HAWAII WARRIORS O:9 D:5

The Warriors suffered their first losing season since 2000 last year, and some wholesale changes were made in the off-season. Defensive Coordinator Jerry Glanville must have been in the ear of June Jones and company as 17 of their 24 scholarships went to defensive players. This is fantastic news for Warrior fans since the program found out it still needs to play defense even if you have one of the most prolific scoring offenses in the country. Only five players return to run DC Glanville’s 3-4 attack, but should improve upon their numbers form ’05 with a years worth of the schemes under their belts. The front wall looks to be in the best shape, and will go from a weakness to a major strength in ’06. The Warriors were second in the nation in passing last season averaging 384 YPG, and QB Colt Brennan is back to improve upon his outstanding ’05 numbers. The kid completed 69% of his passes for 4301 yards and had a TD/INT ratio of 35-13. His WR corps returns fully intact, and the RB corps spearheaded by RB’s Nate Ilaoa and Reagan Mauia look to become a better compliment. This will be one of the best offensive attacks in the country once again, and will no doubt shatter the 31 PPG they averaged a season ago. Special teams play will have been shored up for this season after a number of costly mistakes cost them a season ago. The Warriors are the wild card squad in the WAC this year. They have the talent on hand to get past everyone in the conference, but they have to overcome their shortcomings defensively and beat the top two dogs on the road.