Hawaii Football 2014 – Better, Worse or about the Same?

OFFENSE

Hawaii’s offense took a step forward in 2013 after a fairly abysmal 2012, even if the win-loss record didn’t show it. They averaged 6.5 more points per game, and the passing game, a staple of successful Hawaii squads in the past, was vastly improved.

The offense should be even better in 2014, mostly due to an experienced offensive line that returns four starters. The Warriors would be wise to lean more on the running game this year, as they have a trio of effective running backs in senior Joey Iosefa and sophomores Steven Lakalaka and Diocemy Saint Juste.

The biggest question mark is at quarterback; Sean Schroeder is gone, and while Ohio State transfer and former four-star recruit Taylor Graham seems like the likely choice to take over, he was pretty brutal in three starts last season and has been battling sophomore Ikaika Woolsey for the job in spring ball.

DEFENSE

Hawaii DE Beau Yap

Hawaii has a new defensive coordinator in Kevin Clune, a former assistant coach at Utah State who’ll be installing the 3-4 defense scheme that the Aggies have used with great success in recent years. Beau Yap, arguably Hawaii’s best defensive player in 2013, returns for his senior year and will probably play a huge role as the lead pass rusher on the Warriors defense this season.

The defense will also get a boost from Jeremy Castro, a former four-star UCLA recruit who sat out last season after transferring. It’s hard to see how the defense could possibly be worse than last year’s unit that ranked 116^th in points allowed with an average of nearly 39 points per game. No one will confuse this defense for Alabama, but they’re heading in the right direction.

Hawaii 2014 – Better, worse or about the same as last year?

It may not mean much in the wake of a 1-11 season, but Hawaii was actually better than their record showed in 2013. They lost five games by one score or less, and came close to knocking of Fresno State and San Diego State, two of the better teams in the Mountain West last season. The Warriors two toughest games are home matchups against Washington and Oregon State to start the year, but after that they have a fairly easy schedule.

Prediction: 4-8, with multiple wins in conference for the first time since joining the Mountain West in 2012

Nolan Lees is the author of our Hawaii Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up. For more analysis and commentary about Mountain West Conference Football, please visit his blog at wrtym.blogspot.com and follow him on Twitter @NolanLees.