Hawaii Warriors Football

It’s Tulsa vs. Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. The offshore and Las Vegas point spread has Hawaii -10 with a total now up to 73.

Tulsa is 9-3 straight up, 8-4 against the spread. Hawaii is 10-3 straight up and 11-3 to the bookmakers. They have covered all seven home games this season.

Tulsa gets 5.2 yards per rush teams that normally allow 4.6, 7.8 yards per pass to 7.3 and 6.4 yards per play to 5.9.

Defensively, they allow 4.0 yards per rush to teams normally getting that same 4.0. However, their pass defense is abysmal, allowing 8.1 yards per pass to teams that usually get 7.0 and 6.2 yards per play to 5.5.

Hawaii gets 5.0 yards per rush to defenses that allow an average of 4.7 and outstanding 9.0 yards per pass to 7.8 and 7.7 yards per play to 6.0, all extremely impressive ratings.

On the other side of the ball, Hawaii allows just 3.5 yards per rush versus squads that earn 4.1, 6.7 yards per pass to 7.0 and 4.9 yards per play to 5.4.

Spread betting trends (all records are against the spread): The Golden Hurricanes are on an 8-1 run overall but are 6-13 as a road underdog of 3.5-10.0. The Warriors are on an 8-0 tear as a chalk, 13-3 overall and 21-8 after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.

Over/under trends: Tulsa has gone under 10-2 after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game and under 20-7 after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.

Hawaii over 8-2 outside the conference.

Top expert pick on this game: ScoresOddsPicks went only 2-1 last night—the second worst performance this month, only making .9 units.

That makes them 28-8 the last 36, but this included Miami Ohio +775 on the money line in the MAC Championship, Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship as the Best Bet of the Year, Oakland December 5 as the Underdog Best Bet of the Year, December 19 the Jets as the Oddsmaker Overreaction Best Bet of the Year and the Bears December 20 as the Monday Night Best Bet of the Postseason. You can see why the bookmakers fear it’s likely the last loser until sometime in 2011.

Now it’s the ESPN Best Bet on Hawaii-Tulsa. It’s a very soft number out there, and ScoresOddsPicks will exploit it. All the biggest factors motivation, coaching, situations, mismatches, depth charts and more. Click now to purchase.

The 24^th ranked Hawaii Warriors will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at Aloha Stadium for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu.  Both teams have a very good chance to win the battle on paper.  Let’s look in between the lines and see what the Keys to the Game really are.

Hawaii Offense

Quarterback Bryant Moniz is one of the country’s top passing threats.  Hawaii leads the nation in total offense and is ranked 10th in passing efficiency at 161.94. The Hawaii offense has posted an average of 39.9 points per game.  Moniz stepped up this season, passing for 36 touchdowns.  Greg Salas and Kealoa Pilares will get the lion’s share of the attempts, but Royce Pollard also seems to pop open for important 3^rd down conversions and “the third receiver" that many defenses overlook. 

Who Has the Better Offense?

·Hawaii

92.5 percent

·Tulsa

7.5 percent

Total votes: 67

Running back Alex Green rushed for well over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. Green is a powerful runner capable of big gains on his own, but the success of the passing game has opened up some huge holes in more than one defense.  Chizzy Dimude is also a back that can hit a hole with speed and accelerate into the defensive backfield.  A balanced attack, or at least enough power running to keep the pass rush honest, is going to be important for the Warriors to maintain to win.

Tulsa Offense

Quarterback G.J. Kinne is a dual threat QB who took the reins of the Tulsa completing 60 percent for 3,307 yards and 28 touchdowns.  Kinne is also their leading rusher, running up 557 rushing yards.  Kinne ended up being voted the Conference-USA's Offensive Player of the Year.

