UH-Nevada full of intrigue

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RENO, Nev. » As Hawaii fans continued to trickle into The World's Biggest Little City yesterday, some of them surely lined up at the sports books to reverse a trend.

Hawaii (9-0, 6-0 WAC) at Nevada (5-4, 3-2) When: Today, 6 p.m. Where: Mackay Stadium TV: ESPN2 Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM

The betting line on tonight's game between the 13th-ranked Warriors and Nevada plummeted yesterday faster than the stock market in 1929, with UH falling from a 9-point favorite to 6 1/2 in a matter of hours.

Some are calling this the ultimate trap game, and there are several reasons to think an upset could be in the making, thus ending Hawaii's undefeated season and BCS hopes.

First there's the Hawaii quarterback situation. Whether concussed Colt Brennan -- who is tied with Ty Detmer for the NCAA career touchdown passing record -- would start or even play remained a subject of much speculation and debate.

Television reports yesterday that coach June Jones said Brennan would not play were mysteriously retracted, and all returned to the party line of "game-time decision."

Even if Brennan does play, what would his level of effectiveness be after limited practice this week? Not to mention possible aftereffects of the concussion.

Then there's history. Hawaii has never won here, losing three times since 2001.

Altitude and weather are two other considerations. Tomorrow's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 61 and a low of 37.

Nevada had a bye week to prepare for this game, while UH had one fewer day than usual.

Wherever the so-called smart money goes, this still may come down to basics and a big play late in the cold Reno night. Can Hawaii's defense stop Luke Lippincott and wunderkind quarterback Colin Kaepernick from running wild? Can Nevada's suspect defense make a big stop or two against the highest-scoring offense in the country?

But if it comes down to big plays at the end, on the road, maybe history is on Hawaii's side -- recent history, at LaTech and San Jose State where the Warriors survived and won in overtime.

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RENO, Nev. » If the weather is as nice as it was yesterday here, climate won't be a problem for Hawaii or a factor at all when 13th-ranked UH (9-0, 6-0 WAC) tries to win for the first time at Mackay Stadium against Nevada (5-4, 3-2).

UH coach June Jones said earlier this week that he planned to rent heaters for the sideline in case it does get very cold.

"We'll have all that stuff," Jones said. "We'll do what we need to do."

Of course, the biggest question is if Colt Brennan will play and start at quarterback six days after suffering a concussion against Fresno State. The official word from UH is that it remains a game-time decision. Brennan practiced lightly Wednesday and yesterday.

When Hawaii has the ball

The running game emerged for the Warriors last week in their 37-30 win over Fresno State. Hawaii rushed 24 times for a season-high 157 yards.

Kealoha Pilares is out again with a knee sprain, but junior Daniel Libre shined last week in his debut with 61 yards in six carries, and Leon Wright-Jackson had his best game so far with six carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.

"Leon's gotten better every time in there. He played more physical," Jones said.

Some of the production came out of the pistol formation that Nevada coach Chris Ault developed, in which the quarterback is stationed closer to the center than in a conventional shotgun attack.

"We just felt like we could do some things with it, create different alignments for the plays we wanted to do," Jones said. "And it did."

All four of the UH starting receivers had minor injuries this week. C.J. Hawthorne's tight hamstring kept him out of practice most of the week, but he made the trip.

If Brennan doesn't play, the quarterback burden falls on Tyler Graunke and Inoke Funaki, who got a lot of reps this week in practice

"I think they (Nevada) have a good scheme," Funaki said. "Not only are they physical, but they have good coaching and schemes. It'll be important for us to try to have a mental edge. If we have a good idea of what they're throwing at us it'll help us go through our reads faster."

"Bandit" linebacker Ezra Butler is a major play-making force for the Wolf Pack with two sacks among his eight tackles for loss. Jonathan Amaya returns from an injury to boost the secondary.

When Nevada has the ball

Luke Lippincott leads the WAC in rushing with 1,054 yards. He has six 100-yard games. UH did not allow a 100-yard rusher this season until Fresno State's Clifton Smith went for 105 last week.

Nevada thrives on big plays, having scored 20 touchdowns on plays of 25 yards or longer.

"We've got to limit the big plays. They make a lot of big plays. They run a lot of misdirection," Jones said. "There's two guys we gotta worry about back there."

The other is quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He's second on the team with 465 rushing yards.

"He's been very effective," UH linebacker Solomon Elimimian said. "If he can't find someone open, he just runs it himself, and a lot of times he'll make a great run."

The favorite receivers are Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy. They both average more than 20 yards per reception and will be a test for the UH secondary of corners Gerard Lewis, Myron Newberry and Ryan Mouton, and safeties Jake Patek and Desmond Thomas.

Jones said he was pleased with the Warriors' defense against Fresno State.

"They were really flying around. We had some guys really step up at linebacker. Brad Kalilimoku played unreal. Blaze Soares played physical," Jones said. "The D-line played good and everybody kind of stepped up. We have to do that two weeks in a row now, with a short week."

Special teams

Dan Kelly bounced back last week after missing two extra points in the previous game against New Mexico State to drill three field goals against Fresno State, including a 50-yarder. Nevada junior Brett Jaekle is also among the WAC's best kickers. He's 13-for-17 on field goals and has missed on three of 42 extra points.

The UH kickoff coverage team suffered a breakdown last week, allowing A.J. Jefferson of Fresno to go 98 yards for a touchdown.

Hawaii allows 23.8 yards per kickoff return and has yielded two touchdowns. The unit is 98th in Division I. Dwayne Sanders is the main kickoff returner for Nevada. He goes 22.6 yards per try and has no touchdowns.

KEY MATCHUP

Hawaii blocking vs. Nevada defense

Nevada isn't much of a blitzing team, but the Wolf Pack might try to become more of one tonight for its own good.

If Colt Brennan plays six days after suffering a concussion, it is Nevada's duty to go after him and try to get him out of the game and disrupt the Hawaii offense.

And even if Tyler Graunke and/or Inoke Funaki play instead of Brennan, a physical pass rush is a good idea against a passing team that is forced to use less experienced backups at quarterback.

Nevada is 70th in the nation with 1.9 sacks per game and has been credited with just five quarterback hurries in nine games. UH is 55th at protecting the quarterback, yielding the same number of sacks as Nevada has produced. Of course, the sack-per-pass-attempt rate is much better for Hawaii than for most other schools.

Strongside linebacker Nick Fuhr leads the Pack with five sacks for 40 yards.

The health of Brennan and the other quarterbacks is key to UH's chances, not just in this game but those against Boise State and Washington to complete the regular season.

The Hawaii offensive line of Keith AhSoon, Hercules Satele, John Estes, Larry Sauafea and Keoni Steinhoff isn't as experienced as last year's quintet. But the group has been steady and durable and has led the Warriors to 50.2 points per game, which is best in the nation.

Tonight, they will have to play their best game and protect whoever is at quarterback, particularly Brennan. They are also key to the Warriors' continued improvement in the running game, an aspect of the offense that, if successful, will also help keep pressure off the QB.