Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
SAN DIEGO STATE OFFENSE
X—14 Tyrell Shavers 6-6 210 Jr.
TE—88 Daniel Bellinger 6-6 255 Sr.
LT—76 Zachary Thomas 6-5 300 Sr.
LG—64 Chris Martinez 6-4 310 Sr.
C—72 Alama Uluave 6-2 305 Sr.
RG—73 William Dunkle 6-5 330 Jr.
RT—61 B. Crenshaw-Dickson 6-6 320 So.
SB—5 BJ Busbee 5-8 155 Sr.
Z—45 Jesse Matthews 6-0 190 Jr.
QB—7 Lucas Johnson 6-3 215 Sr.
RB—22 Greg Bell 6-0 200 Sr.
Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, Aztecs gotta run. This season, the Aztecs have run on 64.8% of their snaps, including 67.4% on first down. They rotate their backs, with Greg Bell as the featured runner (668 yards, six TDs). Bell is 6 feet, but runs limbo-stick low to avoid instant detection. “We have great backs,” center Alama Uluave said. “They want the ball. They want to dip their shoulders down and get dirty with it.” Trying to break past the wall of blockers is like racing into a moving revolving door. A favorite scheme is for the line to stretch-block to the right while tight end Daniel Bellinger pulls to the left. As the motion tight end, Bellinger tries to get a running start to knock off a defender. Tight end Jay Rudolph, who has been targeted once this season, blocks on the line or as an H-Back. For extra oomph, 300-pound guard Dominic Gudino has aligned as a tight end 30 times. Quarterback Lucas Johnson gets the starting nod over Jordan Brookshire, who has been injured and inconsistent, and freshman Will Haskell, who still is green to the offense. Johnson has connected on 58% of his passes, but his feats are his feet. In August 2020, Johnson transferred from Georgia Tech, known for its triple-option attack. “He was recruited to run the football (at Georgia Tech),” head coach Brady Hoke said. “I’ve reminded him of that.”Johnson averages 8.7 yards on 21 non-sack carries. When harassed, Johnson looks to Bellinger, whose average for point of reception is 3 yards from the line of scrimmage but double digits in yards after catch. Matthews is the leading receiver (17 catches) despite being targeted 3.7 times per game.
SAN DIEGO STATE DEFENSE
DE—99 Cameron Thomas 6-5 270 Jr.
DT—66 Jonah Tavai 6-4 305 Sr.
DE—2 Keshawn Banks 6-4 275 Sr.
SLB—54 Caden McDonald 6-3 235 Sr.
MLB—43 Seyddrick Lakalaka 6-1 235 Sr.
WLB—24 Segun Olubi 6-2 215 Sr.
FCB—12 Dallas Branch 5-11 180 Sr.
FS—18 Trenton Thompson 6-2 200 Sr.
Aztec—33 Patrick McMorris 6-0 210 Jr.
BS—27 Cedarious Barfield 5-11 195 Jr.
BCB—9 Taylor Hawkins 6-1 205 Sr.
Defensive end Cameron Thomas has 99 reasons to wear that jersey number. Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and JJ Watt of the Arizona Cardinals both wear No. 99. “I really cherish their playing style,” Thomas said. “I wear that 99. I try to wear it with respect.” This week, Thomas was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award as the nation’s most outstanding defensive player. Out of a 3-point stance, Thomas has sprung for 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 12 hurries and 15 hits on QBs. Jonah Tavai (whose brother is UH nose tackle Justus Tavai) sets the way with power moves to draw two blockers and open the way for Thomas to loop into a gap. Linebacker Caden McDonald (three sacks) often moves up as an edge rusher. The 3-3-5 base is flexible. In some schemes, middle linebacker Seyddrick Lakalaka will align as a stand-up nose. In others, Lakalaka, will linebacker Segun Olubi. and two cornerbacks will form a band 5 yards from the line of scrimmage, and retreat into coverage at the snap. SDSU can show a two-deep zone, or a three-across appearance when Patrick McMorriis, who plays the nickel position known as Aztec, plays the middle back. Another scheme is boundary safety Cedarious Barfield shifting to the center of the secondary in a single-high coverage. The Aztecs are sixth nationally in run defense (92.0 yards per game), seventh in pass efficiency (105.65) and 12th in points allowed (17.5).
