9/3/2022 football Edit

Analyzing the Enemy: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (9/03/22)

Hannah Page • InsideHilltopperSports

Editor

@hanalei91

Day: Saturday, September 3

Time: 11:00PM CST/6:00PM HST

Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex

Network: Team 1 Sports App

Betting line: WKU -16.0 | O/U: 67.5

History: This will be the first meeting between WKU and Hawai'i.

Quarterbacks

In his starting debut for the Hilltoppers (and in the FBS), quarterback Austin Reed went 20-of-34 for 280 yards, 8.2 yards per pass attempt, 1 interception, and 4 touchdowns. After getting into a groove, Reed was able to dial up the heat in the second half. During the fourth quarter, alone, Reed went 8-of-13 for 161 yards, 12.4 yards per pass, and 2 touchdowns. Impressive on intermediate and deep throws, Reed went 3-of-6 for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns on passes of 20+ yards between the numbers and 3-of-4 for 59 yards and 1 touchdown on passes of 10+ yards between the numbers. With a win under his belt and a strong arm with great touch to lead the way, Reed has shown a lot of promise.

Quarterback Brayden Schager went 18-of-35 for 161 yards and 4.6 yards per pass attempt in the 'Bows' 63-10 loss to Vandy. With a quarterback battle still an active situation, Pitt transfer Joey Yellen also saw playing time and went 10-of-20 for 89 yards and 4.4 yards per pass attempt. Head coach Timmy Chang stated that Schager, Yellen, and Cammon Cooper will all see top-rotation reps during the WKU-week practices. The 55 pass attempts were not only in response to playing from behind, but Hawai'i runs a "multiple offense" that draws from the Run-and-Shoot as well as Air Raid concepts.

Advantage: WKU

Running Backs

The Tops ran the ball a total of 32 times, but situationally you could argue that 9 of the runs were due to a combination of rain and, then, to control the clock the last three minutes of the game. On the ground, WKU rushed for 108 yards and 3.4 yards per carry. Davion Ervin-Poindexter - an Indiana transfer - showed some flashes and led with 15 carries for 49 yards and 3.3 yards per carry (as well as a 19 yard catch). Can the Tops capitalize on Hawai'i and their poor rushing defense performance of Week 0?

Against Vandy, Hawai'i had 26 carries for 108.0 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, and 1 touchdown. Dedrick Parson led with 13 carries for 82 yards, 6.3 yards per carry, and 1 touchdown. However, Parson also had 2 fumbles. Although the ground game didn't produce major numbers, it should be noted that Nasjzaé Bryant-Lelei and Jordan Johnson averaged 5.3 and 7.0 yards per carry, respectively.

Advantage: Even

Receivers

You'd be hard-pressed to find a game highlight that didn't include wide receiver Malachi Corley. On the day, Corley had 5 receptions for 61 yards and 3 touchdowns. Daewood Davis had 6 receptions for 124 yards, 20.7 yards per catch, and 1 touchdown. Reed was, also, able to connect with five other eligible receivers: Jaylen Hall (1 reception, 30 yards), Michael Mathison (5 receptions, 24 yards), RB Ervin-Poindexter (1 reception, 19 yards), Craig Burt Jr. (1 reception, 19 yards), and RB Kye Robichaux (1 reception, 3 yards). Tight ends Joey Beljan and Josh Simon were on the field but pretty quiet, perhaps conserving energy for the Hawai'i and Indiana trips. However, Beljan did make a noteworthy block in the red zone, which paved the way for a Corley touchdown.

Jonah Panoke - reliable on the outside - led the 'Bows with 7 receptions for 101 yards while Jalen Walthall had 5 receptions for 61 yards. However, struggles through the air were a combination of quarterback play as well as receivers unable to create separation from defenders. With Zion Bowens still out, everyone will need to step up.

Advantage: WKU

Offensive Line

Despite losing two major keys to the offensive line during the offseason, WKU was able to play and look like an experienced unit. They did not allow a single sack and only allowed 2.0 hits and 2.0 quarterback hurries. Through Week 0 games as well as those games played on Friday, September 2, PFF has WKU's pass blocking ranked #2 with a grade of 92.9.

