ANALYSIS
Army marching orders say attack through air

The game could come down to which four-receiver, one-back offense will break out of recent slumps.

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Think Army football.

Think option runs, size-M receivers and a scoreboard clock that keeps tick-tick-ticking.

Think again.

At the start of the 2000 season, newly hired coach Todd Berry implemented a one-back passing attack. The Black Knights lost 30 of 35 games under Berry, who was fired Oct. 13.

But interim coach John Mumford has remained committed to Berry's vision, noting the passing schemes "give us a differential advantage in recruiting over Air Force and Navy." Air Force uses a variation of the run-oriented wishbone and Navy employs the triple-option offense.

With the Black Knights at 0-11 and averaging 8.7 points during the last three games, Mumford acknowledged, "Lord knows we need to do it better, but that's the reason we went to it."

Here's a closer look:

Army offense

• TE—85 Doug Horaist 6-4 235 Jr.
• LT—75 Joel Glover 6-5 291 Jr.
• LG—71 Adam Wojcik 6-4 275 Jr.
• C—51 Justin Troy 6-1 290 Jr.
• RG—67 Pete Bier 6-3 280 So.
• RT—74 Seth Nieman 6-5 305 Jr.
• WR—19 Aaron Alexander 6-6 203 Jr.
• WR—81 Clint Woody 6-6 230 Sr.
• WR—18 William White 5-11 197 Jr.
• QB—7 Zac Dahman 6-0 173 So.
• RB—30 Carlton Jones 5-10 202 So.

Outlook: Look at a diagram of an Army pass play and it will resemble a child's drawing of a breaking wave. The Knights like to align three receivers on the right side, sometimes in a triple stack, and they often run curls or slants to the inside. Another tactic is to lob the ball in the vicinity of elongated receivers Woody or Alexander.

"I'm up against receivers who are 6-6," said Abraham Elimimian, UH's 5-foot-10 cornerback. "I'm like, how the hell did they get into the Army?"

Woody said he was seduced by Berry's promise to open the offense.

"First, you never thought of Army as a passing team," Woody recalled. "I always thought of the option. It was quite exciting to come here. I knew I would get a lot of playing time in a passing offense, and that's what football is all about as a receiver."

Dahman, who looks like Opie but has the in-control presence of Sheriff Taylor, earns the start at quarterback. Reggie Neves started last week for the first time since suffering a leg injury in the season opener, but he was sacked five times and limited to 2-for-8 passing.

Army defense

• DE—56 Mike Clark 6-1 234 Jr.
• DT—98 Will Sullivan 6-3 257 Jr.
• DT—50 Trey Landry 6-3 280 Jr.
• DE—95 Odene Brathwaite 6-4 260 Jr.
• OLB—4 Ryan Kent 6-0 215 Sr.
• ILB—40 Brian Hill 6-3 242 Sr.
• ILB—16 Greg Washington 6-0 225 Jr.
• OLB—31 Curt Daniels 6-0 197 Jr.
• CB—37 Delente Brewer 6-0 191 Jr.
• FS—20 Dhyan Tarver 5-11 180 So.
• CB—29 Ray Stith 5-9 174 So.

Outlook: The Knights align in a 4-4 scheme, which is somewhat deceptive. The outside linebackers are considered to be safeties, and they will match up against UH's two slotbacks.

Kent has been a super man, amassing a team-high 127 tackles, including nine in an opposing team's backfield. Kent is a converted quarterback.

Army specialists

• PK—22 Anthony Zurisko 5-11 205 Sr.
• P—47 Tom Dyrenforth 5-9 187 So.
• KR—18 William White 5-11 197 Jr.
• KR—2 Lamar Mason 5-7 161 Jr.
• PR—29 Ray Stith 5-9 174 So.

Outlook: Zurisko has converted 75 percent of his field-goal attempts, including all six from inside 40 yards, but he was not summoned in five of 11 games.

