HAWAII OFFENSE

LWO—12 Keelan Ewaliko 5-11 200 Sr.

SB—23 Dylan Collie 5-10 175 Jr.

LT—50 Dejon Allen 6-3 290 Sr.

LG—60 Chris Posa 6-4 290 Sr.

C—63 Tuulima Taaga 6-2 280 Fr.

RG—51 John Wa‘a 6-4 315 Sr.

RT—72 Matt Norman 6-5 285 Sr.

TE—45 Dakota Torres 6-2 245 Jr.

RWO—80 Ammon Barker 6-4 215 Sr.

QB—2 Dru Brown 6-0 200 Jr.

RB—22 Diocemy Saint Juste 5-8 195 Sr.

Dru Brown, who has completed 62.9 percent of his passes, is the third-most-accurate passer in Nick Rolovich’s 10 seasons as an NCAA coach, behind UH’s Bryant Moniz and Nevada’s Cody Fajardo. Brown is particularly dependable with little space to work (82.4-percent accuracy inside the Warriors’ 20) and on third-and-7-to-9 (91.7 percent). Brown has worked intensively on his deep throws, taking post-practice reps with wideout Isaiah Bernard, He also might become more of a threat in the run-pass option, particularly when defenses cram the tackle box against running back Diocemy Saint Juste. Brown is averaging 7.3 yards per keeper on non-sack scrambles. Last week, he proved to be a goal-line option when he leaped into the end zone on a pull-back keeper from the 1. “I tried to take it into my own hands and make something happen,” said Brown, who has a 35-inch vertical jump and can dunk a basketball. “Sometimes when you walk up, you want to do something because your instincts are telling you, but you don’t want to get into trouble. That was one of those times where the ball was snapped, and I saw something, and I kind of did what my instincts told me to do. And I was hoping I’d get in (to the end zone) so I wouldn’t get into trouble.” If linemen are ailing, as they were last week, Fred Ulu-Perry is available to play all five positions and Tuulima Taaga, a converted defensive lineman, is a capable center. In UH’s offense, the center relays the blocking schemes and voices the cadences.

HAWAII DEFENSE

WE—97 Meffy Koloamatangi 6-5 240 Sr.

NT—91 Samiuela Akoteu 6-2 300 So.

SE—3 David Manoa 6-3 240 Sr.

LB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 So.

LB—31 Jahlani Tavai 6-4 235 Jr.

LB—44 Russell Williams Jr. 6-1 230 Sr.

LB—10 Jeremiah Pritchard 6-0 210 So.

RCB—19 Eugene Ford 6-2 195 Fr.

FS—39 Trayvon Henderson 6-0 200 Sr.

SS—4 Daniel Lewis Jr. 5-11 180 Jr.

LCB—18 Rojesterman Farris II 6-1 180 So.

Because of transfers, suspensions and other circumstances the past 20 months, the Warriors’ roster does not include defensive linemen Kennedy Tulimasealii, Jamie Tago and Ka‘aumoana Gifford, linebacker Jeremy Castro, and cornerback Nick Nelson. Also, linebacker Malachi Mageo and cornerback Zach Wilson are rehabbing injuries. “We don’t have time to think about that,” defensive coordinator Legi Suiaunoa said of the absences. “And it’s not going to help us win football games. I thought our kids did a nice job, and I think our staff did a nice job, just playing with what we’ve got on the roster and worrying about what we need to do to win a football game.” Zeno Choi, Samiuela Akoteu and Eperone Moananu have developed into tough one-gap linemen. Jeremiah Pritchard, a linebacker who enters in pressure packages, has evoked comparisons to former Warrior Pisa Tinoisamoa. Kalen Hicks, who plays the rover position known as viper, provides coverage against second-level routes. The Warriors improved their rush last week, hitting San Diego State quarterback Christian Chapman seven times. But opponents are scoring on 46.2 percent of their full possessions, and the Warriors have only four takeaways in the past six games.

HAWAII SPECIALISTS

KO—94 Ryan Meskell 6-0 180 So.

PK—46 Alex Trifonovitch 6-1 180 So.

LS—1 Noah Borden 6-1 215 Jr.

P/H—99 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 Fr.

KR—12 Keelan Ewaliko 5-11 200 Sr.

KR—17 Terrence Sayles 6-3 195 Jr.

PR—23 Dylan Collie 5-10 175 Jr.

Punter/holder Stan Gaudion makes sure the last thing he does at night and the first thing he does in the morning is to hold a football. The tactile ritual works. Gaudion has not mishandled a snap in 69 attempts. Ryan Meskell, who has improved his average kickoff hang time from 3.8 seconds to 4.2, has inspiration at hand. He writes “do my job” on his wrist before every game. “I can’t worry about everything that’s going on out there,” Meskell said. “As long as I do my job, that’s all I can control.”

