LOGAN, Utah — After four years, Hawai'i's Tim Grasso has an opportunity to punt in Utah State's Romney Stadium.

Grasso, who grew in nearby Kaysville, Utah, had wanted to attend Utah State. He tried three times — as a senior in high school, as a freshman at Dixie State College and as a sophomore at Saddleback Community College.

"I never once got a callback," Grasso said. "I got a callback from everyone else but Utah State, and that's where I was trying to go. ... But I never heard back. It is what it is."

Grasso joined UH as an invited walk-on last year, and was placed on scholarship for this season. The coaches regard Grasso as one of the Warriors' most important players this season. In last week's victory over Nevada, he placed three punts inside the 6.

"I'm glad I went to Hawai'i," said Grasso, whose team plays Utah State today. "I tried (to go to Utah State), but I'm in a better place now. It's a good thing they didn't call."

Still, Grasso said he loves the area and its residents. "They're the nicest people," he said. "This is a great place."

Here's a look at today's matchups:

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LWO—1 Greg Salas 6-2 200 So.

LSB—5 Michael Washington 5-9 170 Sr.

LT—77 Aaron Kia 6-5 290 Jr.

LG/T—50 Laupepa Letuli 6-4 320 Jr.

LG—62 Keith AhSoon6-1 315 Sr.

C—55 John Estes 6-3 295 Jr.

RG—51 C.Tuioti-Mariner 6-0 300 Sr.

RT—78 Keoni Steinhoff 6-3 295 Sr.

RSB—2 Ryan Mouton 5-10 180 Sr.

RWO—89 Malcolm Lane 6-1 180 Jr.

QB—12 Greg Alexander 6-3 230 Jr.

QB—11 Inoke Funaki 5-11 190 Jr.

RB—26 Daniel Libre 5-8 185 Sr.

RB—48 David Farmer 6-1 245 Sr.

Outlook: At the end of training camp, quarterback coach Nick Rolovich congratulated Alexander, who had transferred from Santa Rosa College in May, on his progress in learning the four-wide offense. Then Rolovich said: "You think you know it, but you really have no idea." Alexander started the season-opener against Florida, in which he played well in a conservative first quarter, then imploded after that. Alexander did not play significantly until last week, when he threw two touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 20 seconds left. "I think that Florida game humbled him," Rolovich said. "I think you need to be humbled a little bit. ... Once you get that oh-I-don't-really-know-it-all feeling, it hits you, then you have to work harder and ask more questions and pay more attention."

Rolovich speaks from experience. He started the 2000 opener but struggled. Two games later, he was a backup quarterback. But the following season, he set several school records. "I was probably too cocky about it going in," Rolovich said. "Then you get the snap, and you're like, 'What's happening?' There's always movements. It's like a blur."

But last week, if only for a half, Alexander caught up to the offense. The proof, Rolovich said, was not in Alexander's winning pass, but in three subtle plays. On the first, Alexander went through his read progression while sneaking a look at Washington, who had made a U-turn on a route on the left side. Alexander threw to Washington, who then fought his way for a first down. On the second, Alexander correctly read a defensive end crashing down from the right side. Alexander kept the ball and scrambled for a first down. On the third, Alexander lofted a pass to Washington on a corner route. The ball was in flight before Washington made his break. "It's a timing thing," Rolovich said. "You can't wait for (Washington) to be open. You have to throw it to a spot. That's something he's starting to get. It looked like they had nice chemistry."

The coaches also had been concerned about Washington, whose yards-after-catch (YAC) average was 3.94 through the first seven games. Offensive coordinator Ron Lee decided to change Washington's routes, from screens or throws in the flats, to patterns in which he could catch passes while on the run. Against Nevada, Washington's YAC average was 6.75.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—94 David Veikune 6-3 265 Sr.

T—96 Fale Laeli 6-1 305 Sr.

T—93 Keala Watson 6-3 320 Sr.

T—99 Josh Leonard 6-3 305 Sr.

RE—58 John Fonoti 6-2 255 Jr.

OLB—44 Adam Leonard 6-0 235 Sr.

LB—17 Solomon Elimimian 6-0 230 Sr.

MLB—13 Brashton Satele 6-1 255 Jr.

OLB—59 R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 5-11 225 Jr.

LCB—3 Jameel Dowling 6-3 200 Sr.

FS—24 Desmond Thomas 6-2 170 Sr.

SS—7 Erik Robinson 5-10 200 Sr.

RCB—23 Calvin Roberts 5-11 175 Sr.

NB—2 Ryan Mouton 5-10 175 Sr.

NB—26 Guyton Galdeira 5-7 165 Sr..

Outlook: Veikune has emerged as the Warriors' top defensive lineman, creating chaos with his trespasses into opponent's side of the line of scrimmage. Veikune, who can bench press 455 pounds, credits his in-season weight training. "I have to make sure I keep my strength up," Veikune said. "I'm always working out." Last week, he forced a fumble, then set up the ensuing return for a touchdown by blocking for Fonoti.

Despite moving to slotback, Mouton remains as the No. 1 nickelback. Galdeira, Keao Monteilh and Richard Torres also will play nickel when the Warriors are in the 45 (4-2-5) and Okie (3-3-5) coverages. That means Dowling has been promoted to full-time cornerback. Thomas, who entered as a safety when the Warriors employed five defensive backs, is now the No. 1 free safety. He earned the job because of his active play and range. "He deserves a chance," associate head coach Rich Miano said.

