Warriors taking season
3 games at a time
Hawaii will sit its ailing players
this week with final two games
in mind
Hawaii takes the concept of a get-well game to a different level tonight at Aloha Stadium against 21-point underdog Idaho. Several Warriors who could probably take another shot of painkiller and limp onto the field once again won't this time, not with Northwestern and Michigan State on the horizon.
Key matchupHawaii offensive line vs. Idaho defensive lineThe injury bug that ran through the Warriors like the Ebola virus finally infected the offensive line. Two starters -- center Derek Fa'avi and right guard Uriah Moenoa -- are out. That means left guard Samson Satele moves to center (Moenoa was the backup) and Hercules Satele starts the first game of his career at left guard. The only starter in the same spot from the beginning of the season is left tackle Tala Esera. The restructured line has to deal with defensive ends Brandon Kania, who has six sacks among his 10 tackles for losses and Mike Anderson, who has three forced fumbles, including two against Boise State.
|
It's the final game of the year for the Vandals (3-8), who leave the Sun Belt and enter the Western Athletic Conference, where they'll compete with the Warriors (4-5) on an annual basis.
Idaho coach Nick Holt declined the bait when asked if he felt insulted because Jones seems to consider this a safe game to hold out some hobbled starters.
"I don't get caught up in what other people do. We have enough of our own injuries," said Holt, who has gone through four running backs this season. "We're coming to the islands to play well and give a good showing. Hopefully in the fourth quarter we'll have a chance to win. Hawaii is a real good football team and we have our work cut out regardless who plays. If he wants to rest his good guys it's up to him. We have no control over that. We'll just play whoever they put out there."
UH left guard Hercules Satele will be a first-time starter. He takes the place of his cousin, Samson Satele, who moves to center in place of backup Moenoa (normally the starter at right guard) and starter Derek Fa'avi. Moenoa is out with hamstring and knee ailments, and Fa'avi is done for the season with a bruised leg bone.
The re-formed line will face a variety of blitzes and stunts, offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said.
"They like to mix it up, zone dogs, four down, five down, three down," he said.
Quarterback Tim Chang said he's confident the offensive line can continue to function well.
"It's not going to be different," he said. "The depth is great there and they have a great coach."
Holt is familiar with Chang, since he was the linebackers coach at USC last year when the Trojans beat the Warriors 61-32.
"He has a phenomenal release, an NFL quarterback," Holt said. "We have to not give up the big play, and tackle well. Hopefully some (of his passes) will bounce off someone's pads and we can get some picks."
Holt probably didn't mean it to, but the last comment hit pretty close to home for Hawaii's receivers, who have dropped passes in bunches all season.
Chang was asked if the Warriors needed to re-focus on fundamentals on both sides of the ball.
"I'm not sure how to answer that," said the senior quarterback, who can usually find the sunny side of a total eclipse. "I think 4-5 answers that."
UH will again be raw on defense.
At cornerback, Turmarian Moreland would also be a first-time starter; it's either him or Ray Bass in place of Elimimian (hamstring). Also, Lamar Broadway is iffy at safety (groin) and Landon Kafentzis might start his second game.
In addition to Curnan (ankle), Tanuvasa Moe (hamstring) is still out at linebacker, and backup Chad Kapanui (hamstring) will at least be slowed. The starters are Watson Ho'ohuli in the middle, flanked by freshmen C.J. Allen-Jones and Brad Kalilimoku.
The injuries, lack of experience and poor tackling add up to miserable defense for the Warriors, especially away from home. Hawaii is ranked 117th out of 117 teams in rushing yardage allowed per game and 115th overall. Defensive coordinator George Lumpkin promised a return to basics with more open-field tackling drills in practice -- but without actual full-speed tackling.
The Vandals haven't been stellar on defense, either. They've allowed 420.3 yards per game, compared to 476.0 for UH.
"We saw them play at Boise (a 69-3 loss) and Fresno (70-14)," Idaho defensive end Brandon Kania said. "Fresno's a different team than we are, and Hawaii's hard to beat when they're on their own field."
UH is 34-15 at home since Jones' first season in 1999, including 4-1 this year.
This is the Vandals' eighth road game of the year, and they won only one.
