2011 Pre-Season Preview: Hawaii Warriors

2010 Record: (10-4, 7-1 in WAC)

Head Coach: Greg McMackin (23-18 All-Time)

Last Bowl Game: 2010 Hawaii Bowl: lost to Tulsa 62-35

Schedule

9/3: Colorado (2010 result: lost 31-13)

9/10: at Washington

9/17: at UNLV (2010 result: won 59-21)

9/24: UC Davis

10/1: at Louisiana Tech (2010 result: won 41-21)

10/14: at San Jose State (2010 result: won 41-7)

10/23: New Mexico State (2010 result: won 59-24)

10/29: at Idaho (2010 result: won 45-10)

11/6: Utah State (2010 result: won 45-7)

11/12: at Nevada (2010 result: won 27-21)

11/20: Fresno State (2010 result: won 49-27)

11/26: Tulane

12/4: BYU

2010 Offensive Statistics:

Scoring: 39.6 ppg (3rd in WAC, 10th in Nation)

Rushing Yds/Game: 106.36 yds/game (7th in WAC, 107th in Nation)

Passing Yds/Game: 394.3 yds/game (1st in WAC, 1st in Nation)

Total Yds/Game: 500.6 yds/game (3rd in WAC, 6th in Nation)

2010 Defensive Statistics:

Scoring: 25.5 ppg (3rd in WAC, 58th in Nation)

Rushing Yds/Game: 135.86 yds/game (3rd in WAC, 40th in Nation)

Passing Yds/Game: 221.7 yds/game (3rd in WAC, 63rd in Nation)

Total Yds/Game: 357.6 yds/game (2nd in WAC, 50th in Nation)

2010 Misc Stats:

Turnover Margin: +0.86 per game (1st in WAC, 13th in Nation)

Penalties: 59.7 yds/game (7th in WAC, 95th in Nation)

Returning Starters:

Offense: 3

Defense: 6

Kicker/Punter: 1

Top Returning Statistical Leaders:

Passing: QB Bryant Moniz, Sr (361 of 555 for 5,040 yds, 39 TD, 15 INT)

Rushing: RB Hogan Rosehill, Soph (5 for 24 yds)

Receiving: WR Royce Pollard, Sr (64 rec for 901 yds, 7 TD)

Tackles: LB Corey Paredes, Sr (151)

Sacks: DE Paipai Falemalu, Jr; LB Aaron Brown, Sr (5)

Interceptions: LB Corey Paredes, Sr (4)

Bowl Predictions:

Athlon Sports: Hawaii Bowl (vs UCF)

Phil Steele: Hawaii Bowl (vs SMU)

When June Jones resigned after the 2007 season the job was given to DC Greg McMackin. McMackin struggled in his first two years posting a combined record of 13-14 including an 8-8 WAC record. The 2010 season probably made the Hawaii fanbase feel a lot better as the Warriors went 10-4 and only lost one conference game. The Warriors started out 1-2 after losing to USC and Colorado but followed that up by winning six straight games including one over Colin Kaepernick and the #19 ranked Wolf Pack of Nevada. After getting crushed by the #4 Boise State Broncos, the Warriors responded by soundly beating San Jose State, New Mexico State and UNLV to finish the regular season 10-3. This year Boise State has exited the stage and has left Hawaii, Nevada and Fresno State to battle over the WAC Championship. Nevada has lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the football but according to Phil Steele’s returning starters list Hawaii is ranked 117th in the FBS out of 120 teams. In his magazine, Phil also lists Hawaii as the 7th most experienced team in the WAC. The good news for Hawaii is that their competition is right there with them as Nevada is 6th in the WAC and Fresno is 8th in the WAC. One thing Hawaii should feel really good about is having Bryant Moniz back for his senior season. He threw for over 5,000 yards last year and was one TD away from throwing for 40. Watch out for him this year. We caught up with Matthew Crowley of Perspective from the Pacific to get a local take on the Hawaii Warriors.

Greg McMackin has now been coach at Hawaii for three years. What are your overall impressions of McMackin and the job he is doing?

I think Greg McMackin has done a good job. When June Jones left after the 2007 season, many Hawaii fans thought the Warriors would go back to being a mediocre program in the WAC. McMackin has proven otherwise. He built Hawaii back to not only being a respectable program but a top 5 non-BCS program. He led Hawaii to it’s first win in program history against a ranked team on the road at Fresno State in ’08. He also led that team, which lost Colt Brennan and all 4 starting receivers, to a bowl game, which was a great accomplishment in itself. This past season he led Hawaii to 10 wins and I believe that was one of the reasons for the Warriors getting invited to the Mountain West Conference.

QB Bryant Moniz put up 5,000 yards passing last year. Who are some of the weapons he will depending on this year?

The Warriors lost 2 key pass catchers in Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares but the cupboard isn’t exactly bare. The player to keep an eye on is senior returning wideout Royce Pollard. Royce really came a long strong towards the end of last season catching a td pass in each of the final 5 games. He has the speed to get by CB’s that play bump and run. He finished last season with 64 receptions for 901 yards and 7 touchdowns. The projected starter at left wideout is Darius Bright. He will give this Hawaii offense a dimension it has not had on the outside since Ashley Lelie a decade ago. He is 6’3″ 230 Lbs and has the strength and speed to be a legit homerun threat that could cause defensive secondaries havoc. He is a junior college transfer from City College of San Francisco where current UH Offensive Coordinator Nick Rolovich was his OC for 2 seasons. Bright redshirted last season because of the talent Hawaii already had at receiver. The redshirt year paid off as Darius had a big spring and looks to catch a lot of TD’s from Bryant Moniz. The projected starter at left slotback is Billy-Ray Stutmann. Stutzmann was a backup at both outside positions last season but makes the transition to left slotback, the same position Salas played last season. He is similar to Salas in that he runs very good routes and has good hands. The other slot should be Jeremiah Ostrowski who played point guard on the UH basketball team this past season. Ostrowski showed flashes the kind of potential he has with his 2 reception for 72 yard performance in the 2010 Hawaii bowl vs Tulsa.

