Game Day! Hawaii vs. Utah St.: How They Match Up

HAWAII
0-7, 0-5 in Mountain West

HAWAII  OFFENSE

UH will use the same offensive line for back-to-back games for the first time this season. It is hoped that continuity — as well as more rollouts, play-actions and three-step drops — will improve the pass protection. Sean Schroeder, who will make his fourth consecutive start, was hit 11 times by Colorado State last week. The Warriors are 21st nationally in passing, averaging 299.3 yards per game. In the past four games, Schroeder has thrown 12 touchdown passes and is averaging 334.3 yards. Schroeder, who is always in the shotgun, is at his best in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors usually are in the two-minute offense. Of his 46 fourth-down completions, 31 were for first downs and eight exceeded 25 yards. Chris Gant has been Schroeder’s favorite late-game target. Ten of Gant’s 12 fourth-quarter catches resulted in first downs. Clark Evans has also has emerged as a reliable receiver. In the past two games, Evans has caught a pass each of the 10 times he was the primary target. He also has been effective as a backfield blocker. The Warriors did not allow a sack in the seven plays Evans was aligned as a fullback against CSU. The Warriors’ pressing projects are to extend drives and play better after the intermission. Of their 115 full drives this season, 46 have been three-and-outs. Twelve of their 27 third-quarter possessions have not exceeded three downs. Most troubling is the Warriors’ opening possession of the second half, with each drive averaging 1.92 yards and 1 minute, 20 seconds.

HAWAII DEFENSE

The Rainbow Warriors hope to be in better health this week. Safety Marrell Jackson, who missed last week’s game after undergoing thumb surgery, is expected to play. Charles Clay, who started in Jackson’s absence, will remain in the rotation at safety or nickelback. Clay has become an accomplished open-field tackler. He is fourth in stops (36 tackles), and has prevented three touchdowns with his pursuit. Freshman defensive lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii, who has recovered from a strained elbow, and linebacker TJ Taimatuia, who had an undisclosed ailment, should boost the depth. Tulimasealii can play the three-technique in a four-man front or end in a 3-4 or 3-2 alignment. Taimatuia can play both in the middle and on the strong side. In Taimatuia’s absence last week, Jerrol Garcia-Williams played a season-high 70 snaps at strongside linebacker. Kamalani Alo, who contributed at middle linebacker last week, and linebacker Benny Fonua, who has been used mostly on special teams, will have expanded roles this week. Against Colorado State last week, the Warriors struggled against cutbacks on stretch plays and perimeter runs on pulls. CSU averaged 3.07 yards on inside-zone runs. On pulls and stretch plays, in which the runner cut inside or looped at the edge, CSU averaged 9.29 yards. The big picture: The ends need to establish the edge and linebackers need to fill the holes.

HAWAII SPECIAL TEAMS

The trouble with being a pioneer is there are no how-to books to study. Harding used his Aussie-rules-football background and ambidextrous skills to create a skipping punt out of a roll-out maneuver. Of his 29 punts, only five have been returned. He has not had a touchback, which explains why his net average of 40.9 yards ranks third nationally. Against Colorado State, five of his downed punts averaged 20.4 additional yards on rolls. The value of extra bounces is not lost on Harding in his other job as punt returner. Harding often will dive in front of a charging defender to secure a bouncing punt. "It’s tough," Harding said. "By the time it bounces up, there’s usually somebody there. As long as I can stop it from rolling, if I have to take a hit, I’ll take a hit. It’s all about the hidden yardage."

UTAH ST.
4-4, 3-1 in Mountain West

UTAH STATE OFFENSE

During the Mountain West Conference’s media preview this summer, the Aggies distributed football cards of quarterback Chuckie Keeton, choreographer of their read-option offense. But the Aggies were dealt a new hand when Keeton, one of the league’s best, suffered a season-ending knee injury against Brigham Young on Oct. 4. Injuries also seized running back Joe Hill, offensive guard Kyle Whimpey and tight end D.J. Tialavea. Losing Keeton, senior center Tyler Larsen said, "was a big blow to the team. But we have to move on from injuries. That’s football, and that’s life, and those things happen." In two games, Keeton’s replacement, freshman Darrell Garretson, has completed 65 percent of his throws. Garretson is not nearly as agile as Keeton, but he has a strong arm. "He has a lot of characteristics that Chuckie had when he was a freshman," Larsen said. Without Whimpey, the Aggies still have four senior starters on the offensive line. Two seniors — Joey DeMartino and Robert Marshall, who missed the 2012 season because of a knee injury — have replaced Hill. DeMartino rushed for 144 yards against New Mexico two weeks ago. He is averaging 7.0 yards per carry this year. Still, the Aggies averaged 491.2 yards in total offense in games in which Keeton started; 412.3 yards with his understudies.

UTAH STATE DEFENSE

After his one season at Utah State, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda left behind the playbook and terminology of his 3-4 schemes. "It was smooth," linebacker Kyle Fackrell said of the transition. "We didn’t change a whole lot. We still have a lot of the same plays from last year." Head coach Matt Wells has said Aranda and his successor, Todd Orlando, are both "football junkies." Aranda, who previously was UH’s defensive coordinator for four years, implemented a multiple-blitz system that is protected by zone coverages in the secondary. The top three tacklers (Jake Doughty, Zach Virgil and Fackrell) are linebackers. Maurice Alexander (6.0 tackles per game) leads all MWC safeties in stops. While Doughty and Vigil are the gap-fillers, Fackrell is the wild card. He can align as a rush end or drop into coverage. He has nine backfield tackles, including four sacks, He also has forced two fumbles and deflected a pass. Fackrell played volleyball and basketball in high school, but those were diversions. "It was always football," Fackrell said. "I didn’t like playing those other sports as much as football." Fackrell said he added deep squats to his training. "The rest is bench-presses, chin-ups and getting the right nutrition."

UTAH STATE SPECIAL TEAMS

It was early in his coaching career that Dave Ungerer decided to make special teams his speciality. "I though it was a way I could make a niche in the coaching profession. I always enjoyed the strategy and the coaching. Other than the head coach, you’ve got more interaction with the whole team. It’s not just one side of the ball. You’ve got a linebacker next to a running back next to safety. It’s kind of neat the whole synergy of special teams." Ungerer, who once coached UH special teams coordinator Chris Demarest, has coached at Oregon, Alabama, Maryland and California. This year, Bruce Natson has scored on a punt return, Devin Centers blocked two kicks, and opponents are averaging minus-0.3 yards per punt return.