Last season, the Hawaii football team started the season like a lamb and went out like a lion. Expectations were relatively high, but because of a porous defense and an inconsistent offense, the Warriors were not able to meet their lofty goals. It was the same old story for Hawaii: Timmy Chang rang up big numbers and became the all time passing yardage leader in the NCAA, but the defense gave up points hand over fist. As a result, Hawaii finished the season 8-5, and a mediocre 4-4 in the WAC. This year, they face the challenge of retooling their defense and replacing Chang, a revered figure in the state. It's a tall order for June Jones, but he will have a little extra help this season.

The 2004 campaign got off to an horrible start with an embarrassing 35-28 home loss to Florida Atlantic in overtime. The Warriors led 28-19 going into the fourth, only to surrender a field goal and then give up a 31 yard TD pass on fourth down with under a minute to go. Things didn't get any better in the WAC opener, as Hawaii fell at Rice, 41-29. The Warrior defense allowed Rice to rush for over 400 yards, while Hawaii rushed for seven. In their third game though, Jones' team got in the win column with an easy 44-16 triumph over Tulsa. Hawaii outscored the Hurricane 31-3 in the second half to break a 13-13 tie at the break. Chang had a huge day, throwing for 378 yards and three TDs. The Warriors made it two straight with a 48-26 cruise over Nevada. Hawaii actually ran for 251 yards in that game. The season didn't start well, but suddenly, Jones was 2-1 in conference play.

Inconsistency reared its ugly head at that point, and that combined with some tougher opponents made things rocky in the middle of the season. Mike Price's UTEP Miners hammered Hawaii 51-20 in Texas. Some early miscues with the punt team spotted the Miners a 14-0 lead that the Warriors quickly erased, but then UTEP put up 30 unanswered points to ice the game. Hawaii bounced back against a bad SJSU team, 46-28. Chang again threw for over 300, and Hawaii got enough of a running game to keep the Spartans honest. The next contest was a beating that will not soon be forgotten on the islands. After falling behind 3-0 early, Boise State scored 69 consecutive points. The Warriors turned the ball over six times, and the Broncos were too good last season to not capitalize on that number of opportunities. Chang had a nightmare of a game, throwing four INTs. Things got better for Timmy the next week though. Chang broke the NCAA record for passing yards against Louisiana Tech, and the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs, 34-23. Ryan Moats ran wild for Tech, but Chang was the hero with four TD passes. Now came an anticipated battle with rival Fresno State.

It sure didn't go as Hawaii planned it though. The Bulldogs spanked UH, 70-14. They led 49-0 at halftime. Again, defense was the culprit, as FSU rushed for a gaudy 503 yards, and only attempted 11 passes. This was the fourth conference loss for Hawaii, and at that point, their record was 4-5, and there were still two Big Ten teams left on the schedule. Hawaii snapped out of the doldrums by whipping a bad Idaho team, 52-21. Chang threw for 376 yards and six TDs. Then Northwestern, a team that needed a win to be bowl eligible, came to town. The Wildcats scored the game's first 13 points, but Hawaii answered with a 28 point second quarter to take the lead. Chang again topped the 400 yard plateau, and WR Chad Owens added a punt return for a TD. He also had three TD catches. Northwestern had a chance to tie late, but a Brett Basanez pass was intercepted at the Hawaii 11, giving the Warriors a 49-41 win. The next challenge came against Michigan State, a team that had defeated Wisconsin and had nearly beaten Michigan. The Spartans jumped out to a 21-0 lead, only to see the Warriors cut the lead to one going into the fourth. Hawaii took the lead on a sneak by Chang, added another TD, and recovered a late onside kick to shock MSU, 41-38. Chang and Owens came up big again. The wins spurred the Warriors into the Hawaii Bowl, and Chang showcased his talents for the last time at home in a 59-40 win over UAB. He threw for four TDs and rushed for one, and he outlasted Blazer QB Darrell Hackney. The season did not progress the way that Hawaii fans hoped, but it ended with a flourish, and Timmy Chang and Chad Owens capped their magnificent careers at UH with some big performances.

Now, how do you replace a Timmy Chang? He threw for 17,064 yards and 117 TDs in his career. He made his share of mistakes, but he definitely was the focal point of the Hawaii football team. Jones did have some success offensively before Chang took over as quarterback, and in a lot of these passing systems, the new quarterbacks will put up big numbers in their first year as well. The question for the Warriors: who will be that quarterback? Spring practice didn't answer the question. At this point, as many as six players will be fighting for the job. Coming out of the spring, freshmen Inoke Funaki and Tyler Graunke are tied atop the depth chart with senior Jeff Rhode. Rhode is the only one of the three who has ever played in a college game, and the 6-5 pocket passer has thrown a grand total of one pass in his career. Junior college transfer Colt Brennan will get his chance in the fall. Brennan was a walk-on at Colorado before joining Saddleback CC. He will be a non-scholarship player. Last year's primary back-ups, senior Kainoa Akina (7-19, 84 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs in 2004) and sophomore Jack Rolovich (4-8, 37 yards, 1 INT) were cut from the team. They will have a chance to rejoin the team once camp breaks, but that's a week before the USC game, so it is unlikely that either one will start the game. This position obviously is a big concern. Graunke could be the favorite, but there's a long way to go between now and September. Keep an eye on this battle.