SAN DIEGO SPECIALISTS
K/P—2 Matt Araiza 6-2 200 Jr.
LS—50 Ryan Wintermeyer 6-1 205 Fr.
SS—59 Jacob Raab 6-3 250 Jr.
H—13 Jack Browning 5-11 185 So.
KR/PR—15 Jordan Byrd 5-9 170 Sr.
The secret’s out: Matt Araiza is a gamer. “He loves his video games,” center Alama Uluave said. Araiza is putting up video-game numbers this fall. He leads the nation with an average of 52.2 yards per punt.Two punts exceeded 80 yards. Of his 43 kickoffs, 35 were touchbacks. He also has converted nine field goals. Jordan Byrd, who can sprint 100 meters in 10.32 seconds, is averaging 33.1 yards per kickoff return. He has returned one kickoff to the house.
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—52 Solo Vaipulu 6-2 300 Sr.
=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 6-1 190 Jr.
RB—31 Dedrick Parson 5-8 205 Sr.
RAINBOW WARRIORS OFFENSE
Old-school football was the late 1970s with running backs Gary Allen and David Toloumu, or the early 1980s with Nuu Faaola and Junior Lopati. It was run, run, then hit the wideout on a play-action toss from Mike Stennis or Raphel Cherry. In a four-game stretch this year that evoked similar memories, the Warriors averaged 224 rushing yards, opening the way for quick hits to the flats or play-action passes to the go routes. Then it went cold last week, with the Warriors mustering 30 non-sack rushing yards. With or without leading rusher Dae Dae Hunter, who missed the past two games because of an injury, the Warriors are set to re-establish the ground attack. “Our identity is running the football,” said running back Dedrick Parson, who has scored four touchdowns in his two starts. “We can’t win a game without running the football. Just being a physical team, that’s what we need to be.” Parson is averaging 6.4 yards on runs between center Kohl Levao and the guards, and 5.9 yards around the corners. Parson, who excels on jump cuts, has juked would-be tacklers 19 times this season. The Warriors enter the weekend with an FBS high of 22 giveaways — 12 picks, 10 lost fumbles. In a season-long theme, head coach Todd Graham implored ball security. “Every practice we try to hold the ball tight, not swing it out,” quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said. Cordeiro missed three starts because of a shoulder issue, but returned to the lineup against Utah State, throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
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.
For more than a month, the front-line workers have led the way. “The strength of what we’re doing defensively is our up-front guys,” said Graham, who calls the defensive plays. The key to 3-3-5 or 3-2-6 schemes is to create pressure from the defensive line, freeing the linebackers and defensive backs to blitz or flood the passing routes. Hybrid defender Quentin Frazier said UH’s down linemen “are getting off the ball and dominating the line of scrimmage. That’s where games are won.” Of the many combinations, a successful one is interior tackle Justus Tavai setting up as a D-end and Pita Tonga playing the odd-front nose. “I’m a little lighter weight for nose,” said Tonga, a Utah transfer who weighs 285 pounds. “But there’s a big area in the middle to use speed and agility. I really like playing nose.” Frazier and stud Khoury Bethley are comfortable at safety or linebacker. Cornerback Cortez Davis, a fast cover defender, expanded his role last week with a turn at nickelback. After playing linebacker and tight end, Baylor transfer Solo Turner’s new assignment — safety — might be his best position. Against USU, Turner had nine tackles, including a strip sack. “He’s going to be a great player,” Graham said.
HAWAII SPECIALISTS
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 was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker. He is the first Warrior to advance this far since Jason Elam in 1992, the award’s inaugural year. Shipley has connected on 11 of 12 field goals, including 10 in a row. Shipley also averages 4.2 seconds of hang time on punts. Kyler Halvorsen averages 66.5 yards per kickoff, resulting in a return rate of 32.7%.
80
