Game Day: UH vs Idaho

It's game day, baby! Win this one, and UH gets to play another on Christmas Eve. But first thing's first, UH has to contend with Idaho's #4 passing offense in the nation. Of course, UH has the #1 passing offense in the nation, so should be a fun and possibly long game. GO WARRIORS!!!!!!

Chawan has last night's Cut, with previews of tonight's UH-Idaho game.



Stephen Tsai's game day preview breaks down the offense, defense and special teams for both UH and Idaho. Here's an excerpt about the UH special teams:

After a week of auditioning punt returners to replace injured Ryan Henry, it appears the Warriors will go with Greg Salas. The post-practice auditions have benefited Alex Dunnachie, who has used the extra work to try to improve his hang times. He usually averages 4.5 seconds of hang time, which is within the acceptable range. "But the bad ball is a 3.9, and that's the one that's been killing us," Dunnachie said.

Jaymes Song of the AP previews the game.

"We're feeling really good about ourselves right now as far as working together. Everybody's on the same page," said Warriors quarterback Bryant Moniz, who leads the nation in passing and total offense. "We feel like we can't be stopped. As long as we execute our assignments, we'll keep going."

And no one has been able to slow down Hawaii the past six weeks. The Warriors have outscored their opponents 223-83 in that span, including a 45-7 win last week at Utah State when they outgained the Aggies 605-181 in total yards.

"They're playing very well right now," Idaho coach Robb Akey said. "We'll be playing against a football team that has a great deal of confidence right now."

Josh Wright of The Spokesman-Review previews the game.

Led by linebacker Corey Paredes and safety Mana Silva, the Hawaii defense ranks second in the WAC. It handcuffed Nevada two weeks ago in an upset of the then-No. 19 Wolf Pack and held Utah State to a lone touchdown last week.

“Even our coaches said this is probably going to be one of the toughest defenses we face all year,” Idaho tight end Daniel Hardy said. “And I think they take pride in being a good defense, because they’re more known for their offense nationally. I think they kind of use that as a chip on their shoulder and they play that way.”

Tsai has some news and notes about the team's improvement over the course of the season, and facing Idaho QB Nathan Enderle.

"We're getting better, but this will be a big test," Aranda said of Idaho. "The quarterback (Nathan Enderle) is the best thrower we've seen this year. He reminds me of the USC guy (Matt Barkley). They're both very smart, and they have great touch. ... You can tell when you look at (Idaho's) offense, they have attitude and they have swagger. They have confidence, and they should."

And Ferd Lewis writes that you only have so much time left to appreciate Greg Salas in a UH uniform.

Greg Salas' career at the University of Hawaii is looking a lot like the player himself, gone before you know it.

The darting moves and sudden acceleration the slotback uses to burst past defenders just about sum up his stay with the Warriors.

I mean, can it really be, beginning with tonight's game against Idaho, that Salas has just three regular-season appearances left in a Warriors uniform at Aloha Stadium?

Somehow, this is already game No. 44 for Salas, and the next thing you know those trademark touchdown handshakes with be gestures of goodbye, too.