It was in the 1980s, a time of big hair and big air-it-out offenses, when Nevada head coach Chris Ault made the trip to Provo, Utah, to learn about Brigham Young offensive coordinator Norm Chow’s schemes.

Back then, Chow said, they were known as “Throwing Jessies” for their video-game-passing stats.

Ault said the friendship developed as Chow “was making his rounds as an offensive guru.”

Chow coached quarterbacks Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Steve Sarkisian at BYU, Philip Rivers at North Carolina State, and Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at Southern California. As UCLA’s offensive coordinator, Chow wanted to incorporate elements of Ault’s pistol offense — a run-option attack in which the quarterback is aligned 4 yards from the line of scrimmage and the lone back 3 yards behind the quarterback — into UCLA’s schemes.

Chow then visited with Ault in Reno, Nev. Chow wanted to learn about Ault’s running game. Ault wanted to learn about Chow’s passing schemes.

“I love to talk football with him,” Ault said.

Chow said: “He perfected that crazy pistol.”

Both offenses continue to evolve. Ault is calling more passing plays; Chow is establishing the running game at UH. “Change is good,” Chow said.

Outlook: The game was out of reach and coach Norm Chow recalled thinking, “Let’s run this and get out of here.” Thing was, Lamar crammed eight and sometimes nine defenders into the tackle box. Still, running back John Lister (above) carried on all eight plays of his personal 45-yard scoring drive. It emphasized the Warriors’ grind-it-out mind-set and Lister’s toughness. “He’s a smart, tough football player,” Chow said. Iosefa, who had a sore ankle, is expected to start, and Gregory offers perimeter quickness. But Lister’s ability to play fullback and running back should earn him an extended role today. Lister’s ruggedness was apparent at an early age. “Long story short,” Lister said, “when I was really young, my mom enrolled me in soccer. I picked up the soccer ball and ran with it. The next day, she signed me up for football.” He wears No. 34 in tribute to his idol, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, whose nickname “Sweetness” belied his fierce blocking. “He always talked about being the hammer and not the nail,” Lister said. Davis will get the start at singleside receiver, although Chris Gant will be used extensively while Billy Ray Stutzmann and Darius Bright recover from injuries. Co-captain Miah Ostrowski, limited to 10 plays as a slotback last week, will get reps at wideout. 

Outlook: Nose tackle Moses Samia’s season-ending ACL injury has forced the Warriors to get creative in building depth. Correa will start at one of the tackle positions, with Geordon Hanohano used as the utility player at both interior spots. Defensive ends Tavita Woodard and Marcus Malepeai also will be used inside. Woodard, at 6-5, is labeled as a “distractor” because his long reach impedes a quarterback’s visibility into the passing lanes. But Woodard also relies on his quick hands to maneuver past blockers, one of the reasons he was recruited to work at tackle. In sub-packages, Malepeai has been effective as a defensive tackle because of his first-step quickness and ability to play low. Yap has become the Warriors’ best pass-rusher. While Edwards and Phillips are noted for playing aggressive man coverages, they also have been solid open-field tacklers in switches where the safeties slide into pass coverage.

Outlook: Every practice, punter Alex Dunnachie faces rejection. He is the setup guy during kick-blocking drills. Here was the game within the game last week: Lister blocks an offensive lineman inside, John Hardy-Tuliau races in for the block, and Ne’Quan Phillips (above), after blocking the gunner, turns around and picks up the football. “Everybody did his job,” said Chris Demarest, who coaches UH’s specials teams. “Ne’Quan Phillips was battling the heck out of (the gunner) the whole game. He was really putting the halt on that guy. Ne’Quan was being rewarded for that. When John blocked the punt, Ne’Quan was beating the heck out of (the gunner). He came off the ball, and scooped and scored. If he were lazy and didn’t work hard, he wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”

Outlook: The pistol — with Jefferson hidden behind Fajardo at the shotgun snap — is a pause-and-affect attack. Because defenses don’t have a pre-snap idea of Jefferson’s intended direction, they can’t overload a side. And with Fajardo’s skill as a runner (he crouches on the move) and play-action decoy, defenses have to tap the brakes in blitz situations. Jefferson, who can run 40 yards in sub-4.5 seconds, is second nationally with 176.33 rushing yards per game. Fajardo is 19th (116.33 per game). But excluding sacks, Fajardo is averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Jefferson and Fajardo have combined for 95.9 percent of the Pack’s 305.33 rushing yards per game. Fueling the running attack are tackles Nady and Bitonio and tight end Sudfeld, nicknamed “Flint” because of his ability to provide a spark. Sudfeld can align wide, on line or in the backfield. He can slip into the flats or, on occasion, run streak patterns. Sudfeld suffered a knee injury in the 2011 opener, then successfully petitioned for a sixth season. Sudfeld ignored suggestions to retire, and instead pestered his way back into a key role.
 

Outlook: Nevada’s base defense is a basic model. It’s a four-man front with the secondary usually in a four-across zone. The variant is Boughton, who is listed as the weakside linebacker but aligns at several points. In some schemes, he is in the middle; a few times he will walk up between the tackles. He also can drop into coverage. Rosette, whose father played for Ault, was a standout defensive end before moving to the middle. Williams, who leads the Pack with 10.3 tackles per game, can move up for run support. Wooten is considered the best cover defender. Mike Bradeson, who was promoted to defensive coordinator in the offseason, has instilled several contests — weightlifting, running, dodgeball — to improve the competitive atmosphere. The goal is to carry that over to the field; Nevada is 114th nationally in defense, allowing 507 yards per game.
 

RESULTS

HAWAII
Sept. 1    at USC    L, 49-10
Sept. 15 Lamar     W, 54-2

NEVADA
Sept. 1    at California    W, 31-24
Sept. 8    South Florida    L, 32-31
Sept. 15 Northwestern State    W, 45-34   

SERIES HISTORY: Hawaii-Nevada series tied 8-8; record in Honolulu: UH leads 7-3; last meeting: Nevada 42, UH 28 in Reno, Nev.