HAWAII OFFENSE
LWO—23 Jared Smart 6-0 190 Jr.
LSB—3 Jason-Matthew Sharsh 6-0 190 Sr.
LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 280 Sr.
LG—76 Michael Eletise 6-4 340 Jr.
C—63 Taaga Tuulima 6-2 310 Jr.
RG—72 Kohl Levao 6-6 340 Sr.
RT—74 Gene Pryor 6-3 305 Jr.
RSB—6 Cedric Byrd II 5-9 175 Sr.
RWO—9 JoJo Ward 5-9 175 Sr.
QB—13 Cole McDonald 6-4 220 Jr.
RB—7 Dayton Furuta 5-11 250 Sr.
Quarterback Cole McDonald can count on one hand the reasons for his relative good health. “It’s because of the five big O-linemen protecting me,” McDonald said. “I’ve been fortunate. The O-line is having a great season up front.” McDonald has been sacked only 15 times in 480 pass plays. The line has been productive despite circumstances leading to six players starting at the two guard positions. Center Taaga Tuulima, who was named the team’s offensive player of the year, is expected to be bracketed by 340-pound guards Michael Eletise and Kohl Levao. Both should provide oomph against BYU’s thick defensive front. Eletise, who transferred from Arizona in August, has back-squatted 675 pounds. Levao was considered UH’s top pro prospect before suffering an injury in the first week of training camp. Levao has logged three games, meaning he can play today, count this as a redshirt season, and return in 2020 as a fifth-year senior. The line committed five of UH’s seven false starts in the Mountain West title game. Those were considered crowd-noise issues. But solid technique has resulted in 11 holding penalties in 1,002 offensive plays, and just four in the past six games. “We’ve been good with our feet, so we don’t get a lot of holding penalties,” line coach Mark Weber said. “We’re getting our hands inside. We’ve been very clean this year.” McDonald has regained a backfield blocker in running back Dayton Furuta, who has played the past three games after recovering from an ankle injury in the season’s second game. The 5-foot-11, 250-pound “Froot Train” is averaging 6.2 yards on first-down carries.
HAWAII DEFENSE
DE—49 Pumba Williams 6-2 260 Sr.
NT—55 Blessman Ta‘ala 6-1 300 So.
DT—95 Kendall Hune 6-3 285 Sr.
DE—91 Samiuela Akoteu 6-2 280 Sr.
LB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 Sr.
LB—2 Jeremiah Pritchard 6-0 225 Jr.
LB—53 Darius Muasau 6-1 225 Fr.
CB—18 Cortez Davis 5-11 180 Jr.
S—22 Ikem Okeke 6-0 200 Sr.
S—5 Khoury Bethley 5-10 200 So.
CB—4 Rojesterman Farris II 6-1 185 Sr.
Pick-6s, forced fumbles and TFLs are a few of Derek Thomas’ favorite things. “They’re all cool,” said Thomas, who is among the ensemble players replacing Kaimana Padello at hybrid end. Padello was the Warriors’ best pass rusher before suffering an injury. Thomas, who had missed six games because of an ailment, was added to the active roster three weeks ago as a perimeter defender who can slant into the backfield, set the edge or drop into coverage. “Derek plays extremely hard,” said Jacob Yoro, who coaches the hybrid ends. “He has really strong, physical hands. He’s really good for us in the run game. He plays with such a motor.” Andrew Choi is emulating Padello’s pass-rushing techniques. Choi and Padello have the same build (230 pounds on 6-foot frames) and workout programs. “Kaimana has taught (Choi) a lot,” Yoro said. Strong-side ends Pumba Williams and Jonah Laulu have been used in the hybrid-end rotation. In turn, Samiuela Akoteu and Zach Ritner have found a home at strong-side end. The Warriors also are deep at nose tackle with Blessman Ta‘ala, Azia Se‘ei and Eperone Moananu splitting reps. Ta‘ala can slide to the 3-technique if needed.
HAWAII SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—17 Ryan Meskell 6-0 185 Sr.
P/H—9 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 Jr.
P—36 Ben Scruton 6-1 200 Sr.
LS—44 Wyatt Tucker 5-10 205 Jr.
KR—85 Lincoln Victor 5-10 165 Fr.
PR—6 Cedric Byrd II 5-9 175 Sr.
Place-kicker Ryan Meskell accepted an offer from the Warriors because he did not want to become a tradie, Australia’s term for tradesman. But in three seasons at UH, Meskell has become a proficient technician in kicking. He has converted seven of his past eight field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder, and all 59 of his point-after kicks. Ben Scruton’s punting average (44.4 yards) is the best since Rigo Sanchez’s 44.6 in 2016.
