HAWAII OFFENSE

WR—84 Nick Mardner 6-6 190 Jr.

TE—85 Caleb Phillips 6-5 230 Sr.

LT—75 Ilm Manning 6-4 280 Sr.

LG—71 Micah Vanterpool 6-6 300 Sr.

C—72 Kohl Levao 6-6 350 Sr.

RG—61 Eliki Tanuvasa 6-2 320 Jr.

RT—74 Gene Pryor 6-3 310 Sr.

AP—7 Calvin Turner Jr. 5-11 195 Sr.

WR—23 Jared Smart 6-0 190 Sr.

QB—12 Chevan Cordeiro 6-19 190 Jr.

RB—0 Dae Dae Hunter 5-10 200 So.

Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is expected to be available after missing three starts because of an upper-body injury. A role also could be crafted for freshman Brayden Schager, who was 2-1 in Cordeiro’s absence. Last week against New Mexico State, Schager was given a play list that featured elements of the West Coast offense — flat routes, check-down contingencies, grinding running attack. Schager’s vertical game was harnessed to use his scripted short game. This season, Schager, who was 25-for-29 against NMSU, has completed 86.9% of his throws up to 9 yards. “Be a surgeon with the ball,” head coach Todd Graham said to Schager while suggesting ditching a pass also is an option. “Have a presnap read, know where you’re going with the ball. Anything bad happens, (throw it away) and get the ball back to the line of scrimmage.” In 30-plus years of coaching, Graham developed a run-first approach, which can set up deep play-action throws. The last four games, UH is averaging 224.5 rushing yards per game and 6.3 yards per carry. While Dae Dae Hunter averages 71.7 yards on his three TD sprints, he also is a physical rusher averaging 9.8 yards on runs between the guards and 4.9 yards after contact. Hunter is expected to be ready after sitting out last week because of an ailment. Dedrick Parson, who rushed for three TDs last week, can be a volume runner. “Running is pretty much the foundation of our whole offense,” said wideout Nick Mardner, a relentless kick-out blocker on perimeter runs. “For me to get a block on the edge around the corner and see Dedrick run by my guy and go to the house, it’s almost as good as a touchdown for me.”

HAWAII DEFENSE

DE—50 Justus Tavai 6-3 295 Sr.

NT—49 Pita Tonga 6-2 285 Sr.

DE—99 Jonah Laulu 6-6 280 Jr.

LB—53 Darius Muasau 6-1 230 Jr.

LB—1 Penei Pavihi 6-3 245 Sr.

Spur—19 Quentin Frazier 6-1 195 Sr.

Stud—5 Khoury Bethley 5-10 200 Sr.

BCB—18 Cortez Davis 5-11 180 Sr.

S—8 Eugene Ford 6-2 210 Sr.

S—24 Kai Kaneshiro 6-2 180 Jr.

FCB—3 Hugh Nelson II 6-2 205 Jr.

The Warriors have made a dramatic improvement against the run, from allowing 5.2 yards per carry in the first three games to 3.7 a pop since then. (The latter average includes two broken-tackle TD runs totaling 102 yards last week.) The advancement correlates with the shift to 3-3-5 and 3-2-6 schemes that conjure elements of Dick LeBeau’s Steelers (gap-attacking ends backed by rotating and blitzing linebackers and secondary) and Rocky Long’s six-coverage defense. “Set the tempo with the D-line,” safety Eugene Ford said. “Our big boys up front have been dominating. They’re getting off the ball, they’re explosive, they’re in the backfield every single play.” The Warriors are averaging 16.5 hurries per game. With Jonah Laulu on one side, the Warriors have created combinations of tandems with Pita Tonga, Blessman Taala, Justus Tavai, DJuan Matthews, Zacchaeus McKinney and O’tay Baker at the other two line spots. Within the scheme’s parameters, linebacker Darius Muasau and hybrid Khoury Bethley have freedom to improvise. Muasau aligns at the second level or on the edge. Bethley’s starting points are middle back, in the tackle box or as a perimeter blitzer. Bethley has eluded pre-meditated double blocks with motions and shifts. “You scheme for one guy, the other guy will make plays,” Bethley said. Boundary cornerback Cortez Davis enters the weekend as the national leader with 13 pass breakups and is second in passes defended (1.8 per game).

KO—46 Kyler Halvorsen 6-0 175 Fr.

PK/P—2 Matthew Shipley 6-1 175 So.

LS—44 Wyatt Tucker 5-10 215 Sr.

H—96 Adam Stack 6-2 180 Jr.

KR/PR—7 Calvin Turner 5-11 195 Sr.

Matthew Shipley has connected on 10 of 11 FGs, including eight in a row. Opponents’ average drive starts at the 23 following Kyler Halvorsen’s kickoffs. Only 29.5% of his kickoffs have been returned. After fixing leaks in punt protection, the Warriors are focused on catching punts. Last week, an unfielded punted ball cost UH 15 yards on the roll. A muff resulted in a turnover. “We worked very hard on not letting the ball hit the ground on punt returns,” Graham said of this week’s goal. The Warriors muffed four punts this year.

