UNR’s bowl stumble rewards smart money

In need of an example of a disinterested favorite in a bowl game? Look at the team UNR coach Chris Ault brought to the Hawaii Bowl, and the embarrassing effort it produced.

Ault, a great coach for many years, said his team was motivated and had spirited practices before leaving Reno. But it turns out he was whipping a lame horse.

This was the equivalent of the favorite finishing last in a 20-horse race.

The Wolf Pack packed it in early in a 45-10 loss to Southern Methodist on Christmas Eve at Aloha Stadium. The score could have been much worse. It was 31-0 at halftime.

The Mustangs, coming back from college football irrelevance induced by the NCAA death penalty, were in their first bowl since 1984, and they wanted to be here. Their coach, June Jones, is beloved here, a consequence of his nine seasons as coach at Hawaii.

Kyle Padron, a freshman, passed for 460 yards and two touchdowns while operating Jones’ run-and-shoot offense with precision. Padron completed 32 of 41 passes.

The underdogs are barking loud in the bowl season, and the bettors definitely sniffed out this one.

On Dec. 17 at the Las Vegas Hilton, UNR was a 151/2-point favorite with a money line of minus-600. The line closed at 11 with the money line at minus-400. The smart money was on SMU.

Ault not only brought a lackadaisical team to the Hawaii Bowl, he brought a short-handed one. Luke Lippincott was injured, and Vai Taua was suspended for academic reasons. Taua rushed for 1,345 yards this season and Lippincott for 1,034, and they combined for 19 touchdowns.

The Wolf Pack did not get a touchdown Thursday until Colin Kaepernick’s 10-yard pass to Brandon Wimberly with 1:04 to play. Kaepernick was held to 23 yards rushing and 177 yards passing, and he was not facing a quality defense.

Ault dismissed two defensive players before the bowl, but that was not a factor in the outcome. After the losses of Lippincott and Taua, and a season-ending 44-33 loss at Boise State, UNR was emotionally flat.

At the same time, the Mustangs (8-5) were hitting full stride. Jones’ system is proven to be successful, and Padron seems to be a perfect quarterback for it.

The anticipated shootout never happened. The total of 72 was the highest of all the bowls. SMU did its part.

When a bowl favorite is fighting injuries and suspensions, and the ‘dog is hungry, it’s the perfect storm for an upset.

Bowl underdogs were 4-1 straight up and against the spread through Wednesday, and the Mustangs ran those records to 5-1.

The bowl season has been especially beneficial for the Mountain West Conference. Brigham Young, Utah and Wyoming posted wins as underdogs, with the Cougars and Utes taking down Pac-10 opponents.

BYU’s 44-20 victory over Oregon State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas — regarded worldwide as the granddaddy of all the pre-Christmas bowls — was another example of a motivated underdog putting a whipping on a flat favorite.

The lone favorite to cash was Rutgers, a 21/2-point favorite in a 45-24 victory over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

Southern California might find itself in a trap Saturday in the Emerald Bowl, and the same could go for Clemson in the Music City Bowl, UCLA in the Eagle Bank Bowl and Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl.

The Wolf Pack finished the season 8-5, and Kaepernick is a fourth-year junior. So if he’s back, UNR will be good again next season.

But a game such as this gives new UNLV coach Bobby Hauck more hope that the Rebels finally can hang with the Wolf Pack.

Kaepernick ran into a well-prepared SMU defense in the Hawaii Bowl. Ault ran into June Jones, who in no way resembles Mike Sanford.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.