BRIGHAM YOUNG OFFENSE
WR—21 Talon Shumway 6-3 210 Sr.
SB—15 Aleva Hifo 5-10 187 Sr.
LT—67 Brady Christensen 6-6 295 So.
LG—56 Clark Barrington 6-6 302 Fr.
C—66 James Empey 6-4 300 So.
RG—77 Chandon Herring 6-7 310 Jr.
RT—71 Blake Freeland 6-8 285 Fr.
TE—89 Matt Bushman 6-5 245 Jr.
WR—13 Micah Simon 6-1 195 Sr.
QB—1 Zach Wilson 6-3 201 So.
RB—4 Lopini Katoa 6-1 210 So.
The Cougars have started three different quarterbacks this season, including walk-on Baylor Romney (Mitt Romney’s nephew), but the best is Zach Wilson. Two years before Wilson’s first BYU start — in which he threw three TDs against Hawaii in 2018 — the Warriors were quite familiar with him. Wilson received a scholarship offer from UH quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann, then took an unofficial visit to the Manoa campus. (His father grew up in Hawaii.) “Very good staff,” Wilson said of the UH coaches. “It was a great campus, a very outdoorsy campus.” Wilson made an oral commitment to Boise State, then de-committed, then signed with BYU. In last year’s bowl game against Wake Forest, Wilson was 18 of 18. This season, he started the first six games, then missed seven weeks (five games) with a fracture in his right (throwing) hand. Since returning, he has completed 64.4% of his passes. The Cougars have started four different running backs in the one-back offense, but none has been a standout. Sione Finau is the rushing leader with 359 yards. The Cougars average 4.3 yards per rush, but only 1.7 on third down. The Cougars prefer schemes involving double tight ends or three-wide sets. Ten receivers are averaging at least 10 yards per catch. In whatever setup, tight end Matt Bushman is a factor as either a blocker or receiver. Bushman aligns as a fullback in the backfield, H-back in the slot, a third tackle or wideout. His pet move is football’s version of the screen-and-pop, when Bushman blocks a pass rusher, then curls open for a pass.
BRIGHAM YOUNG DEFENSE
DE—93 Bracken El-Bakri 6-3 290 Jr.
NT—95 Khyiris Tonga 6-4 321 Jr.
T—88 JJ Nwigwe 6-5 265 Sr.
DE—90 Devin Kaufusi 6-7 257 So.
OLB—53 Isaiah Kaufusi 6-2 215 Jr.
MLB—34 Kawika Fonua 6-0 210 Jr.
ILB—49 Payton Wilgar 6-3 235 Fr.
FLB—3 Chaz Ah You 6-2 205 So.
RC—16 D’Angelo Mandell 6-1 185 So.
SS—27 Beau Tanner 6-0 189 Sr.
FS—2 Austin Lee 6-0 200 Sr.
LC—5 Dayan Ghanwoloku 5-11 200 Sr.
The defense is designed with versatility in mind. The Cougars can align in a traditional four-man front, with each in a three-point stance, or they can go with three linemen with the flexibility to expand to five when linebackers press the edge. The Cougars also have a hybrid position known as flash, which appeared to be crafted for Zayne Anderson. But for the second consecutive year, Anderson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Austin Kafentzis, whose father Kyle Kafentzis is a former Warrior, has been used at the combo linebacker-safety spot. BYU now lists Chaz Ah You, a former 4-star prospect, as opening at that position. In high school, Ah You played safety, receiver, quarterback, punt and kickoff returner, and punter. The Cougars are strong up the middle. Nose tackle Khyiris Tonga is a double-block magnet who is agile enough to be used as a 321-pound fullback. Middle linebacker Kawika Fonua made the switch from running back a year ago, and now leads with 78 tackles. Free safety Austin Lee, the defense’s center fielder, often plays at warning-track depth in a single-high coverage. Lee is a diligent video viewer, studying a quarterback’s release point and hip rotation. Dayan Ghanwoloku is a cornerback who acts like a safety or pass rusher. Teammate Micah Simon said Ghanwoloku plays the “athlete” position.
BRIGHAM YOUNG SPECIALISTS
PK/P—39 Jake Oldroyd 6-1 195 So.
KO—20 Skyler Southam 6-0 200 So.
LS—98 Mitch Harris 6-4 219 Sr.
H—22 Hayden Livingston 6-1 200 Fr.
KR—4 Lopini Katoa 6-1 210 So.
PR—15 Aleva Hifo 5-10 187 Sr.
Jake Oldroyd converted 10 of his first 11 field-goal tries in the first four games — all on grass surfaces — but is four of 10 after that. Two of his treys were from 51 and 54 yards. Aleva Hifo is 10th nationally in punt-return yards with an 11.4 average.
