WAC POTWs, Wazzu Reviews, Vegas

Congratulations to Greg Alexander and Corey Paredes, who were named the WAC offensive and defensive players of the week.

Alexander, a senior from Santa Rosa, Calif. (Santa Rosa College), passed for a career-high 453 yards and three touchdowns in Hawai'i's 38-20 win at Washington State. He was 26-of-36 with no interceptions and teamed up with Rodney Bradley for a 73-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. It was his first 400-yard passing game and the most by a Warrior quarterback since Colt Brennan threw for 497 yards against Boise State in 2007.

Paredes, a sophomore from Kane'ohe, O'ahu (Castle HS), made his first career start and led Hawai'i with eight tackles (6 solo) in the win at Washington State. In the first quarter with UH leading 14-0, Paredes forced a fumble that the Warriors recovered in the endzone resulting in a touchback. He also had a three-yard sack and another forced fumble in the second quarter. The Hawai'i defense forced seven turnovers in the game.

Dave Reardon highlights five big plays from Hawaii's 38-20 victory over Washington State in this week's Warrior Replay.

Jim Moore of Cougfan.com reviews the game.

IF YOU SAW the game, you know that the Cougs just couldn’t keep up with the much quicker, much faster Warriors. The coaches sounded as if they were surprised by Hawaii’s team speed. Whatever the case, there were examples all afternoon long of receivers either getting open or breaking tackles and outracing Cougar defensive backs.

I jotted down a note to myself that the Cougs were off to a rough start when they trailed 14-0 and had to take a timeout because they weren’t prepared for the start of their next drive. At the time I thought they were poised to rally and get back in the game. I didn’t think it would get a lot worse.

It did. A guy behind me mock-cheered when Hawaii had a rare incomplete pass. A WSU student in the last row of section 128 had passed out and appeared to be snoozing comfortably, oblivious to the goings-on, and I was in some ways envious.

Stephen Tsai writes that the UH offense is on a Rol(o).

Saturday night, Rolovich made his debut as the Warriors' offensive play-caller. The Warriors rolled up 626 yards — their biggest output since the 2006 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl — in a statement-making 38-20 victory over Washington State at Seattle's Qwest Field. The Warriors raced to a 35-0 lead early in the second quarter against the Pac-10 opponent.

"I have a lot of confidence in Rolo," UH head coach Greg McMackin said. "I recruited him from junior college (in December 1999). I've watched him ever since. He's got the heart and the brains and the work ethic. The whole staff helps him prepare during the week, and they give him some ideas. But Rolo is quick as heck. He's smart. And he made good calls on the field."

Jason Kaneshiro writes about the Warriors in Vegas.

The Warriors are holed up in Summerlin, a suburb miles removed from the temptations of The Strip.

"We treat them just like they're going to school," McMackin said. "So they have certain hours we want them to work on their studies and we have practice and meetings."

Any free time left will be spent on the grounds of the Suncoast Hotel, which comes equipped with restaurants, movie theaters and a bowling alley. There is also a full casino, but McMackin said it is off-limits to players, even those who are old enough to gamble legally.

Kaneshiro also has some national stats:

After a 626-yard performance, the Warriors rank 11th in the country in total offense and fourth in passing offense. Receiver Greg Salas is the nation's leading receiver after two weeks with an average of 187.5 yards, following a career-high 195 yards against WSU. Quarterback Greg Alexander is third in total offense with 422 ypg so far.

Dave Reardon has more about McMackin's gaming ban, which is summed up in this question:

The coach said it comes down to one question.

"Do they want to win this game or not?"

Ferd Lewis writes how this game is a must-win for UNLV.

And thanks to Two Beer Queers for giving this blog a shout-out in their 31st episode.