NEVADA OFFENSE

WR—17 Brendan O’Leary-Orange 6-4 210 Jr.

SB—1 McLane Mannix 5-9 185 So.

LT—71 Jake Nelson 6-4 295 Jr.

LG—62 Anthony Palomares 6-3 295 Sr.

C—64 Sean Krepsz 6-4 330 Sr.

RG—56 Kalei Meyer 6-0 280 Sr.

RT—76 Nate Brown 6-4 290 So.

TE—49 Trae Carter-Wells 6-1 230 Sr.

WR—4 Elijah Cooks 6-4 215 So.

QB—6 Ty Gangi 6-2 205 Sr.

RB—23 Kelton Moore 5-11 240 Jr.

Second-year offensive coordinator Matt Mumme was home-schooled in the Air Raid, a pass-dominant attack created by his father, Hal Mumme. The starter kit calls for a four-wide alignment with the quarterback mostly in the shotgun. But there are wrinkles in Nevada’s version. In homage to Chris Ault, inventor of the pistol offense, Nevada sometimes aligns symmetrically, with quarterback Ty Gangi 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and the lone back 3 yards behind Gangi. That gives the trifecta of backs — Kelton Moore, Toa Taua and Jaxson Kincaide — a way to mask their intended direction. Last year, 240-pound Moore barreled for 216 yards against UH. Right guard Kalei Meyer, a Kamehameha graduate, is a load on pulls and quick on turn-out blocks. Gangi has the arm strength and moxie to hit all branches of the passing tree. Gangi also was a threat as a runner, averaging 6.08 yards per non-sack keeper or scramble before suffering an injured left quadriceps. After missing a game, Gangi returned against Boise State, but was limited while his thigh was layered with tape and EvoShield padding. Also helping Gangi is a favorite target, slotback McLane Mannix, who gets open on slants, curls, go routes and step-back moves. Mannix was initially committed to Vanderbilt, but flipped to sign with the Pack. Mannix is known for his speed (laser-timed 4.49 seconds over 40 yards) and genetics. His father Kevin Mannix was a member of the 1988 Permian High team profiled in “Friday Night Lights.”

NEVADA DEFENSE

DT—99 Korey Rush 6-0 270 Sr.

NT—96 Hausia Sekona 6-0 275 Jr.

DE—51 Dom Peterson 6-0 315 Fr.

LB—90 Malik Reed 6-2 235 Sr.

LB—7 Gabriel Sewell 6-0 230 Jr.

LB—52 Kyle Adams 5-11 215 Jr.

CB—23 Jomon Dotson 5-10 180 Sr.

S—6 Nephi Sewell 6-0 205 So.

S—5 Dameon Baber 5-10 200 Sr.

S—2 Asauni Rufus 5-11 200 Sr.

CB—25 Daniel Brown 5-11 170 Jr.

This year’s blanket statement is to force turnovers. As incentive, a defender who creates a takeaway is draped with a towel with the word “Turnover” on it. In the past week’s loss to Boise State, safety Dameon Baber received the towel wrap after twice intercepting Brett Rypien, who entered with two picks the entire season. Nevada has forced 16 turnovers in seven games. In the Pack’s 3-3-5 base, Baber is the last line of defense — sometimes aligning so deep he is outside the view of a wide-screen TV. Baber, who can run 40 yards in 4.47 seconds, can set up deep, in the corners or in the tackle box. Against San Jose State a year ago, Baber tied an NCAA record with three returns for TDs — two on picks, one on a blocked punt. During the offseason, the Pack gambled, moving their best edge defender — Malik Reed, who had eight sacks in 2017 — from defensive end to outside linebacker. Reed lost weight (243 pounds to 235) and gained a clearer path into the backfield. Of Reed’s 43 tackles, 9.5 have been in the backfield, including five sacks. The shift increased the linebackers’ overall weight class and allowed an even stouter unit on the defensive line. Korey Rush can play in the gaps or directly across the center. Gabriel Sewell is a true inside linebacker who is swift laterally and aggressive in filling gaps.

NEVADA SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—26 Ramiz Ahmed 6-0 190 Sr.

LS—42 Wes Farnsworth 6-1 230 Sr.

H—3 Kaleb Fossum 5-9 180 Jr.

P—35 Quinton Conaway 6-0 210 Jr.

KR—11 Daiyan Henley 6-1 215 So.

PR—7 Romeo Doubs 6-2 180 Fr.

Ramiz Ahmed was one of 17,686, non-football-playing students at Nevada when the 2017 fall semester started. But two weeks after that, he aced a football tryout and, after his eligibility was certified — he previously attended UNLV and Arizona State as a regular student — Ahmed was contending for the kicker’s job. This season, Ahmed has converted all but one of his eight field-goal attempts from up to 50 yards. Of his 42 kickoffs, 57.1 percent have resulted in touchbacks.