Wide receiver Damaris Johnson is the second leading rusher on the team with 462 yards and leads the team with 771 yards receiving.  Look for Trey Watts, Trae Johnson and Ja’Terian Douglas to make contributions to the scoreboard as well

It is important to note that Tulsa is an extremely balanced ball club.  Nineteen different players accounted for at least 100 yards either running or receiving. None however went over 557 yards rushing or 771 yards receiving for the season.  The Golden Hurricanes rank among the top 15 nationally in passing and rushing yards per game. If they can mix in the run and sustain drives, they will be able to control tempo.  It will also help in negating the home team crowd advantage.

Hawaii Defense 

The Warriors have a fair defense overall but it will take extra work on the linebacker corp to stop the Golden Hurricane. Hawaii is the No. 1 team in the nation in pick-offs, averaging an adjusted 1.8 per game. 

UH also can bring pressure to bear on quarterbacks, and Kinne has been sacked 24 times in 429 attempts ranking 83^rd nationally in pass protection.  This indicates the chance for effective blitzes to work.  Corey Paredes, Richard Torres, Vaughn Meatoga, Kamalu Umu and Mana Silva have their work cut out for them, but appear to have a ripe hunting ground. 

The Warriors will need to continue on the same road they have been on all season with the exception of the Boise State loss.  A proper balance of blitz and cover packages should keep the Golden Hurricane offense off balance and prone to making the turnover mistakes.

Tulsa Defense

Tulsa's pass defense has not looked very good all year. Tulsa won against a lot of poor passing teams but lost to three of the top 25 passing teams with one scoring 65 points on them. They defeated No. 8 Houston but the Cougars had to play their freshman quarterback that they intercepted five times.  Tulsa has had some trouble keeping their opponents off the scoreboard giving up nearly 30 points a game.

Tulsa's defense will need to step up and concentrate on making defensive stands that yield little or no points regardless of the passing yardage.  Tulsa gave up only 21 points against June Jones’ SMU Mustangs. The game was still a loss, but while still allowing 381 passing yards the game was still in the realm of winnable.

The Golden Hurricane is 34th in red zone defense, so defensive stands with at least two picks in the game is their best shot at a win. Tulsa is also 91^st against 3rd downs and a great deal of improvement will be needed here as well.  Marco Nelson, Dexter McCoil and Cody Wilson will have to have top play all game. 

Tulsa's best bet is to try to intercept Moniz and force him into bad passing decisions.  He has 11 interceptions for the year, which is actually very good for quarterback that has so many attempts per game. Tulsa gets its share of interceptions mainly from McCoil and Nelson, with six pick-offs each. The Hurricane pass rush is good enough to pressure Moniz, who has been sacked 30 times in 508 attempts.  That’s not bad when you consider how much Hawaii airs the ball out.

 

Hawaii Special Teams

Hawaii moved away from Greg Salas returning kicks but has had average success on kickoff returns with Dustin Blount, averaging just over 24 yards per return. Punt returns have been a different matter with Hawaii managing only 4.5 yards per run-back.  The Warriors are giving up an average of 14 yards on returns, including one for a touchdown.

Kicker Scott Enos has been reasonably accurate at 17 of 21 on field goal attempts.  His longest 40 yards. Punter Alex Dunnachie is averaging 43.1 yards.

Tulsa Special Teams

Tulsa has been very good on punt coverage, giving up a stingy 2.1 yards per return.  Two touchdowns were also surrendered on kickoff returns on the other hand. Tulsa also has had five kicks blocked which haven't helped the field goal unit.  Kevin Fitzpatrick has hit only 14 of 22 field goal attempts with a longest of 47 yards. Punter Michael Such is averaging 42.9 yards.

Damaris Johnson is college football's current all-time leader in kick return yardage with 3,308 yards.  Johnson is 12.1 yards on punt returns and just over 27 yards on kickoffs. He has recorded one touchdown return for each.

