There's a lot of old BYU in NMSU
| • | Warriors faces rebuilding Aggies |
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Somehow the University of Hawai'i football team can't escape its old nemesis, Brigham Young.
New Mexico State, which hosts UH today, uses an offense that is greatly influenced by LaVell Edwards, the former BYU coach.
The crossing pass routes are nearly identical, and there is a great emphasis on utilizing the tight end.
"I stole a lot of ideas from a lot of people, but the No. 1 guy is LaVell Edwards," NMSU coach Hal Mumme said.
Mumme, as Texas-El Paso's offensive coordinator in the early 1980s, and Edwards attended many of the same coaches conferences. After being fired at UTEP, Mumme became head coach at Copperas Cove High School in Texas. Mumme's staff was invited to visit with the BYU coaches during the offseason.
"They were all very helpful," Mumme said. "I'd take (the offensive scheme) back to the old high school I was at, tweaked it, and then take it to the little college I worked at next, and tweaked it some more. I kept tweaking it. But no matter how much I tweaked it, what we basically do is what LaVell did with BYU in the '80s when he had (quarterback) Jim McMahon."
UH never beat BYU during those years, and now New Mexico State quarterback Chase Holbrook is the national leader in total offense (409.7 yards per game).
Here's a look at today's 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 6-10 196 Sr.
QB—15 Colt Brennan 6-3 196 Jr.
RB—4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 250 Sr.
Outlook: In a bad news/good news situation, the Warriors are disappointed that right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins (sprained left ankle) was not healthy enough to make the trip. The Warriors figure to face a lot of man-to-man coverages today, and Grice-Mullins is acknowledged as the Warriors' best one-on-one threat. Grice-Mullins, who will miss his fourth consecutive game, is averaging 16.9 yards per reception. His yards-after-catch (YAC) average is 7.0, the highest among UH's non-running backs.
But Grice-Mullins' absence means Dickerson remains in the lineup. In the three games since moving from right wideout to Grice-Mullins' slot position, Dickerson has caught 22 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns. In three games as a wideout, Dickerson had nine catches for 99 yards and zero touchdowns. Dickerson's emergence can be traced to his recovery from the same injury that is bothering Grice-Mullins. Two years ago, Dickerson suffered a badly sprained ankle during a morning jog when he fell while trying to avoid a dog-walker. "It took him 1 1/2 years to get over that," UH head coach June Jones said.
Although Bess leads the nation in receptions (8.17 per game), he also has a team-high seven drops in six games. Still, he has improved as a downfield blocker, and in one formation, he aligns as a tight end. "See these guns?" Bess said, flexing his biceps. "It's all hard work, baby. I've got something under my sleeves."
Brennan, meanwhile, continues to draw interest from NFL scouts, who are not supposed to be evaluating juniors. But Brennan's completion rate (73.1 percent) is difficult to ignore. In last week's 68-37 rout of Fresno State, Brennan threw only one inaccurate pass in 37 attempts. On Thursday, Jones told an NFL scout that Brennan, at this moment, is the best quarterback in college football.
UH 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 Jr.
LILB—41 Solomon Elimimian 6-0 224 So.
RILB—44 Adam Leonard 6-0 236 So.
ROLB—26 Micah Lau 5-9 215 Jr.
LCB—23 Gerard Lewis 5-9 172 Jr.
FS—42 Leonard Peters 6-1 217 Sr.
SS—31 Jake Patek 6-0 202 Jr.
RCB—38 Myron Newberry 5-8 170 Jr.
Outlook: Show up late for a meeting? Run extra laps after practices. Miss a tackle? Get scolded during video review sessions. But fail to play containment? Better start filling out the unemployment papers. That's the one mistake defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville will not tolerate.
Glanville is committed to a gang-tackling scheme, an approach that works best when the field is "narrowed." To do that, cornerbacks are asked to force receivers to the inside, and outside linebackers are required to keep the ball-carrier or quarterback between the tackles. UH's biggest lapses have occurred when quarterbacks were able to elude outside linebackers and scramble outside of the pocket. Outside linebackers with gaudy statistics have lost starting jobs because they didn't play containment. And undersized defenders, such as 5-foot-9 Lau, have been awarded starts because they follow Glanville's rules. "(Lau) is playing because he does what he's supposed to do," Glanville said.
The strategy is not without reason. In football, leverage trumps size, and Lau is able to get under the pad level of tight ends. If a tight end tries to stoop, his effectiveness as a receiver diminishes. If the tight end is upright, he is vulnerable to a jab to the ribs. "He's so tough," linebacker Tyson Kafentzis said of Lau, "no tight end wants to take him on." Lau can bench press 405 pounds, and bench 225 pounds 27 times. He runs 40 yards in 4.55 seconds.
Lewis and Newberry, both raised in Texas, make their first UH starts. They transferred from Texas junior colleges during the summer. Lewis, Newberry and another Texan, Patek, were recruited by defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold. Rich Miano, who coaches the defensive secondary, recruited six defensive starters — Peters, Elimimian, Leonard, Kalilimoku, Lau and Purcell — as well as quarterback Brennan.
UH SPECIALISTS
PK/KO—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 5-8 170 Jr.
