Rainbows projected last in West Division

LAS VEGAS » As widely expected, a media poll predicted the University of Hawaii football team will finish last — sixth out of six teams — in the Mountain West Conference’s West Division this season.

The Rainbow Warriors were 1-11 overall and 0-8 in the MWC in 2013, Norm Chow’s second year as UH head coach.

The poll was announced at the MWC Football Media Days on Tuesday.

Fresno State received 15 first-place votes and 174 points as the West’s favorite. The Warriors earned 35 points.

Boise State, with 20 first-place votes and 183 points, is predicted to win the Mountain Division.

"I’m not surprised," said running back Joey Iosefa, who is representing the Warriors at the two-day event. "It’s based on what happened last year."

Defensive end Beau Yap said: "Of course, it was expected. We were 1-11 last year. We can only get better. We’re not going downhill. We’re going uphill. I feel our team is better this year. We expect a lot more from ourselves."

Under quarterbacks coach Jordan Wynn, who was promoted from graduate assistant this spring, the Warriors will widen their offense. New defensive coordinator Kevin Clune has switched the base defense from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4 scheme.

"A lot of people don’t know what to expect from us," Iosefa said. "We’re going to play with a chip on our shoulder. We’re going to give it our all one game at a time."

The NCAA implemented a rule that allowed teams up to eight weeks of mandatory offseason workouts. In past years, some players were excused to train on the mainland. This year, every returning Warrior is enrolled in summer session.

"Everyone is here," Iosefa said. "It’s been a great summer. We can’t wait for the season to start."

Clune gets high praise from Utah State linebacker

Utah State’s loss is Hawaii’s gain, according to Aggies linebacker Zach Vigil.

"Coach (Kevin) Clune taught me pretty much everything I know about playing linebacker," Vigil said.

In January, Clune resigned as Utah State’s linebackers coach to accept the UH defensive coordinator’s job.

"He’s a real technical guy, a real smart guy," Vigil said. "I miss him at Utah State, but I wish him the best in Hawaii. I think they gain a really good football coach in Coach Clune."

Utah State coach Matt Wells said Clune is "loud" and "energetic" and "is a very knowledgable, detailed football coach."

Wells said Clune would be at ease coaching other defensive positions.

"I felt at Utah State, he could have coached the corners or the safeties or the D-line," Wells said. "He knows run fits. He knows where secondary run fits occur. He knows the pressure run fits, rush lanes and those pressures, whether it’s zone or man. He does a lot getting the most out of young players. He’s a tremendously hard worker. He’s a grinder. His players reflect that personality. Zach is a byproduct of how Coach Clune has coached him."

Victory over UH, meeting changed Aggies’ course

One of Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton‘s favorite football memories came in a game he did not see to the finish.

Keeton suffered a neck injury in the first half of a game in which Hawaii led 28-7 on Nov. 5, 2011. The Aggies outscored the Warriors 28-3 after the intermission for a 35-31 comeback victory.

"That (victory) probably flipped our program more than anything," Keeton said.

The Aggies, who entered with a 2-5 record, won five in a row to qualify for a bowl game. Since that game, they are 25-8 with three consecutive bowl appearances.

Keeton said the underclassmen "are seeing all the good right now. I wouldn’t trade the meeting we had before the Hawaii game for anything else that’s come since I’ve been here."

Keeton recalled the players-only meeting "was painful to listen to. There was some language you can’t put in the paper."

In rallying to win that game, Keeton said, "that taught us, not just about the season, but about how it is to be a man, how to grow up and how to better yourself. … That set the tone for what we’re doing now. I feel the reason we can win a big game is because we sat through that meeting. I know every single senior in our program now was in that meeting. They went through all the heartache from (the) beginning of that season through all the triumph of beating Hawaii in Hawaii, which hadn’t happened in a long time."

Keeton was named the MWC preseason offensive player of the year.