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The Middle Tenn. Blue Raiders and the San Diego State Aztecs will compete for holiday cheer in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex at 8 p.m. ET. The Blue Raiders will be strutting in after a win while San Diego State will be stumbling in from a loss.
Middle Tenn. didn't have too much breathing room in their game with the FIU Panthers four weeks ago, but they still walked away with a 33-28 victory. Middle Tenn.'s QB Chase Cunningham did his thing and accumulated 279 passing yards in addition to rushing for two TDs and 32 yards.
Middle Tenn.'s defense was a presence as well, as it collected four interceptions. The picks came courtesy of CB Decorian Patterson and S Jakobe Thomas.
Meanwhile, San Diego State came up short against the Air Force Falcons four weeks ago, falling 13-3. S Jalen Mayden had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball once with only 188 yards passing.
The Blue Raiders are expected to lose this next one by 7. Those betting on them against the spread shouldn't have high expectations for them since the squad is 2-4 ATS when expected to lose.
Two defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Middle Tenn. enters the contest having picked the ball off 17 times, good for fifth in the nation. The Aztecs are not quite as good, but they are no chumps, either: they enter the matchup having picked the ball off 12 times, good for 33rd in the nation.
