GameDay: UH at Utah State

Stephen Tsai's gameday preview has probable starting line-ups and breakdowns of offense, defense and special teams for both teams.

Jason Kaneshiro's gameday preview has breakdowns, stats, lineups and highlights this key matchup:

UH secondary vs. Utah State QB Diondre Borel

A receiver/kick returner as a freshman, Borel has improved his throwing of late to complement his elusiveness out of the pocket.

While Hawaii's defensive backs will need to help contain the running game when Borel tucks the ball, they'll also have to maintain their coverage downfield or risk having him throw over them.

Jason Kaneshiro writes about a reunion at Ogden.

They're also sharing living space at the Ogden Marriott with Portland State, led by former Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville and assistant Mouse Davis. The Vikings are in town for a Big Sky Conference game today at Weber State.

Speaking of Weber State, the Warriors held their final walk-through yesterday at the Wildcats' practice field.

Among the visitors to the light workout were Weber State head coach Ron McBride, whose Wildcats left Aloha Stadium with a 36-17 loss to UH on Sept. 6.

Tsai has some notes about the reunion and talks to Nick Rolovich about the offense.

In past weeks, offensive coordinator Ron Lee drew criticism — unwarranted, Rolovich said — for cautious play-calling. But Rolovich said Lee was trying to limit the mistakes of a developing offense.

"He did what he felt was our strength (at the time)," Rolovich said.

With more weapons, Lee was able to open up the offense last week.

"You've got to have some (guts) to call this offense," Rolovich said. "(Lee is) really stepping up. I mean, his scripts, play-calling, the different concepts he's throwing into practices — it's been great."

Jared Elborn of Deseret News has an article about Utah State trying to get over their heartbreaking loss to Fresno State as they prepare for this game.

The Aggies, without a bowl game to play for, are still hoping to finish the season with some positive momentum. Though they have lost four straight, the Ags have shown signs of competitiveness in recent weeks.

"We want to get it out of our minds and focus on Hawaii as soon as possible. We have another tough game coming up," offensive lineman Brennan McFadden said. "They are a good team, and we don't want to have this lingering over our heads all week."

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that the Aggies are still seeking a signature win.

"They are a different-looking team, but they have found a way to win games," Guy said. "That's because they still have the residue of winning from last year. A lot of those guys from the BCS bowl are still on the football team. They forced six turnovers to win at Fresno and won late against Nevada. So they have found a way to win and we are going to have to play to win against Hawaii, instead of playing not to lose."

And Ferd Lewis writes about Utah State's "Aggony".

Utah State — the Warriors' opponent today in a 9 a.m. (Hawai'i time) Western Athletic Conference game — is the program that success forgot.

More like bypassed completely. What the 1-7 (1-3 WAC) Aggies are experiencing is referred to hereabouts as "Aggony." It is 11 consecutive losing seasons and no turnaround in sight.

Aggies' coach Brent Guy is in the fourth year of a five-year contract. At 7-36, he might need a victory over UH today to save his job in a place where the accumulated frustrations have mounted like the nearby Wasatch Range. If 25,513-seat Romney Stadium is even half full, it will be a surprise.