Soon after Hawaii’s football loss at Las Vegas on Saturday, free safety John Hardy-Tuliau said he was exhausted and sore.
A few days later, Hardy-Tuliau said, smiling: "I’m still sore."
Hardy-Tuliau and cornerback Ne’Quan Phillips played all 113 of UH’s defensive downs against UNLV this past Saturday. That total does not include three "non-plays" negated by penalties nor their six plays apiece on special teams.
Defensive end Beau Yap played 111 defensive snaps.
"That’s a lot of plays," defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer said.
The ironman performances can be traced to UNLV’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense, which allowed the Rebels to run more plays and limit the Rainbow Warriors’ defensive substitutions.
The no-huddle is part of a Mountain West Conference trend. The Warriors’ past four MWC opponents each do not huddle on offense. Each is ranked in the top 40 nationally in average plays per game.
Fresno State is No. 2 nationally, averaging 94 plays per game. The Bulldogs averaged 80.2 plays in 2012.
Nevada is eighth with 85.2 plays, UNLV is 16th (82.4) and San Jose State is 40th (76.8).
Hawaii, which has a bye this week, is 28th at 79.2 plays per game, up from 73.2 a year ago.
"This is what the league is coming to," Kaumeyer said.
| 122
Total plays participated in by John Hardy-Tuliau and Ne’Quan Phillips during last Saturday’s loss to UNLV.
113
Offensive plays run by UNLV against UH on Saturday. UNLV ranks 16th nationally, averaging 82.4 plays.
4
Number of Mountain West teams ranked in the top 40 nationally in average plays per game.
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Hurry-up offenses have dictated defenses. Three times this season, the Warriors have been penalized for illegal substitutions because a replaced defender was not able to race off the field before the snap.
With defensive switches limited, especially when the ball is on the far hash mark, starters are remaining in the game longer.
UH opponents are averaging 88.3 plays per game this season, and 98.7 in the past three games.
All of which has left the Warriors grateful for the offseason conditioning program. Hardy-Tuliau said this summer’s grueling "gassers" — series of 110-yard sprints — were helpful.
"We trained and prepared to play the whole game," Hardy-Tuliau sad. "You have to hydrate and stay warm and loose. And you have to keep grinding with the same focus."
Phillips agreed, saying: "It was the training we put in. It got us in shape."
Yap did not keep track of the odometer during the UNLV game.
But on UNLV’s final drive, Yap said, "That’s when it finally hit me."
Before that, Yap heeded this basic rule: moderation.
"Drink a little water," Yap said. "Don’t guzzle it, because it will fill you up. Just a little here and there kept me good."
