#62 Hawaii Warriors Preview

  #62 – Hawaii Warriors 5-7 SU; 7-5 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  Following three consecutive Hawaii Bowl appearances, the Warriors slipped last season with a 5-7 record, the first year in the post Timmy Chang era. But the offense didn’t miss a beat as JUCO transfer Cole Brennan came in and took over right where Chang left off, leading Hawaii to the 11th ranking in total offense including 2nd in passing offense, trailing only Texas Tech. It was the defense that led to a losing season and it doesn’t look that much better this year. The stop unit yielded 38 or more points on eight different occasions and not surprisingly, six of those were losses as even the potent offense couldn’t outscore the opposition. The offense has the opportunity to be even better with nine starters coming back including the top seven receivers from last year’s team. It comes down to the defense once again and with a schedule that features 13 games, eight of which are at home, the Warriors have a good shot at getting back to the postseason, the Hawaii Bowl a likely destination once again.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 9  This is a fun offense to watch and usually on late Saturday nights, it’s a great way to wind down a busy college football day. Hawaii topped 40 points five times last season but it obviously wasn’t enough as the defense couldn’t keep any team in check, with the exception of a shutout against Idaho. Back to the offense as the red gun was not a problem for newcomer Brennan who passed for over 4,300 yards while tossing 35 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. He is the preseason player of the year in the WAC and rightfully so with almost his entire cast coming back with him. The biggest return however is one you might not think would matter much in this offense. The return of running back Nate Ilaoa, who was granted a fifth year medical hardship is enormous as he can keep defenses honest with his 7.6 ypc. The Warriors were just 35th in scoring offense last year so capitalizing on their scoring chances is vital.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 5  The good news is that the entire defensive line is back for Hawaii, giving it some excellent experience which should help the rushing defense that finished 98th in the country last season. The bad news is that only two other starters are back in the entire back eight but in reality, that could be more good news. The Warriors were 102nd in scoring defense and 110th in total defense so the only way to go is up, even with a very young squad. Hawaii will be starting four sophomores at linebacker but insiders are saying that the potential is there to be the strength of the defense, led by returning starter Solomon Elimimian, who is the leading tackler coming back. Senior free safety Leonard Peters was granted an extra year of eligibility and his presence in the secondary will be big. The Warriors aren’t going to transform into a great defense overnight but some improvement is necessary and likely to occur.

 Schedule  While most teams play 11 regular season games, Hawaii almost always plays 12 and while most play 12 this year, Hawaii will be suiting up 13 times. That gets the Warriors an extra shot at that seven-win mark and also gets them an extra home game, even though it isn’t an easy one. The non-conference schedule is tough as always, starting out with the season opener at Alabama and finishing up with home games against Purdue and Oregon St. The other two non-conference games are at home against UNLV and Eastern Illinois. The WAC schedule is very top heavy with the first three games against the top three teams in the conference including difficult road trips to Boise St. and Fresno St. Following the game against the Bulldogs, Hawaii has five consecutive winnable WAC games so if the Warriors can pull an upset in those first three, a 6-2 conference record is likely meaning a shot at the WAC title isn’t out of the question.

 You can bet on…  There are going to plenty of points scored in Hawaii games once again this season as the offense should be better and even though the defense should improve, a lot of points are going to be allowed. Eight of the 12 games went over the total last year even though just one total was set at less than 60 points. After going 27-5 at home from 2001-2004, the Warriors slipped with a 3-4 record at Aloha Stadium last season and in order for them to get back to the postseason, that big home edge needs to be regained. Prior to last season, Hawaii was 13-6 ATS as a home underdog in the previous six years but dropped three of four against the number in that spot in 2005. The Warriors will likely be home dogs only twice this year, against Purdue and Oregon St., and by that point we will know exactly what this team is playing for.

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