HAWAII OFFENSE 

Iosefa is a grinder who commands two or three defenders. "You have to get under his pads and play with leverage or you just become the victim of a bulldozer, really," SJSU coach Ron Caragher said. Against Colorado State, Iosefa was the wildcat five times, completing a 19-yard pass to Pedroza. Running back Steven Lakakala won’t play because of a hamstring injury. Diocemy Saint Juste, who delivers a burst to the perimeter, might get more work. He’s a good situational back, averaging 9.3 yards on third-down rushes. In the past three games, the Rainbow Warriors have dropped 24 passes. The drops — and misfired passes — add up to Woolsey’s 48.5 percent accuracy, including 34 percent against Colorado State. Although there are roll-out calls for Woolsey, the preferred path is to step into the pocket, where he can throw with better balance or scramble through the A gaps. "I have to be smart with the ball," Woolsey said, "and the receivers have to win outside, and I’m sure they will. They’re a hard-working group."

SAN JOSE STATE OFFENSE (EDGE)

The Spartans run shifts, motions and double-motions. They align in three-receiver sets, four-wide formations and full-house backfields. No matter the scheme — and it’s usually in the shotgun without huddling — the intent is to get the ball to Winston or Ervin. Winston leads with 58 catches, half of which produced first downs. While his routes hover around the sticks, he also has 10 catches of 15-plus yards. Ervin often is the sole back in a pistol or offset, but he also can align in the slot or wide. Ervin, who can run 40 yards in 4.48 seconds, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, including 12.9 on third down. The other Spartans average a combined 2.8 yards per rush. Of Ervin’s 27 catches, 13 resulted in first downs. Gray seized the starting QB job from Blake Jurich in the fourth game. Gray is accurate (64.7 percent) and mobile (6.9 yards per non-sack keepers and scrambles). But he also has committed 12 turnovers — eight on picks, four on fumbles. In the past two games, six turnovers were parlayed into three touchdowns and a field goal. "We’ve seen a high, we’ve seen a low," coach Ron Caragher said of Gray.

HAWAII DEFENSE

The first drill of every practice focuses on tackling. "We are working on it," said defensive coordinator Kevin Clune, referring to missed tackles. "It has been an issue, and we’ve got to get it fixed. To stop the run game, we have to tackle." This season, the Rainbow Warriors have been burned for 32 big plays — 18 completions of 30-plus yards, 12 rushes of at least 20 yards. The Warriors have given up 10 scoring passes of 30 yards or more. "We have to limit those big plays," Clune said. "Half of them are mistakes; half of them are tackling and little issues that have to be fixed." Inside linebacker Julian Gener’s return might provide a boost. Gener missed five games because of a fractured fibula. Gener is an ornery sort who can mix it up in the tackle box. Jalen Rogers is among the first-year Warriors who might have a key role. Rogers was a receiver who played a little safety in junior college. He was recruited to play corner at UH, but he also has been practicing as a nickel corner and rover. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Rogers is a physical defender on inside routes.

SAN JOSE STATE DEFENSE (EDGE)

Under Greg Robinson, who was the defensive coordinator for three NFL teams, the Spartans are the national leaders in pass defense, relinquishing 124.4 aerial yards per game. But the Spartans have intercepted only four passes, allowed 10.6 yards per catch, and faced two run-oriented Minnesota and Navy teams that attempted seven and eight passes, respectively. The Spartans also have had difficulty defending the run. Opponents are averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and have achieved 14 rushes of 20-plus yards. The run-defense problems are puzzling because the Spartans use a four-man front, with a safety often moving up to create a 4-4 look. They also have three of the league’s best tacklers — Raciti, a 3-technique lineman, who has 51 tackles, and linebackers Buhagier and Tago, who each have 78 stops. Raciti is a tireless worker. In Laramie’s 7,200-foot elevation, Raciti played all 58 defensive snaps against Wyoming. Wallace leads the Spartans with 11 pass breakups.

HAWAII SPECIAL TEAMS

On Friday, Harding was named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best punter. Harding leads the nation with 67 punts. He has placed 27 punts inside the 20. This year, four of his bouncing punts ricocheted off returners for turnovers. Nakama, whose father is San Jose State’s head baseball coach, has not had a bad snap this season. He credits a 25-pound weight loss to helping his snaps on field-goal attempts and PATs.

SAN JOSE STATE SPECIAL TEAMS (EDGE)

In 2012, Lopez connected on all 17 of his field-goal attempts, one of three FBS kickers with perfect accuracy that year. Since then, he has expanded his range. He has attempted four field goals from 50-plus yards. As good as Ervin is at running back, he might be better as a returner. He has the career record with three kickoff returns for a touchdown. This season, he scored on a 40-yard punt return.