Hawaii missed a bowl game last season, despite a 6-7 record. For this year, the Warriors descided to start a new era, firing head coach Greg McMackin and bringing in Norm Chow to try to get the program back on the winning track. You can follow the odds and get expert picks on the Warriors this season with the experts over at Football Free Picks.
Chow has had a decorated career that includes recent stints with Utah, USC, NC State and BYU as the offensive coordinator. However, in all his years in the football limelight, this will be his first year as a head coach. Chow takes over with just 10 starters and 54 lettermen returning.
Offense
The Warriors feature one of the most potent offenses in the land every single year. They put up 31.5 points and 404 total yards in 2011 behind a pass-happy attack. With Chow running the show, he will put more balance on the offense and will be working with six returning starters on this side of the ball.
Quarterback Bryant Moniz leaves Hawaii as the third-leading passer in school history with 10,169 passing yards. His production will be sorely missed and the Warriors will likely take a big step back as they go with junior QB David Graves as the starter.
Hawaii returns its leading rusher in sophomore Joey Iosefa, but he is expected to move to fullback in the new scheme. The move should allow talented redshirt freshman Will Gregory to take on the bulk of the carries this season. Senior Sterling Jackson will also be fighting Gregory for touches.
While the receiving corps loses its top pass catcher in Royce Pollard, this unit returns basically everyone else. Junior WR Billy Ray Stutzmann and senior WR Jeremiah Ostrowski are the best of the bunch. Senior TE Darius Bright should also be given more opportunities this season.
The offensive line allowed a ridiculous 41 sacks in 2011. The new scheme will be featuring more running plays and the Warriors need to be more physical in order to find success with the scheme. They'll have a steep learning curve however as only three linemen are coming back with starting experience and only 20 career starts return. Senior RT Levi Legay is most likely their best lineman as they will feature three underclassmen up front.
Defense
The Warriors have had trouble on defense in recent years and 2012 doesn't seem likely to be any better for them. This unit is likely to struggle once again considering they have only four starters returning.
The losses are heavy along the defensive line with second-team All-WAC DT Vaughn Meatoga, second-team All-WAC DT Kaniela Tuipulotu, DE Zach Masch and DE Liko Satele all gone. Their one returning starter is senior DE Papai Falemalu and he should be the leader of this inexperienced unit.
The Warriors also lose some valuable pieces at linebacker, as they part ways with their top two tacklers in first-team All-WAC Aaron Brown and second-team All-WAC Corey Paredes. Their lone starter is a good player in junior SLB Art Laurel. The other five returnees however combined for just 26 tackles last year.
The Warriors should be alright in the secondary. They will have to replace second-team All-WAC safety Richard Torres and starting corner Tank Hopkins, but otherwise they have a solid foundation returning. Corners Mike Edwards and John Hardy-Tuliau are solid and Georgia Tech transfer Brandon Leslie will fill in at strong safety.
Mountain West Prediction - 9th Place
The Warriors have a lot of question marks heading into 2012. They take a big step back at quarterback, and their offensive line is a mess. They also lose numerous All-WAC selections on defense from a year ago. The team will have only two winnable home games against New Mexico and UNLV, and they'll have a tough time competing with better teams after those contests. The new season will definitely be a rebuilding season for Chow as they will miss out on a bowl game for the third time in a row and will also be among the bottom of the totem pole in the Mountain West.
Chow has had a decorated career that includes recent stints with Utah, USC, NC State and BYU as the offensive coordinator. However, in all his years in the football limelight, this will be his first year as a head coach. Chow takes over with just 10 starters and 54 lettermen returning.
Offense
The Warriors feature one of the most potent offenses in the land every single year. They put up 31.5 points and 404 total yards in 2011 behind a pass-happy attack. With Chow running the show, he will put more balance on the offense and will be working with six returning starters on this side of the ball.
Quarterback Bryant Moniz leaves Hawaii as the third-leading passer in school history with 10,169 passing yards. His production will be sorely missed and the Warriors will likely take a big step back as they go with junior QB David Graves as the starter.
Hawaii returns its leading rusher in sophomore Joey Iosefa, but he is expected to move to fullback in the new scheme. The move should allow talented redshirt freshman Will Gregory to take on the bulk of the carries this season. Senior Sterling Jackson will also be fighting Gregory for touches.
While the receiving corps loses its top pass catcher in Royce Pollard, this unit returns basically everyone else. Junior WR Billy Ray Stutzmann and senior WR Jeremiah Ostrowski are the best of the bunch. Senior TE Darius Bright should also be given more opportunities this season.
The offensive line allowed a ridiculous 41 sacks in 2011. The new scheme will be featuring more running plays and the Warriors need to be more physical in order to find success with the scheme. They'll have a steep learning curve however as only three linemen are coming back with starting experience and only 20 career starts return. Senior RT Levi Legay is most likely their best lineman as they will feature three underclassmen up front.
Defense
The Warriors have had trouble on defense in recent years and 2012 doesn't seem likely to be any better for them. This unit is likely to struggle once again considering they have only four starters returning.
The losses are heavy along the defensive line with second-team All-WAC DT Vaughn Meatoga, second-team All-WAC DT Kaniela Tuipulotu, DE Zach Masch and DE Liko Satele all gone. Their one returning starter is senior DE Papai Falemalu and he should be the leader of this inexperienced unit.
The Warriors also lose some valuable pieces at linebacker, as they part ways with their top two tacklers in first-team All-WAC Aaron Brown and second-team All-WAC Corey Paredes. Their lone starter is a good player in junior SLB Art Laurel. The other five returnees however combined for just 26 tackles last year.
The Warriors should be alright in the secondary. They will have to replace second-team All-WAC safety Richard Torres and starting corner Tank Hopkins, but otherwise they have a solid foundation returning. Corners Mike Edwards and John Hardy-Tuliau are solid and Georgia Tech transfer Brandon Leslie will fill in at strong safety.
Mountain West Prediction - 9th Place
The Warriors have a lot of question marks heading into 2012. They take a big step back at quarterback, and their offensive line is a mess. They also lose numerous All-WAC selections on defense from a year ago. The team will have only two winnable home games against New Mexico and UNLV, and they'll have a tough time competing with better teams after those contests. The new season will definitely be a rebuilding season for Chow as they will miss out on a bowl game for the third time in a row and will also be among the bottom of the totem pole in the Mountain West.
About the Author:
Jack Jones is an expert handicapper who writes and provides picks for Betfirms.com. Head there now to read more about the Warriors' upcoming season.
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