Hawaii
Warriors
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
Interested in blogging about Hawaii football? Let
us know
-
2009 CFN Hawaii
Preview |
2009 Hawaii Offense
-
2009 Hawaii Defense |
2009 Hawaii Depth
Chart
-
2008 Hawaii
Preview |
2007 Hawaii Preview |
2006 Hawaii
Preview
Head coach: Greg McMackin
2nd year: 7-7
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 34, Def. 27, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 26 |
Ten Best UH Players
1. C John Estes, Sr.
2. LB Brashton Satele,
Sr.
3. DE John Fonoti, Sr.
4. QB Greg Alexander, Sr.
5. LB R.J. Kiesel-Kuhane, Jr.
6. WR/KR Malcolm Lane, Sr.
7. WR Blake Soares, Jr.
8. WR Greg Salas, Jr.
9. WR/RB
Kealoha Pilares, Jr.
10. S Aaron Bain, Jr. |
|
2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
5-8
2009 Record: 0-0
9/4 Central
Arkansas
9/12 at Washington State
9/19 at UNLV
9/23 OPEN DATE
9/30 at Louisiana Tech
10/3 OPEN DATE
10/10 Fresno State
10/17 at Idaho
10/24 Boise State
10/31 at Nevada
11/7 Utah State
11/14 New Mexico St
11/21 at San Jose St
11/28 Navy
12/5 Wisconsin
|
|
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
5-8
2008 Record: 7-6
Aug. 30
at Florida L 56-10
Sept. 6 Weber State W
36-17
Sept. 13 at Oregon State L 45-7
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 San Jose State L
20-17
Oct. 4 at Fresno St W 32-29 OT
Oct. 11 Louisiana Tech W
28-14
Oct. 17 at Boise State L 27-7
Oct. 25 Nevada W 38-31
Nov. 1 at Utah State L
30-14
Nov. 8 at N Mexico St W 43-20
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 Idaho W 49-17
Nov. 29 Washington St W 24-10
Dec. 6 Cincinnati
Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 24 Notre Dame L 49-21
|
As impressive as the Sugar Bowl season of 2007 might have been, last
year might have been an even bigger feat.
The Colt Brennan-led
team that went unbeaten in the regular season two years ago was loaded
with offensive weapons and a strong defense that had come together in
the dream year. Of course that was an all-timer of a campaign, but think
about what the Warriors had to overcome going into last year.
June Jones, the architect of the program in its current form, bolted to
SMU to get paid a bit more. Brennan and all the stars from the receiving
corps were gone, a running back needed to be found, and the secondary
needed to find a few new corners. This was a program that was starting
over again. It was starting from scratch.
Greg McMackin took over
the head coaching job and came up with another tremendous year from the
pass rush, the offense did enough to be more than just average, and the
team won the games it was supposed to … for the most part.
The
key for Hawaii, and this was a huge piece of the puzzle in 2007, is the
schedule and who has to make the trip across the pond. The Warriors
weren’t good enough to beat Nevada, but they did it in a 38-31 victory
at home only to go on the road the next week to get blasted by Utah
State. There were nice wins over Fresno State and Louisiana Tech, but
for Hawaii to be successful, it has to beat the teams like Weber State,
New Mexico State and Idaho, like it did last year. There’s a major
difference between the haves and have-nots in the WAC, and while Hawaii
won’t be special, it’s good enough to beat the bad teams, pull off an
upset over a Boise State or a Fresno State at home, and get back to a
bowl game. But more rebuilding will have to be done.
The
offensive line has to replace three starters and has to be far, far
better after doing nothing,
nothing last year. The secondary has big-time upside, but it has to
find four new starters, the defensive line loses David Veikune and two
other starters from a group that was camped out in opposing backfields,
and even though the linebacking corps should be solid, it’s hard to be
better after losing Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard. And then there
are the special teams that could be a total and complete disaster
outside of Malcolm Lane as a kickoff returner. However, even with all
the holes that need to be filled, things are far, far better now than
they were going into last year.
