2006 Statistics

June Jones got lucky when darkhorse Heisman candidate Colt Brennan decided to return to the islands for his senior year. Not much more can be said about the NCAA record holder for most TDs in a season (58). He came close to Daunte Culpepper’s record for completion percentage (72.6% vs. the record 73.6), and on a team that throws it almost twice as much as it runs, that number, along with only 12 INTs, means winning will continue. Brennan uses four- (if not five-) receiver sets every play, looking for mismatches to exploit in coverage as he checks off (ala P. Manning). Senior local Jason Rivers is the team’s main deep threat, and he uses his lanky frame for both leaping and YAC. Junior Davone Bess, another all-WAC snarler like Rivers, is Brennan’s main target, especially in the red zone. Ryan Grice-Mullen, smaller like Bess, is another deep scoring threat. There are just too many sticky-handed speedsters going downfield, and foes not ready to employ dime packages every down will continue to be picked apart. Using such a precise, consistent passing game to open the run will allow Hawai’i to continue racking up over five yards per carry. Even with their two main ground weapons leaving, 264 lb. senior Jason Laumoli of Samoa and 240 lb. junior David Farmer should together add up to replace 351 lb. Reagan Mauia. As you may have deciphered already, a big RB as a sixth blocker for Brennan is key for the Warrior’s schemes to work. Upwards of 12 different players will jockey for playing time at the RB spot. Look for Nebraska transfer Leon Jackson to push for top duties, although freshman Kealoha Pilares is turning heads this spring. The only shortcoming seems to be the line, which loses both tackles and their center. Hawai’i has plenty of 300+ bigmen in the wings, and with some easier opponents early, it should allow time to prevent any weaknesses in this area from impacting the team’s potential win total. This side of the ball set the I-A record with 656 points via last year’s No.1 offense (passing, scoring and total), and this time around it looks like they could break their own marks.

Defensive coaches often have a nice cushion for this defense due to how many points the offense can put up. But in tight games, the D needs to step it up so UH can finish in the top 15. As of late, this has been a decent crew that can usually make the one big stop late in a game when needed. But with both DEs vacated, run stopping will be a wait-and-see proposition, and less pass rush would therefore impact how effective coverage will be. Starting senior tackle Mike Lafaele and fellow Oahu native Keala Watson are pretty much it for experience up front, but two bumper recruiting classes have DL candidates lined up. In the 3-4 Hawai'i runs, All-WAC junior Adam Leonard is the Warrior’s best LB. As a matter of fact, Hawai’i has no less than six LBs with extensive experience, making LB help up front seem like a certainty. But size issues amongst the corps have been shortcomings in stopping those big, fast BCS-aligned offenses. Like the LBs, the secondary has a full array of corners – all seniors - with starting experience. But similar size issues in coverage are also of concern since all are under 6’. Even with senior Jacob Patek back at strong safety, the deep middle appears vulnerable with new faces just learning the ropes. Inconsistency has really been the main affliction for the Warrior D – for every play or two that they stop opponents, This bunch seems to then allow a big enough play to wipe out the prior stops. Hawai’i is nowhere near a top 25 defense and will continue to allow 30+ to quality foes, but as long as they can get back to the point where they can make that one important play when most needed, this defense can stake claim to part of the winner’s share.