How the Hawaii and Nevada football teams match up

Nov. 3—Brayden Schager's field of dreams was his family's front yard in Highland Park, Texas. When he wasn't playing pickup football with his friends known as the "Mob, " Schager would throw to a netted target from 10 yards, then 20, then 30, and so forth.

RAINBOW WARRIORS OFFENSE Brayden Schager's field of dreams was his family's front yard in Highland Park, Texas. When he wasn't playing pickup football with his friends known as the "Mob, " Schager would throw to a netted target from 10 yards, then 20, then 30, and so forth. "I'd always beg my dad to play catch, " he recalled. In a youth league where parents served as passers, Schager would play QB. As a teen, his quarterback coach, Babe Laufenberg, a former NFL player, introduced him to Troy Aikman, Jason Garrett, Roger Staubach and the Manning brothers. He also met Dan Morrison, a former UH quarterbacks coach, who had moved to Dallas when he joined June Jones' staff at SMU in 2008. Morrison, who has volunteered as a consultant with UH this season, likens Schager's arm strength to the power of the program's top gunslingers. His 34.7 % accuracy on deep-post throws is comparable to Colt Brennan's numbers in 2005, the future Heisman candidate's first season in the run-and-shoot. While Schager has mastered hitches and screens (93.8 %) and throws up to 9 yards (76 %), he has struggled in heated situations. He has been pressured on 40.2 % of pass plays. And he has absorbed a lot of post-throw hits. "At the end of the day, it's taking them for my team, " he said. "That's my job to stay in there and take those hits for the guys and distribute the ball. I'm just doing my one-11th." Last week, Schager abandoned the pocket for seven non-sack scrambles. "I love the physical part of football, " said Schager, who can back-squat 450 pounds. "I feel I'm a big enough guy I can go in there and make those plays." Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei, who missed two games because of an ailment, is back in the RB rotation.

RAINBOW WARRIORS DEFENSE The defense's only constant is change. After will linebacker and co-captain Logan Taylor suffered a season-ending ACL injury, Noah Kema, Nalu Emerson and Jalen Smith entered as successors. Smith is now the starter at will, but Kema is used as a third linebacker against run-heavy teams. Freshman Elijah Palmer, who returned to the lineup last week after recovering from an injury, seized the nickel job early in the season. CJ Williams, who was the starting nickel in the opener, is no longer on the team. Makana Meyer has earned significant reps at nickel. Caleb Brown and Devyn King made starts when cornerback Cam Stone was out with an ailment. Stone and cornerback Virdel Edwards II have drawn strong interest from NFL scouts. At 6-2 and 210 pounds, Edwards is a jammer with lock-down speed. Edwards focuses on the basics : pad level, speed and twitchiness. Edwards said he studies "shorter, quicker guys in what they're doing. They have leverage because they're a little bit smaller, but at the same time, the technique is the same. What I try to do is focus on the little things, like not opening my stance too much or not raising when I'm getting out of my breaks." This season, Edwards has missed only one tackle. Edwards, who also can cover the slotback and align as an edge blitzer, has limited receivers he is defending to an average of 2.8 post-catch yards.

RAINBOW WARRIORS SPECIALISTS There was concern about kicker /punter Matthew Shipley's availability after he underwent a back procedure during the offseason. Although he was held out of spring ball, he has not missed a practice or game this season. "He's a freak athlete, " special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield said. "He recovered quickly." Sheffield said Shipley is one of the Warriors' best athletes, a large reason he was asked to run last week. Shipley gained 17 yards on the fake punt. "He's so natural at what he does, " Sheffield said. "He makes it easy to coach."

WOLF PACK OFFENSE In 2022, after nine years as a Pac-12 assistant coach, head coach Ken Wilson returned to Nevada, where he previously worked for 19 seasons. Although he was on the defensive side during those stints, every practice he went against Nevada coach Chris Ault's pistol offense. Now Wilson has meshed elements of the pistol—a run-oriented, shotgun /single-back scheme—with UCLA coach Chip Kelly's spread attack. (Derek Sage, the Pack's OC, also coached under Kelly.) "Lots of different looks that's easy to run, but you have to defend a lot of different formations and the threat of tempo, " Wilson said of his multiple offense. "In college football, it's not that you're a tempo team, but you have the threat of tempo." Colorado transfer Brendon Lewis is a fit as an option quarterback. Lewis can pitch or hand off to a back usually aligned 3 yards behind him ; keep it ; throw deep or to a check-down receiver, or improvise. Lewis averages 6.9 yards per non-sack run. While Lewis will look often to speedy Jamaal Bell (targeted on 22.8 % of Lewis' passes ), tight ends Jayden O'Rourke and Cameron Zeidler are strictly blockers. They have been targeted five times in 255 pass plays. O'Rourke and Zeidler try to create—or give the illusion—of overloads with pre-snap double motions. At least once a game, backup quarterback AJ Bianco will join Lewis in the backfield as a running back with option-pass potential.

WOLF PACK DEFENSE With head coach Ken Wilson having final say on the play calling, Nevada has found different strengths to win consecutive games. The Pack held San Diego State to 47 passing yards and zip-for-10 deficiency on third down. Last week, New Mexico was held to 83 passing yards and 25 % third-down success. The two inside'backers—Drue Watts and Tongiaki "Naki " Mateialona—offer distinct disruptions. Watts, who sets up on the edge or middle, is skilled in striking a lineman and then rolling toward the ball carrier or quarterback. Mateialona is an all-angle'backer who can sprint laterally or change directions between backdrops and forward attacks. With LeBron-like dedication, Mateialona prepares well ahead of kickoffs. He will jog around the field, and do a series of sprints, then fast shuttles to warm his hips. "When I come out with the team, I go through hitting drills, " he said. "When the game starts, my shoulder's warmed up. I get that momentum going." Nevada identified Mateialona's potential as a hard-hitting defensive player despite playing quarterback in high school and missing most of his senior year with a broken ankle. "They saw something in me, " he said. Cornerback Jaden Dedman has relied on the patient step—forcing a receiver to tip off a move—and then using jams or bodying to alter the route.

WOLF PACK SPECIALISTS Shay Yanagi, owner of SKY Painting, is a prominent UH booster who often volunteers to load equipment and clean uniforms on road trips. Inheriting his father's work ethic, 23-year-old Peyton Yanagi—who coordinates the Pack's special teams—is regarded as FBS' youngest full-time assistant football coach. Yanagi has brought his tactics—double blocks to hold up opposing punt-coverage units—to a unit that features Brandon Talton, the Mountain West's career field-goal leader, and kickoff returner Jamaal Bell (4.43 seconds in the 40 ).