Home Field Advantage

Home field advantage in a bowl game usually is not a factor as bowl games are normally played at a “neutral” site.  This is not the case for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.  The whole idea of the Hawaii Bowl was to have a bowl game that Hawaii could play in, if Hawaii produced a bowl-eligible record. Hawaii always plays a lot better at home. Even more so than many teams. 

The first reason is that opponents generally play worse due to travel time and time zone.  Many teams fall into “vacation mode” which only adds to their disadvantage.  Combine that with a better than expected attendance for the game and the advantage is clearly to the Warriors.

Final Thoughts and Prediction

All in all Tulsa has an outside chance of winning this bowl game, but it is really somewhere between slim and none.  Tulsa has to rely mainly on Kinne to win this game for them. 

This offense has to keep the Warrior offense off the field with a controlled, balanced, time consuming attack on every offensive possession.  Try as they might, the Tulsa secondary does not appear up to the task of covering the talented receiving cadre of Salas, Pilares and Pollard. 

Major contenders like Nevada and Army have both discovered how quickly Hawaii can strike for a score.  The Hawaii offense made its presence known in both the USC and Colorado games.  They were able to score and actually had a chance to win both games but fell short.  The Golden Hurricane will be looking closely at how Boise State contended with the Hawaii passing attack.

Hawaii, on the other hand, is really in the catbird’s seat, so to speak.  The main task would be to disrupt G.J. Kinne at every turn and don’t give up the cheap score.  As always, turnovers will play a big factor in the battle.  Hawaii must not be forced into making bad plays.  Patience will pay off dividends for the offense. 

If the Warriors keep to the game plan, protect the ball and keep everything in front of them defensively, the scoring opportunities will be there.

I look for Tulsa to put up a respectable fight, but in the end, it should be a Hawaii win.  Most statistical info leads me to predict a 45-21 final score in favor of the Hawaii Warriors.

For more articles on the University of Hawaii, visit Doc's website: www.hawaii.sportsrap.com

When a volcano erupts it can get awfully fiery and the lava could melt anything in the way until it cools off.  The University of Hawaii Warriors football team is just as hot, but they don’t want to cool off.  Going forward, they’ve won nine of their last 10 games. 

The football team representing the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane is also wearing the ring of fire.  They’ve won eight of their last nine. 

This will be a match between the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA.

The combatants will meet up in the ninth annual Hawai’i Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.  On Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN, they’ll get it in.  With a payout of over $700,000 for both NCAA Division I programs, the competition will be fiery.

Neither team does much trash-talking.  Fanning the flames of a hot team can be dangerous. 

Can the strong winds of the Hurricane blow some of the Hawaii pass attempts down?  They’d better, if they want to be competitive in the Hawai’i Bowl.  They should see a lot of flying objects and some opportunities for interceptions. 

Once known as the “Rainbow Warriors,” Hawaii could send enough footballs flying through the sky to make it rain.  Which team, meanwhile, will rain on the others victory parade? 

Like their wide receivers were on parade, Hawaii (10-3, 7-1) sports the No. 1 pass offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision.  Hawaii is the only state made up entirely of North Pacific Ocean islands.  Leaving Tulsa’s cornerbacks on an island against Greg Salas could get ugly. 

One of the nation’s best wide receivers and best kept secrets, Hawaii’s Salas scored 24 touchdowns this season. 

His quarterback, Bryant Moniz, leads the FBS in total offense.  He had 4,629 yards and 36 touchdowns passing.  Moniz’s game is like a combination of the young Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan—old school highlight reel Rainbow Warriors quarterbacks.

In this game, the Warriors come in ranked No. 8 in total offense.

Tulsa (9-3, 6-2) also has a volcanic offense.  Averaging over 500 yards per game, they have the No. 5 offense in college football (FBS).  Win or lose in the Hawai'i Bowl, they've had a solid season.  The Golden Hurricane came in second place in Conference USA's West Division.

