Offensive line coach Chris Naeole would like two F-bombs dropped from the University of Hawaii football vocabulary.
Finesse?
Uh-uh, said Naeole, who embraces the Rainbow Warriors’ rejuvenated physical and snarling style. “That’s how every team should be,” said Naeole, who parlayed controlled ferocity into a 12-year NFL career. “If you can run the ball, everything will take care of itself.”
Fatigue?
“Fatigue makes cowards out of people,” Naeole said.
During a recent spring scrimmage, the Warriors’ inconsistent passing forced a shift to the running game. In the sweltering late-morning heat and on an artificial surface that awakened the defense’s adrenaline, the offensive linemen had to “get used to the bumps and bruises and banging,” Naeole said. “You have to condition your mind and push yourself to the limit and everything will work out.”
It did, as the Warriors are making the transition to a balanced attack. The lead architects of this offense — head coach Nick Rolovich and assistants Brian Smith and Craig Stutzmann — also were teammates for the 2001 Warriors, whose passing attack accounted for 82.4 percent of the total yards.
“I think there’s an emphasis on running the football because we have a belief in what that does for an offense,” said Smith, who is the run-game coordinator. “Being more balanced is going to allow you more options down the road. We don’t want to be completely one-dimensional. I don’t think our philosophy will be the same as in the past, where we threw to set up the run. We want to be able to run on all downs and situations if we can.”
There still will be an emphasis on passing. The Warriors will align mostly in three- and four-receiver sets. But the Warriors also will use Kaiwi Chung as an H-back and wing tight end, much the way San Diego State’s Dakota Gordon was used as a motion run-blocker last season.
This spring, the Warriors have rotated Diocemy Saint Juste, Paul Harris, Steven Lakalaka and Ryan Tuiasoa as the lone back. Harris, who rushed for 1,132 yards in 2015, and Saint Juste have gained strength and improved as between-the-tackles runners. In contrast, Lakalaka, a tough inside runner, has showed quickness on perimeter rushes.
“It’s part of my game,” said Lakalaka, who has fully recovered from a stinger. He also is trying to maintain his weight at 210 pounds. He was as heavy at 218 last year.
Saint Juste redshirted in 2015 after suffering a hamstring injury during training camp.
“Every day I woke up and kind of felt depressed,” he said. “I wasn’t practicing with the team or helping my team out in road games. I still supported my team from the sideline as much as I could.”
As a precaution against injuries, the Warriors have rotated the backs during scrimmage-like drills. “We have to be smart about their reps and their workloads,” Smith said.
Rolovich said a rotation might be used in games to keep the backs “fresh.”
For now, all plans are written in chalk.
“We’re going to get the ball to our playmakers as best we can,” Rolovich said.
