RAINBOW WARRIORS OFFENSE
X—1 Jonah Panoke 6-1 200 Sr.
SB—5 Pofele Ashlock 6-2 175 So.
LT—78 Ka‘ena Decambra 6-3 300 Jr.
LG—58 Zhen Sotelo 6-3 305 Jr.
C—57 Ethan Spencer 6-1 300 So.
RG—59 Kuao Peihopa 6-3 295 Jr.
RT—70 James Milovale 6-6 330 Jr.
SB—3 Nick Cenacle 6-2 195 Jr.
Z—0 Alex Perry 6-5 195 So.
QB—13 Brayden Schager 6-3 220 Sr.
RB—30 Landon Sims 6-2 220 Jr.
As part of the evolving offense, the running backs have had to learn how to take a punch. One of the drills is for the backs to run past assistant coach Anthony Arceneaux, who uses a boxing glove attached to a stick to punch the football free. This season, the running backs have not lost a fumble in 115 carries. Last week, the Warriors incorporated more run/pass options and Air Raid running concepts into the frame of the run-and-shoot. With a shorter menu of options, quarterback Brayden Schager can take off early in his progression reads. Against Nevada, he ran for an adjusted 135 yards on 15 keepers, bootlegs and scrambles. This season, Schager is averaging 5.01 yards on non-sack runs. He also has learned to dive instead of sliding cleats-first for extra yardage. To boost the ground game, the Warriors added 6-5, 290-pound offensive tackle Dean Briski as a short-yardage tight end and often send wideouts in pre-snap jet sweeps to try to lure the mike linebacker away from the running lanes. Slotback Pofele Ashlock, Schager’s favorite target, returned last week, and wideout Dekel Crowdus was available for up to 20 plays. Spencer Curtis also might see more touches. Curtis took the circuitous route to Manoa, Playing for Jordan High (Sandy, Utah), Curtis finished as the state’s career leader in receiving yards, receptions and TD catches. He went to Weber State for a semester, then on a church mission in Kansas for two years, then walked on at Oregon, and then transferred to Nevada. He gave up a Nevada scholarship to follow Arceneaux, who coached the Wolf Pack receivers, and join UH as a walk-on. After adjusting to different offensive schemes, the O-line has settled. Luke Felix-Fualalo, who started the first two games, has recovered from a knee injury and rotates with right tackle James Milovale.
RAINBOW WARRIORS DEFENSE
DE—5 Tariq Jones 6-2 250 Jr.
DT—52 Ezra Evaimalo 6-2 260 Sr.
DT—19 Dion Washington 6-2 295 Jr.
DE—0 Elijah Robinson 6-4 260 Sr.
WLB—11 Nalu Emerson 6-1 215 Sr.
MLB—16 Logan Taylor 6-0 220 Sr.
NB—9 Elijah Palmer 5-8 175 So.
CB—4 Cam Stone 5-10 200 Sr.
S—7 Meki Pei 5-11 185 Sr.
S—29 Nahe Mendiola-Jensen 6-1 170 Jr.
CB—24 Devyn King 5-11 170 Sr.
During cornerback Caleb “C-Bo” Brown’s injury-related absence, the activity became Stone cold. Boise State and Washington State threw a combined three passes to receivers covered by cornerback Cam Stone. It was pick-your-poison for Nevada with Brown’s return last week. Brown has not relinquished a touchdown this season. Stone and Brown have each missed only one tackle, a result of tackling drills in the offseason. Both adhere to associate head coach Chris Brown’s four-S formula: sprint (to the ball-carrier), stutter (into position), shoot (toward the player) and squeeze (in the pull-down technique). “Coach Brown gave us the four S’s,” Caleb Brown said. “It’s a good thing to go by. Just reading the hips (of an opponent) and striking. That’s all it is. I’ve got to get that mindset he can’t get by me.” Brown and Stone also are skilled at peeling off a receiver and blitzing to the flats to sabotage screens. “We can be physical and play more violent outside,” Brown said. Malachi Finau, who plays the nose and 3-tech, also focuses on fundamentals. When the depth chart was posted at the start of the season, Finau recalled, “I wasn’t up there. It didn’t hurt me. Everybody has a role to play on this team. I’m playing mine.” Finau has stepped in with injuries to the front line. Finau has a two-step approach: intensive workouts and thrice-weekly sessions with his grandmother Barbie Tauili in Laie. “She’ll massage my body very, very aggressively,” Finau said. “She’s a regular-sized old lady, but she’ll get in there. If I’m cramping, she’ll get it right out. Sprained ankle? She’ll get it right out. She’s got the secrets.”
RAINBOW WARRIORS SPECIAL TEAMS
PK—17 Kansei Matsuzawa 6-2 205 Jr.
KO—69 Ben Falck 6-6 225 Sr.
P/H—19 Lucas Borrow 5-11 180 Gr.
LS/SS—35 Hunter Higham 6-3 230 Fr.
KR/PR—2 Tylan Hines 5-7 175 So.
UH’s quadrathlon champion is Justin Sinclair, a master of all four special-teams units. He’s the safety on kickoffs, left tackle on punts, interior hold-up player on punt returns, and fullback on kickoff returns. “He’s our best single blocker” on kickoff returns, special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield said. Sinclair, who transferred from College of San Mateo last year, stood out with two tackles of Oregon’s punt returner in 2023. He was named UH’s top specialist last year. “Guys tend to separate themselves through consistency,” Sheffield said. “He’s extremely consistent.”