This is has also been a tremendous season for Hawaii and their coach, Greg McMackin.  He led the program from a losing record last season to the cusp of a bowl victory this one.  It is the first bowl game for the Rainbow Warriors since June Jones led them to the 2008 Sugar Bowl.

Jones is widely recognized as one of the top innovators of the run-and-shoot offense that made Hawaii famous.

Tulsa, too, can sling the pig skin.  They’re ranked No. 16 in pass offense.  In major college ball, G.J. Kinne is the No. 4 ranked player in terms of total offense. 

As Player of the Year in Conference USA as a junior, he rushed for over 700 yards and threw for over 3,300.  He could be a Heisman candidate next season. Like surfers in the Pacific, through potentially tackling waves he is known to go gliding.

Surrounded by natural beauty, tropical climate, clear waters and cool waves, Alex Green is Hawaii’s first 1,000-yard back since 1992.  In the last six games, he put up 100-yard rushing games four.  He’s scored 17 rushing touchdowns.  Tulsa’s defense could have their hands full with him.

Tulsa’s defense is where they really struggle.  They’re ranked No. 107 of 120 FBS squads in total defense.  Their pass defense is ranked 119th.

Surprisingly, in total defense, Hawaii ranked 39th.  Watch for a dynamic safety named Mana Silva, who intercepted eight of their 23 total.   

With two gunslingers at quarterback, "Shootout at the Aloha Stadium Corral," could be the name of this game. 

From a cowboy state (Oklahoma), Tulsa’s only losses were to East Carolina, Oklahoma State and SMU.  They lost by two points, each, to ECU and SMU.  Their most notable win came against Notre Dame on Oct. 30 in South Bend, Ind.

The Golden Hurricane is unranked in the BCS top 25, but this will be their fifth bowl game in six years.  They’ll have to get their minds off paradise and play ball in the bowl in Hawaii. 

A tropical paradise more than a smash-mouth football team, the Warriors finished first in the WAC.  They're ranked No. 24 in the BCS. 

I’ve done OK in predicting the outcomes of BCS games in the past.  Let’s find out how I do on this particular game.

Prediction

This is an exciting and intriguing football matchup because of the contrasts in styles of play. 

Hawaii is No. 106 in rush offense.  Tulsa is No. 15.  The Warriors ran the ball only about 280 times.  The Hurricane had well over 500 carries for the season, and they're very comfortable running the ball at home.

Aloha Stadium has hosted a lot of Pro Bowls and Hula Bowls.  It's also the home of the Hawaii Warriors, and it will prove to be a huge advantage in the Hawai'i Bowl.

In the Hawaiian language, Aloha means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy.  The Hawaii Warriors won’t have any mercy on the Tulsa defense.  The home advantage will be too much for the Golden Hurricane to overcome. 

Hawaii wins it, 45-36.

I've read analysis of the Hawaii Bowl in the past that describes it as a game not worth watching. "Nothing says Hawaii Bowl like a half empty stadium and trash blowing around the field," as one writer put it.

To be fair, most lower level bowl games played in an "NFL-caliber" stadium usually don't fill up all of the seats.  With so many bowl games going on, not to mention the holiday season, it is very difficult to get any more than 40,000 for lower tier bowl games.

With this game I'd expect a little higher attendance, as Hawaii plays their home games in this very stadium year-round. I think this game should be a thrilling match between two potent offenses, and should be fun for the kids of both teams.

Hawaii gets to celebrate a winning season in front of the home crowd, and the kids from Tulsa, Oklahoma (not exactly a tropical paradise) get to spend their bowl game in Honolulu.

Hawaii finished the season ranked 24th overall in the nation, and appears to be on track to getting back to the "June Jones-level success" of 2007.

Bryant Moniz stepped his game up this season, passing for 36 touchdowns. Yes, I'm aware their offense makes it challenging for a quarterback not to put up great numbers, but any time ESPN compares your season to Colt Brennan's 2007, things are going well.

