HAWAII OFFENSE
LWO—23 Jared Smart 6-0 190 Jr.
LSB—3 Jason-Matthew Sharsh 6-0 190 Sr.
LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 285 So.
LG—57 J.R. Hensley 6-5 320 Sr.
C—63 Taaga Tuulima 6-2 320 Jr.
RG—52 Solo Vaipulu 6-2 300 So.
RT—74 Gene Pryor 6-3 305 Jr.
RSB—6 Cedric Byrd II 5-9 175 Sr.
RWO—9 JoJo Ward 5-9 175 Sr.
QB—12 Chevan Cordeiro 6-1 190 Fr.
RB—26 Miles Reed 5-9 190 So.
It was against UNLV a year ago when Chevan Cordeiro came off the sideline to rally the Warriors with a spectacular three-TD fourth quarter. Cordeiro made his first start of this season in last week’s 42-40 shootout against San Jose State, and is likely to get the nod today over Cole McDonald. One thing is certain: head coach Nick Rolovich has more options now that he is assured Cordeiro can handle a full game plan. Cordeiro and McDonald, who still is among the national leaders in certain passing categories, have shown a mastery of the Warriors’ mash-up of the run-and-shoot and run-pass option. Both are accurate in all branches of the passing tree. McDonald is a power runner who has better visual range in the pocket. Cordeiro is skilled in throwing on the run. McDonald’s rushing enables the Warriors to often go with an empty set, replacing a running back with a slotback. Cordeiro often scrambles to keep plays alive. Despite playing in the run-and-shoot at Saint Louis School, Cordeiro needed to adjust to the nuances of UH’s version. He struggled during a cameo against Nevada last year, but eventually felt more comfortable following a meeting with quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann. “It’s my second year, I’ve learned more,” said Cordeiro, who was able to count 2018 as a redshirt season. “I have a better concept of the plays.” Last week, he received the full menu. “They gave me better plays, plays that weren’t simple,” Cordeiro said. “It felt good.” Cordeiro has played quarterback since he was 8. He said he follows Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Marcus Mariota. He also acknowledged learning from Tua Tagovailoa, whom he served as understudy at Saint Louis, and McDonald. “We’re still competing (for the starting job),” Cordeiro said. “If you have two good quarterbacks competing against each other, you get good. Iron sharpens iron.”
HAWAII DEFENSE
DE—49 Pumba Williams 6-2 260 Sr.
NT—55 Blessman Ta‘ala 6-1 300 So.
DT—95 Kendall Hune 6-3 285 Sr.
DE—96 Kaimana Padello 6-0 230 Sr.
OLB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 Sr.
MLB—53 Darius Muasau 6-1 230 Fr.
OLB—2 Jeremiah Pritchard 6-0 225 Jr.
CB—4 Rojesterman Farris II 6-1 185 Sr.
S—5 Khoury Bethley 5-10 200 So.
S—8 Eugene Ford 6-2 200 Jr.
CB—18 Cortez Davis 5-11 180 Jr.
San Jose State scored on all eight of its drives last week, but still came up short because half its possessions were “held” to field goals. Two SJSU explosive plays after the intermission and two apparent turnovers that were overruled hurt the Warriors. Once again, the Warriors will face a spread offense that employs a tight end or two, a grinding back, and athletic receivers. Oregon State, Washington, Central Arkansas, and Nevada showed similar looks. The Warriors will counter with their rejiggered alignment. Freshman Darius Muasau’s rapid development helped shift the base from a 4-2 to a three-linebacker formation. “He’s a freshman, and he sometimes makes freshman mistakes, but he sure makes up for it,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said of Muasau. Against SJSU, Muasau recognized a fly sweep and chased down the speedy wideout. With Muasau in the middle, Jeremiah Pritchard now gets more work at weak-side linebacker. Nickelback Eugene Ford has moved over to replace safety Kalen Hicks, who has missed the past three games with an ailment. Kai Kaneshiro enters when the Warriors use a fifth defensive back. Up front, nose tackle Blessman Ta‘ala shifted to defensive tackle when Kendall Hune missed a game. But Hune returned last week, and he is fully healthy this week, enabling Ta‘ala to rotate at two inside spots. Azia Se‘ei has impressed with his quickness at nose.
HAWAII SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—17 Ryan Meskell 6-0 185 Sr.
P/H—9 Stan Gaudion 6-3 200 Jr.
LS—44 Wyatt Tucker 5-10 205 Jr.
KR—85 Lincoln Victor 5-10 165 Fr.
PR—6 Cedric Byrd II 5-9 175 Sr.
It has been noted Ryan Meskell has converted five field goals in a row, having not missed since the third game of the season. What has gone largely unnoticed is his perfection on 46 point-after kicks. Despite not attempting a field goal in three games this season, Meskell is the team leader with 67 points. Last week was a rarity in which neither team punted. Stan Gaudion was known for rugby-styled punts and Ben Scruton for sky punts, but both have been booming it from behind traditional shield blocks.