What to watch for on offense:
An upgrade in the numbers. Greg Alexander still has to solidify
himself as the starter, there’s lip-service being paid to an open
quarterback derby, but he’ll be the man. With the receiving corps
looking stronger than last year when it was green and still trying to
find playmakers, Alexander should be able to make a big leap up in
production. He started to shine as last year went on and now he knows
what he’s doing.
What to watch for on defense: The
linebackers. The secondary is undergoing a wholesale change and the
defensive line needs time to rebuild and reload, but the linebacking
corps should be fine. How is that possible after losing WAC Defensive
Player of the Year-caliber playmakers like Solomon Elimimian and Adam
Leonard? Brashton Satele is a nice piece of the puzzle in the middle,
while R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane has the potential to be special on the
weakside. Blaze Soares returns from an injury and could be an all-star
on the strongside.
The team will be far better if …
it can protect the passer. The quarterbacks
held on to the ball too long and struggled with their decision making at
times, but the offensive line was a disaster finishing last in the
nation in sacks allowed giving up 57 while doing nothing for the running
game. The line will still give up plenty of sacks, but it has to get the
total down in the 30s.
The Schedule:
Hawaii being Hawaii, it'll get a slew of the road games
out of the way early on with four road games in five. Getting
Boise State and Fresno State at home will help, but those are
offset by road trips to Louisiana Tech and Nevada. The early
road games means there's a slew of home dates to close things
out playing four of the final five in Honolulu.
Non-conference-wise, Navy and Wisconsin to close things out will
be interesting tests against two tough running teams.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior C John Estes. The line might have been miserable last year, but
it wasn’t Estes’s fault. The two-time All-WAC star has started every
game in his career after starting out at guard. Now he’s among the
nation’s most dominant technicians in the middle of the line. While it’s
hard to praise a player too much on such a bad line, but he really is
that good. He doesn’t make mistakes.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior LB Brashton Satele. DE John Fonoti could quickly become a star
pass rusher now that he’s the main man on the line, and outside
linebackers R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane and Blaze Soares could blow up the stat
sheet, but Satele is a nice inside presence who should do far more with
more responsibility and more experience. He has the size and the
quickness to be an all-star.
Key player to a successful season:
Senior OT Aaron Kia. There are only two starters returning to one of the
least productive offensive lines in America. Center John Estes is an
all-star, but there isn’t much around him to get excited about. Kia is
the other returning starter, working at left tackle, and he has to prove
he can do more in pass protection. He has the athleticism, the talent,
and the upside to be better. Now he has to be a bit of an anchor.
The season will be a success if ... Hawaii gets back to a bowl game. It’s hard to be excited just to get
an extra home game when you’ve tasted the BCS a few years ago, but
another bowl game would be a major positive for a team that needs to
completely rebuild on defense and has to get far more out of the
offensive line. There isn’t enough in the bag to win the WAC title, but
the Warriors get Boise State and Fresno State at home to help the
overall cause.
Key game:
Oct. 10 vs. Fresno State. Beyond the WAC implications, the timing of the
game makes this a must win. Hawaii starts out the year at home against
Central Arkansas before going on the road for four games in the next
five. Fresno State is the oasis after spending most of September away.
Considering the WAC opener is at Louisiana Tech and the Nevada game is
away, the Warriors can't afford to give away any conference home games.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Hawaii 122 for 1,097 yards – Opponents 86 for 739 yards
- Punt return average: Opponents 9.9 yards per try – Hawaii 2.0 yards
per try
- Fumbles: Hawaii 30 (lost 15) – Opponents 30 (lost 15)
-
2009 CFN Hawaii
Preview |
2009 Hawaii Offense
-
2009 Hawaii Defense |
2009 Hawaii Depth
Chart
-
2008 Hawaii
Preview |
2007 Hawaii Preview |
2006 Hawaii
Preview
|