Running back Alex Green rushed for well over 1,00 yards and 17 touchdowns. This balance between the pass and run is a major reason Hawaii claimed a portion of the WAC championship this season and can hang with Tulsa's powerful offense.

Going into the season, G.J. Kinne wasn't thinking about winning many conference awards at the QB position. Most attention was going to the tremendous young gun-slinger Case Keenum in Houston. With a long season full of injuries and tremendous individual play, Kinne ended up being voted the Conference-USA's Offensive Player of the Year.

Leading your team in passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns will do that for you.

If I had to watch one other player on Tulsa's offense, it would be Damaris Johnson, college football's all-time leader in kick return yardage with 3,308 yards.

Prediction

While defense won't be the reason fans tune into this game Christmas Eve, it's worth noting that Hawaii forced 23 interceptions this year, and Tulsa had 19 picks. I think which ever quarterback doesn't make the big mistake wins this ball game. I'm going with Hawaii winning one of college football's most entertaining pre-New Years bowl games in their own back yard.

Hawaii 42 - Tulsa 35

Various Hawaii news resources are reporting that the University of Hawaii football team has been invited to join the Mountain West Conference. It is anticipated the school will accept the offer and place its other sports in the Big West. 

The move by the MWC is odd and overtly hypocritical, considering the conference told BYU less than three months ago it would not consider having the Cougars as a member which didn't play all its sports in the league. 

The move is even more ironic considering one of the professed reasons for the original 8 MWC members leaving the old 16-team WAC, was the financial burden of travel to the islands to play against the Warriors. 

And to boot, soon-to-be members Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State also complained about the high cost of travel to Hawaii. 

It's widely anticipated TCU is set to join (or save) the Big East in football, which would leave the Mountain West Conference football members at a familiar lineup:

• Boise State
• Fresno State
• Nevada
• Hawaii
• Air Force
• Colorado State
• UNLV
• San Diego State
• Wyoming
• New Mexico

Look familiar? It's nearly the old WAC, slightly upgraded. Boise State's attempt to upgrade conferences has left them in a familiar place, as the class of a slightly different group of have-nots. 

Only the league and its teams remain hamstrung by a television contract with Comcast which leaves teams playing on poorly viewed and broadcasted stations which has devastated the programs of Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado State.

BYU is scheduled to begin football independence in 2011, while the University of Utah is headed to the PAC-12. 

By the way, be sure to check out my predictions for the Mountain West Conference this weekend.

Ryan Teeples runs BYUUtahRivalry.com and can be followed at  twitter.com/ryanteeples

"I single-handedly lost this game tonight," said Nevada's Colin Kaepernick after losing 27-21 in an upset that cost the Wolf Pack their Top 25 ranking. Citing his two interceptions and two fumbles, Kaepernick maintained that those mistakes turned what should have been a 21-point victory into a six-point loss.

Indeed, this was without question, Kaepernick's worst game in a very long time. Fumbling the ball early in the game deep in Pack territory set Hawaii up for an easy score. Later, while running for what would have been his 52nd rushing TD, Kaepernick simply dropped the ball, which rolled into the end zone for a touchback.

In the final minutes, after a scoring drive and successful onside kick, Kaepernick led the Pack downfield. With two minutes left and the end zone in sight, his final pass was deflected by his intended receiver into the hands of a defender sealing the victory for Hawaii. Nevada had again lost a game in a pattern familiar to Wolf Pack fans from the past few years. Digging themselves into a deep hole in the first half, only to rally in the second half, outscore the opponent and lose by one score or less. Nevada actually outscored the Warriors 21-10 in the second half, most of those points coming in the fourth quarter.

In all fairness, Hawaii played very well. Kaepernick's errors were costly and but for them, Nevada would likely still be undefeated. But some credit must be given to Hawaii's stout defense that held Nevada in check and their prodigious offense. Warrior QB Moniz was most impressive connecting with multiple receivers while under intense pressure from Nevada's Dontay Moch.

