"Against Washington, it was a run-a-thon," UH defensive coordinator George Lumpkin said. "Against Rice, it was a throw-a-thon. You don't really know what they will do."

Football profilers try to find patterns. But the Spartans don't leave behind usable evidence.

"We asked ourselves: 'What is the identity of their offense?'" said Rich Miano, who coordinates UH's pass defense. "You can look at what they did in the last game or the game before that, but when you play them, they do something you've never seen before. That makes it difficult for a defense. You don't know what they'll do, so you have to prepare for everything."

Here's a closer look:

San Jose State Offense

WR—80 Rufus Skillern 6-1 183 Jr.

LT—79 William Obeng 6-6 307 Sr.

LG—72 Chad Lerette 6-4 303 Jr.

C—76 Matt Cantu 6-3 290 So.

RG—77 Amadeo Novella 6-4 305 Jr.

RT—73 Osmar Staples 6-5 328 Sr.

TE—82 Bryan Watje 6-3 250 Jr.

WR—3 James Jones 6-1 196 So.

WR—81 John Broussard 6-1 165 Jr.

QB—12 Dale Rogers 6-3 239 Sr.

TB—7 Tyson Thompson 6-1 207 Jr.

Outlook: In his fourth season at SJSU, Fitz Hill is at the stage where the personnel and the schemes of his offense should be in place. But Hill has yet to file for a copyright. "The offense that I like," Hill said, "is one that scores."

Last year, the Spartans passed 56.6 percent of the time; this year, they rush on 63.5 percent of the downs. The switch can be traced to Thompson, who has rushed for 444 yards in five games, and an offensive line whose average blocker is 6 feet 4 and 307 pounds.

The Spartans' running game relies on stretch blocks, in which the linemen move in the same direction. "You've seen those circus elephants that kind of get on each other's backs and they all work in unison," UH defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said. "That's what they do." It is a blocking scheme used by Nevada, which ran for 233 yards against UH. "When they do that zone stretch," UH defensive coordinator George Lumpkin said, "they can engulf you if you're not aggressive and don't attack and get off the blocks." On a typical isolated play, a Spartan guard might move into the gap to the right of a defensive tackle and head for the linebacker while the center blocks the defensive tackle's left side. That creates running lanes on both sides of the defender — and Thompson, who averages 5.8 yards per carry, is keen enough to choose the right option.

Rogers, a converted punter and the league's heaviest starting quarterback, is skilled on play-actions passes, quarterback draws and naked bootlegs. The Spartans have a "Super Fly" play in which a wideout sprints in motion for either a handoff or a double-reverse. Wideout John Broussard averages 20.9 yards per catch and 10.5 yards per run.

San Jose State Defense

DE—49 Tony Ficklin 6-2 265 Jr.

DT—69 Kinji Green 6-2 275 Jr.

DT—54 Larnell Ransom 6-1 258 Jr.

DE—94 Sean McNamara 6-5 206 Sr.

LB—26 Ezekiel Staples 5-11 203 Jr.

LB—44 Jamonte Cox 5-11 216 Jr.

CB—4 Trestin George 5-9 178 Jr.

S—5 Bobby Godinez 5-11 207 Jr.

S—15 Brian Nunez 5-11 176 Jr.

S—33 Josh Powell 6-3 202 So.

CB—2 Jerrell Hardy 6-2 180 Sr.

Outlook: Seeking to improve a defense that was statistically ranked No. 108 (out of 117 schools) in 2003, Hill turned to Keith Burns. As coaches at Arkansas in the late 1990s, Hill and Burns competed against each other every day in practice. Burns' enthusiasm is "what we needed," Hill said.

Burns remains energetic despite kicking his daily habit of gulping 12 cans of Dr Pepper. "He's shed a lot of weight," Nunez said of Burns. "He looks like a new person."

Burns' extreme makeover extends to the defense, which leads WAC teams in fewest passing yards allowed (135.8 yards per game). Burns has implemented a 4-2-5 scheme used famously by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the drive for the 2003 Super Bowl title. The corners play tight coverage on the wideouts while the three safeties are aligned in a zone. The Spartans often drop defensive ends into pass coverage in the flats while blitzing a cornerback, safety or outside linebacker. Staples, the starting fullback last season, leads the WAC with an average of 10.4 tackles per game.

San Jose State Specialists

PK—14 Jeff Carr 6-1 202 Sr.

P—18 Waylon Prather 6-3 229 Fr.

DS—83 Bryan Watje 6-3 250 Jr.

KR—4 Trestin George 5-10 174 Jr.

PR—3 James Jones 6-1 196 So.

Outlook: Carr has converted 29 consecutive extra-point kicks dating to last November. Against Rice, he was 10 of 10 on PATs. In two years at SJSU, he has missed one extra-point kick in 46 tries. Carr's brother, Michael, was the Spartans' punter for three seasons ending in 2002. Carr's hobby? Working on cars.

