SAN DIEGO STATE OFFENSE
WR—92 Kobe Smith 6-2 190 So.
LT—71 Kyle Spalding 6-6 300 Jr.
LG—79 Daishawn Dixon 6-5 330 Sr.
C—60 Keith Ismael 6-3 310 Jr.
RG—73 William Dunkle 6-5 350 Fr.
RT—76 Zachary Thomas 6-5 300 Jr.
TE—88 Daniel Bellinger 6-6 250 So.
H-B—82 Parker Houston 6-3 250 Sr.
Z—45 Jesse Matthews 6-0 190 Fr.
QB—9 Ryan Agnew 6-0 200 Sr.
RB—29 Juwan Washington 5-7 190 Sr.
In tweaking the offense, quarterback Ryan Agnew was asked to take a step back — actually, five steps back. The Aztecs moved from initiating plays from under center to the shotgun. It was a matter of keeping up with the times: Most prep offenses operate out of the shotgun, making the transition easier to college ball, and linemen have simpler chores in blocking out of the accompanying spread. The biggest change is tailback Juwan Washington and the other members of the running back committee now take handoffs to the side of Agnew instead of 7 yards deep in the I-formation. While the alignment opens the way for screens, hitches and shovels, it does not change the philosophy. “We still want to be the football team that runs the football and is very physical and dominant,” Agnew said. “It’s just that it might look a little different than it did the past four, five, six years. But we’re still the same San Diego State team. We want to ground and pound. We want to throw it over your head when we have the opportunities.” Daniel Bellinger is a standard on-line tight end who resembles a third tackle but has check-down routes (13.0 yards per catch). Parker Houston, at 6-3 and 250, is the long-haired bruiser who lines up as a second tight end, H-back or power back. He’s strictly a blocker. Jesse Matthews, a walk-on freshman, is the best route runner. He caught 80 percent of the passes when he was targeted against Fresno State last week. Washington, who grew up watching clips of his mother’s favorite running back (Barry Sanders), has been slowed since suffering an ankle injury in the opener. He is averaging 3.44 yards per carry, down from 5.98 two years ago. Chance Bell and Chase Jasmin have expanded their carries.
SAN DIEGO STATE DEFENSE
DE—68 Myles Cheatum 6-2 265 Sr.
DT—65 Cameron Thomas 6-5 260 Fr.
DE—57 Keshawn Banks 6-4 270 So.
LB—54 Caden McDonald 6-3 230 So.
MLB—44 Kyahva Tezino 6-0 235 Sr.
LB—38 Andrew Aleki 6-3 230 Jr.
CB—16 Luc Barcoo 6-1 175 Sr.
FW—14 Tariq Thompson 6-0 200 Jr.
Az—36 Dwayne Johnson 6-2 215 Jr.
BW—18 Trenton Thompson 6-2 200 Jr.
CB—23 Darren Hall 6-0 180 So.
According to the billing, the Aztecs attack in 3-D: three down linemen, three linebackers, three safeties. The corners cover the pockets. But head coach Rocky Long, who makes the defensive calls, developed a not-by-the-numbers scheme. Picking up concepts from Joe Lee Dunn in the 1980s and snippets from the Canadian Football League, which plays on a wider field, the Aztecs slide outside linebackers Caden McDonald and Andrew Aleki to create a four- or five-man front. The moves create enough distraction to free ends Myles Cheatum (5.0 sacks) and Keshawn Banks (10 tackles for loss). In one formation, the Aztecs will run a stack resembling a defense’s I, with McDonald behind the nose tackle and middle linebacker Kyahva Tezino 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. McDonald and Aleki have the same build (6-3, 230 pounds) and power to storm the edges. In 28 career starts, Tezino averages 9.5 tackles per game while amassing 28.5 backfield tackles. The Aztecs are stingy against the run — No. 2 nationally in rushing yards per game (65.8) and per carry (2.4) — the secondary also is menacing. Dwayne Johnson is rock solid at the Aztec position, which aligns as the defense’s center fielder. Cornerback Luc Barcoo has seven interceptions and is averaging 1.8 passes defended per game. Against Fresno State, Barcoo intercepted two of eight passes thrown his way. The two completions totaled 18 yards.
SAN DIEGO STATE SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—2 Matt Araiza 6-2 195 Fr.
LS—50 Turner Bernard 6-1 225 Jr.
P/H—59 Brandon Heicklen 6-0 190 Sr.
KR—29 Juwan Washington 5-7 190 Sr.
PR—15 Jordan Byrd 5-9 170 So.
The Aztecs’ return units have produced two TDs: Kaegun Williams’ 95-yard kickoff return and Caden McDonald’s recovery of a blocked punt in the end zone. Freshman Matt Araiza has converted 17 of 20 field-goal attempts, none longer than 47 yards, and Brandon Heicklen is averaging 48.1 yards on punts launched from the Aztecs’ half of the field. The Aztecs hold a 7.2-yard advantage in field position this season. They had a 14-yard advantage against Fresno State.
