Game Week: Nevada - Wednesday News

HawaiiAthletics.com has a press release with info and a link to game notes for this Saturday's matchup.

uhwarriors has posted this week's Na Koa lunch report up on Na Koa's website. Here's an excerpt:

When asked about the offensive plan to go under center more this year, Coach Aranda said that was the plan originally and thought that we aren’t doing it because of the evolution of the offense with Inoke Funaki as the quarterback. With the package Funaki can run out of the shotgun, it presents a lot of different issues for defense in both the running game and the passing game.
Discipline is something they are focusing on. They talk about it everyday. Coach Aranda said they make sure to point out good examples as well as bad examples to reinforce what they are saying. If a player doesn’t get the message, he will be replaced.

Via the Idaho Statesman, here's a pretty sad game preview from the Sports Network.

With Funaki and Alexander being taken down over and over again last week, the Warriors are now faced with having one of the weakest offensive lines in the nation, allowing close to four sacks per game to rank last in the WAC and 118th in the country. Far from the offensive juggernaut that Colt Brennan and his downfield associates brought to Hawaii the past couple of season, the team is currently just eighth in the league and 99th in the nation with a meager 19 ppg.

Sorry for posting that, but I've been slow to realize or just in denial over how much things have changed. But I feel confident that the coaching staff will make the necessary adjustments on offense.

Jason Kaneshiro talks to Daniel Libre about filling in for Kealoha Pilares and recovering from his early-season ankle injury.

"You hate to see somebody go down like that, especially with how hard he worked in the offseason," Libre said. "The rest of us have to pick up where he left off."

Libre enters the week as the Warriors' second leading rusher with 204 yards on 45 carries. Though his ankle still isn't quite where it was at the start of the season, "it's definitely not anything that's going to stop me from playing," he said.

Stephen Tsai profiles Solomon Elimimian, who is nearing the school record for career tackles.

Against Nevada Saturday at Aloha Stadium, Elimimian needs four tackles to become the Warriors' career leader in that category.

He trails Levi Stanley, who amassed 366 career tackles.

But Elimimian downplayed the quest, saying, "I just want to win, and right now we're losing."

Head coach Greg McMackin praised Elimimian as a "great player. He and Adam (Leonard, an outside linebacker) are two of the best who have ever been here. I compare Solly to Pisa (Tinoisamoa) and Jeff Ulbrich."

Tsai also has news and notes about Jovonte Taylor withdrawing from school, Daniel Lofton returning kicks and Keith AhSoon recovering from injury.

Jason Kaneshiro has injury updates and writes that Royce Pollard is set to receive more playing time.

"I feel like I have a good understanding of how the pace is and not to rush through things," Pollard said, "just relax and just apply what we do in practice."

Pollard redshirted last season and opened some eyes by turning in big plays in the Warriors' scout bowl during their bye week last month and again last week.

"He made some good plays in the game, he's been steadily improving and he's an excellent freshman so he's going to see more action," McMackin said. "He's taken advantage of his opportunities and that's what we always tell them. He's doing good in practice, I'm really excited about him."

Dan Hinxman of the Reno Gazette Journal has some notes about the game.

And the Statesman reports that Nevada QB Colin "The Cyborg Gazelle" Kaepernick was, and may still be, in Chris Ault's doghouse.

Nevada sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick could be on his way to WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Or he could be headed to the bench.

Kaepernick, the league leader in total offense and tied for the lead in touchdowns scored, was benched for the first quarter of Nevada's 44-17 victory against Utah State last week.

Ault said Kaepernick, the reigning WAC freshman of the year, would start Saturday night at Hawaii. But the coach did not sound overly confident.

"Probably Kaepernick," Ault said when asked who would start. "It's fairly definite."