COLORADO STATE OFFENSE
LT—77 Keith Williams 6-7 285 Gr.
LG—69 Barry Wesley 6-7 310 Sr.
C—55 Cam Reddy 6-2 310 Jr.
RG—52 Adam Korutz 6-2 305 Gr.
RT—56 Ches Jackson 6-4 295 Jr.
TE—85 Trey McBride 6-4 260 Sr.
TE—16 Cam Butler 6-2 250 Gr.
WR—6 Ty McCullouch 6-1 180 Jr.
WR—22 Dante Wright 5-9 180 Jr.
QB—7 Todd Centeio 6-1 225 Sr.
RB—5 David Bailey 6-0 240 Sr.
The Denver Post suggested tight end Trey McBride would be productive as a red-zone receiver … for the Denver Broncos. McBride’s next-level talent has been widely lauded since he opted to return to CSU for his senior season. Draft analyst Todd McShay listed McBride as the No. 1 tight end — 27th overall prospect — for the 2022 NFL Draft. With 2-yard strides, the 6-foot-4 McBride covers ground quickly while using his 260-pound bulk to jolt inside defenders. McBride’s multi-sport background has transcended to football. As a catcher, he developed ball-tracking skills on pop-ups. As a wing/post in basketball, he honed first-step bursts while making hands-only catches. He is Fort Morgan High’s career leader in points in basketball and home runs and RBIs in baseball. “Playing multiple sports really helped me with my hand-eye coordination,” McBride said. At CSU, he has dual membership in the receivers’ and linemen’s meeting rooms. “You’re always doing something you didn’t do the day before,’ McBride said. He has a team-high 78 catches — 2.6 times as many as Dante Wright’s 30 receptions — on 104 targets. He has only two drops. A favorite is a tandem route with Wright. They will run side-by-side, then hit a fork in the pattern, with each breaking into a different direction. Wright’s one-cut out move is difficult to defend. Quarterback Todd Centeio, a Temple transfer, is equally at ease under center or out of the shotgun, and on roll-out throws or run-pass-option plays. David Bailey is a double-grip runner who benefits when tight end Brian Polendey motions across the formation as a lead blocker.
COLORADO STATE DEFENSE
DE—1 Scott Patchan 6-6 270 Gr.
DT—94 Devin Phillips 6-2 305 Sr.
DT—33 Manny Jones 6-4 290 Gr.
DE—0 Toby McBride 6-3 270 Gr.
LB—12 Cam’Ron Carter 6-2 230 Sr.
LB—5 Dequan Jackson 6-2 230 Sr. .
CB—4 Rashad Ajayi 5-11 190 Sr.
S—11 Henry Blackburn 6-0 205 So.
NB—18 Thomas Pannunzio 5-9 170 Sr.
S—8 Tywan Francis 6-0 195 Sr.
CB—26 Marshaun Cameron 5-9 190 Gr.
Few defenses are as intrusive as the Rams’. Last season, they led the country with 10.5 tackles for loss per game; this year, they average 6.5. The Rams’ base has four hand-on-the-turf linemen with a linebacker often creeping to the front row as a stand-up end. Manny Jones and Devin Phillips play the 3-technique across the inside vents or align across the guards with two-gap responsibilities. The 270-pound ends have different styles. Scott Patchan, who transferred from Miami in 2020, is a 6-foot-6 wave that brackets the edge, obscures the sight lines to the flats, and chases QBs. He leads the Rams with 11 TFLs, including six sacks. Toby McBride is a mauler who treats blockers like blocking sleds. D-line coach Antoine Smith is “a high-motor guy with us, so we’ve got to be high-motor with him,” Patchan said, adding the front has a slugger’s mentality. “We’re just trying to go another round. Whatever you line up in front of us, as far as competition, we’ve got that mentality we’re a tough program.” Inside linebacker Dequan Jackson is at his best when he uses his sideline-to-sideline range. But he has not been at full health, and logged nine plays each against Wyoming and Air Force. His understudies (Bam Amina, Sanjay Strickland) also have been hurt recently. Freshmen Jack Howell and Robert Floyd have filled in for ailing safety Henry Blackburn and cornerback Rashad Ajayi.
