The University of Hawaii football team opens the 2023 season with a road game at Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference, set to kick off in a few hours at FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
Both teams will take on each other for the second time, with Vanderbilt winning the first-ever meeting last year with an unbelievable scorecard (63-10).
Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii football live stream, Venue, Dates
Venue: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Date: Saturday, August 26
Start Time: 6:30 pm CT / 7:30 pm ET
TV: SEC Network | Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play) | Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) | Alyssa Lang (sidelines).
Online Streaming: FuboTV | Watch Live here
Radio: 102.5 The Game / Vanderbilt Athletics App / SiriusXM 84
Vanderbilt Commodores:
Vanderbilt doubled their win total in Lea’s second season last year and, for the first time since 2018, won consecutive SEC games, defeating Kentucky and Florida, respectively.
That said, Commodores will be looking to build off of a successful campaign and make this season count after developing an identity of a team playing disciplined, maximizing possessions, and protecting the quarterback.
This game will mark the second consecutive season when Vanderbilt will take on Hawaii in Game. Last year’s meeting was the first between both sides when Commodores broke seven straight wins streak of Rainbow Warriors at home.
In that nightmare fixture for Hawaii, Dores pulled away with a 35-point third quarter and finished the game with 601 yards of total offense, including 404 rushing yards.
Before this game, Vanderbilt was 26-10 in the last 36 non-conference, regular season contests, dating back to the 2013 season. Of their previous 20 games against non-Power Five opponents, Vanderbilt has won 18, including all three of its matches last season.
Last season, Commodores were the least-penalized team in the SEC, getting flagged just 64 times in the whole season, which ranked 24th in FBS, making it the second consecutive season under Lea that Commodores finish among the nation’s top-30 least penalized sides.
Regarding possession, Vanderbilt finished last season with 21st rank in FBS and fourth in the SEC, averaging 32:03 per game. And with a 30+ average in the season before as well, Lea made sure to have his side possession averaged over 30 minutes per game in both seasons of his charge.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:
This season’s opener against Vanderbilt marks just the fifth time in Hawaii’s program history that they’ll play an SEC team on the road and the first time since 2008 at Florida.
In week 0 contests, UH boasts a 3-3 record, including 2-2 on the road. Moreover, the fixture against Commodores is the fifth time for UH since 2016, and they will play the season-opener away from home for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
Before the game, the Rainbow Warriors were 3-10-1 all-time against current SEC teams, including 0-4 on the road. Overall, in season-openers, Hawaii is 63-38-5 (.618), including a 7-7 mark on the road; out of the last six season-openers, the Warriors lost their last two fixtures after winning the previous four.
Talking about their tonight’s opponent, the Warriors will be looking to enter the fields with clear minds, not remembering what happened last time, to be specific. In that fixture, Vanderbilt led 21-10 at half-time and finished the game with 63-10, scoring 35-0 in the third quarter alone.
Going to the game, Hawaii has lost the last six games on the roads but will try to change that tonight as they face Vanderbilt. This season, the Hawaii team returns 13 starters (4 offense, seven defense, and two special teams) and lost 11 starters from a season ago.
Returning starters include honorable mention all-Mountain West selections DL John Tuitupou, DB Peter Manuma, RB Tylan Hines, and QB Brayden Schager.
Players to Watch:
Vanderbilt Commodores:
With Christian James injured, much is expected from a 6-foot-7 sophomore, Yilanan Ouattara. Will Sheppard had 60 receptions for 776 yards and 9 TDs last season and was much better in the final part of the season. During his three years at Commodores, Sheppard has notched 105 receptions for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Quarterback Mike Wright, who rushed for 163 yards against the UH, now plays for the Mississippi State roster. Running back Ray Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher with 95 total yards against Hawaii, has also left Vanderbilt and now plays for Kentucky.
Jayden McGowan is a player to watch this season. The sophomore receiver is a quick and vertical playmaker who finished with 44 receptions for 453 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, including two matchups with 100-plus receiving yards.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:
Brayden Schager is back after throwing 13 touchdowns and ten interceptions last season. He completed 55.3% of his passes for 2348 yards. Tylan Hines is also back after averaging 7:6 yards per carry last season.
Senior linebacker Logan Taylor is a Hawaii player with good sideline-to-sideline speed and awareness to be right around the ball. He led the team in total tackles (85) with four tackles for loss and three QB hits in 2022 and notched at least eight tackles in three of the last six games of the previous season.
Sophomore safety Peter Manuma is a player who brings a lot of energy and tenacity to the secondary. Hawaii native reliable tackler finished with 70 total tackles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. It’s worth mentioning that he racked up five-plus tackles in eight consecutive games to end last year.
Injuries:
According to Tennessean, defensive tackle Christian James will miss the game. Defensive end Agu and CJ Taylor are also doubtful to feature.