You had to be an accountant to figure out the scoring system for the University of Hawaii spring football finale.

But it doesn’t take much expertise at all to know if Joey Iosefa was let loose, the defense wouldn’t have had its way with the offense as much as it did Saturday at Ching Field.

The final numbers were 60-34, verified by the firm of Borden and Moleni (injured linebacker Kawika and tight end Harold, who helped the stats crew track the plays from the stands).

Iosefa, the burly senior running back, edged toward the huddle near the end of the 85-play live-fire exercise but never did get into the action.

"I tried," he said. "I guess I have to save it for the season."

While it would’ve been fun for the several hundred on hand to watch Iosefa bulldoze his way to big gains for the offense, it was probably a good idea to hold him out — for the health of UH’s most proven offensive commodity, as well as the defensive players.

"We know what he can do," coach Norm Chow said.

A healthy Iosefa is an absolute necessity for UH’s hopes this fall. His 590 rushing yards last season seems like a ho-hum total — until you recall that 586 of them were amassed in four games. He aggravated a foot injury two carries into the third game of the season and didn’t return until November. Hawaii averaged 38.5 points in those final four games with Iosefa and 21.9 in the first eight without him except for that brief appearance at Nevada.

At 5-feet-8 and 180 pounds, sophomore Diocemy Saint Juste is a different kind of back than the 6-foot, 245-pound Iosefa.

Saint Juste’s 15 carries for 66 yards Saturday included a 23-yard burst, but he also coughed up one of the offense’s three lost fumbles on a pass reception and got roughed up going into the line a couple of times.

"I know I have to get lower and use my shoulders more," he said. "I’m still kind of new to this game."

Sophomore Quarterback Ikaika Woolsey is also still learning his job. His talent, whether it be passing or running, is apparent, but he has to get better at taking care of the ball or he won’t be the starter against Washington come the opener Aug. 30.

UH fans have to hope plays like Woolsey’s rollout and throw that ended with Quinton Pedroza’s diving grab and later, his 60-yard keep for a touchdown, significantly outnumber the picks and fumbles when fall camp rolls around.

You can rattle off the cliche that the defense is supposed to be ahead of the offense at this stage, but don’t forget the guys in the green jerseys yielded 494.7 yards per game last season, and are in the midst of learning new schemes.

That means so far, so good for new defensive coordinator Kevin Clune and the installation of the 3-4.

Chow said what you’d expect, that he’s "disappointed with the turnovers" and "I love the enthusiasm."

And he knows things will be better for the offense when Joey Iosefa is unleashed in the fall.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.