Outlook: Kelly has worked extensively this week on improving his kickoff accuracy. In UH's kick-coverage scheme, the field is divided into thirds — segment A (between the kicking team's left sideline and left hashmark), B (between the hashmarks) and C (between the right hashmark and right sideline). The Warriors align four cover defenders in A, and three each in B and C. Kelly's job is to place the ball in the lane between the sideline and the numbers in section A — a width of about 15 yards. The strategy is twofold: 1) by kicking to the corner, it negates the second returner from serving as a lead blocker, and 2) it allows the Warriors to trap the returner. But Kelly, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms last week, twice kicked the ball out of bounds. "My legs felt like Jell-O before the game," Kelly recalled. "I had a horrible game. Being sick all week screwed me up. I'll be better this week."
Guyton Galdeira, at 5 feet 7, has emerged as the Warriors' best wedge buster. Galdeira, who is aligned in section A, had two knockdowns last week.
NMSU OFFENSE
LWO—18 A.J. Harris 6-1 210 So.
H—80 Chris Buckner 6-0 188 Fr.
LT—69 Mike Martinez 6-3 335 So.
LG—79 Maveu Heimuli 6-4 387 Fr.
C—55 James Farrelly 6-3 294 Jr.
RG—65 Polo Gutierrez 6-1 296 So.
RT—68 Ray Zielinski 6-2 313 So.
TE—40 Nick Cleaver 6-3 235 Jr.
RWO—28 Chris Williams 5-8 155 So.
QB—12 Chase Holbrook 6-5 235 So.
RB—30 Jeremiah Williams 6-0 205 So.
Outlook: Mumme acknowledged the Aggies run the "21st century version" of BYU's offense. The Aggies' no-huddle tactic, designed solely for Holbrook — they don't use it for the second-string quarterback — accelerates the pace, and allows for more plays. "We try to keep the tempo up," Holbrook said. "We tire out a little quicker than if we were in a huddle, but at the same time, we make it difficult for (opposing) coaches to make personnel adjustments."
The Aggies run at least five formations — orange (three receivers, two backs), blue (one tight end, three receivers, one back), red (four receivers, one back), empty (five receivers) and regular (one tight end, two receivers, two backs). All involve crossing routes, including the pet play in which the tight end runs off a delayed start.
"We don't have too many plays, but we have a lot of formations we can run out of," Holbrook said. "Almost every play we can run out of every formation. It looks like a lot of plays, but it's really the same plays with different formations."
The Aggies also do not use a playbook. "We just never felt a need to write it down," Mumme said. "We teach it on the field. We teach it on the board. We teach it off video. I always felt playbooks were highly over-rated, so we never had one. We've been doing that for about 20 years."
NMSU DEFENSE
LE—45 Maurice Murray 6-3 290 Jr.
NG—72 Sioeli Fakalata 6-4 295 Fr.
RE—44 David Niumatalolo 6-2 265 So.
LOB—59 Michael Brewer 6-3 265 Jr.
M—8 Tim McManigal 6-0 231 Sr.
W—51 Michael Conner 5-11 211 Fr.
ROB—17 Nathan Nuttall 6-0 225 Sr.
LCB—36 Alex Bernard 5-8 185 Jr.
FS—22 Derrick Richardson 5-11 190 So.
SS—3 Eric Carrie 5-9 205 Jr.
RCB—27 Courtney Bryan 5-11 210 Sr.
Outlook: Defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a linebacker coach (1973-76) and defensive coordinator (1977-83). It was during that stint the Steelers transformed from the Steel Curtain's 4-3 scheme to the 3-4 that is still employed today. Widenhofer, through his mentor Bud Carson, helped popularize the cover-2 scheme now used extensively in the NFL and college football. The Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the cover-2 to win recent Super Bowls.
"Everything that Tampa Bay is taking credit for, Woody did in the middle '70s," UH's Jones said. Jones, UH assistant Mouse Davis, Widenhofer and NMSU linebacker coach Herb Paterra were on the same Detroit Lions coaching staff.
In the cover-2, the safeties drop back into a deep zone — each taking half of the field — with the cornerbacks and outside linebackers alternating as blitzers and pass defenders.
Unfortunately, Widenhofer said, "we don't have 'Mean' Joe Greene or Jack Lambert or Jack Ham. Great players help you win. We had a lot of great players in Pittsburgh."
These Aggies, however, are struggling with injuries and inexperience. Free safety Cole Marton has not played since the season opener because of a foot injury. Middle linebacker Michael Hernishin (strained left knee ligament) and nose guard Jeremy Weeks (back spasms) won't play today. The Aggies still have not recovered from the death of middle linebacker Shana Leaupepe, a victim of a drive-by shooting. Cornerbacks Bernard (hip flexor) and Bryan (sprained ankle) will play.
NMSU SPECIALIST
PK/KO—48 Matt Pratt 5-10 175 So.
LS/SS—1 Dan White 6-1 201 Jr.
H—5 Jared Kaufman 6-1 186 Jr.
KR—18 A.J. Harris 6-1 210 So.
KR/PR—28 Chris Williams 5-8 155 So.
Outlook: After missing five of seven field-goal attempts, the Aggies conducted open tryouts for a kicker. The area is such a concern the Aggies have gone for it 21 times on fourth down.
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