UTAH STATE OFFENSE

X—10 Justin McGriff 6-6 215 Jr.

IR—13 Deven Thompkins 5-8 155 Sr.

LT—72 Alfred Edwards 6-7 320 Sr.

LG—58 Demytrick Ali’fua 6-3 320 Sr.

C—74 Chandler Dolphin 6-3 290 Sr.

RG—51 Quazzel White 6-3 310 Jr.

RT—78 Jacob South 6-5 290 Jr.

TE—88 Carson Terrell 6-5 240 Sr.

Z—11 Savon Scarver 5-11 175 Sr.

QB—1 Logan Bonner 6-2 230 Gr.

RB—4 Calvin Tyler Jr. 5-8 210 Gr.

QB Logan Bonner and the read-option offense joined head coach Blake Anderson’s move from Arkansas State to USU. “There’s a lot more freedom in this offense,”said Bonner, referencing tweaks from offensive coordinator Anthony Tucker, who came over from Central Florida. “A lot of the guys have more freedom and options.” After splitting reps with elusive Andrew Peasley early in the season, Bonner gets the bulk of snaps now because of his arm strength and connection with Deven Thompkins, who is third nationally with 131.9 receiving yards per game. Thompkins, who can align at all five receiver spots, is fast (4.4 seconds over 40 yards), sure-handed and fearless (26 of his 56 catches were on slants, posts or crosses). The Aggies often set up in a 50-yard spread, with receivers outside the numbers. Thompkins, whose best move is a double move, can break away on go routes, particularly off play-action throws, or sprint inside when he is aligned wide and outside from the slot. When Thompkins faces double coverage, that opens the way for Justin McGriff, Derek Wright or Brandon Bowling. When Colorado State blanketed Thompkins, Wright caught scoring passes of 38 and 25 yards last week. Running back Calvin Tyler (5.0 yards per carry) is iffy after breaking a hand bone two weeks ago. Backup running back Elelyon Noa is a double-grip runner and aggressive arms-folded blocker. The Aggies have converted 61.9% of their 21 fourth-down plays. “If we don’t get it,” Bonner said, “we trust our defense. I know it’s huge when we do get it, and I think sometimes it’s a back-breaker for other defenses.”

UTAH STATE DEFENSE

DE—42 Nick Heninger 6-2 235 Gr.

DT—95 Marcus Moore 6-2 255 Gr.

DT—92 Hale Motu‘apuaka 6-1 275 Jr.

DE—0 Patrick Joyner 6-2 230 Jr.

ILB—3 Justin Rice 6-2 225 Gr.

ILB—10 AJ Vongphachanh 6-2 230 Jr.

STR—5 Cash Gilliam 6-0 200 Gr.

CB—14 Zahodri Jackson 5-10 185 Sr.

S—4 Shaq Bond 5-11 185 Gr.

S—23 Dominic Tatum 6-2 175 Jr.

CB—6 Cam Lampkin 5-10 170 Jr.

The Aggies, who often battle above their weight class, are built for speed and chaos. Only two defensive starters weigh at least 255 pounds. But they were able to tussle in a victory over Colorado State, which even employed four tight ends during one formation. Anderson described that game as “two big dudes swinging and punching each other in the mouth for 60 minutes.” At its base, USU goes with three down linemen. When a fourth is added —Patrick Joyner and Nick Heninger alternate as the stand-up end — Hale Motu‘apuaka anchors as the nose. Motu‘apuaka, the two-time World Fireknife champion and a Punahou graduate, often occupies two blockers when he hits an inside gap. With his boxing training, he fights off grasping linemen. In passing situations, Marcus Moore moves from 3-technique to nose as the only true D-lineman. Justin Rice, who leads in tackles (8.9 per game), has a knack for attacking running lanes (7.5 backfield stops, but zero sacks) and covering the flats (three picks). Rice amassed 112 tackles for Fresno State in 2019, transferred to Arkansas State last year, and then returned to the Mountain West this offseason. The Aggies play games with their secondary, often retreating their corners while the safeties move up. Striker Ajani Carter has the best hands among the defenders.

UTAH STATE SPECIALISTS

KO—89 Elliott Nimrod 6-0 175 So.

PK—59 Connor Coles 5-11 205 Gr.

LS—49 Jacob Garcia 6-0 245 Fr.

P/H—63 Stephen Kotsanlee 6-1 205 So.

KR—11 Savon Scarver 5-11 175 Sr.

PR—0 Jordan Nathan 5-9 185 Gr.

Opponents keep making the mistake of enabling Savon Scarver to return a kickoff. Two weeks ago, Scarver tied the NCAA and Mountain West career record of seven kickoff returns for touchdowns. Scarver, whose five-season average is 28.7 yards, has three fair catches in his career. “I don’t really like fair catching,” Scarver has said. “If I feel it, I’m the type of person who’s all about feeling. I trust the guys in front of me.”