Hawaii 2005 Season | Team Page	Select Conference ACC Big East Big Ten Big 12 Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Select Team

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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: June Jones (8th year, 53-37) 2005 record: 5-7 WAC finish: 4-4 (5th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 111th (91.9 ypg) Passing: 2nd (384.3 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 98th (187.6 ypg) Passing: 91st (250.8 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Alabama Sept. 16 UNLV Sept. 23 at Boise State Sept. 30 Eastern Illinois Oct. 7 Nevada Oct. 14 at Fresno State Oct. 21 at New Mexico State Oct. 28 Idaho Nov. 4 at Utah State Nov. 11 Louisiana Tech Nov. 18 San Jose State Nov. 25 Purdue Dec. 2 Oregon State Depth Chart: Offense 9 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 81 Ian Sample Sr. - Jason Rivers Jr. WR 82 Ross Dickerson Sr. 88 Chad Mock Sr. SB 7 Davone Bess So. 85 Aaron Bain So. LT 70 Tala Esera Sr. 50 Laupepa Letuli Fr. LG 65 Hercules Satele Jr. 55 John Estes Fr. C 64 Samson Satele Sr. 94 Clarence Tuioti-Mariner So. RG 62 Keith Ah-Soon So. 77 Aaron Kia Fr. RT 72 Dane Uperesa Sr. 73 Larry Sauafea Jr. SB 1 Ryan Grice-Mullins So. 5 Michael Washington So. QB 15 Colt Brennan Jr. 6 Tyler Graunke So. RB 4 Nate Ilaoa Sr. 34 Reagan Mauia Sr. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 98 Melila Purcell III Sr. 93 Keala Watson So. NT 67 Michael Lafaele Jr. 99 Lawrence Wilson Sr. DE 91 Ikaika Alama-Francis Sr. 96 Fale Laeli So. OLB 8 Tyson Kafentzis So. 33 C.J. Allen-Jones So. ILB 44 Adam Leonard So. 13 Brashton Satele Fr. ILB 41 Solomon Elimimian So. 10 Timo Paepule Jr. OLB 58 John Fonoti So. 11 Victor Fergerstrom Sr. CB 34 A.J. Martinez Jr. - Chris Camacho Jr. CB 19 C.J. Hawthorne Jr. - Myron Newberry Jr. SS 43 Brad Kalilimoku Jr. 20 Michael Malala Sr. FS 42 Leonard Peters Sr. 30 Dane Porlas So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 99 Dan Kelly So. P 25 Kurt Milne Sr. KR 34 A.J. Martinez Jr. PR 34 A.J. Martinez Jr.

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For much of head coach June Jones' previous seven seasons at Hawaii, defense has lived deep in the considerable shadow of the run-and-shoot offense as a largely silent and overlooked partner.

Mostly, its job has been to get the ball back for the offense and not to get in the way of the record-setting attack. But the realities of a 5-7 season -- only the second losing campaign in Jones' tenure -- have put defense front and center, and made its upgrade a top priority following some significant and extensive offseason changes.

First, the Warriors dedicated 17 of their 24 scholarships to defense, including nine to defensive backs. In the spring, they moved a few players around to beef up the 3-4 alignment, suggesting that the combination of defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville's urgings and a fifth-place WAC finish struck a responsive chord with Jones.

With nine of 11 starters returning from an offense that was 11th in the nation in total yards and quarterback Colt Brennan back as the triggerman after throwing 35 touchdowns, the Warriors shouldn't lack firepower or depth.

The jury, however, is still out on a defense that has ranked in the bottom quarter of NCAA Division I-A each of the past two seasons. When you give up an average of 35.7 points per game, as the Warriors did last year, ranking 110th among 117 Division I-A teams, and struggle to stop the run, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Special teams, where breakdowns notably cost Hawaii an upset of conference co-champion Boise State, are also getting a needed tune-up.

Offense

The Warriors are opening the playbook wide this year to showcase Brennan, who is one of nine returning starters from the offense that was second in the nation in passing last year at 384.3 yards per game.

The biggest questions will be in how well All-WAC guard-turned-center Samson Satele handles the move and how slimmed-down running backs Nate Ilaoa and Reagan Mauia supply a punch on the ground.

Depth on the line should help fill the loss of Brandon Eaton, but Satele will need to pick things up in a hurry to fill the void left by four-year center Derek Fa'avi.

Sumo-sized Ilaoa and Mauia dropped more than 80 pounds between them in the offseason and are looking to work off a few more before the season opener to get down to 215 and 280, respectively.

Even in Hawaii's pass-happy offense, will there be enough balls to go around on a unit that welcomes back seven players with starting experience?

Foremost among them are slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins, who each had more than 1,100 yards receiving as freshmen last year. Bess made freshman All-America lists after leading Hawaii in catches (89), touchdowns (14), points scored (84) and acrobatic catches. Expect more of the same, as Hawaii is loaded with receivers once again.

Defense

A defensive line that accounts for three of the five returning starters on defense will be the strength of a stop-unit likely to be undergoing renovation up until the Sept. 2 kickoff at Alabama.

Finding two new starters at the corners and depth throughout the secondary is the most challenging assignment for Glanville, and the Warriors won't lack candidates with nine incoming defensive backs and a couple of position shifts.

The experiment to watch is the move of Brad Kalilimoku from inside linebacker to strong safety. The defense will receive a boost if playmaking free safety Leonard Peters receives a medical hardship year from the NCAA.

Inside linebacker Solomon Elimimian, a 5-11, 224-pounder, was the defense's most pleasant surprise last year, starting 10 games and finishing second on the Warriors in tackles (83) as a true freshman.

If sophomore Adam Leonard, who is coming off a knee injury, and freshman Brashton Satele can follow in anything resembling Elimimian's footsteps, this mostly young unit could emerge as a strength.

Specialists

After early struggles with trajectory as a freshman, kicker Dan Kelly found his range and confidence down the stretch.

Punter Kurt Milne averaged 36.1 yards per punt, but the Warriors need to boost net punt return coverage that saw opponents average nearly 16 yards per return.

Final Analysis

As an NFL head coach, Glanville drew curiosity for leaving tickets at the box office for Elvis. This year, as Hawaii's defensive coordinator, he's counting on the Warriors' defense putting in an appearance after giving up 35.7 points per game last year.

How quickly the Warriors can improve defensively will decide how far they go this year. The schedule is tough, with the season opener at Alabama and the two most important WAC games on the road -- Boise State on Sept. 23 and Fresno State on Oct. 14.

The ingredients are there for an explosive offense, but as Hawaii learned last year, even a prolific passing game won't get the Warriors to the postseason without a little defense.