The loss ruined Nevada's hope to remain undefeated when they meet Boise State on November 26. As unpleasant as this loss was for the Wolf Pack, it may have been just as costly to the Broncos. BSU had hoped Nevada would be undefeated and ranked as high as possible when they played them in an effort to make their case for the BCS championship.

But there is an untold story here. Exactly how did Hawaii beat Nevada? What is behind this all-too-familiar pattern of an early hole followed by a furious rally that falls just short? I believe there are two factors, both which are coachable moments.

Hawaii, like SMU did last season, used the "Boise defense" to beat Nevada. What is the "Boise defense"? It is the strategy the Broncos successfully invented to narrowly defeat Nevada the past three years. First, put one or more defenders on Kaepernick at all times. Stop Kaepernick and you stop Nevada. Every one of Kaepernick's keepers but one was greeted by a wall of poi-fed green kahunas.

Second, force him to fumble. Kaepernick carries the ball in his outstretched hand and has become a target for defenders who worry less about tackling him and go after the ball instead.

Third, cut off the running lanes in Nevada's north-south rushing game. Fourth, challenge Nevada's secondary. Although they are playing much better than last season, the secondary still gave up too many big pass plays last night.

Opponents who have been paying attention have used this strategy. Those who haven't, such as Cal, were caught off guard by Kaepernick's speed. Hawaii has obviously been watching.

Nevada can thwart the "Boise defense," but it requires a change in the Wolf Pack's offensive strategy. Nevada cannot simply rush Taua up the middle all night long. If the opponent is tracking Kaepernick like a laser beam, having him run the keeper over and over is not going to work.

Ault and Kaepernick did make the necessary adjustment' with three minutes left in the third quarter it was as if a light finally went on. Suddenly, Kaepernick began with play-action and immediately Nevada began moving the ball and scoring. My question is, "Why did it take nearly 45 minutes before this adjustment was made?"

The season is far from over. Nevada still has six remaining games. If they can win the next four (Fresno State, Idaho, Utah State and New Mexico State) in a convincing manner before they face Boise on November 26, there is still a chance they could get back in the Top 25 and pull off the big upset. But, Kaepernick and the coaching staff have simply got to mix up the play-calling better. A four-component strategy that contains, play-action, the option, a mixture of pass plays and a variety of running plays in a less predictable pattern are what is needed.

Nevada cannot run the same two plays over and over and expect to beat any competent team using the "Boise defense."

There was one bright spot neglected by those who covered last night's otherwise disappointing performance. Kaepernick had his 51st rushing TD. He is now eight away from tying the all-time NCAA record for rushing TDs by a quarterback. With six games left, he still has an opportunity to go down in history as the best rushing QB ever. Nine more rushing TDs and six more games to earn his spot in NCAA history as the best ever.

 With the defections of Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada in 2011, this season is the last year of the WAC as a top tier non-BCS conference and its national relevance. However throughout all of the realignment chaos, Hawaii was left behind in the WAC. Despite its exciting passing offenses and consistent record in the top tier of the league, travel costs and options of better programs on the mainland prevented them from joining the Mountain West. So what does the Hawaii do now? The solution is for Hawaii to leave what is now the Sunbelt West and go independent for football.

 The reasons that Hawaii should go independent are the lack of competition in the weakened WAC, the high probability of gaining more revenues outside of the WAC, and the opportunity to become a national program with increased relevance. First when it comes to competition, Hawaii is the last of the members of the WAC from the pre-Mountain West split in 1999. The remaining WAC schools San Jose State, Utah State, LA Tech (may leave for Sunbelt or CUSA), NMSU, and Idaho are consistently among the weakest programs in the nation and are struggling to even keep their revenues up enough to make football viable. Also, the WAC's strategy to revive the conference includes calling up FCS schools which will further weaken the competitiveness and national prestige of the conference. Hawaii should be able to easily dominate this new WAC for years to come. However, a weak WAC will hurt recruiting, bowl payouts, and national TV exposure which will in the long run bring the Warriors down to the level of their competition.

