HONOLULU — It’s no secret that Hawai‘i throws the football — a lot. But teams still haven’t figured out how to slow down the Warriors’ high-powered offense. Hawai‘i (5-2, 3-1 Western Athletic Conference) leads the nation in offense, is second
HONOLULU — It’s no secret that Hawai‘i throws the football — a lot. But teams still haven’t figured out how to slow down the Warriors’ high-powered offense.
Hawai‘i (5-2, 3-1 Western Athletic Conference) leads the nation in offense, is second in scoring and has a four-game winning streak as it hosts Idaho (4-4, 3-1) in a key WAC matchup tomorrow night.
“They’re going to throw it all around the yard,” Vandals cornerback Kiel McDonald said. “They’re going to go deep. They’re going to go short. They’re going to run screens and draws. They’re going to do whatever it takes.
“You just got to be prepared for all the passes that are going to come at you.”
The teams are tied for second in the WAC standings, with its lone conference loss coming to No. 15 Boise State.
Quarterback Colt Brennan is a big reason for Hawai‘i’s success this year. The junior has a 73 percent completion rate while throwing for 2,601 yards and an NCAA leading 28 touchdowns this season.
In Hawai‘i’s four-game winning streak, Brennan has passed for 1,567 yards and 19 TDs while being picked off just once.
“Our whole defense is excited. As a DB, you always love a quarterback that can throw the ball and he’s a great one,” McDonald said.
Hawai‘i also has multiple threats at receiver, including Davone Bess who leads the nation with 7.57 receptions a game. The biggest playmaker as of late, however, is Ian Sample, who has caught 21 passes for 354 yards and seven TDs in the last four games.
Ryan Grice-Mullen is also expected to return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the past four games. Grice-Mullen led the Warriors last year in receiving yards as a freshman.
“I’m just surrounded by a ton of talent,” Brennan said. “Everybody from the O-line to the receivers and running backs, we’re playing well together.”
Brennan said the Warriors are confident and getting better every week.
“What we learned early in the year is that Alabama and Boise really didn’t stop us,” he said. “They made some good plays here and there, but we were the team stopping ourselves. That’s what we worry about. We can’t let us be our biggest enemy down the road.”
The Warriors, averaging 522.7 yards and 42.1 points a game, will test the Vandals’ defense that allows 30.2 points a game.
Idaho coach Dennis Erickson said Hawai‘i is playing as well as anybody in the WAC. He expected the big numbers on offense. It’s Hawai‘i’s defense that has him impressed.
“They’re playing very physical. They’re very big and got some awfully good players,” he said.
Hawai‘i’s defense has forced 11 turnovers in the last four games that led to 49 points. In the Warriors’ 49-30 victory over New Mexico State last week, defensive end Melila Purcell had eight tackles, including three sacks. He also forced two fumbles, including one that was scooped up by Adam Leonard and returned 20 yards for a score.
“We want to dominate on the field. That’s what we’re shooting for,” said Leonard, who leads the team with 60 tackles. “Instead of being an OK defense or a good defense, we want to be a great defense that doesn’t give up big plays or give up points.”
But Idaho should have some success moving the ball against Hawai‘i, which allows 408.9 yards a game and is known to give up big plays. The duo of Jayson Bird and Brian Flowers will try to establish the running game to open up the passing attack for quarterback Steve Wichman, who threw for 328 yards in the team’s 42-26 loss to Boise State last week.
Bird and Flowers have combined to rush for 738 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
“This is really a big game,” Bird said. “Basically, it could set a tone for the remaining games. So it’s huge for both of our teams.”
Idaho’s defense is led by linebacker David Vobora, ranked second in the WAC and fourth nationally with 11.4 tackles a game.
Hawai‘i coach June Jones said Erickson has done a nice job in getting Idaho steered in the right direction.
“They’re sound in all phases of the game and he knows how to win football games,” he said.
Jones and Erickson are former NFL head coaches with Pacific Northwest roots. They last met in the 1999 Oahu Bowl when Hawai‘i beat Erickson’s Oregon State.
Hawai‘i is 5-1 against Idaho, including a 24-0 win in Moscow last year that snapped a six-game road losing streak.
Besides the long flight and time difference, the Vandals also face a nearly 50-degree nighttime temperature change and the sands of Waikiki.
McDonald said the team will be prepared.
“We’re not going to the beaches,” he said. “We’re extremely focused.”