UNLV OFFENSE
WR—4 Randal Grimes 6-4 205 So.
SB—10 Darren Woods 6-0 215 Sr.
LT—72 Matt Brayton 6-3 310 Jr.
LG—75 Jaron Caldwell 6-4 335 Sr.
C—70 Sid Acosta 6-1 300 Sr.
RG—74 Julio Garcia II 6-3 320 Jr.
RT—78 Justin Polu 6-4 325 Sr.
TE—45 Giovanni Fauolo 6-2 250 Jr.
WR—9 Tyleek Collins 5-9 170 So.
QB—7 Kenyon Oblad 6-3 190 Fr.
RB—8 Charles Williams 5-9 190 Jr.
There is intrigue with the QB situation as the Rebels wait — and wait again — to see if Armani Rogers declares himself fit to play. At 6-5, Rogers had been hyped as having the same build as Cam Newton. Rogers, who has a powerful but fickle arm, is most dangerous on the run. But he has missed the past five games while recovering from a knee injury. Rogers has practiced the past couple of weeks, and last week’s bye should be helpful. But it’s his call. Kenyon Oblad, a second-year freshman, also has a strong arm. Oblad played at Las Vegas’ Liberty High, where he finished his career as the Silver State’s passing leader with 11,828 yards. The book on Oblad is he’s a slow starter (46.5% accuracy in the first half) but solid closer (half of his 12 TDS were thrown in the fourth quarter). He is not nearly as mobile as Rogers. Oblad has been sacked 10 times and fumbled five times. The Rebels base usually involves three receivers and a tight end/H-back. The Rebels employ motions, shifts and the doubling or tripling of tight ends. Their most prolific playmaker is running back Charles Williams, who leads the Mountain West with 876 rushing yards. He averages 5.9 yards on first down and 10.2 on third. Williams is as energetic in the fourth quarter (6.8 yards per carry) as the first period (6.3 yards). In 151 carries, he has been stopped in the backfield 14 times. “I don’t like to run backward, like those NFL-type plays,” Williams said. “You’ll see people run all the way around. I try to avoid those type of plays. If I’m going forward, that’s all that matters.”
UNLV DEFENSE
DE—91 Nate Neal 6-3 240 Jr.
DT—93 Dominion Ezinwa 6-4 300 Sr.
NT—94 Kolo Uasike 6-0 305 Jr.
Buck—25 Gabe McCoy 6-2 220 Sr.
SLB—16 Javin White 6-3 205 Sr.
MLB—53 Farrell Hester 6-1 240 Jr.
WLB—6 Rayshad Jackson 6-0 235 Sr.
LCB—7 Jericho Flowers 5-10 180 Sr.
SS—17 Evan Austrie 6-0 210 Sr.
FS—23 Greg Francis 6-2 195 Jr.
RCB—28 Aaron Lewis 5-9 185 Jr.
This past summer, Rayshad Jackson’s name could not be found anywhere — not on rosters, not in UNLV’s media guide. But now Jackson can be found everywhere. As a graduate transfer from Florida, Jackson did not receive clearance to practice until the final week of training camp. Since then, he has made an impression as the weak-side linebacker, amassing a team-high 71 tackles, including nine for losses. The linebackers are the bright spot for a defense that has intercepted three of 268 passes and allowed 204.7 rushing yards per game. Strong-side linebacker Javin White is a football diehard who spends his free time watching college and NFL games on television. White first played safety before shifting to the hybrid safety-backer position. White has made 7.5 backfield tackles and intercepted two passes. Gabe McCoy plays buck linebacker, which requires pass-rushing and pass-coverage skills. “You get to go after the quarterback and you get to cover guys and I get to do my thing in the box,” McCoy said. “It’s fun. It’s a versatile position.” McCoy is most animated on sacks. “You catch the Roadrunner, and everyone’s excited,” McCoy said. “It’s good for the defense. You drive ’em back a little bit more. It’s a better situation after a sack.”
UNLV SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—32 Daniel Gutierrez 5-10 215 Jr.
P/H—19 Hayes Hicken 5-11 185 Sr.
LS—52 Re Goossen 6-2 185 Jr.
KR—9 Tyleek Collins 5-9 170 So.
PR—82 Jacob Gasser 6-0 180 Jr.
One of the best bargains in Vegas is Daniel Gutierrez, a walk-on who handles the Rebels’ point-scoring kicks and kickoffs. In 2017, Gutierrez played in 12 games, filling in for injured kicker Evan Pantels. Pantels completed his eligibility, opening the way for Gutierrez. After connecting on four field goals in a victory over Fresno State, Gutierrez was named the league’s specialist of the week.
