SHREVEPORT, La. — The Hawai'i football team undergoes yet another makeover when it plays Louisiana Tech tonight in Ruston, La.

Adrian Thomas, a fourth-year junior from Australia, makes his first career start, in place of injured right tackle Laupepa Letuli.

Defensive end Fetaiagogo Fonoti makes his 2009 debut after missing the first three games because of an injured kneecap.

And Blaze Soares moves from outside linebacker to the middle.

What probably won't change is the Warriors' marriage to the four-wide passing offense, despite the emergence of a running game and Tech's vulnerability against the rush.

Senior running back Leon Wright-Jackson has played well this season, and Alex Green, a junior-college transfer, is proving to be a tough second-chance runner. Green is averaging 5.67 post-contact yards, and he averages 0.65 broken tackles per carry.

"It's my job to break tackles and make guys miss," Green said.

Green said he works on his agility by carrying a 25-pound medicine ball in one arm while jogging on a balance platform.

"Keeping your balance," Green said, "is the key to football."

Here's a look at tonight's game:

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LWO—3 Rodney Bradley 6-0 190 Jr.

LSB—1 Greg Salas 6-2 200 Jr.

LT—77 Aaron Kia 6-5 290 Sr.

LG—64 Ray Hisatake 6-3 315 Sr.

C—55 John Estes 6-3 300 Sr.

RG—74 Raphael Ieru 6-2 315 Sr.

RT—66 Adrian Thomas 6-6 310 Jr.

RSB—21 Kealoha Pilares 5-11 200 Jr.

RWO—81 Royce Pollard 6-0 175 So.

RWO—7 Jovonte Taylor 5-9 170 Jr.

QB—12 Greg Alexander 6-4 225 Sr.

RB—23 L.Wright-Jackson 6-1 215 Sr.

RB—25 Alex Green 6-2 220 Jr.

Outlook: Of all of the plays the receivers have made, the most impressive are the ones they didn't make: drops. This season, the Warriors have been credited with only three dropped passes. That efficiency, coupled with an improved offensive line, has helped boost the Warriors atop the national rankings in passing offense (423.3 yards per game). But the Warriors will be tested because right tackle Letuli, who has drawn interest from NFL scouts, will not play because of an injury to his left knee. Thomas earns his first career start. Kainoa LaCount, who did not play last season while trying to accumulate additional college credits, also will be used at right tackle.

Bradley and Salas are having breakout — and breakaway — seasons. Salas has an astonishing yards-after-catch (YAC) average of 22.3. Bradley's YAC is 14.23. What's more, Bradley has a yards-after-hit (YAH) average of 8.64. Part of their success can be traced to Pilares, who has earned the nickname "Decoy" for drawing the extra defensive back away from the left-side receivers. In the four-wide offense, Pilares is the rat-a-tat jab that sets up the knockout punches by Bradley and Salas. Pilares is a sure-handed receiver who has caught a team-best 83.8 percent of the passes when he is the primary receiver. He also is a dangerous post-catch runner, averaging 0.84 broken tackles per reception. "I'm a lot stronger than when I first got here," Pilares said of his tackle-eluding abilities. This summer, he bench pressed 330 pounds — double what he lifted as a freshman. "I never lifted (regularly) in high school," he said. "Coach Mack forced me to do it here, and it's paying off."

Pollard likely starts in place of Taylor, who recently resumed practicing after missing workouts because of a sprained ankle. Taylor said the ankle is fine.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—90 Elliott Purcell 6-4 310 Sr.

LT—95 Vaughn Meatoga 6-2 290 So.

RT—49 Tuika Tufaga 6-2 285 Sr.

RE—58 Fetaiagogo Fonoti 6-2 250 Sr.

SLB—59 R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 5-11 225 Sr.

MLB—53 Blaze Soares 6-1 245 Sr.

WLB—41 Corey Paredes 5-11 230 So.

LCB—4 Tank Hopkins 5-9 165 Jr.

LCB—2 Lametrius Davis 6-0 190 Jr.

SS—9 Spencer Smith 5-11 205 Jr.

FS—43 Mana Silva 6-1 220 Jr.

RCB—18 Jeramy Bryant 5-10 180 Jr.

NB—19 Richard Torres 5-8 175 So.

Outlook: "Please, just one play," special-teams coordinator Chris Tormey mock-begged to Fonoti, who used to be one of the fiercest wedge-busters on kickoffs. Fonoti's days on special teams might be over, but the Warriors are happy he is back at defensive end. Fonoti missed the first three games because of a hyper-extended left kneecap. Fonoti's understudy — Liko Satele — was an over-achiever, logging more than 50 snaps per game. Satele now will rotate at both end positions. Meatoga and rush end Paipai Falemalu, who will be used when the Warriors go with a three-man front, have both overcome ankle injuries.