  However with travel cost issues, how can Hawaii do better as an independent? First Hawaii has no problems scheduling non conference. By using the "Hawaii exemption", teams are encouraged to play at Hawaii to gain an extra regular season game beyond the normal twelve games. Unlike other non-BCS schools, Hawaii has been able schedule home and home games with BCS schools such as USC, Colorado, and Oregon State while even getting single home games against schools such as Cincinnati, Northwestern, Washington, and many others. The allure of rewarding teams at the end of the season with a Hawaiian vacation and NCAA rules will enable Hawaii to schedule games easily and possibly have a BCS school caliber schedule like BYU is attempting to do with its independence (those two schools already have a 10 year home and home agreement). This can escalate Hawaii to nationally relevant program that would receive invites to more prestigious bowl games. Also a Hawaii program playing better opponents can make more money with a private ESPN television deal versus negotiating out of the weakness of the WAC.

 Overall, the pros moving independent outweigh the possible pitfalls that would keep it in the WAC (exit fee). With the ability to play increase competition, revenues, and as a consequence the quality of the program leaving the decimated WAC is the best move for Hawaii football

 For more of Nick's writing on sports, the financial markets, and travel check out his online magazine Contrarian  Lifestyle.

The Hawaii Warriors had traveled over 5,000 miles from the islands of Hawaii to play against the Army Black Knights of West Point Academy.

It was one of those games that had two complete opposite teams that featured opposite offensive philosophies on how to attack the opposing team.  

On one side, you had the Warriors of Hawaii that pass the ball at will in the Run & Shoot offense, which relies on the ability to move the ball through the air and score quickly.

On the other side, you had the Army Black Knights of West Point Academy that run the ball at will in a triple option offense, which relies on the ability of quicker players that can run the ball in a variety of dynamic ways, always moving the ball forward and controlling the clock.

What made this interesting was the fact that the opposing defenses were facing offenses that move the ball against the weak parts of each team's defense. The Warriors defense is weak against the run, where the Black Knights excel. The Black Knights defense is weak against the pass, and Hawaii is probably one of the most elite passing teams out there.

An interesting matchup turned out to be a very interesting game in the end.

The Warriors were able to move the ball at will against the Black Knights defense, as they were forced to put inexperienced players in the game against the four-WR attack of the Warriors' offensive setup. What was surprising was that the Warriors run defense showed up, as they limited the Black Knights on the ground in the first half to less than 40 yards rushing.

The score before the half was 21-7 Hawaii.

Then came the second half, and this was the scariest part of the game, where the Black Knights came out with the running game in which they controlled the ball for most of the second half, leaving the Warrior offense off the field.

After the Black Knights scored, the score then became 21-14 Hawaii. The Warriors got it, I thought.

The Black Knights kicked off the ball to the Warriors, and then out of nowhere, the Warriors fumbled the ball, and the Black Knights recovered it. The Black Knights then proceeded to kill some more time until they scored again.

Now we're in a tie ball game, 21-21.  

Now I started getting worried. The Warriors didn't fumble on special teams this time; QB Bryant Moniz fumbled off a sack by the Black Knights' top sacking specialist Josh McNary, who had multiple sacks for the game. The Black Knights scored again after killing some more time.

Now the Warriors are down 28-21 to the Black Knights. What the hell just happened, I thought?

The Warriors got the ball and moved it down the field with some good runs by Alex Green and some great throws by Moniz, where the Warriors capitalized with a score by Green on the ground.

The score was tied up again at 28-28.

With less than four minutes in the game, I knew what was coming already. The Black Knights were going to run the ball and get into field goal range. As the game came towards the end with 29 seconds left on the clock on Hawaii's 30-yard line, I believe, the Knights were going to run the ball just one last time to get closer and to the middle of the field for a easy FG for their kicker.

