Rainbows brace for
Gophers’ onslaught

UH expects to see plenty of
running and stacked defenses
from Minnesota

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

Imagine Wally English and Don Lindsey flying blind in a storm.

The two coordinators for the University of Hawaii know how to handle the aircraft, they can read the instruments, they can even land the plane. Now, if they could only find the runway.

Well, that's kind of what they're up against this week as they make final preparations for the University of Minnesota. They know the Gophers' personnel. They're familiar with head coach Glen Mason. Now, if someone would just show them the game plan, it would be a three-point landing.

"It's really tough in a first football game, not having seen this particular team play under this particular coaching staff," English said. "So a lot of what we're saying is pure conjecture or guess work.

"But what we think is, part of the time they'll be in a seven-man front and part of the time they're going to be in an eight-man front. Most likely they'll have a two-deep or three-deep secondary, mixing and matching zone and man (coverages).

"Even though they have a new coaching staff, we know a lot of what Mason did at Kansas. We tried to dig up information anywhere we could to try to put together a game plan without actually seeing them play under this coaching staff."

The UH offense does know that the Minnesota linebacker corps appears to be the strength of the defense and English is well aware that Parc Williams is the leader of the pack.

Despite tearing an anterior cruciate ligament on the first play of his college career against Penn State in 1994, the 6-foot-3, 238-pounder bounced back to be the team's leading tackler last year.

"We've seen films of their personnel and they're a big, strong defensive unit like all Big Ten teams are," English said. "It's just going to be a smash-mouth game.

"They like to use their strong safety (Tyrone Carter) like a rover and create an eight-man front by lining him up over the tight end or away from the tight end. This front has been very successful because it stops the run and forces you to throw the football."

That means a lot of pressure will fall squarely on the shoulders of Hawaii quarterback Tim Carey. If Minnesota puts eight men in the box (an area between the tight end and weak-side tackle), then Carey must make the proper read.

"We only have seven men to block eight," English said. "Tim becomes visually responsible for the eighth man. As an example, maybe we have something like a turn-back protection. We would know we're going to block all these seven guys on the back side.

"We would free No. 4 on the front side, so the quarterback must know where he is and run the play accordingly. He can call an audible if he thinks the play we have called won't work.

"If he knows who he's turning loose, then he knows how to protect himself and can locate the hot receiver. That's one area we've been working on lately."

Lindsey has been working hard in camp as well with his new 3-4 look. While Minnesota's defense may be something of an unknown, Lindsey has a good idea what to expect from the offense.

Granted, the Gophers threw the football here, there and everywhere. Look at the numbers:

Quarterback Cory Sauter -- who may not be a glamour boy like Tennessee's Peyton Manning, but has some solid numbers just the same -- tossed the football 50 times last year against Northwestern, generated 404 yards vs. Michigan State and finished with 2,578 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1996.

Wide receiver Tutu Atwell had 62 receptions for 822 yards and six touchdowns. He is among the Big Ten career leaders in catches (113), receiving yards (1,716) and touchdown catches (12).

But even so, Lindsey expects Minnesota to try to run and run.

"Glen Mason is a tough, hard-nosed guy, who likes to run the football," Lindsey said. "Most offensive line coaches like to run. Most coaches know this is the way you win; you win by being physical and having the ability to run the football.

"Their offensive coordinator (Elliot Uzelac) comes from Michigan and Ohio State, and that kind of football. He and Coach Mason come to a Big Ten school that already is proven to have the skill to throw, but at times, they couldn't sustain drives when they couldn't run.

"So you know right there, they'll take one look at our size on defense, watch tapes of last year's Wisconsin game and probably figure the best way to work on establishing a running game for later in the season is to try to run right over us."

That philosophy is probably pretty sound. After all, the Rainbows yielded 233 yards a game last year, playing in a league that throws first, and asks questions later.

Granted, the Rainbows are improved, but the defensive front is still suspect and the secondary thin. Not exactly comforting words for a coach trying to guess what the game plan will be.

"We're not sure what they'll do, but they will come at us from a variety of different formations," Lindsey said. "One back, two backs, two wide receivers, three wide receivers, that sort of thing.

"Part of the problem is, even if we are effective against the run, they still have the ability to beat you through the air. It's not going to be easy. Nobody said it was. But we've got to do the best we can to stop what they think they will try to do and take it from there."

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See also, Notebook