2012 MW Football Spring Preview: Hawai‘i Warriors

By Mick McGrane on April 20, 2012 10:11 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

2012 Outlook
Hawai‘i moves into the Mountain West under the direction of new head coach Norm Chow, a native of Honolulu. Chow's resume includes 39 years of coaching experience collegiately and in the National Football League. Among his 36 years as a college coach, Chow, a three-time national Assistant Coach of the Year, spent 27 seasons at BYU, one year at North Carolina State, four years at USC, three years at UCLA and one year at Utah. Chow also spent three years as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. This is his first head coaching job. The Warriors, whose seven losses last season were all decided by eight or fewer points, return seven starters on offense and four on defense.
Warrior Offense
Quarterback Bryant Moniz has moved on after becoming the third quarterback in UH history to throw for more than 10,000 yards, but junior David Graves is a capable successor. Graves, who started two games in place of injured Moniz in 2011, completed 63-of-110 passes for 768 yards and five touchdowns for a team that ranked first in the WAC and 12th in the nation in passing offense. And Graves won't lack for players with whom to play catch. The Warriors return nearly their entire receiving corps, including junior Billy Ray Stutzmann, who finished as the team leader last season with 78 catches for 901 yards and four touchdowns. Also back are part-time starters Jeremiah Ostrowski, Justin Clapp and Trevor Davis, who combined for 131 receptions for 1,409 yards and 12 TDs. Sophomore running back Joey Iosefa, who led the team in rushing last season with 548 yards (seven TDs), will be running behind an offensive line that returns left guard Dave Lefotu and left tackle Levi Legay.
Warrior Defense
The Warriors enter 2012 having lost seven starters from last year's defense, including first-team all-conference linebacker Aaron Brown. Also gone are defensive linemen Vaughn Meatoga and Kaniela Tuipulotu, linebacker Corey Peredes (team-high 107 tackles) and defensive back Richard Torres, all of whom were named to the all-conference second team. Among the returning starters are junior defensive backs Mike Edwards and John Hardy-Tuliau, senior defensive lineman Paipai Falemalu and junior linebacker Art Laurel, who finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles.
Warrior Special Teams
Sophomore returner Scott Harding became one of the more intriguing stories in college football last season. As a 25-year-old true freshman, Harding, a native of Brisbane, Australia, was named to a pair of Freshman All-America teams after averaging 22.0 yards on kickoff returns and 7.4 yards on punt returns. Senior Alex Dunnachie, who had seven punts in excess of 50 yards, allowed opponents to return only four punts, fewest in the nation. Sophomore placekicker Tyler Hadden also returns for a team that ranked sixth nationally last season in kickoff coverage.

Quick Facts
• 2011: 6-7 Overall, 3-4 WAC (T4th) • Overall Stats • Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 54/24 • Starters Returning/Lost: 12/13
Warrior Links
• Head Coach Norm Chow (1st Year) • Prospectus • Roster • Hawai‘i Football Home Page
2012 Schedule
Date	Opponent
Sept. 1	at USC
Sept. 15	Lamar
Sept. 22	Nevada*
Sept. 29	at BYU
Oct. 6	at San Diego State*
Oct. 13	New Mexico*
Oct. 27	at Colorado State*
Nov. 3	at Fresno State*
Nov. 10	Boise State*
Nov. 17	at Air Force*
Nov. 24	UNLV*
Dec. 1	South Alabama
* MW game.

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MICK MCGRANE

Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its 10 member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.

Have a question for Mick? E-mail him at mick@TheMWC.com or check him out on Twitter @MWCMick.

MARK KNUDSON

Mark Knudson is a Colorado State journalism school graduate and a 12-year veteran of professional baseball. During his playing career, Mark pitched for three major league teams, including the Colorado Rockies, where he was the first Colorado native to play for the hometown team. He recorded wins over three of the four legendary pitchers who make up the 4,000 strikeout club: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. His win over Ryan came for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day in 1991.

Since his retirement, Mark has been a feature writer and columnist for Mile High Sports, a radio talk show host and TV analyst for numerous sports media outlets. For the past six years, he was a columnist and baseball analyst for The Mtn., along with being one of Colorado's six Heisman Trophy voters.