Brennan will start

Jones says the QB gives the Warriors the best chance to win

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Quarterback Colt Brennan will play tonight against Charleston Southern, Hawaii coach June Jones said after yesterday's walk-through practice.

Hawaii vs. Charleston Southern When: Today Time: 6:05 p.m. Where: Aloha Stadium TV: Live, PPV 255; 10 a.m. tomorrow, KFVE, Ch. 5 The Line: Hawaii by 60 Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM Internet: htsportsnet.com

Brennan will continue his string of 17 consecutive starts and 29 games played despite a sprained right ankle that kept him out of practice until Thursday this week.

"He gives us the best chance to win," Jones said.

No. 19 Hawaii (3-0) hosts the Division I-AA Buccaneers (1-2) at 6:05 p.m. at Aloha Stadium. More than 35,000 tickets had been issued by close of business yesterday.

The promise of Brennan, a Heisman Trophy candidate, playing will probably eliminate some no-shows.

Brennan practiced yesterday, and had lost the limp he had earlier in the week.

Last Saturday, the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more as the Warriors beat UNLV 49-14 -- a day after Brennan sprained the ankle.

He leads the nation with 32.0 points responsible per game and is in the top five in several other categories.

Junior backup Tyler Graunke took most of the reps this week and became sharper each day. Graunke last started in 2005 against San Diego State, playing the first two series. He also started the season opener that year against USC, alternating time with Brennan.

Brennan took some reps yesterday and appeared much more comfortable than he did Thursday, when he limped through a few plays.

Hawaii is a 60-point favorite against Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers went a school-best 9-2 last year, but their only win so far this season was last week against Division II Johnson C. Smith.

"Nothing will change," Jones said earlier in the week, when asked who would play quarterback.

Senior Jason Rivers, UH's leading receiver, is out with a sore back. He will be replaced by sophomore Malcolm Lane.

Charleston Southern also has some injuries, with starting offensive linemen Zach Mitchell and J.W. Myers expected to be out and Jordan Lancaster questionable.

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The last time Hawaii and an opponent botched a tape exchange, it was part of the bickerfest that UH's series with Michigan State eroded into. That dysfunctional relationship dissolved early. The Spartans pulled out of their scheduled game at Hawaii this year, leaving the Warriors holding the bag -- a satchel eventually filled with $250,000 by MSU, but emptied again by tonight's opponent, Charleston Southern. The Division I-AA Buccaneers filled the opening on late notice, giving UH two FCS opponents and one of the weakest schedules in Division I.

So it was only fitting that videotape from CSU was unusable. This time, it seemed to be an honest mistake, and Bucs coach Jay Mills sent a replacement tape out right away. He has no reason to antagonize the No. 19 team in the country before its first home game in three weeks.

UH never did get that tape from Michigan State in 2005. The Spartans won that game in Lansing, but a young quarterback played well in his first start for Hawaii. Some guy named Colt Brennan, who is expected to play tonight, sore ankle and all.

When Charleston Southern has the ball

The Bucs run a version of the Urban Meyer spread option, similar to what the Warriors faced last week against UNLV -- with the added wrinkle of dealing with a no-huddle attack. Quarterback Eli Byrd will try to read the defense at the line of scrimmage and select from two or three predetermined plays. It takes precision and experience, which the Bucs are still developing because of the youth of their offense. Byrd is a sophomore, as are four other offensive starters. Running back Kenny Harper and center Rick Howell are the only listed seniors. Harper has carried just twice for 4 yards in two games. Mike Jefferson is the leading rusher. Wideout Tim Jones, at 6-4, is a solid deep threat with 17.3 yards per catch.

Hawaii enters the game with the 34th-best defense in NCAA Division I if you use yardage yielded per game (313.67) as the measuring stick. The Warriors get better as games go along. In the last two, they gave up touchdowns on the opening drives by Louisiana Tech and UNLV.

"It's basically the same offense as we played against last week," UH defensive tackle and captain Mike Lafaele said. "We'll do what we have to do to stop them."

Last week it meant eight players up near the line of scrimmage, with Lafaele and his linemates clogging up the running lanes and allowing linebackers Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard to pile up huge tackle numbers for the second week in a row. Desmond Thomas joined Jake Patek and Keao Monteilh as a third safety in many situations, and the cornerbacks have evolved into a three-man rotation, with Ryan Mouton spelling starters Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry. Mouton intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown last week.

When Hawaii has the ball

The ha'a is catching on -- a construction worker looked like he might fall off the dorm he was building as he mirrored the Warriors' moves. Brennan had the sense to refrain from dance practice, but did take enough reps at quarterback to get the starting nod from Jones. Receiver Jason Rivers is out, as he didn't practice all week. But this merely gives the Warriors the opportunity to give more work to speedy Malcolm Lane, a sophomore with huge big-play potential. On the other side, C.J. Hawthorne comes off a nine-catch, 104-yard performance.

The Warriors lead the nation in passing offense, but the running game might be emphasized more this week (as it was against UNLV) to give the Bucs fewer shots at a hobbled Brennan. Also, the Bucs haven't been very stout against the run, allowing 4.9 yards per carry. Kealoha Pilares displayed some of his shiftiness against the Rebels, leading the Warriors with 62 yards on 11 carries.

CSU linebacker Jada Ross needs eight stops to become the leading tackler in Big South history. Rover Josh Warrior will try to tackle some of his namesakes tonight, and defensive end Dennis Justiniani is a veteran of the Iraq War. Safety C.J. Hirschman is preseason all-conference.

Special teams

Hawaii doesn't punt very often. But when it does, it does a good job. Tim Grasso has kicked five times for an average of 45.2 yards. UH leads the nation in net punting at 44.0. A lot of the credit goes to gunners Guyton Galdeira and Hawthorne.

Malcolm Lane (kickoff) and Mike Washington (punt) have touchdowns on returns. A combination of Lane, Washington and Mouton will return the kickoffs with Rivers out. The Bucs' kickoff coverage team has been porous, allowing 32.9 yards per return. Look for the Warriors to break one -- but Charleston Southern might not be kicking off very often.

Davone Bess improved his punt returning last week, although he did fumble one (he recovered it). Dan Kelly is just 1-for-3 on field goals, but is perfect on 22 points-after.

Charleston Southern kicker Nick Ellis has shown in the first three games why he is preseason all-conference. Ellis is 2-for-2 on field goals and 10-for-10 on extra points. He's also been busy with 22 punts. Jefferson is the primary kickoff returner, with 24.2 yards per runback. Hirschman handles punts.

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Hawaii knows it is favored more heavily tonight than the U.S. was against Grenada in 1983. But Charleston Southern doesn't know its chances are worse than the Union troops at Ft. Sumter in 1861. College football players don't think that way.

The Warriors have learned motivation is a funny thing. You can think you've got it, and then all of a sudden you're down 14-0 at Ruston, La. They were behind 7-0 at UNLV last week, too. UH will want to get off to a fast start tonight.

The lead-up stories this week were about tape -- the stuff on Colt Brennan's right ankle, and the one that was supposedly of no use to the Warriors.

But Brennan will play, and his fellow tri-captain, defensive tackle Mike Lafaele, managed to get some value out of the footage.

"Studying tape always gives me a sense of the other team," he said. "I can tell a lot about their discipline. That's why I sit in on special teams meetings, too. You can learn a lot about a team by watching their special teams."

Hercules Satele, also a tri-captain, said the Warriors did the best with the tape they had until a better one arrived later in the week.

"We've seen all kinds of defenses, so it doesn't matter that much," Satele said. "As long as we make the right calls and execute we'll be OK."