Hawai'i offense

• LWR—84 Britton Komine 5-10 187 Jr.
• LSB—2 Chad Owens 5-9 174 Jr.
• LT—70 Tala Esera 6-3 283 Fr.
• LG—64 Samson Satele 6-3 289 Fr.
• C—59 Derek Faavi 6-1 273 So.
• RG—69 Uriah Moenoa 6-2 330 Jr.
• RT—66 Brandon Eaton 6-3 287 So.
• RSB—38 Gerald Welch 5-8 190 Jr.
• RWR—19 Jeremiah Cockheran 6-0 190 Sr.
• QB—14 Tim Chang 6-2 194 Jr.
• RB—6 Michael Brewster 5-6 180 Jr.
• RB—1 Michael Bass 5-7 174 Jr.
• RB—20 John West 5-10 180 Sr.

Outlook: Owens, the nation's third-leading receiver (7.75 catches per game), has been on a tear since returning from a two-game suspension last month. In the last five games, he has 39 catches for 633 yards and four touchdowns. That surge averages to 7.8 catches and 126.6 yards per game. "He's been a playmaker all year for us," Chang said.

Owens has carried the load while injury-weary Komine and Cockheran find their groove. Komine has one catch for 12 yards since suffering a partially torn muscle or tendon in his left calf last month. Cockheran, who has a chronically sprained right ankle, has two catches in the last two games.

Power back West Keli'ikipi is pau for the rest of the regular season because of a knee injury. Although the three remaining backs do not have the 6-foot-1, 260-pound Keli'ikipi's strength, they might not need it to be effective backfield blockers. While Keli'ikipi absorbed pass rushers, the other backs will rely on the preferred technique of "redirecting," in which the defender is bumped off the direct path to the quarterback. The technique enables the back to then slide off and become a receiver.

For the sixth time this season, the Warriors are changing their starting offensive line, with Esera replacing Jeremy Inferrera at left tackle. Although Eaton, fully recovered from a sprained left ankle, will start at right tackle, Inferrera also might be used there.

Hawai'i defense

• LE—93 Houston Ala 5-11 260 Sr.
• LT—97 Isa'ako Sopoaga 6-3 336 Sr.
• RT—92 Lance Samuseva 6-0 309 Sr.
• RE—1 Travis LaBoy 6-4 254 Sr.
• SLB—46 Keani Alapa 6-1 229 Sr.
• SLB—5 Chad Kapanui 6-0 225 Jr.
• MLB—56 Chad Kalilimoku 5-11 240 Sr.
• WLB—51 Ikaika Curnan 5-11 218 So.
• LCB—3 Kelvin Millhouse 6-1 205 Sr.
• SS/R—33 Hyrum Peters 5-8 188 Sr.
• FS—17 David Gilmore 6-0 197 Sr.
• S—42 Leonard Peters 6-1 174 So.
• RCB—37 Abraham Elimimian 5-10 191 Jr.

Outlook: The Warriors shift between their base 4-3 alignment and a nickel package, in which, Kalilimoku is pulled, Hyrum Peters moves up to rover and Leonard Peters enters as a second free safety. Kapanui, an aggressive run-defender, will split time with Alapa.

Ala starts after missing the last game because of a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. LaBoy, who leads the team with 10 sacks, also is expected to start. He did not practice this week after undergoing a procedure to drain fluid from his infected left elbow.

Hawai'i specialists

• PK—26 Nolan Miranda 5-8 172 Fr.
• PK/KO—47 Justin Ayat 5-11 205 Jr.
• P—25 Kurt Milne 6-0 204 Fr.
• KR—20 John West 5-10 180 Sr.
• PR—2 Chad Owens 5-9 174 Jr.

Outlook: Miranda, a second-year walk-on from Castle High, will get a shot on field-goal attempts. Miranda was held out of training camp because it was feared he had an enlarged heart. An angiogram did not show any problems, and Miranda also has fully recovered from a sprained right ankle. Miranda said he feels he is accurate from up to 45 yards. Ayat has the stronger kicking leg, and through the Warriors' eighth game, he was the Western Athletic Conference's most accurate kicker. But he has missed his last four field-goal attempts.