FRESNO, Calif. — Like everyone else in college football, the University of Hawai'i players spend a lot of time watching videotapes of games.

But during spring practice and training camp, the Warriors went further, spending time learning how to watch videos.

"The natural thing is to watch it the way a fan does, by following the ball," said Dennis McKnight, who coaches the UH offensive linemen. "We wanted them to study the opponent, to look for tendencies, any traits. If you're an offensive lineman, how is the defensive guy positioned. Are his hands planted a certain way before he bull rushes?"

UH slotback Davone Bess said the new approach makes it easier to watch videos.

"We spent a lot of time in the offseason preparing ourselves, training ourselves on how to watch film," Bess said. "We actually pick up on tendencies. We'll look at a linebacker, for instance, and if he drops a certain way, we know what coverage it's going to be. The move he makes dictates what route I'll run. It really helps."

UH head coach June Jones said linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones' partial block last week was a result of studying the punter and Nevada's punt-protection schemes.

"I watched so much film, I knew I would have an opportunity for a block if I went at (the punter) full speed," Allen-Jones said. "I knew I was going to get there."

Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said videos also are an important tool in improving technique.

"Kids today grew up in the video age," Glanville said. "That's how they learn. That's how we keep their interest. For instance, Brad (Kalilimoku) is a guy that when he sees himself on film making a mistake, he doesn't make the same mistake again. If he doesn't see it on film, he won't fix it. He's watching a lot of film, and that's why he's so much better."

Kalilimoku is expected to start at left outside linebacker against Fresno State today.

Here's a closer look at the game:

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

LWO—84 Jason Rivers 6-2 192 Jr.

LSB—7 Davone Bess 5-10 195 So.

LT—70 Tala Esera 6-4 308 Sr.

LG—65 Hercules Satele 6-2 288 Jr.

C—64 Samson Satele 6-3 298 Sr.

RG—55 John Estes 6-2 290 Fr.

RT—72 Dane Uperesa 6-4 310 Sr.

RSB—82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 198 Sr.

RWO—3 Ian Sample 5-10 196 Sr.

QB—15 Colt Brennan 6-3 196 Jr.

RB—4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 250 Sr.

Outlook: The NFL draft is six months away, but a scout for the Washington Redskins already is crafting a role for Ilaoa. "I see him as a fullback, for sure, but he's so elusive, we could isolate him in one-back formations," the scout said yesterday. "I watched a lot of film of that Hawai'i team, and I've never seen a guy like that."

The head of "Nasti Nation" has caught 24 of the 26 passes thrown in his direction. His yards-after-catch average is 14.01. He also is excelling in an unofficial statistic: yards after contact. An Advertiser study shows Ilaoa has gained an additional 248 yards after being hit initially. This season, according to The Advertiser study, Ilaoa averages 1.18 broken tackles per rush.

Last week, Samson Satele earned the game ball in appreciation of his play-calling. After Hercules Satele suffered a knee injury in the second half, the coaches debated whether to move Samson Satele to left guard, where he started the previous three seasons. The argument lasted about two seconds.

"I felt Sam was in the zone," McKnight said. "He was making plays. He was making calls. (Nevada was) running some stuff that we needed to pay attention to. If (Michael) Jordan's in the zone, you leave him in. Sam was playing his best game. There was no way we were moving him."

Dickerson (sprained left hip) and Sample (strained hamstring) are well enough to start. Chad Mock, who can play both wideout positions, has practiced at right slotback this week.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

LE—98 Melila Purcell III 6-5 276 Sr.

NT—67 Michael Lafaele 6-0 302 Jr.

RE—91 Ikaika Alama-Francis 6-6 285 Sr.

LOLB—43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-10 213 Sr.

LILB—41 Solomon Elimimian 6-0 224 So.

RILB—44 Adam Leonard 6-0 230 So.

ROLB—33 C.J. Allen-Jones 6-1 224 So.

LCB—24 Kenny Patton 6-0 188 Sr.

FS—42 Leonard Peters 6-1 217 Sr.

SS—31 Jake Patek 6-0 202 Jr.

RCB—19 C.J. Hawthorne 5-11 161 Jr.

Or 34 A.J. Martinez 5-10 179 Jr.

Outlook: The Warriors are ranked No. 114 nationally in turnover margin (minus-7), but that statistic is misleading. They insist the more meaningful category is "knockout drives" — possessions in which the opponent fails to score. Last week, the Warriors had seven "knockout drives."

In four of five games this season, the Warriors have knocked out the opposing starting running back with their physical play. Last week, Nevada was down to its third-string running back for four crucial plays inside the UH 5.

"If you want to play for Jerry," Jones said of Glanville, "you'd better be able to hit. That's Jerry's style. That's happened every place we've been together. His defenses plays with a different intensity. Jerry has a formula on how to get kids to hit hard."

It's apparently a secret ingredient because the Warriors have limited contact in practices. This week, the Warriors did not work out in pads.

"They don't keep score in practice," said Rich Miano, who coaches the defensive backs. "We hit on Saturdays. We hit a bag Monday through Friday. Saturday we hit humans. What I'm saying is guys take out their aggression on Saturdays. They fly to the ball. They love to hit."

Hawthorne is expected to start, despite wilting in the humidity last week. Hawthorne worked so hard on special teams he became exhausted in the second half. Martinez, Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis are available if Hawthorne needs rest.

