UH special teams get back at it

Sure, there were a couple of cringe-worthy moments in those film sessions for the Hawaii special teams units.

But after reviewing the footage of last week's game against Florida, which included a breakdown in the kicking game, special teams coach Ikaika Malloe found the crew energized and anxious to get back on the field.

"The thing Florida helped us do ... was help us learn how to get better," Malloe said. "How to correct the mistakes on offense, defense and special teams, for me personally.

"I think when the special teams saw it on film, I think they were excited. They were excited to know the direction we're heading, how the scheme fits and see it on film. So I think we're excited to go back on the field on Saturday and do what it's supposed to look like."

The Warriors will try to apply those lessons when they face Weber State in their home opener at Aloha Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.

Although studying the tape of the opener can be a useful tool in preparation, the time for looking back has passed for UH coach Greg McMackin.

"We had the two mistakes on special teams, both costly, and we've worked on that and worked on all of our special teams," McMackin said.

"(But) I've moved on. We've moved on, we have to. ... I don't care about anything that happened in the Florida game. All I care about is Weber State. That's all this football team cares about."

The Warriors faced one of the nation's top return men in Florida's Brandon James, who broke loose for a 74-yard return for a touchdown last week, and will try to corral another gifted returner in Weber State's Bryant Eteuati.

Eteuati is WSU's career leader in punt return yardage and averages nearly 28 yards per kickoff return in his career. He didn't have a chance to return a kickoff in Weber State's 62-6 win over Montana-Western last week, but turned in a 32-yard punt return.

"He knows how to use his blocks, he's a legit 4.5 guy, he's a big-time track runner," Malloe said of the 5-foot-7 senior. "But I think what makes him special is he uses his blocks to his advantage. Just by his angles he puts his blockers in the way of our coverage guys.

"We've been working a lot on coverage lanes and I think we'll be pleased on Saturday with our execution."

UH punter Tim Grasso's average of 45 yards on his five kicks last week was 13th-best in the country and the coverage team worked this week to keep containment on the returns.

"If you slack off they're going to put points on the board like last week," said JoPierre Davis, a backup cornerback and a member of the Warrior coverage units.

"Last week it was 14-0 and we were still battling and then we get a punt return and it changed the whole outlook of the game. We have to hone in and it's about making plays."

Of course, keeping the ball away from Eteuati would take care of some of those concerns and all three of Dan Kelly's kickoffs last week resulted in touchbacks.

"(Eteuati and James) are the same types of runners in terms of style, so the bottom line is kick the ball away from No. 6 and cover, keep the ball inside and in front of us," Malloe said.

On the other end, UH is looking to build on a productive performance from its returners. Junior receiver Jovonte Taylor led the Warriors in all-purpose yards last week, racking up 57 on three kickoff returns. Taylor didn't practice yesterday after hurting his knee in Wednesday's practice, but McMackin expects him to be ready tomorrow.

Ryan Mouton, who appears in a two-page photo in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, had 79 return yards last week.

"We have to do a good job in terms of giving them room to run," Malloe said. "Once we give them room to run by the front line doing their job, I think you'll see what our returners really can do."