HAWAII OFFENSE

LWO—85 Marcus Armstrong-Brown 6-3 210 Sr.

SB—5 John Ursua 5-10 175 Jr.

LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 280 Fr.

LG—57 J.R. Hensley 6-5 310 Jr.

C—72 Kohl Levao 6-6 340 Jr.

RG—60 Solo Vaipulu 6-2 310 Fr.

RT—58 Joey Nu‘uanu-Kuhi‘iki 6-3 290 So.

SB—6 Cedric Byrd 5-9 170 Jr.

RWO—19 JoJo Ward 5-9 175 Jr.

QB—13 Cole McDonald 6-4 210 So.

RB—7 Dayton Furuta 5-11 150 Jr.

Whether it is Cole McDonald or Chevan Cordeiro at quarterback, head coach Nick Rolovich wants to see a better start. The Warriors have been outscored, 134-39, in the first half of the past five games. “Maybe we should bring some prunes in at halftime so this offense, when it gets constipated a little, it’ll loosen up,” Rolovich said. Part of the problem is the opponents have been able to create pressure from three-man fronts, enabling them to drop eight into coverage. Translation: That’s eight defenders on four receivers. The Warriors are hopeful sliding 6-6, 340-pound Kohl Levao from right tackle to center will make it tougher for defenses to attack the inside gaps, as well as create better push for the running game. The Warriors have not had a running back gain more than 55 yards in each of the past five games. The hit-or-miss offense has produced 13 plays of 50 yards or more, second to Alabama’s 14 explosive plays, Slotback John Ursua, who is the national leader with 16 receiving touchdowns, has five catches of 50-plus yards. Ursua has faced layered double coverage in recent games. “That brings joy to me because I know my guys will have one-on-one matchups they’ll definitely win on,” Ursua said. Wideout JoJo Ward has benefited from Ursua pulling defenders away. Ward has a team-high 16.6 yards per catch. Ward credits his extensive workouts. For footwork, he uses the laser drill, which is similar to Dance Dance Revolution. He also tries to catch passes wearing specially darkened glasses.

HAWAII DEFENSE

DE—99 Zeno Choi 6-3 280 Sr.

NT—54 Blessman Taala 6-1 310 Fr.

DT—91 Samiuela Akoteu 6-2 280 Jr.

DE—96 Kaimana Padello 6-0 227 Jr.

LB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 Jr.

LB—33 Penei Pavihi 6-2 230 So.

DB—16 Kalen Hicks 6-3 200 Jr.

DB—14 Manu Hudson-Rasmussen 6-0 180 Sr.

DB—22 Ikem Okeke 6-0 200 Jr.

DB—8 Eugene Ford 6-2 195 So.

DB—4 Roe Farris 6-1 180 Jr.

In assembling a defensive scheme, coordinator Corey Batoon installed a base with room for wrinkles. The staples are two rugged interior linemen, a combo end, two linebackers and four defensive backs. That left spots for a hybrid on the line (Kaimana Padello, Derek Thomas or Pumba Williams) and a third linebacker or nickelback. Linebacker Jahlani Tavai provided options because of his ability to play on the line or in coverage. With Tavai out for the season following shoulder surgery, the Warriors have been rotating personnel as replacements. In the second half against UNLV, Batoon introduced another approach: full-court press. The strategy made sense for a Batoon, son of long-time basketball coach Sol Batoon, because of the way UNLV was eating yards and time with its ground game. Batoon stacked the tackle box to slow the run, leaving the secondary in man coverage. “We weren’t going to bleed slow,” Batoon said. UH held UNLV to 63 rushing yards in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Roe Farris made two big plays on the final drive. “As a corner, you live for that,” Farris said. “I love being on an island.” Teammates have nicknamed the area Farris defends as “Roe Block.” Eugene Ford moved from corner to third safety, a position that matches him against an inside receiver or tight end. “It’s more opportunities to make a play on the field,” said Ford, who has made one of the Warriors’ four interceptions. The Warriors have no picks in the past four games and one in the past seven.

HAWAII SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—94 Ryan Meskell 6-0 185 Jr.

LS—1 Noah Borden 6-1 220 Sr.

P/H—99 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 So.

KR—28 Elijah Dale 5-10 200 Sr.

PR—19 JoJo Ward 5-9 175 Jr.

Last week’s dramatic comeback might not have materialized if Kalen Hicks didn’t make a key tackle on a UNLV kickoff return. “He made a great hit on the kickoff, let me tell you,” Rolovich said. “That would have been a bad way to lose that game.” This season, 19 Warriors made tackles in kickoff coverage. Donovan Dalton, Paul Scott and Hicks each have five. Wideout Devan Stubblefield has four stops and, even, kicker Ryan Meskell has one.

SAN DIEGO STATE OFFENSE

X—7 Fred Trevillion 6-2 200 Sr.

