Game Day: New Mexico at Hawaii

NEW MEXICO OFFENSE

The Lobos’ offense is an 11-man shell game. They align unbalanced (three wideouts and a tight end to the left, empty on the right) or the pistol or even a three-back stack. There are fly sweeps, backfield sweeps and H-back motions. A running back becomes a slot blocker and then a receiver — all in one play. But that’s all window dressing to a triple-option offense with basic rules. The linemen attack with zone blocks. Tight end Cole Gautsche, who redshirted last year to learn the conversion from quarterback, is in blocking mode even if he positions in the middle of a triple stack. Slotback Dameon Gamblin is a horizontal threat — or diversion — when he sprints behind quarterback Lamar Jordan for a pitch or to clear out a defender. Jordan, who dashed 4.38 seconds at a TCU camp as a prep senior, is the anchor of a backfield that resembles a 4×100 team. Teryion Gipson is the blur, averaging 13.0 yards per carry. Tyrone Owens, who averages 7.8 per rush, is a combo back who relies on power (525-pound squat, 500-pound dead lift) and speed. In red-zone situations, the Lobos summon Richard “Rock” McQuarley, who leads the nation in scoring efficiency, averaging a rushing TD every seven carries. McQuarley is a proven crunch player, capable of doing 100 speed crunches without a break.

NEW MEXICO DEFENSE

Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove is an old-school coach (30-plus-years coaching career, including directing at Nebraska and Wisconsin) with a new-age concept. His 3-3-5 scheme, with multiple blitzes, is the counter attack to spread offenses. The scheme has four key players. Nik D’Avanzo is a gritty lineman who sets up as a power end, gap-stuffing tackle or snarling nose guard. Free safety Ryan Santos, who aligns as part of a two-deep zone, organizes the secondary. Jake Rothschiller is a hybrid nickel who is used in coverage or as an outside backer. Rothschiller is a former walk-on who was honored as a “Hard Hat” for his high marks in strength/conditioning tests. At the center is middle linebacker Dakota Cox, the defense’s quarterback. He makes the checks and adjusts the fronts based on an offense’s formation and situational tendencies. Cox was the Lobos’ leading tackler each of the past three seasons, amassing 351 stops in 40 games. Cox, who studies hours of videos of each opponent, is a diligent student. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in three years, and is working on a master’s in sports administration.

NEW MEXICO SPECIALISTS

Jason Sanders understood the loneliness of the long-distance kicker. Sanders was the only place-kicker on the roster at the start of training camp. Vincent Alerding, a freshman walk-on, joined two weeks later. Last year, Sanders was displaced as a kicker after missing 4-of-7 field-goal attempts. This season, he has hit seven of eight attempts, and 91.8 percent of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. In 2015, only 64.4 percent of his kickoffs were touchbacks. Opponents have returned only one kickoff in the past five games.

HAWAII OFFENSE

Each week, offensive coordinator Brian Smith tries to out-smart himself. As part of his preparation for the coming opponent, Smith will analyze videos and down-and-distance statistics of his past play-calling to see if he has developed any tendencies. In poker parlance, he is looking for a “tell,” an unconscious tip-off to opponents on what hand he is holding. The offense’s coaches collaborate on the game plan, and then Smith, with minimal interjections from head coach Nick Rolovich, calls the plays from the coaches’ booth. Each week, the Warriors have added to the offensive menu. The Warriors have attacked from empty sets, three-tight-end formations, unbalanced alignments, and the wildcat. The Warriors have called rushes 59.6 percent on first down, but are exactly even — 50 rushes, 50 passes — on third down. Some plays are setups. Last week, wideout Marcus Kemp ran a couple hitch patterns. In the second overtime, Kemp ran a hitch, drawing the cornerback into press coverage, then stutter-stepped and sprinted toward the goal line to make the scoring catch. Quarterback Dru Brown’s scrambling adds to the unpredictability. Brown also has developed a connection with jump-ball receivers Kemp and Ammon Barker. Both are 6-4. “They do a good job of going up and getting it,” Brown said.

HAWAII DEFENSE

The Warriors will match the triple-option offense with their own triple-option defense. The front can be set up with three, four or five linemen. Kory Rasmussen and Kiko Faalologo are true nose tackles who can play the 3-technique tackle. Zeno Choi is a swing defender who can play tackle or hand-in-the-dirt end. Linebackers Jahlani Tavai, who makes all the defensive checks and audibles, and Malachi Mageo each have three options: 1) they can fill gaps; 2) align on the perimeter as blitzers or flat defenders; 3) track the quarterback or pitch runner. Last week, Mageo showed patience in waiting for the quarterback to commit to the perimeter while allowing a defender to set up against the pitch back. The Warriors went with a three-safety scheme in which Trayvon Henderson started at the high point, and Dejaun Butler and Damien Packer were flexed as in-the-box rovers. The symmetrical alignment is designed to defend against mis-direction plays. Henderson and Packer played all 97 defensive snaps against Air Force. Butler played 94 snaps. Expect freshmen safeties Keala Santiago and Kalen Hicks, who no longer is redshirting, to earn significant playing time.

HAWAII SPECIALISTS

In last year’s meeting, Rigo Sanchez missed a field-goal attempt from 22 yards in the fourth quarter. The Lobos then drove 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to win, 28-27. Since then, Sanchez has converted 10 of 11 attempts, including all eight this season. He missed from 55 yards against Fresno State last year, but converted from that distance this year. Sanchez is seeking more opportunities. In eight of his 20 UH games, the Warriors did not attempt a field goal. In conference-only games, Paul Harris is the Mountain West leader in kickoff returns, averaging 30.3 yards.