HAWAI'I SPECIALISTS

PK—86 Daniel Kelly 6-3 202 So.

LS/SS—57 Jake Ingram 6-4 268 So.

H—11 Inoke Funaki 5-11 195 Fr.

P—25 Kurt Milne 6-0 205 Sr.

KR—89 Malcolm Lane 6-1 181 Fr.

KR—82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 198 Sr.

PR—38 Myron Newberry 5-8 164 Jr.

Outlook: Ingram was displaced as the short-snapper on field-goal and point-after kicks after UH experienced malfunctions in the snap-to-hold connection four times in two games. But David Farmer, who was supposed to short-snap, is suffering from a sprained finger. Ingram handled the short-snapping last week, and did not have a problem.

Ingram said his problems against Boise State three weeks ago were caused by a slick football. "It was a brand-new ball," he said. "That shouldn't be the reason. The snap should be perfect all of the time. It doesn't matter if I'm snapping a football or bowling ball. It should be perfect. It was one of those things, and it's not going to happen again."

FRESNO STATE OFFENSE

WR—6 Chastin West 6-1 215 Fr.

Or 1 Paul Williams 6-2 210 Sr.

LT—72 Bobby Lepori 6-5 285 So.

LG—77 Ryan Wendell 6-2 275 Jr.

C—59 Kyle Young 6-5 330 Sr.

RG—76 Adam McDowell 6-4 285 So.

RT—79 Chris Denman 6-6 305 Sr.

TE—85 Bear Pascoe 6-5 260 So.

WR—84 Joe Fernandez 5-10 175 Sr.

QB—7 Tom Brandstater 6-5 220 So.

FB—26 Roshton Vercher 5-11 245 Sr.

TB—32 Dwayne Wright 6-1 220 Jr.

Outlook: The Bulldogs are concerned about the availability of Williams, who is a triple-threat as an All-WAC receiver, run-blocker and punt-blocker. Despite missing last week's game, Williams leads the Bulldogs with 16 receptions, although his yards-per-catch average has dropped from a WAC-high 17.0 last year to 9.3 this year. Williams also is a boost to the rushing attack. On some plays, he will motion into the backfield and serve as a second fullback.

Wright, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2003, has made a successful comeback after missing most of the past two seasons with a severe knee injury. He has gained 663 yards, an average of 5.3 yards per carry, and scored seven touchdowns.

The Bulldogs will attempt to attack vertically — with Wright following on a lead play (with Vercher as the path-clearing blocker) or Power-O, which was favored by UH's season-opening opponent, Alabama. In the Power-O, the right tackle and tight end double team the defensive end, the right guard trap-blocks the center, and Vercher blocks the outside linebacker.

Quarterback Paul Pinegar was often criticized by Bulldog fans, despite a successful four-year run. Pinegar's replacement, Brandstater, has not been embraced, either, and second-year freshman Sean Norton might be summoned. The Bulldogs have tried to limit Brandstater's options, encouraging him to roll to the perimeter on pass plays. The defenses that have been successful against the Bulldogs — and there have been four of five — were able to keep Brandstater between the tackles.

FRESNO STATE DEFENSE

E—92 Marlon Brisco 6-3 260 Sr.

T—98 Louis Leonard 6-4 330 Sr.

NT—97 Jason Shirley 6-5 330 Jr.

E—11 Tyler Clutts 6-2 245 Jr.

OLB—43 Ahijah Lane 6-1 225 Jr.

MLB—51 Dwayne Andrews 6-0 240 Sr.

OLB—10 Alan Goodwin 6-2 220 Sr.

CB—17 Marcus McCauley 6-1 205 Sr.

SS—15 Josh Sherley 6-0 205 Sr.

FS—4 Vincent Mays 5-11 205 Sr.

CB—22 Damon Jenkins 5-11 185 Jr.

Outlook: Even out of what appears to be a basic 4-3 alignment, the Bulldogs have several options. They'll mix pass-rushers. The defensive backs will retreat into a two-deep zone (each safety takes half the field) or quarters (with the cornerbacks and safeties each defending a fourth of the secondary. But for all of the trickery, the Bulldogs' strategy can be boiled down to this: collapse the pile and swarm to the ball-handler.

McCauley is the best cover defender, and Andrews, a second-year starter at middle linebacker, is the defensive leader.

FRESNO STATE SPECIALISTS

PK—39 Clint Stitser 6-1 200 Jr.

LS—90 Kenny Amendola 6-1 240 Jr.

H—16 Jordan Christensen 6-3 190 Sr.

P—35 Kyle Zimmerman 5-11 200 Jr.

KR—84 Joe Fernandez 5-10 175 Sr.

KR—17 Marcus McCauley 6-1 205 Sr.

PR—2 Clifton Smith 5-8 195 Jr.

Outlook: Last year, the Bulldogs were successful in controlling field position. Of their 36 punts, only seven were returned, for 40 yards. This year, opponents have 12 punt returns for 232 yards, an average of 19.3 yards per return.

Still, the Bulldogs remain as one of the nation's best at blocking punts and kicks. In Pat Hill's 10 seasons at FSU head coach, the Bulldogs have 66 blocks — 35 on punts, 26 on placekicks — including three this season.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.