Warriors enter ‘Colorado phase’
UH starting quarterback Bryant Moniz hopes to lead the Warriors to some revenge for last season's 31-13 loss at Colorado.
David Graves looks for a receiver to pass to.
Backup quarterback David Graves is having a good time.
Starting quarterback Bryant Moniz passes the ball while backup quarterback David Graves watches from behind.
Quarterback passing drill.
Levi Legay blocks Sean Shigematsu.
Sean Shigematsu.
Terence Bell catches a pass during a passing drill at UH football practice.
Alex Dunnachie has a high follow through on his punts as he gets his reps in before the start of UH football practice.
Chris Gant catches a pass during a passing drill at UH football practice.
Fall camp officially ended Saturday, heralding the start of the next stage for the Hawaii football team.
"We’re entering the Colorado phase," UH head coach Greg McMackin said after the Warriors’ practice at Ching Field.
The Warriors’ 19 practices to date have been predominantly inwardly focused, as the coaches drilled in fundamentals, installed schemes and evaluated personnel.
They’ve done so with preparing for the first four games of the season in mind. But starting Monday, the Warriors’ gaze will be fixed on the Sept. 3 season opener against Colorado at Aloha Stadium.
"They’ve been playing against each other and scrimmaging against each other; now it’s going to be exciting to get ready for another team," McMackin said.
McMackin said player evaluation was among the top priorities during camp and the staff identified the top 70 on the roster.
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The Warriors will see a boost in numbers on Monday when 18 players are added after classes start on the Manoa campus. But the workload will be narrowed to the top two levels of the depth chart for the two weeks leading up to the Buffaloes’ arrival.
"We have to practice with the guys who are going to play in the game," McMackin said. "So we as a staff have been evaluating very hard every day … and now those guys are going to get the reps and the other guys are going to find a role on the team. Because it’s going to take everybody."
Studying the game tape from Colorado’s 31-13 win over UH last year in Boulder, Colo., might help refresh their memories on the Buffaloes’ returnees. But the footage won’t provide much insight into situational tendencies since the matchup marks the debut of Jon Embree as Colorado head coach, along with a largely revamped staff.
"With a new staff, first game, it’s really tough," McMackin said of formulating a game plan for the Buffaloes. "We’re going to have to be able to adjust at game time and see what they’re doing.
"We have to get ourselves ready because they have the same (players) there that beat us last year. So we have a lot of work to do."
The work resumes Monday with the team’s second practice at Aloha Stadium. The practice will be closed to the public.
