GameDay: Hawaii at Idaho

Stephen Tsai has an update on Colt Brennan's status.

Although he has "tweaked" the right ankle a couple of times in practices, the soreness has subsided after ice treatments.

"I'll be fine in the game," said Brennan, who will not take any pain-killing shots. "Game-day adrenaline is unbelievable. I could have played last week and been fine. Trust me. But the rest was good, and I'll be that much more ready this time."

Dave Reardon's gameday preview has probable starting lineups, breakdowns on both sides of the ball, and this key matchup:

Idaho (lack of) consistency vs. Hawaii explosiveness

Idaho has some talented players, but not enough to afford costly mistakes, especially against a team with as many offensive, defensive and special teams weapons as Hawaii. Five of UH's 31 touchdowns have been scored by defense or special teams. The Vandals have generally played well, but made critical errors at key junctures.

A popular way to try to slow down the run-and-shoot is to mix zone coverages with blitzes in an attempt to contain the Warriors for short gains and pressure the quarterback. But UH's receivers run well after the catch, and Brennan does a good job of detecting blitzes and audibling into quick passes.

If this approach is to have a chance, it must be paired with a ball-control offense that also scores points while eating the clock.

Idaho coach Robb Akey tells the Idaho Statesman how he plans to defend the UH offense.

Because Brennan has a quick release and doesn't get sacked often, the Vandals may have to find an alternative way to pressure the run-and-shoot offense. Idaho has recorded only three quarterback sacks in its first four games.

"Just like you can blitz a quarterback, you can blitz receivers a little bit," Akey said. "You have to have two answers, you can't do just one. More than anything, they do what they do and they do it very well. And they don't care what you do. Hopefully we can change it up enough to where we can keep the big plays to a minimum."

Another Idaho Statesman article discusses the Vandals' emphasis on special teams.

"It's the biggest game-changing play that can happen during a game," said Idaho sophomore Shiloh Keo, who returned a punt 100 yards for a score last week. "You get the biggest momentum swings out of special teams play."

"In regards to playing quality opponents and having an opportunity to win this conference, the special teams have got to play a role in that," Idaho coach Robb Akey said. "We've made good progress in regards to having that happen."

Stephen Tsai's gameday preview has probable starting lineups and breakdowns of offense, defense and special teams for UH and Idaho. Tsai also talks to the players about the Kibbie Dome lights.

The Warriors' biggest adjustment will be the yellow-shaded lighting in the Kibbie Dome. The lights also are lower than at Aloha Stadium. "You have to concentrate more," said Grice-Mullins, who played in the dome as a second-year freshman in 2005. The four starting receivers — as well as Brennan — wear clear visors on their helmets. "You'd be surprised how the clear visors shield the light," Grice-Mullins added.

Tsai also writes that Jason Rivers did not practice this week and may be held out of the game.

Ferd Lewis writes about this UH team being able to play and practice on the road.

For it wasn't too many years ago when any venture out of Aloha Stadium was a toss-up — or worse. Any game away from home, especially up in altitude and down in temperature was a cause for deep concern. The slightest things that could go wrong usually did. Even when it was just the seemingly routine opening coin flip.

If the Warriors didn't play their best, they usually didn't win. And if they were off their game, look out, it had a tendency to get ugly.

But these Warriors — and we're talking since June Jones took over in 1999 in general and the last two campaigns in particular — have shown an ability to do more.

And finally, best wishes to Star-Bulletin columnist Kalani Simpson, who's leaving the paper and moving to the mainland.

No, as many of you know, my wife is from the mainland and we're moving closer to her family. We're moving to the mainland for all the reasons families move to the mainland. It's tough to make it work in Hawaii; it's worth it, but that doesn't make it any less tough. We're moving because the dollar goes further. We're moving because we want to have more kids. It's very much a family decision, a life-decision thing.

Suddenly you sound like Ken Griffey Jr.

Thank you for not using Dennis Erickson.

It's tough. It is sad. But it's the best thing for our family, and we're looking forward to the new adventure ahead.

When he was on, he wrote some of the best columns around.

And regardless, he always kept it interesting.

I really enjoyed the humor he brought to the table.

And as you can tell...

His writing style has rubbed off on me.

I kid, I kid. All the best to Kalani Simpson!

And... GO WARRIORS!!!!