Hawai'i Offense

LWO—84 Jason Rivers 6-1 189 So.

LSB—2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr.

LT—70 Tala Esera 6-3 291 So.

LG—64 Samson Satele 6-2 278 So.

C—59 Derek Fa'avi 6-0 271 Jr.

RG—69 Uriah Moenoa 6-2 325 Sr.

RT—66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 291 Jr.

RSB—7 Se'e Poumele 5-9 171 Sr.

RWO—9 Britton Komine 5-10 188 Sr.

QB—14 Tim Chang 6-2 205 Sr.

RB—6 Michael Brewster 5-5 185 Sr.

RB—16 West Keli'ikipi 6-0 267 Sr.

Outlook: While the coaches are concerned about the number of dropped passes — 28 in five games, including eight that should have resulted in touchdowns — they are not as stressed as they were after the first two games. Back then, the Warriors, who average 52.4 passes per game, were making drops in the open field.

"The balls we're dropping now are catchable, but they would be big-time catches," receivers coach Ron Lee said. "Timmy is making great throws, really squeezing it in there, and the guys are making a real effort to get to the ball. I like their effort. It's not like guys are wide open and dropping the ball." Case in point: Ian Sample stretched out to secure a pass against Texas-El Paso last week. He was credited with a drop despite apparently having possession as he sailed into the end zone. The football was dislodged when he hit the ground, and he suffered a dislocated collarbone on the play. He won't play for three more weeks.

"The ball didn't slip out of his hands," Lee said. "I think the ground caused the fumble. That wasn't an easy play."

The coaches also are encouraged because the leader in drops, Owens, with eight, is the team's best receiver. "Of course, we don't want to drop anything," Lee said. "But they're working hard and I like the direction they're going in."

Hawai'i Defense

LE—98 Melila Purcell III 6-4 266 Jr.

LT—99 Lui Fuga 6-1 292 Sr.

RT—96 Matt Faga 6-2 317 Sr.

RE—30 Kila Kamakawiwo'ole 6-3 241 Jr.

SLB—5 Chad Kapanui 6-0 226 Sr.

MLB—55 Watson Ho'ohuli 5-11 225 Sr.

WLB—45 Tanuvasa Moe 5-11 210 Jr.

CB—37 Abraham Elimimian 5-10 185 Sr.

LS—42 Leonard Peters 6-1 184 Jr.

RS—22 Lamar Broadway 5-11 175 Jr.

CB—12 Ray Bass 5-11 175 Fr.

Outlook: For defensive coordinators, an acceptable balance is when safeties don't have a lot of tackles and defensive tackles only have a few. In last week's 51-20 loss to UTEP, the starting defensive tackles combined for one tackle. The half-full side will argue the defensive tackles did a good job of forcing the running backs to the perimeters; the half-empty side will argue the DTs did not make plays in the running lanes. With the Spartans expected to create holes with stretch-zone blocking,

UH's interior linemen need to step into the gaps for tackles or to free the linebackers to swoop in for tackles. Most of all, Fuga and Faga have to avoid being moved by blocks. "We have to hold the point," Fuga said. "We have to play hard, execute our technique and not let them control the line (of scrimmage)."

The Warriors, who might attack with a three-man front (aligning one of the defensive ends wide), will need a boost from a battered defensive secondary. Right Safety Lono Manners won't play because of a fractured ankle, and left safety Leonard Peters did not compete in Thursday's practice because of tightness in his back. Peters is expected to start. Manners will be replaced by a rotation of Broadway, Matt Manuma, Landon Kafentzis and Keao Monteilh. Despite a sprained right ankle and pulled right hamstring, Elimimian is expected to play. But Patton is doubtful at right cornerback. Turmarian Moreland, who has a sprained left ankle and sore hamstring, Ray Bass or Omega Hogan are candidates to replace Patton.

Last week, the Warriors missed 17 tackles for an additional 131 yards. There were two missed tackles on touchdown plays.

Hawai'i Specialists

PK—47 Justin Ayat 6-0 193 Sr.

P/H—25 Kurt Milne 6-0 195 So.

LS—61 Bryce Runge 5-11 236 Jr.

KR—21 Jason Ferguson 5-5 157 Fr.

PR—2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr.

Outlook: There is about an 8-yard width between the sidelines and the numbers on a football field. That is the target for Milne, who must be as precise as a bowler trying to knock down the back left pin. The punt also must travel about 40 yards with a hangtime of 4 seconds. Punt it too long, and it's a touchback, decreasing the net by 20 yards. Slice it to the middle of the field, and the punt returner has his choice of directions. The Warriors remain committed to directional punting despite allowing 7.7 yards per return, the second-highest in the WAC.