Take Five: Getting to know Hawaii

By Ryan Greene

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.

Hawaii comes to town for an 8 p.m. showdown tonight against UNLV with offensive numbers through two games that can flat-out impress.

The Warriors rank 11th in the nation in total offense, averaging 520.5 yards per game.

However, that total was constructed against an FCS foe in Central Arkansas and a Washington State team that hardly resembles a legitimate Pac-10 member anymore.

So how good is Hawaii, you ask? Here's a closer look.

1) Is this Greg Alexander guy for real?

In three words: It appears so.

He started the Warriors' season-opener last year at Florida, and completed just 11 of 21 passes for 57 yards and two picks in a 56-10 loss. Not the easiest assignment in the world for a guy who a year earlier was taking snaps at Santa Rosa (Calif.) College.

But Alexander took the reins for good on Oct. 25, when a touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining helped Hawaii knock of UNR, 38-31. In that game, he was 17-of-22 for 205 yards and two scores. Starting the final six games of the year, he finished '08 with 1,895 yards, 14 touchdowns and a decent showing against Notre Dame in a Hawaii Bowl loss.

At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, he's a hard target for pass rushers to miss, but he seems to have soaked in Hawaii's pass-happy run-and-shoot system in Year Two.

Even though Washington State is pretty wretched this season, it's still a road game on the mainland, where Hawaii has traditionally struggled in non-conference games. He was 26-of-36 for 453 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Add in his dual-threat capability and, yeah, the guy is no fluke. Prepare to hear his name plus those of his top two targets — receivers Greg Salas and Rodney Bradley — an awful lot.

2) Can the Warriors do anything on offense other than throw the ball?

Well, so far, they haven't had much need to.

Alexander is the team's leading rusher with team-highs in both carries (19) and yards (87).

Newcomer Alex Green — one of 28 juco transfers on the Hawaii roster — appears to be the most viable option to run the rock, with 14 carries for 76 yards and one score in his first two games at the FBS level. Senior Leon Wright-Jackson, who had 61 career carries entering this season, has eight totes for 43 yards and a touchdown.

So Can the Warriors run the ball? Well, combining those two backs with their beefy, strong and consistent offensive line, yes they can. They just don't try to very often.

3) Living out of a suitcase? No big deal

Don't buy into the theory that Hawaii having not been home to the islands since prior to its win at Washington State will have an effect on Saturday's outcome.

For a school with a recruiting budget so small that coaches never visit the mainland to see prospective players and instead rely on second-chance type kids who play with an attitude and a chip on the shoulder, a week in Vegas is nothing.

Besides, this isn't the first time one of those extended trips has ended with a game at UNLV. In 2007, en route to a Sugar Bowl berth, the Warriors stayed in Houston for a week after downing Louisiana Tech, 45-44. They then came to Sam Boyd and punished the Rebels, 49-14. Then back home.

4) All this talk about offense ... what does the defense look like?

All signs point to this being a shootout, barring a rash of turnovers. The Warriors' defense ranks 66th in the nation through two weeks, allowing 336.5 yards per game.

Plus, it's also worth mentioning that they didn't quite put their foot on the Cougars' throats a week ago, allowing Washington State to find a rhythm and score 20 points after at one point in the first half holding a 20-point lead.

The Cougars finished the day with 403 yards of total offense, and if it wasn't for seven turnovers, who knows how close it could have been?

5) One more name to remember ...

That would be senior linebacker Blaze Soares.

Aside from having maybe one of the coolest names in the FBS ranks, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Soares seems to have finally found his rhythm with the Warriors.

He transferred to Hawaii prior to the 2006 season and played in all 12 games as a reserve, then recorded 27 tackles in the final nine games of the 2007 campaign after returning from injury.

Soares was supposed to break out in 2008, but instead missed the entire season with a torn muscle in his left calf. Now back and healthy, he leads the Warriors with 15 tackles in two games. He'll have plenty of chances to add to that number come Saturday night.