HAWAII OFFENSE

LWO—85 Marcus Armstrong-Brown 6-3 210 Sr.

SB—5 John Ursua 5-10 175 Jr.

LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 280 Fr.

LG—57 J.R. Hensley 6-5 310 Jr.

C—63 Taaga Tuulima 6-2 290 So.

RG—60 Fa‘asolo Vaipulu 6-2 310 Fr.

RT—72 Kohl Levao 6-6 340 Jr.

SB—6 Cedric Byrd 5-9 170 Jr.

RWO—19 JoJo Ward 5-9 175 Jr.

QB—13 Cole McDonald 6-4 210 So.

RB—7 Dayton Furuta 5-11 150 Jr.

Through the season’s progression, the Warriors have faced innovative schemes to defend their four-wide attack — from eight-man coverages to BYU’s use of 6-9, 275-pound Corbin Kausufi as a quarterback spy out of middle-linebacker alignment. The Warriors have countered with draws or dives against a three-man front, and screens and slants into the seams of overloaded coverages. Last week, they found success with an empty set, exchanging a running back with a fifth receiver (Dakota Torres, Tristin Kamaka or Devan Stubblefield). The Warriors averaged 7.4 yards on the 15 empty-set plays. Cole McDonald was seven of 11 for 100 yards, and he rushed three times for 17 yards on non-sack keepers. The tactic is effective because it adds another receiver in the matchups while McDonald’s elusiveness maintains the running threat. But the scheme also leaves UH with five blockers (McDonald was sacked once out of the empty set) and takes away the run-pass option, which had often been partnered with the run-and-shoot concepts. “It didn’t help us win (against BYU),” said head coach Nick Rolovich, who calls the UH plays, “but it helped us move the ball a little bit better.” Another objective is to feed the slots, particularly John Ursua (64 receptions for 890 yards and 13 TDs). The past game, Ursua, who has faced double and grasping coverages this year, aligned as a wideout, in the slot, and as the middle man in a triple-side formation. He often was set free on go routes along the sideline to either draw single coverage or pull a safety away from slotback Cedric Byrd. “(Ursua) is such an athlete we’re trying to utilize his athleticism and knowledge of the game,” McDonald said.

HAWAII DEFENSE

DE—99 Zeno Choi 6-3 280 Sr.

NT—54 Blessman Taala 6-1 310 Fr.

DT—91 Samiuela Akoteu 6-2 280 Jr.

DE—48 Derek Thomas 6-3 225 So.

LB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 Jr.

LB—31 Jahlani Tavai 6-4 235 Sr.

CB—4 Roe Farris 6-1 180 Jr.

S—16 Kalen Hicks 6-3 200 Jr.

NB—14 Manu Hudson-Rasmussen 6-0 180 Sr.

S—22 Ikem Okeke 6-0 200 Jr.

CB—8 Eugene Ford 6-2 195 So.

This past week, the Warriors were set to activate a plan that would take advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule. (Eligible players are allowed to count this as a redshirt year if they do not play in more than four games this season.) True freshmen Jonah Kahahawai-Welch and Zach Ritner might be added to the pass rush, and Justus Tavai and Foi Show are viewed as options to beef up the interior line. Those four have yet to play in a game this season. The Warriors already have made use of their depth. Manly Williams, who was recruited to UH as a safety four years ago, started two games at defensive end against triple-option offenses. Tevarua Eldridge, a fifth-year senior, has played the bandit, a hybrid end-tackle position. And Kendall Hune, who joined this summer, has played the 3-technique in the base and nose in passing situations. “I feel I’m transitioning pretty well, especially on the field,” said Hune, who leads UH reserves with 21 tackles. Hune committed a month after the spring signing period began. “Once the recruiting process started, it was all she wrote,” Hune said. “I knew I was coming here.” Nickelback Manu-Hudson Rasmussen has had an expanded role against pass-heavy teams. He can run 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, jump 40 inches, and despite weighing 180, deliver loud tackles. “You just have to go,” Hudson-Rasmussen said of his hits. “I don’t really think about it.”

HAWAII SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—94 Ryan Meskell 6-0 185 Jr.

LS—1 Noah Borden 6-1 220 Sr.

P/H—99 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 So.

KR/PR—82 Justice Augafa 5-11 200 Jr.

The past five games, Ryan Meskell has been a full-service kicker. After Michael Boyle handled all 24 kickoffs in the first three games, Meskell has assumed that job full-time. Meskell has launched 24 kickoffs and, with only four touchbacks, the coverage unit is entrusted to set the field position. Meskell, who converted only one field-goal attempt in 2017, his first season playing American football, is nine of 11 this year. He is perfect on seven attempts in regulation.