There are big shoes to fill at WR as well. Chad Owens accounted for 1290 yards and 17 TDs last year, and he was good enough to be drafted by Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville. He's not the only one that Hawaii will miss. The Warriors say goodbye to three of their top four receivers, and their second leading receiver Jason Rivers (973 yards, 7 TDs) may sit out this season due to academics. With a team that has four receivers on the field most of the time, those are some stiff losses. The leading returner is junior Ross Dickerson, and he had only 15 catches for 143 yards. He's a little guy with good speed. Senior Ian Sample could get a shot this year, and 5-5 sophomore Jason Ferguson from Fairfax High will likely be on the field. He played in eleven games last season. The team's most dynamic offensive player could be senior Nate Ilaoa. He is listed as the starting slot wide receiver and the starting running back, so he will be on the field. Where he plays will depend a lot on incoming talent and where he is needed most. He was a starter as a junior in 2003, but he tore up his knee in the first game. It's been a long road back. Freshman Devone Bass had an excellent spring, and could crack the starting line-up. Junior Marcus Weems played sparingly last season. This group, like the QBs, has very little experience, and the 6-3 Weems is the only player on the current two deep who isn't less than six feet tall. As a result, 6-4 true freshmen Kirk Alexander and Antwan Mahaley could get a long look. This unit is a big question mark.

The running back position also lacks much in the way of experience. Generally, the Warriors' base offense only has one back on the field, so they don't need tremedous depth here. Michael Brewster didn't get a lot of carries last year (113) for a first stringer, but he averaged 6.4 yards a pop and was dynamic. West Keliikipi gave the Warriors a bruiser, and he led the team in rushing touchdowns. Both of those guys are gone. Ilaoa is listed as first string here, and my guess is this is where he will end up. You don't see many 5-9, 240 lb slot backs, and he has excellent speed. Senior Bryan Maneafaiga is listed at #2, but he only had four carries last year. Junior Kala Latuselu is bigger than Maneafaiga, and he played a little last year as well. Ilaoa will likely carry most of the load unless true freshman Mario Cox can make his presence felt early. Cox is built like a bowling ball, has excellent strength, and decent speed. Don't be surprised if he vaults to #2 on the depth chart. Like most of the offense, Jones won't know what he has with this group until the season starts. These guys have a combined 19 carries among them.

Unlike the rest of the offense, the offensive line has some guys who have played a lot, and this group played pretty well last year. Many of the passes in the run and shoot offense are quick ones out of the shotgun, and Chang's mobility helped to avoid some sacks. Still, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and giving up only 17 sacks in 13 games is something to be happy about. Jones uses the running game only as a diversion for the pass. Last year, the team averaged only 20 carries per game. As a result, Jones builds his line around the ability to pass block, and uses quick hitters in the running game. The best of the group is junior left guard Samson Satele. He has been second team all WAC for two straight seasons, and he has the versatility to play center as well. Junior left tackle Tala Esera made honorable mention, so he can play as well. Senior center Derek Faavi will be entering his third season as the starter at that position. Brandon Eaton will likely be the right guard, even though the senior has spent most of his career at right tackle. A familiar name, junior Dane Uperesa, should be the starting right tackle. He started his first game as a redshirt freshman, and hasn't been a starter since. If he doesn't work out there, Hawaii could always move Eaton to tackle and plug in junior Jeremy Inferrera at guard. Inferrera made four starts last season. This group doesn't have the bulk you see at most colleges, but in this offense, they don't have to. The offensive line should be the strength of the offense. They'll have to be, because the Warriors have little experience anywhere else.