Hawai'i allowed 3.0 sacks (1 on Schager, 2 on Yellen) and 5.0 quarterback hurries. With a quarterback competition still afoot, the o-line cannot afford to make mistakes. Hawai'i's pass blocking is graded at a 65.1 while run blocking is at a 62.6.

Advantage: WKU

Secondary

In continuing momentum from 2021, WKU's secondary was able to come away with one interception (A.J. Brathwaite Jr.) and one 34-yard pick-six (Upton Stout) last Saturday. On the day, the unit allowed 15-of-21 pass attempts for 156 yards, 7.4 yards per pass attempt, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. They also only allowed 2 passes over 10 yards (a 44-yard TD and 24-yard TD). Kahlef Hailassie, Kaleb Oliver, Upton Stout, Talique Allen, C.J. Jones, and A.J. Brathwaite combined for 24 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 pass breakup, and 1 forced fumble. Through games played as of Friday, September 2, PFF has WKU's coverage ranked #10 with a grade of 76.7.

Vanderbilt only passed at a 39.0% clip, and Hawai'i allowed 16-of-28 pass attempts for 197 yards, 7.0 yards per pass attempt, and 2 touchdowns. They allowed 5 passes over 15+ yards. Four of Hawai'i's top five tacklers were defensive backs who combined for 20.0 tackles 2 pass breakups, and 2 quarterback hurries. As evident by what the 'Bows allowed on the ground, if the secondary is leading in tackles, then there's too much getting by up front. Hawai'i's coverage graded out at a 54.1.

Both the WKU and Hawai'i secondary will have their work cut out for them as both opposing offenses have a proclivity to throw the ball; however, the skill, talent, and depth of Hilltopper receivers can be overwhelming to opponents. With so much weight on the 'Bows' secondary's shoulders...

Advantage: WKU

Linebackers

JaQues Evans had a big day: leading the linebackers and Tops' defense with 13.0 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Evans, Will Ignont, Derrick Smith, and Jaden Hunter combined for 29.0 total tackles (plus Evans' TFLs and sacks). Against the 'Bows, the job will be twofold: 1) turn up the heat on the pass rush and force the uncertain QB situation into early, costly mistakes and 2) don't let Parson get passed the second level.

Hawai'i's Isaiah Tufaga and Penei Pavihi combined for 9.0 total tackles and 1 pass breakup. Allowing the Commodores' to produce 404 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground, alone, shows that this group (as well as the defensive line) has a lot to work on.

Advantage: WKU

Defensive Line

Against Austin Peay, defensive end Juwuan Jones had 10.0 total tackles and 1 tackle for loss while tackle Lorenzo Hernandez had 4.0 total tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, 0.5 sack, and 2 quarterback hurries. Between Jones, Hernandez, Terrion Thompson, and Darius Shipp, the guys up front totaled 16.0 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 4 quarterback hurries. Also, seemingly improved against the run, WKU allowed 48 carries for 171 yards, 3.5 yards per carry, and 1 rushing touchdown.

Ezra Evaimalo led the line with 2.0 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry. As for linebackers and the defensive line, PFF graded the 'Bows out at 47.8 on run defense, 38.4 on tackling, and 53.2 on pass rush.

Advantage: WKU

Special Teams

Punter Tom Ellard punted six times for 270 yards, 45.0 yards per punt, with 3 landing inside of the 20-yard line. Kicker Brayden Narveson was perfect on the day, going 1-of-1 on field goal attempts and 5-of-5 on extra point kicks. Upton Stout returned two punts for 31 yards (15.5 yards per return) with a long of 19.0 yards.

Hawai'i punter Matthew Shipley had six punts for 220 yards, 36.67 yards per punt, with 1 landing inside of the 20-yard line. Also the kicker, Shipley went 1-of-1 on field goal attempts and 1-of-1 on extra point kicks. On kickoff returns, Jalen Perdue had 5 returns for 84 yards and a long of 30 yards.

Advantage: WKU

Prediction

Given what we've seen, WKU is the clear favorite. But a lot of questions remain. Could travel and jet lag affect the Tops? Can they produce 4th quarter numbers throughout an entire game? Was Vandy that good? Or is it that Hawai'i is still in the middle of a major rebuild (in terms of talent, scheme, and recovering from the drama of 2021)? Right now, WKU looks like the team in a better position and was able to make necessary in-game adjustments last week.

WKU - 38
Hawai'i - 24

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