RUSTON, La. — For the Louisiana Tech football team, apparently the aloha spirit was lost in translation.

"We've never beaten Hawai'i," quarterback Matt Kubik said, referring to the three previous meetings between the Western Athletic Conference teams. "They've always been a menace to us. We hope this year we're able to get 'em, and that we can continue on to our goal of trying to win the WAC and get into a bowl game."

Only the WAC's top two finishers are assured berths in postseason bowls. Louisiana Tech is 1-0 in the WAC; UH is 1-1. They meet at 1 p.m. (Hawai'i time) in Joe Aillet Stadium.

Here's a closer look:

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

LWO—5 Michael Washington 5-7 160 Fr.

LSB—7 Davone Bess 5-9 187 Fr.

LT—70 Tala Esera 6-4 295 Jr.

LG—64 Samson Satele 6-2 305 Jr.

C—59 Derek Fa'avi 6-1 273 Sr.

RG—66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 295 Sr.

RT—72 Dane Uperesa 6-5 315 Jr.

RSB—1 Ryan Grice-Mullen 5-10 174 Fr.

RWO—82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 185 Jr.

QB—15 Colt Brennan 6-2 190 So.

RB—4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 230 Sr.

Outlook: UH coach June Jones has his DNA all over the four-wide offense, designing and calling all of the plays. The loophole is each passing play contains an escape clause in which the quarterback is allowed to scramble — an option Brennan frequently uses. Brennan's elusiveness paid off against Boise State, when he sprinted away from the pass rush to loft a pass that Grice-Mullen parlayed into a touchdown.

"It's tough to defend a guy who can run around like that," Bess said. "The receivers love it. It's almost like streetball. We just play catch." But Jones cautioned that by scrambling, Brennan often is abandoning the chance to find an open receiver. "He needs more confidence in knowing the offense," Jones said.

Dan Morrison, who coaches the quarterbacks said, "We talked about this before. In weeks from now, four or five of (Brennan's) runs are going to be completed throws down the field. The good thing is, as he's learning, he's making plays. Some people who are learning are getting sacked."

Jones said he cringes when Brennan scrambles away from the blockers. "I hold my breath," he said. "If he can run and do what he does and get out of bounds or throw it away, then he's a real problem for a defense. When you scramble and don't go down, trust me, your days are numbered."

Brennan said years of playing football have taught him how to avoid absorbing direct hits. As for his risky practice of diving, Brennan said, "I don't like to slide feet first. If you're going to slide feet first, you lose three yards. If you slide head first, you gain three yards. I try to go head first and get down quickly before I get hit. ... I know everyone wants the quarterback to drop back and throw the ball away, never getting hurt. I've never played the game that way. I think if I tried to change, it probably would be disastrous for me."

UH is hopeful Washington will become an effective deep threat. He caught only one of the five passes thrown his way last week, including going zip-for-3 on passes longer than 20 yards. His yards-after-catch (YAC) average is only 3.23. Grice-Mullen's YAC is 7.12.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

LE—98 Melila Purcell III 6-5 266 Sr.

NT—67 Michael Lafaele 6-1 310 So.

RE—91 Ikaika Alama-Francis 6-6 250 Jr.

SOLB—45 Tanuvasa Moe 6-0 220 Sr.

SILB—41 Solomon Elimimian 5-11 224 Fr.

WILB—43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-11 205 So.

WOLB—1 Kila Kamakawiwo'ole 6-3 240 Sr.

LCB—24 Kenny Patton 6-0 184 Jr.

SS—15 Lono Manners 5-10 199 Sr.

FS—8 Landon Kafentzis 6-0 202 Sr.

RCB—35 Keao Monteilh 5-11 170 So.

Outlook: Two years ago, Lafaele was trumpeted as UH's center of the future. But Fa'avi seized the job, and Lafaele was encouraged to move to defense. UH's new defensive scheme employs one defensive tackle. There were eight candidates in training camp. "I was at the end of the line," Lafafele said. "I had to wait for my number to be called. There were times when I was on the scout team, I didn't say anything and I didn't complain."

Lafaele was awarded the starting job last week because of his strength and quickness. Nose tackles in the usual defensive schemes are required to "hold the point" — absorb two or three blockers without yielding ground — while the linebackers swoop in for tackles. In UH's defense, the nose also is asked to bust into the backfield on stretch plays. "It all starts with the nose," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said, "and he does everything we ask him to do."