Who are some under-the-radar guys on defense that we should keep our eye on?

I believe it is safe to say that Hawaii has the best returning defense in the WAC with Boise State gone to the Mountain West. Hawaii has virtually its entire front 7 returning but has to replace both starting corners and its free safety. An under the radar player to watch at corner back is senior Tank Hopkins. Hopkins reshirted last season because of a pelvic injury. He started 3 games and played in 9 total games in 2009. He has fully recovered from the injury and looks to have a solid 2011 campaign. Another player to watch is Coffeyville community college trasnfer CB Mike Edwards. Edwards originally signed w/ the University of Tennesse his freshman season and played in 8 games for the Volunteers in 2009. Edwards trasfered to Coffeyville last season where he redshirted. He will have 3 years of eligibility for the Warriors and from all accounts, has the potential to be an impact player from the get go. Another under the radar player that may make an impact right away is a trasnfer from the College of the Sequoias, safety Brandon Leslie. Before playing at the College of the Sequiois, Leslie played for Gerogia Tech as a freshman in 2008. He is projected to come in and compete right away for the starting free safety job. Another under the radar player is Sr. defensive tackle Zach Masch. Zack does not get all the recognition and playing time he deserves because he plays behind two great tackles in Kaniela Tuipulotu and Vaughn Meatoga but Masch is very good in his own right. He will help add a lot of depth to Hawaii’s already loaded DT position. Other under the radar defensive players that could earn a lot of playing time is inside linebacker George Daily-Lyles, DT Haku Correia, DT Geordon Hanohano, DE Beau Yap and FS Kenny Estes.

To add a couple more defensive players that are under the radar and could get a lot of playing time for the Warriors: LB Brenden Daley- JC transfer from Ventura Community College that turned down a scholarship offer from Utah to join Hawaii, DE Craig Cofer- JC transfer from Grossmont College and Redshirt Fr DE, Desmond Dean.

What is the one game that the fanbase wants to win more than any other?

I would say Nevada. Hawaii beats them basically every year but Nevada never seems to give Hawaii the credit they deserve. Hawaii gave Nevada its only loss last season and Colin Kaepernick in a postgame interview stated that Nevada beat themselves and gave no credit to Hawaii for shutting them down. Anyone that watched the Nevada @ Hawaii game last season knows who the better team was and is.

Looking at the schedule, what are the most important games this year?

I see several important games on this season’s schedule. First off it has to be the opener against Colorado. The Warriors lost to Colorado in Boulder last season after leading 10-0 at the half. Hawaii really needs this game. The Warriors have to travel to Seattle to play Washington the next week and cannot afford an 0-2 start. A big win on national TV vs the Buffs would give the Warriors a ton of much needed confidence heading to Washington. The next important game is the WAC opener in Ruston against Louisiana Tech. Hawaii always seems to struggle there mainly because of the travel factor. I believe Hawaii is the favorite to win the WAC and starting off with a road win at Louisiana Tech is a must. The next big one will be at Nevada. This is another place that Hawaii has struggled to win at in the past. If Hawaii can beat La Tech and Nevada on the road, Hawaii will be sitting pretty to run the table in conference. The next important game is the season finale at home vs BYU. Hawaii has struggled on the big stage as of late (’08 Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia 10-41, ’09 Hawaii bowl loss to Notre Dame, 21-49, ’10 Hawaii bowl loss to Tulsa, 35-62.) Make no mistake about it, I think Greg McMackin has done a good job but this program cannot afford to lay any more eggs on national television. Beating the Jake Heaps led BYU Cougars on ESPN could help Hawaii from a level of respect standpoint. Hawaii has a solid program but I don’t think they are taken seriously because of these bad losses.

What is your gut feeling on the final record for the 2011 season and what makes the season successful in your eyes?

My gut feeling says this team will win 11 games. Why? Having the #1 passer in college football returning in Bryant Moniz helps. Bryant has the ability to make everyone around him better. He will need to do just that with 3 new starters at receiver in 2011. I think what will make this a successful season is winning the WAC and winning a bowl game. With Boise State no longer in the WAC, UH has to be the favorite. Anything less than an outright WAC title would have to be a disappointment. Also, like I stated previously, Hawaii needs to win their nationally televised games particularly the bowl game. UH has loss 3 consecutive bowl games and needs to change that with their first season of Mountain West Conference play looming in 2012.

Next Preview: Arizona State

Coming in August: CFBZ Top 25 Countdown

2011 Team Previews

ACC- Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Wake Forest

Big 12- Baylor , Iowa St, Kansas St, Texas Tech

Big East- Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, USF

Big Ten- Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota ,Northwestern, Penn St, Purdue

C-USA- East Carolina, Houston ,Marshall, SMU, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, UAB, UCF

Independent- Army

MAC- Akron, Ball St, Bowling Green, Buffalo , Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Temple, Toledo, Western Michigan