Utah State presents matchup headaches
OGDEN, Utah » To be sure, today’s game between Hawaii and host Utah State is a matchup of textbook schemes. Proof is in the size of the playbooks.
"(The Aggies) might have more than 100 (plays on offense)," UH associate head coach Rich Miano said. "What makes these guys so scary is the amount of shifting and motioning and, more importantly, the amount of formations they end up in."
Utah State’s offense reflects the Warriors’ season. The Aggies have a no-huddle offense like Charleston Southern and Louisiana Tech, an option similar to Army’s, and the pistol patterned after Nevada’s.
The Aggies have so many combinations and personnel groups that USU offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin does not decide on his starting lineup until the opening-field location.
The Warriors counter with a defense that can attack out of seven formations, including two nickel packages and two vastly different three-man fronts.
The Warriors entered training camp with a playbook that totaled 418 pages. With the maturation of the defense, UH head coach Greg McMackin said, "actually, we put more things in there for them."
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But for all of the schemes and formations, UH linebacker Corey Paredes said: "It’s all about making plays."
HAWAII SCHEDULEAn asterisk denotes Western Athletic Conference game; All times listed are Hawaii
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WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE | OVERALL | ||||||||
W | L | PF | PA | W | L | PF | PA | ||
Hawaii | 3 | 0 | 117 | 69 | 5 | 2 | 263 | 184 | |
Boise State | 2 | 0 | 107 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 285 | 74 | |
Fresno State | 2 | 1 | 101 | 83 | 4 | 2 | 205 | 169 | |
Louisiana Tech | 2 | 1 | 93 | 82 | 3 | 4 | 164 | 186 | |
Nevada | 1 | 1 | 56 | 40 | 6 | 1 | 279 | 140 | |
Idaho | 0 | 1 | 35 | 48 | 3 | 3 | 194 | 142 | |
Utah State | 0 | 2 | 30 | 65 | 2 | 4 | 130 | 170 | |
New Mexico State | 0 | 2 | 10 | 92 | 1 | 5 | 73 | 231 | |
San Jose State | 0 | 2 | 13 | 83 | 1 | 6 | 62 | 239 |
Last week
Louisiana Tech 48, Idaho 35
Boise State 48, San Jose State 0
Fresno State 33, New Mexico State 10
Hawaii 27, Nevada 21
Today
New Mexico State at Idaho, 11 a.m.
Hawaii at Utah State, 11 a.m.
Fresno State at San Jose State, 2 p.m.