SAN DIEGO STATE OFFENSE

WO—6 Mikah Holder 6-0 185 Sr.

TE—88 David Wells 6-5 255 Sr.

LT—74 Tyler Roemer 6-7 305 Fr.

LG—79 Daishawn Dixon 6-5 320 So.

C—56 Dominic Gudino 6-3 300 Fr.

RG—60 Keith Ismael 6-3 310 Fr.

RT—77 Ryan Pope 6-7 315 Jr.

WO—89 Fred Trevillion 6-2 200 Jr.

FB—15 Nick Bawden 6-3 245 Sr.

QB—10 Christian Chapman 6-0 200 Jr.

RB—20 Rashaad Penny 5-11 220 Sr.

In racing to a 6-0 start, offensive coordinator Jeff Horton relied on a tried-and-true formula. The Aztecs aligned in bunch formations, with quarterback-turned-fullback Nick Bawden floating between the slot and backfield as a lead blocker. In several schemes, Bawden worked in tandem with tight ends David Wells and Parker Houston to create overloads. That opened the way for running back Rashaad Penny and allowed quarterback Christian Chapman, who takes snaps mostly under center, to make play-action throws. But two weeks ago, Boise State dominated the trenches, bracketed the edges to force Penny to run between the tackles, and created a glut with the safeties playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. Fresno State repeated the tactic last week as the Aztecs suffered a second consecutive home loss. Against Boise, Chapman was hit 22 times and forced to scramble 18 times. Fresno hit Chapman and backup Ryan Agnew 14 times. Penny is third nationally in rushing (1,115 yards), but has been a knockout-or-jab runner this season. He has 15 runs of at least 20 yards, but is averaging 3.62 yards for his other 164 carries. Penny rushed for 993 yards in the first six games and 122 yards in the past two games. Right guard Antonio Rosales’ ailing right ankle has stirred the line. Against Fresno, true freshman Dominic Gudino made his first start at center and second-year freshman Keith Ismael opened at right guard.

SAN DIEGO STATE DEFENSE

DE—95 Noble Hall 6-3 265 Jr.

DT—65 Sergio Phillips 6-2 285 Sr.

DE—41 Dakota Turner 6-3 250 Sr. or

DE—68 Myles Cheatum 6-2 255 So.

LB—39 Ronley Lakalaka 6-0 225 Jr.

MLB—46 Jay Henderson 6-2 230 Sr.

LB—42 Troy Cassidy 6-3 215 So.

CB—17 Ron Smith 6-0 170 So.

War—14 Tariq Thompson 6-0 190 Fr.

Az—33 Parker Baldwin 6-2 215 Jr.

War—3 Trey Lomax 5-11 195 Sr.

CB—7 Kameron Kelly 6-2 200 Sr.

Each summer, strength/conditioning coach Adam Hall makes the players sprint up steep Montezuma Road. The past two weeks, the Aztecs are facing a different uphill battle as they try to correct defensive lapses. The Aztecs hit the Boise quarterback once and the Fresno QB three times in a combined 39 pass plays. The Aztecs produced 17 sacks in the first six games, but none the past two weeks. The pass rush will be affected if end Myles Cheatum (two sacks, four hurries), who reportedly was wearing a medical boot earlier this week, is not available. Mililani grad Dakota Turner is Cheatum’s immediate replacement. Head coach Rocky Long calls the plays for the 3-3-5 scheme that originated from Joe Lee Dunn in the 1980s and was modified with concepts from the Canadian Football League’s six-DB coverages. Middle linebacker Jay Henderson or outside backer Troy Cassidy usually slide down as stand-up ends to form a four-man front. But there is flexibility with Parker Baldwin serving as a hybrid safety-linebacker in the position known as Aztec. The safeties, who rotate between two-deep zones and man coverages, are required to take a weekly quiz listing the roles of each position in 20 different plays. Punahou graduate Ronley Lakalaka, who sets the defensive alignments, has averaged 8.4 tackles the past five games.

SAN DIEGO STATE SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—29 John Baron II 5-11 190 Jr.

SS—82 Parker Houston 6-3 240 So.

H—6 Mikah Holder 6-0 185 Sr.

P—59 Brandon Heiklen 6-0 180 So.

LS—50 Turner Bernard 6-1 210 Fr.

KR—20 Rashaad Penny 5-11 220 Sr.

PR—8 Quest Truxton 6-0 185 Sr.

Punt returner Quest Truxton, who was named after the cartoon character Jonny Quest, is on a mission to score a touchdown. This season, he has had returns of 27, 30 and 37 yards. “My guys do a great job blocking for me,” Truxton said. “I’m still trying to break one for them. I’m not satisfied and I know they’re not so I’m going to keep continuing to get better at it.” John Baron II has converted 11 of 13 field-goal attempts.

