HAWAII OFFENSE

With a Wisconsin corner playing static-cling coverage and a safety crashing down, Max Wittek needled a pass to Quinton Pedroza in a window yea wide. "You’ve got to see it and do it," said Wittek, who has 20/15 vision. "Part of it is anticipation, part of it is preparation, part of it is trust." When Wittek has at least "three-Mississippi" to throw, the four-wide offense is effective. Marcus Kemp is averaging 8.25 yards after catch, and Pedroza caught 83 percent of the passes when he was the primary target last week. Wittek has helped himself, averaging 5.27 yards when he eludes a tackle on non-sack scrambles. Running backs Paul Harris (14.0 YAC on screens) and Mel Davis (averaging 3.13 yards after contact) add variety. But there have been too many drops (15 in four games) and missed backfield blocks (two whiffs resulted in sacks last week). The backs spent extra sessions working on pass protection this week. "We’ve got to step up to the plate," said Wayne Moses, who coaches the running backs. "That’s part of the deal. We’ve got to be blockers, too. You have to work on it, and it has to be part of the job description. It can’t be, ‘Hey, I just run, I just catch.’ You’ve got to be a blocker."

HAWAII DEFENSE

While Luke Shawley brings energy and Kennedy Tulimasealii delivers chaos, it is Kory Rasmussen who is doing the grungy work at the unglamorous nose position. Rasmussen, who is expected to make his first start, has made gains because of improved footwork. "He’s a big, physical kid in there, and he’s starting to come on," defensive coordinator Tom Mason said. "He’s starting to understand what we need in there as far as technique. I saw him last spring and I thought he had great potential, but he wasn’t using his feet. He was trying to use his muscle. Now he’s moving his feet and using his technique, and he’s become a pretty good player." Mason spent the week looking for a spare nickel. Gaetano DeMattei, who enters as the safety when Daniel Lewis moves to nickel, must sit out the first half as punishment for last week’s targeting penalty. The answer appears to be Damien Packer, who will play nickel, allowing Lewis to stay put at safety. Packer fits the linebacker-safety hybrid. He runs a sub-4.6 40 and can bench 400 pounds.

HAWAII SPECIAL TEAMS

Playing special teams, in essence, is like playing defense with a head start. Dejaun Butler, who is working his way into the defensive secondary, has made a big impact on punt and kickoff coverages. Of his four tackles in three games, three were on special teams, including a knockdown of a Wisconsin kickoff returner. "He’s got speed, quickness, the want-to, and he’s a physical guy," special teams coordinator Jake Cookus said. Butler admittedly plays the sport in fast-forward. "If you get the opportunity, you’ve got to go out there 100 percent," Butler said. "I’m trying to go full speed every play."

BOISE STATE OFFENSE (EDGE)

The Broncos are street-football magicians, creating deception with shifts, motions and written-on-napkins formations. They can play at a fast tempo or fiddle around while defenses tap-tap-tap their cleats. But for all the movements, the basic strategy is this: create mismatches. That’s why they overload the right side with double tight ends and a wideout while leaving the left side vacant. Or why Alex Dhaenens, one of four tight ends in the rotation, will motion into the backfield as a fullback. The Broncos employ a wildcat, as well as use wideout Thomas Sperbeck, a former high school quarterback, on double passes. In his starting debut as an injury replacement last week, Brett Rypien, whose uncle Mark Rypien won a Super Bowl MVP with the Redskins, threw for 321 yards and three TDs. The Broncos simplified the schemes — the longest pass was airborne 6 yards from the line of scrimmage in the first quarter — before Rypien aired out completions of 47 and 64 yards. The Broncos have cut down on penalties since starting the five linemen who closed last season, but they still have nine false starts in four games. Running back Jeremy McNichols, a so-called "bouncer" who is gifted at re-routing when the lanes are closed, is the national leader with 10 touchdowns.

BOISE STATE DEFENSE (EDGE)

It is fitting that one of the league’s best defensive players, Kamalei Correa, plays the position billed as "Stud." Correa does not have a regular starting point. Against Virginia last week, he aligned on the left and right sides. He was in a 3-point stance as a defensive end, as well as a stand-up rusher 3 yards from the line of scrimmage. He also aligned wide, covering the inside receiver. Last year, Correa led the Mountain West with 12 sacks. This year, he has two, but that total is misleading. He is used as an edge-setter, forcing the flow to the interior defenders. His hit on the Virginia quarterback forced the ball to pop up, which defensive tackle Justin Taimatuia parlayed into an interception return for a touchdown. What’s more, the Broncos use a platoon system this year, rotating as many as 11 defensive linemen. The Broncos lead the nation in rush defense, allowing 44.3 yards per game. The Broncos’ base is a 3-3-5 scheme, but that becomes a four-man front when Correa moves up. Safety Darian Thompson alters the combination when when he sprints into the tackle box as a blitzer or edge-setter. Thompson and cornerback Donte Deayon have 16 career interceptions apiece.

BOISE STATE SPECIAL TEAMS (EDGE)

Tyler Rausa has been a busy kicker the past two games, totaling 39 kicks — 20 kickoffs, six field-goal attempts and 13 point-after boots. Against Virginia, Rausa was 4-for-5, with his lone miss — from 54 yards — striking the right upright. Rausa has displayed versatility on his kickoffs. Of his 28 kickoffs, 17 were into the end zone, resulting in 11 touchbacks. Three of the kicks returned were accompanied by penalties, re-setting the average starting line of scrimmage to the 16 for those drives. Rausa was set to attend Nevada as a baseball/football player but did not meet the entry requirements. He went to a junior college before ending up in Boise.

KICKOFF: 4:15 P.M. BOISE, IDAHO TV: ESPN2 RADIO: KKEA, 1420-AM LINE: BSU BY 241/2