COLORADO STATE SPECIALISTS
KO—93 Jonathan Terry 6-0 200 Jr.
K—95 Cayden Camper 6-4 215 Jr.
P—41 Ryan Stonehouse 5-11 185 Sr.
LS—86 Ross Reiter 6-0 235 Sr.
H—35 Joe DeLine 6-0 220 Gr.
KR/PR—18 Thomas Pannunzio 5-9 170 Sr.
After a teammate misheard the nickname “T-Pun,” Thomas Pannunzio became known as “Tadpole.” When injuries hindered the depth chart, Tadpole became a three-way player — receiver, DB and returner. He has 33 combined returns without a muff. He scored on a 70-yard punt return. Ryan Stonehouse is the NCAA’s career leader with a 47.8-yard average. His average hang time is 4.18 seconds.
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.
While fans tsk-tsk’d about four straight running calls in last week’s loss, the Warriors focused on the first quarter, when three takeaways led to only three UH points. On 20 possessions starting in opponents’ territory this season, the Warriors have scored 10 TDs and converted two FGs. This season, penalties and mistakes have sabotaged drives. On first down, the Warriors have committed 18 penalties while relinquishing eight sacks. “It’s frustrating to me,” head coach Todd Graham said. “We’re better than that.” During a four-game stretch, the Warriors averaged 241.5 non-sack rushing yards per game, then slumped to 75.0 the next three contests. By design, the run-and-gun is predicated on downhill running to set up the four-vertical aerial attack. The return to good health of running backs Dae Dae Hunter and Dedrick Parson should boost the ground game. Hunter missed four games with a shoulder injury before rejoining the lineup last week. Two weeks ago, Parson had to wear a medical boot to rest an ailment. Parson has not missed a game this season, and is considered physically fit now. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro has been equally accurate, completing 54.6% of his passes ahead of his shoulder injury and 54.2% after being back at starter. Cordeiro has connected on 48.6% of his 20-plus-yard passes between the right numbers and the left sideline. He is averaging 5.3 yards on non-sack scrambles and keepers. Wideout Nick Mardner is averaging 26.2 receiving yards on his first reception of each game. Three of those catches resulted in TDs.
HAWAII DEFENSE
DE—50 Justus Tavai 6-3 295 Sr.
NT—55 Blessman Taala 6-1 300 Sr.
DE—99 Jonah Laulu 6-6 260 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—36 Solo Turner 6-2 205 So.
S—24 Kai Kaneshiro 6-2 180 Jr.
FCB—20 Cameron Lockridge 6-0 180 Jr.
It has been an uneven season for the run defense, which held San Diego State to 2.98 yards per carry but was burned for 293 yards by Charles Williams-led UNLV. For the Warriors, it begins with the three-man front. Blessman Taala is the nose who can play across the gaps, and ends Jonah Laulu and Justus Tavai have experience playing inside. “Our D-linemen are the ones taking on two blockers so the linebackers can make plays and the secondary can come down (into the tackle box),” said linebacker Darius Muasau, who leads the Warriors with 8.8 tackles per game. Oklahoma transfer Zacchaeus McKinney has moved from tackle to end to add power drives from the edge. Djuan Matthews and O’tay Baker are high-energy ends. The Warriors have as many as a dozen down linemen who can play end. “I think of (the D-linemen) as being athletic,” Muasau said. “They’re not just taking on blocks. They’re also able to block-shed and make plays.” Cornerback Cameron Lockridge, who rejoined the lineup last week after recovering from an injury, provides an aggressive and confident defender on the wide side. As part of cross-training, Hugh Nelson II, who filled in for the four games Lockridge missed, can now swing between corner and safety. In the three games since being elevated into the safety rotation, Baylor transfer Solo Turner has allowed only two completions to a receiver he was defending. Safety Chima Azunna might see some expanded action.
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—31 Dedrick Parson 5-8 205 Sr.
The Warriors solved their punt-protection breakdowns by abandoning the pro-style scheme and employing the shield blocking that has become standard in college football. To address ball security, Dedrick Parson was assigned as kickoff and punt returner. Parson recovered his own fumble in the opener against UCLA. Since then, he has 119 touches without putting the ball on the ground.
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Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ching Complex
TV: Spectrum PPV
Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