UNLV OFFENSE

WR—83 Devonte Boyd 6-1 185 Sr.

SB—84 Kendal Keys 6-4 205 Jr.

LT—76 Kyle Saxelid 6-7 290 Sr.

LG—75 Jaron Caldwell 6-4 325 So.

C—63 J’Ondray Sanders 6-5 290 Sr.

RG—78 Justin Polu 6-4 325 So.

RT—64 Nathan Jacobson 6-5 280 Jr.

TE—9 Trevor Kanteman 6-4 240 Sr.

WR—80 Brandon Presley 6-0 180 So.

QB—1 Armani Rogers 6-5 225 Fr.

RB—3 Lexington Thomas 5-9 170 Jr.

The Rebels have multiple forms of attack — from power involving tight end Trevor Kanteman and H-back Tim Holt to four-wide sets to run-pass option. The Rebels can create overloads with Kanteman and slotback Kendal Keys running layered curls to the same area. The Rebels also have multiple choices at quarterback. Armani Rogers, who did not play last week, has passed the concussion protocol and reportedly took first-team reps this week. Athlon Sports likened 6-5, 225-pound Rogers to Cam Newton, a comparison echoed by Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. Rogers has completed 52.9 percent of his passes, with five TDs against four interceptions. But he has rushed for 618 yards on keepers and non-sack scrambles, an average of 7.46 yards. Johnny Stanton moved from reserve linebacker to quarterback in the upset of Fresno State last week, completing 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards. Stanton is a vociferous comic-book fan who plays Dungeons and Dragons and dressed as Superman for Halloween. Devonte Boyd is a prolific wideout, leading the Rebels in receptions (25) and targets (51). He caught five of the six passes in his direction against Fresno a week after not being targeted once against Utah State. Lexington Thomas, who has rushed for 965 yards, has only eight negative-yard rushes in 138 carries. He averages 27.4 yards per touchdown run, with six scoring runs of 40-plus yards.

UNLV DEFENSE

DE—20 Jameer Outsey 6-3 240 Jr.

DT—99 Mike Hughes 6-2 315 Sr.

DT—95 Jason “Pops” Fao 6-0 310 Sr.

Reb—56 Roger Mann 6-3 265 Jr.

SLB—25 Gabe McCoy 6-2 215 So.

MLB—53 Farrell Hester II 6-1 240 Fr.

WLB—48 Bailey Laolagi 6-1 220 Jr.

CB—7 Jericho Flowers 5-10 175 So.

SS—21 Chauncey Scissum 6-2 210 Sr.

FS—33 Dalton Baker 5-11 185 Jr.

CB—24 Robert Jackson 6-2 205 Sr.

Kent Baer has incorporated tactics from his 29 years as defensive coordinator at 10 FBS schools, including the past two in Las Vegas. His schemes rely on rugged gap closers, constant shifting and a versatile secondary. The Rebels have struggled, losing 43-40 to FCS member Howard in a game they were favored by 45, blowing a 27-0 lead in a loss to Air Force, and being outscored 24-0 to Utah State after it was tied at the half. The Rebels have relinquished 33.6 points and 473.2 yards per game. They have seven sacks in 248 pass plays. The schemes are built around point defenders Mike Hughes and Jason “Pops” Fao, who trade off playing nose and 3-technique. Hughes, who can bench 430 pounds, also can slide to the edge in certain coverages. Defensive end Jameer Outsey, who started his career at Iowa, has a team-high two sacks. The other edge defender known as rebel is split between bruiser Roger Mann and quicker Mark Finau. Both can align as a stand-up rusher or hand-on-the-turf end. Weak-side linebacker Gabe McCoy sometimes moves up to create a five-man front, with cornerback Jericho Flowers taking McCoy’s place on the second tier. Bryan Keyes, who started his career at Arizona, recovered two Fresno fumbles and is expected to get more time at middle linebacker.

UNLV SPECIALISTS

PK—32 Daniel Gutierrez 5-10 200 Fr.

LS—9 Trevor Kanteman 6-4 240 Sr.

H—14 Kurt Palendech 6-2 185 Sr.

P—93 Riley Erickson 6-0 190 Fr.

KR—10 Darren Woods 6-0 220 So.

KR—29 Evan Owens 6-1 215 Jr.

PR—7 Jericho Flowers 5-10 175 So.

In last year’s meeting against Hawaii, Evan Pantels kicked the game-winning field goal with 49 seconds left. This year, he started off as both the place-kicker and punter. But partly because of ankle ailments after being roughed on a punt against Ohio State, Pantels ceded the kicking job to Daniel Gutierrez. Gutierrez was named the Mountain West’s player of the week for special teams after kicking four field goals against Fresno State last week.