SMU vs. Nevada – Hawaii Bowl Picks Against The Spread
The 2009 Bowl Season continues tonight and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Hawaii Bowl between the SMU Mustangs and the Nevada Wolfpack. Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Nevada as 13-point favorites with a total of 72.
Nevada (8-4 SU, 7-5 Against The Spread) has been lighting up the scoreboard this year thanks to a solid running attack out of the Pistol Offense. Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick has run for 1,160 yards and 16 touchdowns in front of two of the nation’s top running backs in Luke Lippincott and Vai Taua. Lippincott has accounted for 1,034 yards on the ground this season, while Taua has gained 1,345 yards. These two speedsters have scored 19 touchdowns on the season.
This Pistol offensive attack of Nevada leads the country in rushing with an average of 362.3 yards per game, but both Lippincott (toe injury) and Taua (academic issues) are both out for tonight’s game. That means the Pack will hit the ground with their backups who have tallied just 851 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year combined.
SMU (7-5 SU, 6-4-1 Against The Spread) is making its first trip to a bowl game since getting nailed by the NCAA in 1987 and it’s due mostly to the hiring of coach June Jones. The Mustangs have won four of their last five games and would have played for the Conference USA title if it weren’t for a 34-31 loss at Marshall back in November.
While Nevada runs the Pistol Offense, SMU runs the Run ‘n Shoot. The Mustangs have the 28th best passing attack in the country, accounting for 267.2 YPG through the air. What’s interesting is that true freshman QB Kyle Padron is running this complicated offense. Padron has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,462 yards with eight touchdowns to just four picks. His main receiver is Emmanuel Sanders who caught 91 passes this season for 1,215 yards and six scores. Couple SMU’s passing attack with the fact that Nevada is has the 119th best pass defense in the nation giving up 283.4 YPG and you have a real reason to watch on Christmas Eve.
Now let’s talk trends…in the postseason, Nevada is just 1-3 Against The Spread in its last four bowl games. June Jones, as the Hawaii head coach, was 3-3 Against The Spread in his six career bowl appearances. In addition, Jones’ Mustangs are 6-1 Against The Spread as an underdog this year. Nevada is 6-3 Against The Spread in 2009 as favorites and the five times they were listed as double-digit favorites this season they went 4-1 Against The Spread.
So who covers the spread in the Hawaii Bowl? It’s very easy to find out. Try FiveStarPick.com tonight for just ($19.99) and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations. We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness. It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread. Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.
Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com
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