Last week, Soares was used as a roving linebacker; this week, he is the middle linebacker. The coaches believe Soares will be able to use his lateral range to make more plays. Soares is considered to be the Warriors' best blitzer — a role he won't relinquish. There are schemes designed to free Soares to storm the backfield. Soares said he is adjusting to the different reads and keys. What's important to playing the middle, he said, is "to be a beast."

Perhaps the key to the defense is Torres. The Warriors enter with eight defensive schemes; seven of them involve Torres. "I can't think of a guy with more want-to, focus, dedication, perseverance, any (bleepin') cliche that you can think of," said associate head coach Rich Miano, who coordinates the defensive secondary. "I wish we had 11 guys like Richard Torres."

HAWAI'I SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—20 Scott Enos 5-9 180 Jr.

LS—45 Luke Ingram 6-5 210 Fr.

H—11 Inoke Funaki 5-11 205 Sr.

P—31 Alex Dunnachie 6-3 235 Fr.

KR—21 Kealoha Pilares 5-11 200 Jr.

KR/PR—81 Royce Pollard 6-0 175 So.

KR—7 Jovonte Taylor 5-9 170 Jr.

PR—88 Ryan Henry 5-9 170 Jr.

Outlook: Pollard appears to be the front-runner to open as the kick returner. Henry, who missed several practices because of a hamstring injury, should be ready as the punt returner.

A week ago, the Warriors debated whether freshman linebacker George Daily-Lyles should redshirt. After it was decided he would sit out, the next day he was activated, in part because of his strong work on special teams during UH practices. He will be used on the kickoff, punt and kick-return units. "We think he has the athletic ability and physical size to be an impact player for us this year," Tormey said.

LOUISIANA TECH OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

X—6 Phillip Livas 5-8 175 Jr.

U—43 Dustin Mitchell 6-4 255 Sr.

LT—74 Rob McGill 6-6 310 Jr.

LG—62 Ben Harris 6-4 295 Sr.

C—60 Lon Roberts 6-3 285 Jr.

RG—67 Jared Miles 6-3 305 Jr.

RT—76 Cudahy Harmon 6-6 310 Jr.

TE—49 Dennis Morris 6-2 265 Sr.

Z—19 R.P. Stuart 6-3 215 So.

QB—11 Ross Jenkins 6-3 212 Jr.

RB—20 Daniel Porter 5-9 190 Sr.

Outlook: With five returning starters on the offensive line, a crafty mobile quarterback and speed at receiver, Porter was supposed to receive enough big-play opportunities. But in the first three games, Porter has 134 yards — total — and is averaging 3.3 yards per carry, nearly 2 yards a pop fewer than his career rate. Porter's dropoff in productivity has a ripple effect on the passing game. Livas, who can run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds, is averaging 13.6 yards per catch. But he still does not have a scoring reception. Morris has drawn attention from NFL scouts, more for his pass routes than blocking.

LOUISIANA TECH DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—91 Matt Broha 6-4 235 So.

LT—90 Mason Hitt 6-1 270 Jr.

RT—5 D'Anthony Smith 6-2 300 Sr.

RE—93 Christian Lacey 6-1 240 So.

SLB—45 Jay Dudley 6-3 225 So.

MLB—44 Adrien Cole 5-11 240 So.

WLB—21 Dominique Faust 5-11 225 Jr.

LCB—25 Deon Young 5-11 200 Sr.

SS—4 Tank Calais 5-11 205 Jr.

FS—34 Antonio Baker 5-11 210 Sr.

RCB—28 Terry Carter 5-10 185 So.

Outlook: Tommy Spangler, the poker-faced defensive coordinator, offers few clues. In his only two meetings against the Warriors, he ran two different types of man coverages — an aggressive blitzing scheme in 2007, and a read-and-react defense in 2008. The defensive keys are Smith, who fittingly starts his first name with a separated D, and Baker, whom scouts project as a third-round pick. Baker has speed (4.48), range and strength. But what defensive format Spangler will choose is a mystery. None of LA Tech's first three opponents ran an offense similar to UH's.

LOUISIANA TECH SPECIALISTS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—33 Matt Nelson 5-10 155 Fr.

DS—52 Thomas Graham 5-10 235 Sr.

P—14 Cade Glasgow 6-0 180 Fr.

KR/PR—Phillip Livas 5-8 175 Jr.

Outlook: Rather than boom kickoffs, Nelson tries to place them in the corners, feeding returners to the eight-man swarm of cover defenders. The Bulldogs are fifth nationally in kickoff-return defense, with opponents averaging 16.5 yards per runback.

Opponents, in turn, try to kick to anybody but the speedy Livas. He has fielded nine of the Bulldogs' 17 kick returns.