BULLDOGS OFFENSE
WR—0 Mac Dalena 5-11 180 Sr.
WR—18 Jalen Moss 6-1 175 So.
WR—11 Raylen Sharpe 5-9 165 Jr.
LT—77 Toreon Penright 6-3 290 Sr.
LG—78 Osmar Velez 6-1 308 Sr.
C—51 Mose Vavao 6-3 317 Sr.
RG—54 Campbell McHarg 6-3 290 Jr.
RT—75 Braylen Nelson 6-6 320 Sr.
TE—86 Jake Boust 6-4 245 Sr.
QB—1 Mikey Keene 5-11 200 Jr.
RB—33 Elijah Gilliam 5-10 210 Sr.
During his college coaching career, Jeff Tedford developed six quarterbacks who became NFL first-round picks, including Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Boller and Trent Dilfer. The Bulldogs’ hope was Mikey Keene would be the next Tedford prodigy. But after missing the 2023 postseason because of health issues, Tedford returned as Bulldogs head coach in the spring only to retire again in July. Offensive coordinator Pat McCann and QB coach Matt Wade have guided Keene through an uneven season in which he’s connected on 67.4% of his passes but 11.6% of his incompletions were interceptions. Keene and former UH running back Dae Dae Hunter were a prolific duo at Arizona’s Chandler High in 2019. Keene went to Central Florida. When Dillon Gabriel suffered an injury, Keene started 10 games as a true freshman. Last year, Keene transferred to Fresno State, leading a spread offense in which Raylen Sharpe, Mac Dalena and speedy Jalen Ross each have 30-plus catches. Jake Boust, Richie Anderson and Kamron Beachem are motion tight ends who set up attached to the line, in the slot or as pulling fullbacks — rarely straying more than 10 yards downfield. The Bulldogs were counting on Malik Sherrod to handle the bulk of the rushing. But Sherrod has been limited to four games because of a foot injury. After a four-year wait, Elijah Gilliam, a graduate of national power Bishop Gorman High, is set to make his sixth consecutive start. “I knew time would tell,” said Gilliam, a former walk-on who leads the Bulldogs with 417 rushing yards. “I had to keep my head down and grind, and do what I needed to do to be at the spot I am today.” Gilliam, a former walk-on, learned jump cuts and cut backs from older brother Ulonzo Gilliam, who was a star back at UC Davis. “He’s my inspiration,” he said.
BULLDOGS DEFENSE
DE—0 Korey Foreman 6-4 245 Jr.
DT—92 Gavriel Lightfoot 6-4 296 Jr.
DT—98 Kavika Baumgartner 6-2 298 Sr.
DE—5 Devo Bridges 6-2 255 Sr.
LB—9 Malachi Langley 6-1 236 Sr.
LB—8 Tuasivi Nomura 6-1 221 Sr.
NB—13 Justin Houston 6-1 191 Sr.
CB—1 Cam Lockridge 6-0 182 Sr.
S—32 Dean Clark 6-1 206 Sr.
S—10 Kosi Agina 6-0 192 Sr.
CB—3 Al’zillion Hamilton 5-11 186 Jr.
In his two seasons at UH after transferring from Reedley College in 2020, cornerback Cam Lockridge was poetry in emotion. With quickness and ferocity, Lockridge was a lockdown corner who blitzed and often played in the box. He also played free safety with the ball-tracking range of his uncle, Hall of Fame center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. After a tumultuous 2021 season under then-head coach Todd Graham, Lockridge was among seven UH defenders to enter the transfer portal. After committing to South Alabama, Lockridge changed his mind and accepted a Fresno State scholarship. Now exclusively a corner, Lockridge is ranked as one of the league’s top cover defenders. Defending the wide side and opponent’s top receiver, Lockridge has allowed only a 47.2% completion rate. He has relinquished one TD in 53 targets while amassing five interceptions. He held Michigan receivers to 33.3% accuracy and was targeted twice by UNLV’s Go-Go offense. In the Bulldogs’ 4-2-5 base, man coverage on the back end opens the way for blitzes and double-edge pressures. Devo Bridges, who once aspired to be a receiver, is a pass-rushing force. “I had to make that switch (to defense) to be recruited,” Bridges said. “I had to give that dream up. My heart was always on the offensive side, but my hand’s in the dirt right now.” Bridges relies on boxing training to jab his way free from grasping blockers. “Coordination and hand speed were the main things I focused on,” Bridges said of his cross-training. For footwork, he jumps rope. “I can double jump,” he said. For inspiration, he looks to Shaq Barrett, a former Colorado State linebacker who retired this summer after nine NFL seasons. “He’s not the tallest guy,” said Bridges, whose 6-2, 255-pound build is similar to Barrett’s. Height doesn’t matter. It’s about the heart of the dawg.”
BULLDOGS SPECIAL TEAMS
K—46 Dylan Lynch 5-10 174 Jr.
P—49 Clay Lawrence 6-3 178 Fr.
LS—52 Wesley Brown 6-2 211 Jr.
H—41 Nick Verdugo 5-10 168 So.
KR—18 Jalen Moss 6-1 175 So.
After growing up playing Australian-rules football, Clay Lawrence decided to explore American football when he was 20, signing with ProKick Australia. After 18 months, he received — and accepted — a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs without taking a visit. The first football game he attended was this season’s opener at Michigan’s Big House. Behind a three-man shield, Lawrence has placed 11 of his 33 rollout punts inside the 20. Opponents’ five returns average 13.2 yards. Left-footed Dylan Lynch is 11-for-15 on FG attempts.