HAWAII OFFENSE

LWO—12 Keelan Ewaliko 5-11 200 Sr.

TE—45 Dakota Torres 6-2 245 Jr.

LT—50 Dejon Allen 6-3 295 Sr.

LG—51 John Wa‘a 6-4 315 Sr.

C—65 Asotui Eli 6-4 305 Jr.

RG—57 J.R. Hensley 6-5 310 So.

RT—60 Chris Posa 6-4 290 Sr.

SB—23 Dylan Collie 5-10 175 Jr.

RWO—80 Ammon Barker 6-4 215 Sr.

QB—2 Dru Brown 6-0 200 Jr.

RB—22 Diocemy Saint Juste 5-8 195 Sr.

The Warriors spent seven practices refining an offense without leading receiver John Ursua, who underwent surgery for a season-ending ACL injury on Wednesday. Dylan Collie will start at slotback, but he is not necessarily Ursua’s replacement. Collie, who has started six games this season, often was paired with Ursua in a double-slot formation in which they worked together to create mismatches and isolations. Kumoku Noa is expected to earn reps at inside receiver. “It’ll be exciting to see guys step up,” quarterback Dru Brown said. “Maybe some guys will get the ball a little more and get back to what we’re good at conceptually.” Brown has completed 63.7 percent of his passes, and has been especially accurate on routes up to 19 yards (70.1 percent). Diocemy Saint Juste is fourth nationally in rushing (156.3 per game), and has benefited from the conditioning program. Saint Juste, who can squat-lift 500 pounds, is averaging 3.47 post-contact yards. He also is more productive as the game advances (4.46 yards per carry in the first quarter, 7.07 yards in the second half). He has rushed for five red-zone touchdowns after scoring two in his previous three UH seasons. Tight end Dakota Torres’ return to good health provides extra blocking for Saint Juste. The Warriors also have power packages involving H-back Kaiwi Chung and third tackle Matt Norman. “I love it,” Torres said of opening lanes for Saint Juste. “That dude makes everybody look good.”

HAWAII DEFENSE

WE—97 Meffy Koloamatangi 6-5 240 Sr.

NT—66 Eperone Moananu 6-2 290 So.

DT—98 Viane Moala 6-7 290 So.

SE—3 David Manoa 6-3 240 Sr.

OLB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 So.

MLB—31 Jahlani Tavai 6-4 235 Jr.

OLB—44 Russell Williams Jr. 6-1 230 Sr.

CB—17 Terrence Sayles 6-3 195 Jr.

FS—39 Trayvon Henderson 6-0 200 Sr.

SS—4 Daniel Lewis Jr. 5-11 180 Jr.

CB—18 Rojesterman Farris II 6-1 180 So.

At an average of a little more than 6 feet 4 per lineman, the Warriors are sporting their tallest defensive front in recent memory. Meffy Koloamatangi has become a disruptive pass rusher (team-high four sacks) and edge setter. Strong-side end David Manoa leads the linemen with 21 tackles, including three sacks. The latest addition to the opening lineup is nose tackle Eperone Moananu, who was recruited as an offensive lineman. Moananu played on both sides as a freshman in 2015. He redshirted last year after undergoing surgery to repair an injury to his right shoulder. After fully recovering, he was shifted back to defense. Moananu often faces double blocks, freeing the linebackers to swoop in for tackles. After reaching the quarterback three times against Colorado State and Nevada, the Warriors forced the action with blitzes from the second and level third levels and line twists and stunts against San Jose State. The Warriors hit the SJSU quarterbacks nine times and forced them from the pocket 13 times. The Warriors have opened the playbook with three-safety schemes and a rover (Kalen Hicks), who is based on NFL hybrids Jabrill Peppers and Su’a Cravens. Hicks also can play free safety.

HAWAII SPECIALISTS

KO—94 Ryan Meskell 6-0 180 So.

PK—46 Alex Trifonovitch 6-1 180 So.

LS—1 Noah Borden 6-1 215 Jr.

P/H—99 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 Fr.

KR—12 Keelan Ewaliko 5-11 200 Sr.

PR—23 Dylan Collie 5-10 175 Jr.

Dylan Collie takes over for injured punt returner John Ursua. “I’ve punt returned my entire life,” Collie said. “It’s my favorite thing to do in football. You get to go back there and play some backyard football for a while. It’s a difficult job, but I think the challenge is worth it.” Alex Trifonovitch appears to be handling all the point-scoring kicks. There haven’t been many. UH has made only one field goal this season, a 29-yarder in the opener.