Who has the edge between Hawaii and Duquesne?
Sep. 16—The Dukes have been able to regenerate after suffering wide-scale departures.
The Dukes have been able to regenerate after suffering wide-scale departures. The left side of the line has been fortified after losing a left tackle to pro football and left guard to pro wrestling. Last season's top five receivers also did not return. But 6-foot-3 wideouts Abdul Janneh and Rahmon Hart have elevated to productive roles. Janneh has secured three of the Dukes' five touchdown passes. Hart, a Ball State transfer who appeared in one game last year, honed his sure hands by catching 55-mph footballs from JUGS machines. Slotback Dwayne Menders' 17 catches have come on a team-high 26 targets, mostly on crossing routes. Tight end Quan Easterling sets up attached to the line, in the slot or backfield, or in motion. He's strictly a blocker (zero targets in three games ). Billy Lucas and DeMarcus Ware (no relation to the former NFL linebacker ) are a 1-2 collaboration. Ware has been tackled 10 times behind the line of scrimmage, but he also has broken away on runs of 19, 20 and 43 yards. The Dukes have not fumbled in 159 touches this season. After transferring from Ohio, quarterback Joe Mischler led the Dukes to the league title game during the 2020-21 spring season. But he suffered a knee injury in the 2021 opener. Mischler has regained the starting job of the no-huddle, shotgun offense. At 5-11, Mischler styles his game after Drew Brees'. He completed 61.5 % of his throws the past two games while not drifting from the pocket. He averages 5.5 yards on his two scrambles.
When your campus is in downtown Pittsburgh and your field is named after Steelers founder Art Rooney, it is easy to imagine the inspiration for the Dukes' defense. Defensive coordinator Mike Craig rejoined the Dukes this spring after six years at California-Pennsylvania, one of Division II's top defensive programs. Craig's 3-4 scheme has many elements of the defense Dick LeBeau ran with the Steelers for a football generation. There is the sturdy end (A.J. Ackerman ), hybrid edge defender (Todd Hill ) and all-points zone blitzes. All-league nose Maxi Hradecny has not played since starting in the opener against Florida State. Ryan Lopez has filled in as the two-gap canceler. The Dukes can clog the running lanes when 6-foot, 240-pound linebacker Jayden Johnson enters in the middle. Safety Jeremiah Josephs, who began his NCAA career at Miami (Ohio ), did not play last week. Hill epitomizes the versatility of the defense. He can defend the flats, align in the middle, or rush off the edge as a linebacker or d-end. "It's all fun, " said Hill, who has a team-high 2.5 sacks. Of his 12 tackles, 4.5 have been in the backfield. "I like rushing and getting to the quarterback." Hill grew up in a county 7 miles from Duquesne. Although he was a Steelers fan, he also followed running back Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints's defense. "That whole Saints team made me love football, " he said. The last eight quarters, the Dukes have forced 11 punts in 23 full possessions. They held Thomas More University to 15.6 yards per drive.
The Dukes have shown aggressiveness lately, running back eight of 10 kickoffs, averaging 17.0 yards per return. Duquesne missed its first three field-goal attempts before Brian Bruzdewicz connected on two 37-yarders last week. Bruzdewicz joined the football program after competing for Duquesne's soccer team in 2019.
Pittsburgh transfer Joey Yellen will make his third consecutive start at quarterback. Yellen's 67 passes are 11 short of his season high in 2020, when he was the backup to 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett. UH allowed Yellen to play from whistle to whistle in last week's blowout loss to fourth-ranked Michigan. Yellen has displayed a quick release and increased comfort in the Warriors' multiple-scheme offense. Yellen was sacked once in 37 pass plays last week. Quarterback Brayden Schager has recovered from an injury and is available to play. Schager, who started the opener against Vanderbilt and took 58 snaps against Western Kentucky, was held out of the Michigan game. Schager has accounted for all four of UH's completions of 24 yards or longer. Jonah Panoke runs the most precise routes, and Jalen Walthall (Texas 5-A champion with a triple jump of 50-4 ) is a 3-D threat. Offensive lineman Sergio Muasau, who made his first start last week, can play the three interior spots. To boost the running game, the Warriors have been using more double tight end sets, with Caleb Phillips, Greyson Morgan and Kamuela Borden complementing Jordan Murray. The Warriors have expanded the running back rotation beyond Dedrick Parson and Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei. Tylan Hines, a cut master, and speedy Jordan Johnson are part of the game plan. Hines, who is 5-7 and 170 pounds, said he studies videos of Barry Sanders and LeSean McCoy. But his jump-cut moves have drawn comparisons to former Warriors Gary Allen and Michael Brewster. "I just read and react, " said Hines, who trains under Joshua "300 " Hicks during the offseason in Texas. Hicks also trains NFL running backs Ezekiel Elliott, Melvin Gordon and Leonard Fournette.
The Warriors will open with a tall secondary to match Duquesne's lengthy starting receivers. UH's 6-foot-2 corners Hugh Nelson and Virdel Edwards have had to adjust their strike zone and stances to track shorter, quick-breaking receivers. This time, they will get to display their jamming skills on press coverages. Punahou School graduates Kaulana Makaula and Matagi Thompson are in the top safety rotation. Thompson is a grayshirt who delayed enrolling at UH until January. The other four starters in the secondary began their NCAA careers at power-five schools—Edwards (Iowa State ), Nelson (Georgia ) Makaula (USC ) and nickelback Malik Hausman (Arizona ). Linebacker Isaiah Tufaga, who transferred from Oregon State in 2019, grew up in Laie but was destined to attend Saint Louis School. "It was a family decision, " Tufaga said. "My dad went there, my uncle went there. It was bound for me to go there." His mother worked at an airline to help Tufaga attend football camps on the mainland. His father Wes, a coach at Saint Louis, worked extra shifts to pay for his son's tuition and gas money. "They made a lot of sacrifices for me, " Tufaga said. "It was only right that I give back to them by going to college and getting a degree and finishing out my football career here. That's another reason I came back home (from OSU ). I wanted to take care of them and my family."
The mentality is "ride-or-die, ' but the recent approach is "live another day " as the Warriors are more agreeable to accepting sure things—fair catches and touchbacks—than trying to force the action on returns. Against Michigan, the result was a clean effort of no muffs and the average UH drive starting on its 26. Despite physical ailments and a stomach bug in days leading to the past two games, kicker /punter Matthew Shipley has perfect attendance for games. He also has added a rollout punt.