Replacing the core of an offense that averaged 36 points and 435 yards per game is a challenge, but at least Hawaii has a recent history of offensive success and a head football coach that prides himself on offense. Retooling the defense is a whole other matter. The Warriors were abysmal on defense last year, giving up 38 points and 488 yards per game. They were especially bad against the run, yielding an atrocious 253 rushing yards per game, last in the NCAA. Jones realized that he needed help on this side of the ball, so he hired Jerry Glanville away from CBS and named him the defensive coordinator. The hiring brought instant name recognition, but does Hawaii have the talent to be good defensively in a very offensive minded conference? Improvement will have to start up front. Besides the poor rush defense, Hawaii only had 29 sacks last season. The good news is that the Warriors bring back their best defensive lineman, senior Melila Purcell. He made the conference's honorable mention team, and led Hawaii in sacks, tackles for loss, quarterback hurries and blocked kicks. Purcell will man the left end spot. However, the other three starters must be replaced. The good news though is that none of the departed starters was a big contributor. The bad news is that none of the new starters has done much on the college level. Junior Ikaika Alama-Francis will be the rush end, but he is only listed at 215 pounds. Rumor has it that he has bulked up since then. The tackles, sophomore Michael Lafaele and freshman Keala Watson, are green. Both have good size though. This is where you could see some new players stepping in right away. Laupepa Tetuli was the jewel of the recruiting class. He's from North Torrance high, where he played mostly offensive line. Tomi Halai from College of the Canyons could provide help at end, and Raphael Ieru from Honolulu decided to stay home to play football. He could be a big factor at tackle at 330 pounds. It's very likely that one or more of the newcomers will crack the lineup, because Hawaii needs immediate help here. It's also possible that Glanville will have the Warriors playing some 3-4 this year.

The linebacker position is also a little unsettled. They do have a solid starter back in senior Tanavusa Moe, who was fifth on the team in tackles despite only playing in nine games. An injury kept him out of the other four. He will man the weakside, and he has a knack for being around the ball. Senior Ikaika Curnan had a huge year in 2003, leading the team with 121 tackles. However, he had a rough year last year. He had an injury, returned, but never got back to form. He started only five games last year. He needs to come up big at middle linebacker to upgrade this unit. Sophomore C.J. Allen-Jones didn't play much as a freshman, but the staff expects big things from his this year on the strong side. He is undersized for that position though at about 200 pounds. Brad Kalilimoku played a lot as a sophomore last year, but the return of Curnan may cut down his time. We could see some newcomers getting into some games, as Jones recruited four linebackers into the fold.

Comparatively, this group has as much experience as unit except for the offensive line. The secondary is anchored by senior free safety Leonard Peters. He led the team in tackles and forced fumbles. He also added four interceptions. He is a ball hawk. Lono Manners should be the starting strong safety, and he made four starts last year before an injury shelved him. Junior Kenny Patton is the team's best corner, and he made 11 starts last season. Turmarian Moreland made a couple of late starts last season at the other corner spot. Hawaii will miss Abraham Eliminian big time, as he was first team all conference last year. He was an excellent cover guy. Maybe his brother Solomon, a true freshman, will get a chance to play this year in the secondary, or even at linebacker.

The Warriors have some big holes to fill here. Owens was a spectacular punt returner. He had an amazing five punt return TDs, and averaged almost 15 yards per return. True freshman Michael Washington could get a shot to replace him. Dickerson and Ferguson did a good job with kickoff returns, so Hawaii should be solid there. The coverage teams were terrible last season, and need revamping. The Warriors will also be working on their kicking game. Nolan Miranda will replace long time starter, Justin Ayat. He started three games in 2003, making three of five field goals and 21 of 22 PATs. He will likely be the kickoff guy as well. Kurt Milne did a poor job with the punting responsibilities last year, so the competition will be on through the fall. Miranda should do a decent job, so replacing Owens and shoring up the coverage teams should be the main priority.

Nothing like starting the season at home against the two time defending champs, and then travelling to Michigan State to face the team that you knocked out of a bowl game last year. The WAC has changed a little, and The Warriors travel to face new conference foe Idaho before come home to battle…a powerful Boise State team. The good news is that Hawaii will host the Broncos and Fresno State for a relatively easy conference tilt. The bad news is that Hawaii has struggled to beat anyone on the road. The Warriors will finish their season at home with back to back tilts against Wisconsin and San Diego State. Needless to say, the non-conference schedule is very tough, so conference success will be imperative this year, unlike last season.

The expectations will not be as high this season as they were the last two. Gone is the Heisman hype for Chang and predictions of a conference championship. Still, Jones has done some of his best work with teams that were not expected to be very good. That will be a tall order with so much inexperience and such a tough schedule. The defense will be better under Glanville because it can't be any worse. However, will the offense be good enough to pick up the slack if the defensive improvement comes in baby steps? With this much inexperience at the skill positions, that question is tough to answer. Expect more of the same from Hawaii on offense, where you'll see them throw 50+ passes a game, no matter who their QB is. Look for more blitzing from the defense, because that was Glanville's MO in Houston and Atlanta. This team could pull an upset or two at home as usual, but it would be surprising if they matched last season's win total of eight.

Questions, comments, or info? Contact me at tvenegas@comcast.net.