Two of the nation's top offenses will be on display when the No. 24-ranked Hawaii Warriors meet the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the Hawaii Bowl on Friday, Dec. 24, 2010, at Honolulu. ESPN will telecast the 8 p.m. EST game, which matches a pair of former conference rivals. Both are averaging more than 39 points per contest.
Tulsa (9-3) ranks sixth in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense at 503.5 yards per game. Hawaii is eighth at 496.9 yards, and also features the nation's No. 1 passing offense (387.8 yards). Meeting that aerial onslaught will be a Tulsa pass defense that ranks 119th in the 120-team FBS. The Golden Hurricane is yielding 305.7 passing yards per game — more than everybody except Texas Tech.
But that doesn't mean Tulsa will immediately cave in when facing the forward pass. The Golden Hurricane has 19 interceptions, tied for fifth in the FBS. And it's caused 30 turnovers, tied for fourth nationally. Hawaii, though, has been even better at picking off passes and forcing turnovers. The Warriors lead the nation in both interceptions (23) and takeaways (36).
Coach Greg McMackin's Hawaii squad closed a 10-3 regular season with a 59-21 trouncing of UNLV on Dec. 4. The Warriors went 7-1 in the Western Athletic Conference, sharing the championship with Boise State and Nevada. They last played the Golden Hurricane in 2004, when Tulsa was a member of the WAC. Hawaii won 44-16 at home to extend its series lead to 5-3.
Tulsa (9-3) is now a member of Conference USA, and was 7-1 there in 2010. Coach Todd Graham's team is on a six-game winning streak, which includes a 56-50 triumph over Southern Mississippi in its regular-season finale on Nov. 26.
The Golden Hurricane had a four-year bowl streak snapped last season, but is back for its 17th bowl appearance. Tulsa won its last two — GMAC Bowl triumphs over Bowling Green and Ball State in 2007 and 2008 — and is 7-9 all-time in bowls.
Hawaii, also back in bowl competition after a one-year absence, is 5-4 in the postseason. The Warriors will try to snap a two-game bowl skid, which includes a 49-21 loss to Notre Dame in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl. To be successful they'll need to slow down Tulsa's fast-paced offense — at least a little bit.
The Tulsa Offense
Tulsa is averaging 39.7 points per game, utilizing a balanced attack that averages 219.3 yards per game on the ground and 284.2 yards through the air. The catalysts are quarterback G.J. Kinnie and wide receiver Damaris Johnson. The two are actually Tulsa's top two rushers. Kinnie has gained 557 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Johnson has run for 462 yards and six TDs, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt.
But they've been gained more yardage connecting on pass plays. Kinnie has completed a modest 60.1 percent of his throws with 10 interceptions, but he's produced 3,307 yards and 28 touchdowns. The 5-8, 170-pound Johnson has 53 catches for 771 yards and three TDs.
H Back Charles Clay has added 41 catches for 488 yards and a team-high seven TDs. He's on a long list of targets that also includes Trae Johnson (29 catches, 427 yards), Thomas Roberson (28 receptions, 304 yards, 1 TD), Ricky Johnson (21 receptions, 334 yards, 1 TD), reserve H back Willie Carter (18 catches, 295 yards, 5 TDs) and Jameel Owens (16 receptions, 223 yards, 5 TDs).
The ground game receives muscle from 6-1, 245-pound Alex Singleton, who's rushed for 391 yards and nine touchdowns. Freshman tailback Ja'Terian Douglas has 333 yards and thee touchdowns.
Tulsa has fumbled the ball away only six times and has committed only 17 turnovers. Pass protection's been average, with the Golden Hurricane giving up 24 sacks.
The Hawaii Offense
Hawaii has allowed 34 sacks, ranking among the nation's worst. But that's not as disastrous as it seems, considering that the Warriors have put up 562 passes. And their turnover count of 20 is pretty darned low when factoring in the wide-open nature of their offense. The bottom line is that they're averaging 39.9 points per game — ninth in the FBS.
Quarterback Bryant Moniz has connected on 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,629 yards and 36 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. The junior leads the FBS in passing yards, shares the FBS lead in TD passes and is 10th in passing efficiency (161.4 rating).