LT—77 Ryan Pope 6-7 315 Sr.

LG—79 Daishawn Dixon 6-5 320 Jr.

C—56 Dominic Gudino 6-3 300 So.

RG—62 Nick Gerhard 6-5 300 Jr.

RT—71 Kyle Spalding 6-6 300 So.

TE—82 Parker Houston 6-3 250 Jr.

Z—81 Ethan Dedeaux 5-9 185 Fr.

FB—34 Isaac Lessard 6-3 240 Jr.

QB—10 Christian Chapman 6-0 200 Sr.

RB—29 Juwan Washington 5-7 190 Jr.

The Aztecs do not lack self-awareness. “We’ll still have to be run-game first,” quarterback Christian Chapman has said. “That’s who we are.” The Aztecs run on 62.5 percent of their plays, including 76.5 percent on first down. But the Aztecs’ run game is lacking the production of recent seasons. This year, the Aztecs are averaging 3.93 yards per carry and 156.82 rushing yards per game. In the previous three seasons, the yards-per-game averages were 252.46 last year, 262.86 in 2016, and 223.29 in 2015. Juwan Washington, who is following prolific alumni Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny, shredded Stanford and Arizona State for 158 and 156 yards, respectively. But he suffered a collarbone injury that kept him out of four games. Before the injury, Washington averaged 5.18 yards per carry and 128.5 yards per game. In the three games since returning, he averages 3.98 yards per rush and 66.33 per game. The rushing slump is puzzling because the Aztecs are structurally built for a ground-and-pound attack. They align in a throwback formation of a tight end who blocks (Parker Houston) and a 240-pound fullback who smashes off a running start (Isaac Lessard). The passing game has been inconsistent, in part to the six games Chapman missed because of a torn MCL. At 6 feet, Chapman is gifted in throwing through window off a three-step drop or on play action. Ryan Pope, who can play either tackle position, is a former basketball player with nimble feet and long reach (34 5/8 inches).

SAN DIEGO STATE DEFENSE

DE—55 Chibu Onyeukwu 6-4 265 Sr.

DT—95 Noble Hall 6-3 265 Sr.

DE—45 Anthony Luke 6-4 260 Sr.

LB—39 Ronley Lakalaka 6-0 225 Sr.

MLB—44 Kyahva Tezino 6-0 230 Jr.

LB—42 Troy Cassidy 6-3 225 Jr.

CB—17 Ron Smith 6-0 170 Jr.

War—18 Trenton Thompson 6-2 200 So.

Azt—33 Parker Baldwin 6-2 215 Sr.

War—14 Tariq Thompson 6-0 200 So.

CB—27 Kyree Woods 6-0 185 Jr.

The safeties are “Warriors” and the rover is an “Aztec” and all the titles are part of the organized chaos of the SDSU’s defense that is allowing only 310.3 yards per game (12th nationally). Head coach Rocky Long, who makes the defensive calls, learned the basics of the 3-3-5 that originated with Joe Lee Dunn in the 1980s. Along the way, coverage concepts were pilfered from the Canadian Football League, which plays on a wider field. With three defensive linemen built for quickness, linebackers who can blitz and make open-field stops, and a secondary that never seems to be in one place, the Aztecs can apply pressure and confusion. Ronley Lakalaka, a Punahou graduate, is in charge of setting the alignment. Nose tackle Noble Hall is back at his natural position after a season on the perimeter. Kyahvah Tezino is a middle linebacker who can align as a stand-up end or in coverage. In his last 16 starts, Tezino has 169 tackles, including 17.5 backfield stops. Defensive end Anthony Luke was destined to play football from Day 1. “The day I was born, my dad put a football in my hand,” Luke said. “Football has been in my blood since I was born.” His father, who is 6-8 and 380 pounds, took him to football camps on college campuses starting when he was 6. “I fell in love with the game ever since he put that football in my hand,” Luke said. Growing up, he played front-yard football with family members and friends, and spent hours playing football video games. To play college football “is a dream come true,” Luke said. “I love putting my hand in the dirt. Not everyone can be a defensive linemen. It’s truly a blessing.”

SAN DIEGO STATE SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—29 John Baron II 5-11 190 Sr.

SS—82 Parker Houston 6-3 250 Jr.

LS—50 Turner Bernard 6-1 210 So.

P/H—59 Brandon Heicklen 6-0 180 Jr.

KR—29 Juwan Washington 5-7 190 Jr.

PR—30 Garrett Binkley 5-9 170 Jr.

John Baron II is fifth among active FBS kickers in field-goal accuracy (84.5 percent) and has converted 16 of 20 3-pointers this season. Baron has made three game-deciding field goals in the final minutes, tied for the most in the FBS since 1996. He also is perfect on four field goals of 50-plus yards. Of the Mountain West’s 11 weekly awards presented to special-team players this year, Baron has won five of them.