Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Preview

Hawaii vs. Tulsa

                While most of these bowl games are about match-ups, this one is more about the numerous mismatches that this game highlights. On the one hand, you have the powerful Hawaii passing game facing the porous pass defense of Tulsa. On the other hand, you have the versatility of the Tulsa offense and the excellence of their special teams against the mediocre defense and downright weak special teams of Hawaii.

                After two down years following Junes Jones’ decision to leave for SMU, Hawaii is back in a bowl game and it doesn’t look like they’ve changed that much. Their offense still features a spread offense that takes advantage of match-ups and is difficult to contain. The only real difference between the great Hawaii team that made it all the way to the Sugar Bowl and this team is that this team has a strong running game. Don’t be fooled by the 106^th ranking, Hawaii rushers averaged 5 yards a carry over the course of the year, led by Alex Greene. On 133 carries, Green averaged 8.8 yards a carry and scored 17 touchdowns. He kept defenses from dropping six, seven or eight into coverage. That allowed Bryant Moniz, Greg Salas, Kealoha Pilares, Royce Pollard and Rodney Bradley to run rough shot over opposing defenses. Salas and Pilares are the keys to this passing offense, even though they are both slot receivers. When they’re not breaking down underneath coverages; Pollard and Bradley are stretching the field vertically and keeping defenses on their toes. Against the Tulsa pass defense, the matchup problems that the Hawaii offense brings with them will just overmatch the young and raw Tulsa defense. The only way Tulsa will be able to slow down the passing game is if they can get a good pass rush on blitzes, because the Hawaii offensive line has struggled with pass protection at times.

                On the flip side, Tulsa uses a similar spread offense, but also uses a lot of gadget plays. Quarterback G.J. Kinne has a lot of experience in the Tulsa system and knows how to carry out play fakes, read defenses and zip ball into underneath receivers with little concern. He can occasional sail the ball on deep passes, but otherwise he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and should be able to dissect the Hawaii secondary. He has the benefit of a great receiver in Damaris Johnson and a versatile fullback in Charles Clay. Both provide a rushing and receiving threat as gadget plays are used to find matchup problems against the defense. Also, Kinne is an effective runner, knowing when to break into the open. The biggest issue that the Tulsa offense is going to face against this Hawaii defense is the play of the veteran secondary. Hawaii leads the nation with 23 interceptions and will take full advantage of any miscues in the Tulsa offense. However, with Tulsa’s love of trick plays, the Hawaii defense will also have to be patient and disciplined to avoid getting caught out of position. This could limit the Hawaii defensive backs, notably Mana Silva, in how aggressive they can be in coverage.

                It’s also a huge difference in terms of talent on special teams. While Hawaii has a good placekicker, their return game is almost non-existent and their punting game is nothing special, certainly not enough to overcome the great special teams of Tulsa. Punter Michael Michael Such ranks third in punt average and returner Damaris Johnson is the all-time leader in kick return average. The field position provided by these two could be more than enough to overcome the advantage that Hawaii’s offense has over the  Tulsa defense.

Prospects to Watch

                Hawaii

                                Greg Salas – Wide Receiver: While Salas’ excellent production may be over blown by the wide-open offense, in which he plays; his skills are far from over-blown. Salas knows how to do the subtle things to beat coverage. He also has excellent ball skills and the toughness to play over the middle. He doesn’t have a ton of explosiveness coming out of his breaks, but he definitely has the long speed to win foot races against most defenders. He does need to work on dealing with psychical receivers, but that kind of technique will come with NFL coaching.  Salas will make great slot receiver for a team that drafts him any time during or after the third round.

                Tulsa

                                Charles Clay – Fullback/Tight End: Remember Brian Leonard? That great versatile fullback from Rutgers who is now a solid third-down back with the Bengals? That’s who Charles Clay reminds me of. He doesn’t have kind of athleticism or power to survive as a runningback or traditional fullback in the NFL. However he does well enough in all areas to succeed with some coaching. His best assets are his ability to run tough in short yardage situations and wiggle free on short passes. He should be considered in the 4^th round or later.

Final Pick

                                Hawaii – Tulsa faces a lot of teams that use a spread offense similar to Hawaii’s, including SMU led by June Jones (the former Hawaii coach). Those have been the closest games on their schedule and accounts for all of their losses. I think that this game will mimic those losses, including leaving Tulsa on the short end.