Then the unbelievable happened. The Warriors run defense that never showed up during the second half of the game came up with the biggest play of the evening. Defensive lineman Kamalu Umu came up with a big forced fumble as the Warriors had 24 seconds left in the game from the Warriors' 27-yard line to go for the win.

With no timeouts, Moniz threw a couple of big passes where the Warriors receivers came up big, and with less than 10 seconds left on the clock, the Warriors didn't take any chances as they went for the FG on their second down after spiking the ball. Kicker Scott Enos made the kick as the Warriors came away with a HUGE win.

As I watched the game, I came away with such excitement that the Warriors were able to pull a tough away game win against a formidable foe. The Warriors still have a lot to work on as I look forward to the boys from the islands continuing their winning ways. GO WARRIORS!!!

Thank God that the cable in the mainland allows me to watch the Warriors play, unlike the terrible Oceanic Cable back in Hawaii that doesn't even show any of the home games either unless you order it.

We're not here to talk about how bad the Hawaii Warriors played on defense against the USC Trojans.  

What I am here to talk about is how the hell did the Warriors put up 36 points against a USC Trojans defense?  

If anyone watched the Warriors game against the Trojans of USC and is a avid fan of Hawaii, you'd realize that the Warriors offense looks a little different.  

That's because they were in a "pistol" formation running the run & shoot offense from it.

It was outstanding to see how a small change on offense was such a big deal in a game where the Warriors stood toe-to-toe with the big dogs.

Here is how the pistol formation helped the run & shoot offense take one step further towards being tough to stop by any defense. 

Heading into the game against the Trojans, there were many questions and concerns about whether the Warriors offensive line will be able to hold their own against the Trojan front line.  

Especially considering there was only one returning starter on the offensive line and the starting center for the game was a third stringer.

Never thought that a formation change from the regular shotgun formation to the pistol would play a huge role in helping the offensive line block.

In a usual run & shoot offense, it is primarily run out of the shotgun formation. The problem is, the formation works against teams that have major speed at the defensive end position due to the fact that they can shoot up field towards the quarterback without dealing with a slower offensive tackle.

The pistol formation has the QB a little closer to the center than the usual shotgun formation.  

In doing so, a speed DE will be forced to step towards the slower OT than going around him. If a faster DE shoots up field, he'll miss the QB entirely. 

With the OT's getting help from the formation change and a QB that can move around in the pocket, the Warriors ripped apart the Trojan pass defense for 459 yards. 

Hawaii had zero interceptions. That's surprising considering the amount of passes that were thrown. 

The problem with defenses that play the pass too much, especially against a team that runs the pistol formation, is that they are susceptible to giving up huge yardage in the running game especially against a team that spreads the defense out so thin. 

The Warriors had over 129 yards rushing due to the formation change. 

The Pistol formation allows a RB to have a "head start" to run before given the ball so when he runs, he runs with a full head of steam. 

Alex Green averaged 7.3 yards a carry. 

Chizzy Dimude averaged 10.2 yards a carry. That's against a USC Trojan defense for crying out loud!

It was surprising to see that offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich, a Warrior alumni and beloved former Warriors QB, was the person that installed the pistol formation.  

With further research into where he's been after his time in Hawaii, I realize that he incorporated the run & shoot philosophy that he learned in Hawaii to the pistol formation.  

Such results showed up at his last coaching stop at City College of San Francisco Rams.

It isn't surprising to see how well the results of Rolovich's coaching experience helped QB Bryant Moniz play as Rolovich helped another "undersized" QB succeed in Jeremiah Masoli.  

Word is out on what the 2010 Warriors are capable of and it was on National TV display for everyone to see.  

Everyone is surprised, and I'm sure Boise State will have a close eye on Hawaii who may ruin their chances at a National Title BCS title run.