HAWAII
0-10, 0-7 in the Mountain West

HAWAII OFFENSE

Let’s put an end to the assertion the Rainbow Warriors use the same running plays over and over. In reviewing the video of last week’s game, it showed that of Joey Iosefa’s UH-record 37 carries, only a handful were duplicated plays. From blocking schemes to formations to designed cutbacks, Iosefa was difficult to profile.

"The way of running is the same, but everything is different," said Iosefa, who has rushed for 341 yards in the two games since recovering from a foot injury. "We’re not running the same play."

For Iosefa, it begins with the pre-snap read of the coverage and front. "I put my eyes on the first read, feel the second read, and make a break," Iosefa said. Largely unnoticed is Iosefa’s nimbleness, which he credits to his years of playing rugby. Three times against San Diego State, Iosefa, aligned to the right of Sean Schroeder, stepped to the left for the handoff, then cut to the right edge. In the past two games, Iosefa has averaged 3.94 post-contact yards, and broken or eluded 48 tackles in 72 carries. "When I get contact, I just keep moving my legs," Iosefa said. "That’s my weapon there." He strengthened his legs through squat-lifting. His waist is 38 inches, but he wears size-40 pants to comfortably fit his legs. Fullback Marcus Langkilde, who had neck and shoulder issues, returned to the rotation at the same time as Iosefa. Langkilde has been either the lead blocker or a diversion on several of Iosefa’s runs. Langkilde also has become a threat on bubble screens. Two weeks ago, he dropped a crucial third-down pass against Navy. Last week, he caught all five passes thrown in his direction.

HAWAII DEFENSE

Because of injuries to key defensive linemen, the Rainbow Warriors were forced to get creative in practices this week. Nose tackle Moses Samia will not play because of a high-ankle sprain suffered against Navy two weeks ago. Defensive ends Beau Yap and Tavita Woodard did not play in the second half against San Diego State last week, and were on restricted workouts this week. But Yap is expected to start, and Woodard will have a specialized role. The Warriors have shown multiple looks in recent weeks. They attack out of a traditional four-man front involving two tackles and two ends. They also can go with three down linemen, with linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams aligning as a stand-up end or in the gap across the guard and tackle. Marcus Malepeai switches between playing nose tackle (with the ends across from the tackles) or shading to the side of the center. Marrell Jackson and John Hardy-Tuliau are both effective in deep coverage (sometimes dropping 20 yards from the line of scrimmage) or as blitzers. Against SDSU, Jackson forced an incompletion when he sneaked to the line and blitzed from the edge. During that series, Jackson raced up from deep coverage to deflect a pass. Even with a cast protecting his broken left thumb, Jackson is an efficient tackler.

HAWAII SPECIAL TEAMS

Scott Harding has been so effective with his squib punts he is expected to get the call despite Laramie’s thin air being more helpful to a traditional blast-away punter, such as Ruben Guzman. Only 10 of Harding’s 46 punts have been returned, and three of them ended up as lost fumbles. Most impressive, Harding has not had a touchback this season. Seven of his punts were downed inside the 10. Kawika Borden has emerged as the Warriors’ biggest hitter on kickoff coverage.

WYOMING
4-6, 2-4 in the Mountain West

WYOMING OFFENSE

Marketing is about accentuating positives, and working against Wyoming’s isolation and weather, the pitch is the fast-paced, four-wide offense. "We think it gives us an advantage from a recruiting standpoint and a conditioning standpoint to play uptempo and spread the ball out," said coach Dave Christensen, who calls the plays. By not huddling, the Cowboys reduce defensive substitutions for opponents already gasping at Laramie’s 7,200-foot elevation. The Cowboys average a play every 19 seconds. Christensen signals the plays to Brett Smith, who has limited checks. Smith is skilled in "now" plays — "Get rid of the ball now" — by throwing off three-step drops from the shotgun. "It’s a ton of fun to run this offense," Smith said. "You have an opportunity to spread the ball around and get it to a lot of different receivers." Dominic Rufran (64 catches, seven TDs) and Robert Herron (57 catches, five TDs) are leaders of a group in which 14 players have receptions. Shaun Wick is a speedy back who also is an aggressive blocker. Smith is a dual threat who averages 6.3 yards per non-sack scramble. "Brett Smith has a lot of play-making potential," Christensen said. During the offseason, Smith worked on his footwork, which has helped his passing. The Cowboys, as a whole, worked on conditioning, often reducing breaks to cram more plays in drills. While Smith could be discouraged by the Cowboys’ uneven performances, he remains hopeful. It was in January 2012, after Smith underwent surgery on his throwing hand, that one doctor cautioned about the "possibility" of his career ending. "I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life," he said. "I didn’t know if I was going to stay at Wyoming, if I was going to continue to play ball. I then realized it was all out of my hands. As long as I put my life in the Lord’s hands, the perfect plan will happen."

WYOMING DEFENSE

Two days before Halloween, defensive coordinator Chris Tormey was fired after the Cowboys relinquished an average of 31.6 points in the first eight games. "It’s never easy to let somebody go," Christensen said. "But I felt it was the best thing to do at that point in time for the program and the players, so that’s why I made the decision." In the next two games, the Cowboys surrendered 48 points each against Fresno State and Boise State. A couple of days ago, strong safety Chad Reese quit the team because of what was described as "personal reasons." Reese was seventh in tackles for a unit that has missed too many tackles and assignments. Fresno State, which prefers to pass, rolled up 234 rushing yards. In the past three games, opposing quarterbacks have a combined passing efficiency of 180.98. The Cowboys use a three-man front that expands to four when linebacker Sonny Puletasi aligns as a stand-up end. Puletasi has eight backfield tackles, including 3.5 sacks. Eddie Yarbrough, who is on the opposite end, has 10.5 tackles for losses. It is not known if the Cowboys will stick with the two-deep zone following Reese’s departure. Blair Burns is considered to be the Cowboys’ top cover defender.

WYOMING SPECIAL TEAMS

The Cowboys are one of the few teams with experience to handle Scott Harding’s rugby-styled punts. Ethan Wood also uses the technique, although he usually rolls to the right before kicking. Of Wood’s 55 punts, 20 were returned and eight resulted in touchbacks. Wood is more effective on kickoffs, with 20 of his 38 attempts resulting in touchbacks.

The Cowboys have attempted five field goals this season, converting three, but none in the first five games.