Both Leonards are ailing — Josh Leonard has a sprained foot and Adam Leonard has a fractured ring finger on his left hand. Both will play.

HAWAI'I SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—86 Dan Kelly 6-3 225 Sr.

P/H—Tim Grasso 5-11 210 Sr.

LS—57 Jake Ingram 6-4 235 Sr.

KR—89 Malcolm Lane 6-1 180 Sr.

PR—85 Aaron Bain 5-8 190 Sr.

Outlook: A childhood trick — follow the bouncing ball — still is relevant for JoPierre Davis, who downed two punts inside the 5 last week. Davis practices downing sky punts every day. But the key, he said, is to be able to elude blocks and race into position to field the bouncing punt. Last week, Nevada did not double-team Davis, who serves as the gunner. "We talked about that: if they don't double team, you've got to win," Davis said. "I tried to make a play. Now I want to be able to work through a double team in the same way. Even if they do double-team me, I still have to make a play."

Last week, Lane averaged 38.3 yards per kickoff return. His three returns, on average, gave the Warriors the ball at their 46. He averages 23.4 yards per kickoff return this season, which would place him fourth in the WAC if he met the minimum number of returns. Bain averaged 8.3 yards in punt returns last week; in the first seven games, UH averaged minus-0.3 yards per return.

UTAH STATE OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

WR—14 Otis Nelson 6-4 214 Sr.

WR—17 Xavier Bowman 6-1 203 Jr.

LT—62 Spencer Johnson 6-5 292 So.

LG—69 Ty Rodgers 6-3 300 So.

C—56 Ryan Tonnemacher 6-3 292 Sr.

RG—61 Brennan McFadden 6-2 305 Jr

RT—77 Derek Hoke 6-9 315 Sr.

TE—87 Doug Barbour 6-4 235 So.

WR—11 Stanley Morrison 5-8 156 Fr.

WR—85 Omar Sawyer 5-9 183 Jr.

QB—12 Diondre Borel 6-0 185 So.

QB—10 Sean Setzer 6-2 227 Sr.

FB—33 Ronald Scott 6-0 205 Fr.

TB—27 Curtis Marsh 6-0 194 So.

TB—6 Robert Turbin 5-10 210 Fr.

Outlook: Last year, Borel was a wide receiver. This year, he's the Aggies' top passer (1,125 yards, nine touchdowns) and rusher (424 yards). "I put him in the baller category," UH associate head coach Rich Miano said. "He can straight out make you miss." In preparing a scout team to simulate the USU offense, the Warriors scanned their roster, finally deciding on slotback Ryan Henry to portray Borel. Borel, who can run 4.53 seconds over 40 yards, is at his best on the perimeter, either running the option, scrambling or lofting play-action passes. His arm strength is slightly above average, but he appears to be a good leader. In the red zone (between an opponent's 20 and goal line), the Aggies lead the WAC with a conversion rate of 88.9 percent (16 scores in 18 drives). They have 12 red-zone touchdowns and are 4 of 5 on field-goal attempts. They have not turned the ball over in the red zone. On the down side, the Aggies have been in the red zone on 18 of 101 possessions.

UTAH STATE DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—46 Darby Golden 6-1 250 Jr.

LT—58 Ben Calderwood 6-2 267 Sr.

RT—96 Alan Bishop 6-5 285 Jr.

RE—54 Nathan Royster 6-0 256 So.

LB—40 Bobby Wagner 6-3 210 Fr.

MLB—53 Jake Hutton 6-0 236 Sr.

LB—31 Paul Igboeli 6-0 211 Jr.

LCB—2 Roy Hurst 5-9 193 Sr.

LCB—7 Chris Randle 5-10 180 So.

SS—3 James Brindley 5-10 195 Jr.

FS—39 Caleb Taylor 6-3 193 Sr.

RCB—1 Kejon Murphy 5-8 160 Jr.

Outlook: Maybe it's a coincidence, but the Aggies seem to bring out the worst in opponents. Brigham Young was outscored 14-10 in the final three quarters. Fresno State needed a game-winning 58-yard field goal. Golden and Roster are athletic defensive ends; at least one is expected to align wide of a UH offensive tackle to get a better line-of-attack angle. Calderwood is a so-called high-energy guy. Hutton leads with 70 tackles. Beyond that, the Aggies play on grit and scrappiness. Their weakness is the big play, or lack of one. This year, they have relinquished 11 touchdown plays of at least 20 yards, including passes of 76 and 53 yards, and a 51-yard rush. They have made eight sacks, or one every 36.8 pass plays.

UTAH STATE SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK/P—8 Peter Caldwell 6-4 240 So.

KO/P—16 Chris Ulinski 6-2 206 Jr.

H—17 Xavier Bowman 6-1 203 Jr.

LS—89 Patrick Scales 6-4 235 So.

KR/PR—1 Kejon Murphy 5-8 160 Jr..

Outlook: At home, in the thin air, the Aggies are better on special teams. In four home games, opponents are averaging 19.8 yards per kick return. On the road, opponents average 25.7 yards per return. Caldwell has 10 punts that have traveled at least 50 yards

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