Is there a better way to spend Christmas Eve than on the Hawaiian Islands playing in the Hawaii Bowl? The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7-5) and San Diego State Aztecs (7-5) get the pleasure of playing in the most sought after destination bowl game this year.
Saturday’s game will be aired on ESPN at 7:00 PM CST. Due to covid precautions it will be the fist Hawaii Bowl since 2019 – a game in which the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defeated the BYU Cougars.
The Hawaii Bowl debuted on Christmas of 2002 and has remained a mainstay as a Christmas tradition going on 19 seasons seeing the likes of; Brandon Marshall, Colt Brennan, Davante Adams, and many more etch their names in the bowl’s history.
This year’s game will feature two of the country’s more successful programs in their own rights. Middle Tennessee is making their 10th bowl appearance in 17 seasons under head coach Rick Stockstill. San Diego State is making it’s 12th consecutive bowl game.
Both teams will be making their second appearance in the Hawaii Bowl — The Aztecs defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2015 while the Blue Raiders fell to Hawaii the following season.
Hawaii Bowl: Tale of the Tape
San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs come into postseason play winning three out of their last four games of the season. In that span they’ve only given up an average of 15 points per game while scoring 23.5ppg. Two of their final wins sealed their first season sweep of the state of Florida, beating Miami, FAU, and FIU.
Their 19th ranked defense is led by standout defensive lineman, Jonah Tavai. SDSU’s offense is led by a committee of running backs and senior quarterback Jalen Mayden who took over after the Aztecs fell to 2-3, leading them to a 5-2 record to save the season.
Player Spotlight
IDL Jonah Tavai – PFF and Bleacher Report’s All-American defensive tackle led the way with 9 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, good for second among all Mountain West defenders. SDSU’s defense ranked second in the Mountain West behind only Air Force’s defense that ranks third in the nation in scoring.
Jonah Tavai ranks as the 185th prospect on Pro Football Focus’ big board, and could vault himself to a day two pick with a solid performance in Saturday’s Hawaii Bowl.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Rick Stockstill’s squad won their final three games to become bowl eligible. The Blue Raiders scored 35.3ppg while surrendering only 21ppg to round out their season. Middle Tennessee will be tested against a higher end G5 team in SDSU, but that will be nothing new for this team.
Early in the year MTSU upset then-25th ranked Miami going off for 45 points. Ensuing what was thought to be a program-defining victory they went on to lose their next three games by an average margin of 20 points.
Player Spotlight
QB Chase Cunningham – The senior out of Knoxville, Tennessee has thrown for 2,920 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing nearly 68% of his passes. Cunningham will be looking to cap off the best season of his career with a strong performance and a bowl win over the Aztecs 19th ranked scoring defense.
Hawaii Bowl Betting Nuggets
Money Line
MTSU +215 — SDSU -267
Point Spread
MTSU +7 — SDSU -7
Over/Under
48.5 Points
All betting odds provided by Caesar’s Sportsbook.
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