look to get the ball to their leading receiver, Jonah Panoke. He has already r ecorded 172 yards this season, which leads the team. Hawaii is also averaging 109 rush yards per game, as Dedrick Parson has been the leading back for the Warriors in 2022. He has already run for 197 yards and four touchdowns this season.
On defense, the Warriors have been up and down. Last week, they looked great, as they only allowed Duquesne to score 14 points. On the season, they are allowing 45.5 points per game, though. They got torched by Michigan, Western Kentucky, and Vanderbilt in the first three weeks of the season. They are also allowing 493.3 yards per game, which is the 125th most yards allowed per game. They have been better against the pass, though. They are surrendering 180.5 passing yards per game, as their secondary has been tough. This is the 92nd least amount of receiving yards given up per game. The Rainbow Warrior's biggest problems come against the run. They are allowing 238.8 rushing yards per game, which is the 126th most in the c ountry. They got gashed by the Wolverines on the ground, but they did hold Duquesne to just 91 rushing yards in week 3. I would also watch for Virile Edwards II, as he is leading the team with 18 solo tackles. He has been all over the field to begin this 2022 season.