Probable starters
Idaho Offense LT 77 Hank Therien 6-7 322 So. LG 67 Tony Kiel 6-3 317 Sr. C 63 Jarrod Schulte 6-3 269 Jr. RG 50 Jade Tadvick 6-5 320 So. RT 68 Nate VanderPol 6-6 312 So. Y 45 Luke Smith-Anderson 6-5 221 So. or 39 Willie Sipoloa 6-2 259 Sr. or 36 Brian Yarno 6-0 243 Sr. X 16 Desmond Belton 6-4 180 Fr. F 32 Rolly Lumbala 6-2 241 Fr. QB 7 Michael Harrington 6-4 210 Jr. H 84 Bobby Bernal-Wood 6-2 208 Sr. Z 82 Ryan Hecock 6-0 166 Fr. Defense DE 13 Mike Anderson 6-3 237 Jr. DT 48 Tim Bertalot 6-1 243 Jr. NT 69 Siua Musika 6-1 302 Fr. DE 86 Brandon Kania 6-3 241 So. OLB 40 David Vobora 6-1 195 Fr. MLB 47 Cole Snyder 5-11 230 Jr. OLB 27 Nate Nichols 6-7 322 Jr. SS 49 Daniel Dykes 6-7 322 Fr. FS 22 Simeon Stewart 6-7 322 Sr. LC 8 J.R. Ruffin 6-7 322 Sr. RC 19 Chris Nathan 6-7 322 Sr. LT 77 Hank Therien 6-7 322 So. Specialists K 43 Mike Barrow 5-11 150 So. P 43 Mike Barrow 5-11 150 So. H 7 Michael Harrington 6-4 210 Jr. LS 36 Brian Yarno 6-0 243 Sr. PR 49 Daniel Dykes 6-3 180 Fr. KR 3 J.R. Ruffin 6-0 167 Sr. Hawaii Offense X 84 Jason Rivers 6-1 189 So. H 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr. LT 70 Tala Esera 6-3 291 So. LG 65 Hercules Satele 6-2 279 Fr. C 64 Samson Satele 6-2 278 So. RG 66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 291 Jr. RT 74 Jeremy Inferrera 6-2 284 So. Y 38 Gerald Welch 5-7 216 Sr. Z 9 Britton Komine 5-10 188 Sr. QB 14 Tim Chang 6-1 196 Sr. RB 6 Michael Brewster 5-5 185 Sr. Defense LE 98 Mel Purcell 6-4 266 Jr. LT 99 Lui Fuga 6-1 294 Sr. RT 91 Matt Faga 6-2 324 Sr. RE 30 Kila Kamakawiwo'ole 6-3 241 Jr. SLB 58 C.J. Allen-Jones 6-2 204 Fr. MLB 55 Watson Ho'ohuli 5-11 222 Sr. WLB 43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-11 201 Fr. CB 10 Turmarian Moreland 6-0 194 Jr. or 12 Ray Bass 5-11 175 Fr. SS 42 Leonard Peters 6-1 184 Jr. FS 8 Landon Kafentzis 6-0 194 Jr. or 22 Lamar Broadway 5-11 175 Jr. CB 24 Kenny Patton 6-0 187 So. Specialists P 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 196 So. K 47 Justin Ayat 6-0 201 Sr. LS 61 Bryce Runge 5-11 236 Jr. PR 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr. KR 21 Jason Ferguson 5-5 157 Fr. Hold 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 196 So.
Schedules
Idaho Vandals (3-8, 2-5 Sun belt) Sept. 4 at Boise State L, 65-7 Sept. 11 at Utah State L, 14-7 Sept. 18 Washington State L, 49-8 Sept. 25 at Oregon L, 48-10 Oct. 2 at Eastern Michigan W, 45-41 Oct. 9 Louisiana-Monroe L, 16-14 Oct. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette W, 38-25 Oct. 23 at Middle Tennessee L, 34-14 Oct. 30 at Troy State L, 47-7 Nov. 6 Arkansas State W, 45-31 Nov. 13 at North Texas L, 51-29 Today at Hawaii Hawaii Warriors (4-5, 4-4 WAC) Sept. 4 Florida Atlantic L, 35-28 (OT) Sept. 18 at Rice L, 41-29 Oct. 2 Tulsa W, 44-16 Oct. 9 Nevada W, 48-26 Oct. 16 at Texas-El Paso L, 51-20 Oct. 23 San Jose State W, 46-28 Oct. 29 at Boise State L, 69-3 Nov. 6 Louisiana Tech W, 34-23 Nov. 12 at Fresno State L, 70-14 Today Idaho Nov. 27 Northwestern Dec. 4 Michigan State
Statistical comparison
UI Category UH 20.4 Scoring 29.6 135.2 Rushing 95.9 205.4 Passing 307.0 340.5 Total Offense 402.9 19.0 First Downs 20.1 7.5 FD Rushing 5.2 9.5 FD Passing 14.4 1.9 FD Penalty 1.2 38.3 Points Allowed 39.9 162.5 Rushing Allowed 281.7 238.9 Passing Allowed 194.3 401.4 Total Offense Allowed 476.0 (above stats are per-game averages) 12-130 Interceptions -- Yards 12-65 38.4 Punting 38.3 84-785 Penalties 54-464 24-13 Fumbles-lost 17-7 32:27 Ave. Time of Possession 27:24 58-167 Third Down Conversion 48-121 10-21 Fourth Down Conversion 4-13
Key players
Rushing A Yards Avg TD Jayson Bird, UI 151 859 5.7 8 Rolly Lumbala, UI 129 524 4.1 6 Michael Brewster, UH 84 549 6.5 6 West Keli'ikipi, UH 38 200 5.3 3 Passing A C I Y TD Michael Harrington, UI 322 211 11 2,026 10 Brian Nooy, UI 42 20 3 233 1 Tim Chang, UH 420 244 9 2,656 20 Kainoa Akina, UH 19 7 4 84 0 Receiving Rec Yards Avg TD Bobby Bernal-Wood, UI 87 799 9.2 1 Wendell Octave, UI 36 368 10.2 2 Chad Owens, UH 69 675 9.8 7 Britton Komine, UH 38 579 15.2 3 Tackles S A Tot FL/S Cole Snyder, UI 67 58 125 14/3 Robert Davis, UI 39 33 72 9/1 Dan Dykes, UI 33 36 69 1/0 Simeon Stewart, UI 33 23 56 3/2 J.R. Ruffin, UI 27 19 46 3/1 Leonard Peters, UH 51 31 82 4.5/0 Mel Purcell, UH 34 16 50 13/5 Watson Ho'ohuli, UH 30 16 46 5/.5 Chad Kapanui, UH 21 24 45 3/1 Tanuvasa Moe, UH 23 21 44 5/2
