WAC Preview: Hawaii Warriors
July 10th, 2008 by Kevan Lee
With no June Jones, no career-TD leader QB Colt Brennan, and no experienced wide receivers, the Hawaii Warriors’ offense is far from the fantasy scoring machine it was a year ago.
Record-setting QB Brennan is gone, his four top receivers (who totaled over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns last fall) have split, and Jones is plying his trade at SMU.
Former defensive coordinator Greg McMackin is in charge now, and suddenly the Warriors are expected to win games with…defense?
Can Armageddon be far off?
To be sure, the defense will be good, but everyone knows that you don’t win in the WAC with good tackling and gap control. You win with big offenses and the hook-and-ladder. If Hawaii can pull off WAC success with defense, then they will be the first in a long time to do so. But if it doesn’t happen for the Warriors, it will certainly not be from lack of trying.
Linebackers Solomon Elimimian (17) and Adam Leonard (44) (above, Icon SMI)are two of the best linebackers in the WAC, and along with defensive end David Veikune, they form the heart of the Hawaii defense. The play of the front seven should be spectacular, which may be good enough to take pressure off of a so-so secondary.
Still, while the Warrior “D” will be good enough to ward off the lower-tier WAC offenses, Hawaii’s non-conference schedule will make fantasy owners think twice before picking the Warrior defense. Hawaii’s slate features Florida, Oregon State, Washington State and Cincinnati—a murderer’s row for any WAC school. Plus, the Warriors will be traveling to conference favorites Boise State and Fresno State. The defense will be hard-pressed to put up outstanding performances in these situations, and considering that these games represent half of Hawaii’s season, fantasy owners might be better off looking elsewhere for consistent defensive points.
So much pressure rests on the defense because of the complete overhaul of the offense. First and foremost, the Warriors have to replace NCAA record-holder Colt Brennan, who finished third in Heisman voting last year and was a fantasy MVP for a lot of teams.
Vying for his spot are former Brennan fill-in Tyler Graunke and last year’s third-stringer Inoke Funaki. Graunke, who came in for an injured Brennan at times last season, has the most in-game experience, but his off-field troubles may cost him a chance to start. He had academic issues that kept him out of spring practice and gave Funaki a chance to shine.
And shine he did. Funaki, who trailed in the QB competition prior to spring, performed so admirably that the two quarterbacks are virtually neck-and-neck coming into the fall. Graunke is the more traditional Hawaii quarterback, cut from the same mold as Brennan and Timmy Chang. Funaki gives the offense a different look, as the junior is effective under center in a departure from Hawaii’s famous run-n-shoot. Also stay tuned for new JUCO QB Greg Alexander or Brent Rausch.
The quarterback’s numbers could suffer, though, considering that the wide receiver position will be just as green as the quarterback position. Malcolm Lane, the team’s leading returning receiver, had just 270 yards last year, and he will be the veteran in a group that has the unenviable task of replacing some of the most productive receivers in school history. Lane will have his work cut out for him, and he should expect to have a lot of balls thrown his way. Plus, Lane is a dynamic return man who should be good for at least one special teams score this year.
Surrounding Lane are a number of other unproven wideouts. Aaron Bain, Mike Washington, and Greg Salas will all have a chance to earn significant playing time this fall. Even last year’s leading rusher Kealoha Pilares has been experimenting at slot receiver to provide the Warriors a little taste of the game-changing ability of last year’s group.
If Pilares remains at wide receiver, RB Leon Wright-Jackson should have the primary rushing duties. Hawaii has never been known as a run-first team, but the change in philosophy from offense to defense should place more emphasis on the ground game. Wright-Jackson stands to benefit most since the new offensive coordinator Ron Lee likes big backs who can add to the blocking scheme. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season, and his numbers should be good if he gets a season’s worth of carries. The other big backs on the roster (think Nate Ilaoa) are juniors Mario Cox and JUCO Jake Heun.
One position that the Warriors won’t have to worry about is kicker. First-team All-WAC selection Dan Kelly returns and should be even better than he was last fall. Kelly was clutch for the Warriors, hitting the big field goals when he had to. However, he wasn’t accurate when it didn’t count, finishing the season 12-for-17 overall. He was called on quite often last season for PATs with the high-scoring Warrior offense constantly in the end zone. This season, with the offense in flux, he could find himself needed for more field goals—a fact that fantasy owners certainly won’t mind.
Conclusion
You might not recognize Hawaii when you see them play this year. First off, their defense will outshine their offense. Secondly, they’ll be playing some terribly tough D-1A /FBS competition. And the biggest change of all will be the unfamiliar faces in the huddle and on the sidelines.
Fantasy owners, too, will have a hard time recognizing the stars. Brennan and Co. were fantasy legends, and the group filling their shoes is decidedly less of a sure-thing. Quarterbacks Graunke and Funaki should be better than a handful of other WAC starters, but with little experience, both will be far down the depth chart in any fantasy draft. The best option might be Lane, who should have plenty of opportunities to make plays with the ball in his hands, and Kelly, who will be busy on field goals and PATs.
Times are changing on the islands, and it remains to be seen whether or not relying on defense to win games will work in the WAC. As far as fantasy football is concerned, the change is not for the better.
Kevan Lee runs a website for Boise State football called One Bronco Nation Under God (OBNUG). For the best Bronco news, humor, and commentary, visit www.obnug.com.
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