Vanderbilt football vs. Hawaii: Scouting report, score prediction

The first game of the season always comes with unknowns, but that's magnified for Vanderbilt football's opener against Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors return among the least production in the country and have an entirely new coaching staff.

"I think we're doing the best that we can to (scout the) existing players that have been in the program already that they want to depend on, such as (running back Dedrick Parson)," Vanderbilt safety Jaylen Mahoney said Wednesday.

The Commodores open up the 2022 season at Hawaii on Saturday (9:30 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network), hoping to get off to a better start than last season when they lost to ETSU in Clark Lea's debut.

Here's what to know about the matchup:

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DEPTH CHART: Here's Vanderbilt football's depth chart for the opening game against Hawaii

Hawaii's coach is a legendary former player

The Rainbow Warriors are coached by Timmy Chang, who broke the NCAA passing record while at Hawaii in the early 2000s. Playing in the pass-heavy run and shoot offense, Chang still holds the FBS record for passing attempts (2,436) and number of seasons with 3,000 yards passing (four) and 4,000 yards passing (three). He also holds the record for interceptions (80).

Hawaii is likely to pass a lot

While the scheme Hawaii will run is a bit of a mystery, it seems likely Chang will return to his run-and-shoot roots. In that scheme, there are typically four wide receivers on the field at once and the majority of plays are passes.

Chang himself holds the FBS record for career interceptions, which shows a path to stopping the offense. The Commodores have the ability to force a lot of turnovers, finishing third in the SEC in forced interceptions per game in 2021.

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Hawaii's roster has a lot of uncertainty

When Hawaii released its depth chart, it had a lot of "or" designations, reflecting uncertainty at several positions. Hawaii hasn't named a starting quarterback, with five players vying for the job, and it's possible all of them could see time.

Whether the uncertainty is gamesmanship by Hawaii or true uncertainty , it seems likely the Rainbow Warriors will have a few surprises up their sleeves.

Score prediction

Vanderbilt 33, Hawaii 13. The Commodores will be able to run all over Hawaii in a stylistic clash.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football vs. Hawaii: Score prediction, scouting report