UH hopes to improve its open-field tackling. Against Idaho two weeks ago, the Warriors missed three tackles that resulted in an additional 11 yards. Against Boise State, the Warriors had difficulty defending the flats, missing eight tackles that cost them 89 yards.

HAWAI'I SPECIALISTS

PK—99 Dan Kelly 6-3 199 Fr.

P—25 Kurt Milne 5-11 208 Jr.

KR/PR—27 Andre Taylor 5-11 171 Jr.

Outlook: After blocking his second kick of the game — the potential tying PAT — Boise State's Daryn Colledge said it "sounded like a dream." For Kelly, it was a wake-up call. "All I know is, I won't do it again," Kelly said. "My kicks could have been higher, but I'm not going to dwell on the past. I don't want to keep thinking about my last kick. Nothing good happens by living in the past."

Meanwhile, Dane Porlas is adjusting to his role as Taylor's personal blocker on punt returns. "I pick up the most dangerous guy," said Porlas, who is aligned 5 yards in front of Taylor. "I pick up the guy who's coming at him the fastest."

LATECH OFFENSE

LWR—6 Seneca Chambers 6-2 188 Sr.

WR—7 Jonathan Holland 6-0 187 Jr.

LT—73 Tyler Miller 6-7 304 So.

LG—64 Aaron Lips 6-5 295 Sr.

C—56 Marcus Stewart 6-3 305 Sr.

RG—78 Marcus Lindsey 6-7 360 Jr.

RT—63 Ryan Considine 6-5 291 So.

TE—89 Anthony James 6-6 269 Sr.

RWR—2 Freddie King 5-7 167 Sr.

QB—13 Matt Kubik 6-3 213 Sr.

RB—29 Mark Dillard 5-11 208 So.

RB—28 Freddie Franklin 6-0 182 So.

RB—23 Patrick Jackson 5-10 192 Fr.

Outlook: After splitting time with quarterback Donald Allen in the first two games, Kubik was named the outright starter last week. Not only did he throw for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-14 victory over New Mexico State, he proved to be a gifted time manager. In the first two games, the Bulldogs' average drives were 12 yards and 18 yards, respectively; against New Mexico State, they averaged 35 yards a drive. "I think offensively we finally got into a rhythm," Kubik said.

The past two seasons, coach Jack Bicknell abandoned his passing schemes to spotlight running back Ryan Moats. With Moats now in the NFL, Bicknell has dusted off his old playbooks. "I would prefer to throw the ball and then set up the run," Bicknell said. "If you can't throw the ball, you're absolutely dead."

The Bulldogs employ three different packages: four wideouts; three wideouts and a tight end; three wideouts and two running backs. Each scheme has different personnel. Bicknell also is struggling to craft roles for the running backs. "We've got three guys, and I'm not sure which one is better," he said. "They're all talented, and they each give you something different. That's an issue right now. You can rotate two guys efficiently, but it's hard with three guys."

LATECH DEFENSE

DE—98 Moqut Ruffins 6-5 279 Sr.

NT—93 Ladarius Love 6-4 325 Sr.

DT—97 Eddie White 6-4 264 Sr.

SOLB—42 Byron Santiago 6-2 233 Sr.

SILB—34 Barry Robertson 6-3 221 Sr.

MLB—58 Brannon Jackson 6-2 253 So.

WOLB—8 Jeremy Hamilton 5-11 203 Sr.

Dog—4 Dez Abrams 6-0 192 Jr.

FS—9 Alton Bryant 6-1 196 Sr.

BCB—20 Sandy Ray Collins 5-10 185 Jr.

FCB—22 Tramon Williams 6-0 180 Sr.

Outlook: The Bulldogs have various blitz packages. Sometimes a linebacker will become a fourth down lineman, other times they will blitz an outside linebacker or safety. While trying to create chaos with blitzes, the secondary retreats into a zone coverage. They will drop back two safeties and, sometimes, align four deep. The speedy cornerbacks allow the Bulldogs to use one-on-one coverages on the receivers. "What we do might look simple," Robertson said, "but we do a lot of complicated things."

LATECH SPECIALISTS

PK—31 Danny Horwedel 6-2 195 So.

P—15 Chris Keagle 5-11 228 Fr.

KR—23 Patrick Jackson 5-10 192 Fr.

PR—28 Freddie Franklin 6-0 182 So.

Outlook: Jackson, who was used sparingly in the first two games, is expected to earn a greater role as the season progresses. With the logjam at running back, Jackson is now assigned to return kicks. "We keep giving him opportunities," Bicknell said, "and he keeps doing a good job for us."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.