HAWAII OFFENSE
LWO—23 Jared Smart 6-0 190 Jr.
LSB—3 Jason-Matthew Sharsh 6-0 190 Sr.
LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 280 So.
LG—76 Michael Eletise 6-3 325 Jr.
C—63 Taaga Tuulima 6-2 310 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—13 Cole McDonald 6-4 220 Jr.
RB—26 Miles Reed 5-8 190 So.
The bottom line for the Warriors is the front line. The Warriors have relinquished 15 sacks in 491 pass plays, or a sack every 32.7 times they attempted to throw. They are on track for the second-best protection in the 15 seasons of UH’s version of the run-and-shoot. (The Warriors allowed 10 sacks in 2001, with an offensive line featuring future NFL players Vince Manuwai, Kynan Forney and Brian Smith). Two sacks credited against the Warriors came on plays the quarterback ran around and then went down intentionally to milk the clock. “There were sacks that weren’t really sacks, but I’m going to take them,” offensive line coach Mark Weber said. Quarterbacks Cole McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro are helped by elusiveness, strength to slip tackles, and quick releases. McDonald, who has been sacked nine times in 400 pass plays, is averaging 6.9 yards on scrambles and keepers. Cordeiro is averaging 7.1 yards on non-sack runs. The Warriors have rushed for at least 185 yards in each of the past four games, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. “One of the reasons the run game works so well is we’re throwing the football so well,” Weber said. “We’re spreading them out, and now the run game works because you’ve got to defend the pass. The other thing is both quarterbacks are good runners. That helps a bunch.” Weber constructed a line that complements the four-wide passing attack. “You don’t have to be the biggest guy,” Weber said of his blockers. “You have to be athletic. You have to have great feet. You need to have hips (flexibility). You don’t need to be that 6-5, 325-pound guy. Matter of fact, that’s a little bit of a hindrance if you don’t have great feet.”
HAWAII DEFENSE
DE—43 Mason Vega 6-3 275 Jr.
NT—69 Azia Se‘ei 5-11 275 Sr.
DT—95 Kendall Hune 6-3 285 Sr.
DE—49 Pumba Williams 6-2 260 Sr.
LB—27 Solomon Matautia 6-1 230 Sr.
LB—2 Jeremiah Pritchard 6-0 225 Jr.
LB—53 Darius Muasau 6-1 225 Fr.
CB—18 Cortez Davis 5-11 180 Jr.
SS—8 Eugene Ford 6-2 200 Jr.
FS—5 Khoury Bethley 5-10 200 So.
CB—4 Rojesterman Farris II 6-1 185 Sr.
Nine defensive players with starting experience have missed games this season because of ailments. That has forced the Warriors to get creative, changing the base scheme (from 4-2 front to 4-3), and play replacements at new positions. Pumba Williams was the hybrid end last year before moving to strong-side end. With Kaimana Padello, the team’s best pass rusher, unavailable last week, Williams moved back to the hybrid spot. Andrew Choi, the third-string hybrid, was elevated in passing situations. The Warriors might get a boost if Derek Thomas, who missed the past six games, is available to play. Eugene Ford, who moved from corner to nickel last year, has filled in for strong safety Kalen Hicks the past two games. “It didn’t take very long,” Ford said of adjusting the move to safety. “It’s understanding certain plays and where my help is.” Ford and Khoury Bethley give the Warriors two physical defenders who can play in coverage or in the tackle box as run stoppers or blitzers. Both are considered UH’s hardest-hitting defensive backs. “Me and KB have a style of how the old school used to do it, playing hard-nosed football,” Ford said, noting the aggressiveness “comes from practices. We do a lot of tackling under (defensive coordinator Corey) Batoon. He preaches on setting the shoulder.” A pleasant surprise is true freshman Darius Muasau, a middle linebacker who can align on the edge as a pass rusher. “He has a really quick first step and he can bend,” Batoon said of Muasau’s pass-rushing skills.
HAWAII SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—17 Ryan Meskell 6-0 185 Sr.
P/H—9 Stan Gaudion 6-3 210 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.
Things are looking up on Wednesdays when the punters work on sky kicks. “It’s a chance to pin the opponent inside the 20,” special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said. “It’s something we practice weekly.” Stan Gaudion has only one touchback in 125 career punts, including the past 88 kicks in a row. Ben Scruton was exclusively a left-footed sky punter. But this year, Scruton has been asked to boom away. He averages 46.2 yards per punt. Ghobrial said Gaudion and Scruton improved their leg strength in the offseason. “They can hit a good football,” Ghobrial said.