It helps to have the nation's most productive receiving duo. Greg Salas has caught 106 passes for 1,675 yards and 12 touchdowns, ranking second nationally in receiving yards per game and third in receptions per game. Kealoha Pilares has 88 receptions for 1,306 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's fifth in receiving yards per game and third in TD receptions.
The Warriors' receiving corps also includes Royce Pollard (56 catches, 772 yards, 6 TDs) and Rodney Bradley (48 catches, 511 yards, 1 TD). Running back Alex Green (26 receptions, 343 yards, 1 TD) is another pass-catching threat.
Hawaii is averaging only 108 rushing yards per game, most of it being supplied by Green. The senior has run for 1,168 yards and ranks among the FBS leaders with 17 touchdowns.
The Tulsa Defense
Tulsa is allowing a hefty 29.9 points and 44.2 yards per game. Opponents are rushing for only 136.9 yards per game, but are managing a solid four yards per carry. They've more often opted to test the Golden Hurricane pass defense.
Interceptions have enabled Tulsa to even things out a bit. Safeties Marco Nelson and Dexter McCoil have picked off six passes apiece, and linebackers Curnelius Arnick and Shawn Jackson have each added two interceptions.
Arnick leads the team with 106 tackles, including 6.5 behind the line of scrimmage, and freshman Nelson is second with 81. Right behind Nelson on the tackles list are linebackers Jackson (80 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks) and Tyler Antle (79 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss).
The secondary also includes Brian Moore (52 tackles), Charles Davis (41 tackles, 1 interception, 10 pass breakups) and John Flanders (42 tackles). McCoil has added 41 tackles. The defensive line features Cory Dorris (45 tackles), Tyrunn Walker (40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) and Odrick Ray (4.5 sacks). Tulsa has recorded 24 sacks, and could need several more to hinder Hawaii.
The Hawaii Defense
Hawaii's defense has improved tremendously from last year's 6-7 campaign. The Warriors are giving up 22.7 points and 344.23 yards per game, with their penchant for causing turnovers being a most welcome bonus. UH has scored three TDs on interception returns and two on fumble returns.
Linebacker Corey Paredes is enjoying a spectacular season. The junior's made 144 tackles, and ranks fifth in the FBS with 84 solo tackles. He's also made four interceptions. Free safety Mana Silva, meanwhile, has recorded 76 tackles, and is tied for the FBS lead with eight interceptions.
Hawaii has produced 25 sacks, with linebacker Aaron Brown leading the way with five. Brown has 75 tackles overall, including nine for losses, and also has three interceptions. End Kamalu Umu has added four sacks, and paces the Warriors with 12.5 tackles for loss. He has 42 tackles overall.
Cornerback Jeramy Bryant (48 tackles, 4 interceptions) and safety Richard Torres (56 tackles, 2 interceptions) have also created big plays. They've been aided in the secondary by Lametrius Davis (53 tackles) and John Hardy-Tuilau (46 tackles).
Umu is joined on the line by end Elliott Purcell (33 tackles), and tackles Vaughn Meatoga (32 tackles) and Kaniela Tuipulotu (32 tackles).
Special Teams
Tulsa's Johnson leads the nation in all-purpose running, and his kick returning one of the main reasons. The junior is managing 12.1 yards on punt runbacks and 27.4 yards on kickoffs. He's brought one of each back for touchdowns this season.
The Golden Hurricane has been excellent on punt coverage, yielding only 2.1 yards per runback, but has given up two touchdowns on kickoff returns. Tulsa has also had five kicks blocked.
That been a hindrance to Kevin Fitzpatrick, who has hit 14 of 22 field goal attempts with a season long of 47 yards. Punter Michael Such is averaging 42.9 yards.
Hawaii has had some success on kickoff returns behind Dustin Blount, who's averaging 24.1 yards per runback. But punt returns have been a sore spot. Hawaii is managing only 4.6 yards per runback while giving up 14.1, including one touchdown.
Kicker Scott Enos has been accurate, going 17-for-21 on field goal attempts, but he's made no kick longer than 40 yards. Punter Alex Dunnachie is averaging 43.1 yards.
Jon Matsune - Jon Matsune is a free-lance writer based in Northern California. He has 25 years of experience in newspaper journalism, mostly as a sports ...
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