Hawaii Football: Rejuvenated Warriors to Showcase 'Swag' on National Television

If the Hawaii football team was in need of a boost to get revved up for a team that finished dead last in the Western Athletic Conference last season, including a 41-7 loss at the hands of the Warriors, it received one thanks to the powers-that-be over at ESPN.

"The Worldwide Leader In Sports" has decided to roll out the red carpet for tonight's game between the defending WAC co-champion Warriors and San Jose State, featuring it from sea to shining sea on another episode of Friday night football.

"Intensity was definitely there (during practice this week)," defensive end Zach Masch said. "The whole team's riled up for this and national (television), that's a biggie. And we're going to San Jose, which is always a hard one for Hawaii, so we're all focused and we're ready for this."

After an up-and-down five weeks to start the season, Hawaii (3-2, 1-0 WAC) is in a great position to leave an indelible mark on the college football landscape with a big win tonight against the Spartans. The Warriors are rested after their only bye week of the season and hungry to win another WAC title before departing for the Mountain West Conference next season.

"Practice was great. We had a lot of intensity, a lot of swag out there, a lot of people just making plays," cornerback Mike Edwards said. "So I feel like it's going to be a good week. We're going to go in this game with a real focus and we're ready to get another 'W.' "

Though they only won a single game in 2010, San Jose State (2-4, 1-1 WAC) is vastly improved this season in head coach Mike MacIntyre's second year on the job.

Playing arguably the toughest schedule to date amongst all WAC schools, the Spartans started the season with three consecutive losses against the seventh-ranked Stanford Cardinal (quarterbacked by Andrew Luck, likely the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft), the perennially tough UCLA Bruins (especially when playing at home in the Rose Bowl) and the other defending WAC co-champions: the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Since then, San Jose State is 2-1 and could be 3-0 if not for a disappointing loss at BYU last week in which they played poorly in the first half, and were without the services of their leading rusher Brandon Rutley, who missed the game with a sprained ankle.

"They're athletic and they got a good running back (who) was hurt for a while, but I have a feeling he's gonna play against us; you know a big game, televised game, shoot, I'd play too," safety Richard Torres said.

"They have a really good tight end, No. 82 (Ryan Otten). He's big, he has good moves (and) he has nice sets. That's their go-to guy. And then they got another receiver (Noel Grigsby), he caught ten balls in the last game or something like that... so it should be a challenge"

Otten, a 6'6", 235-pound junior, who leads the Spartans with 372 receiving yards and three touchdowns, will be a primary focus for the Warriors' defense that ranks first in the WAC in both scoring defense (27.4 points per game) and total defense (327 yards per game).

"He brings definitely a passing game," Masch said. "I don't really see him too physical up front, but he's definitely a threat when he gets out there and he gets ready for a pass. But I think our (defensive backs) got that under control...Our first thing like always is to stop the run and then we're going to worry about the pass later. So up front we're going to do our things, and we know our DBs got (our back)."

On offense, Hawaii ranks first in the WAC and eighth nationally in passing (343.4 yards per game), and second in the WAC in scoring (37.2 points per game). In last year's game versus the Spartans at Aloha Stadium, Bryant Moniz set a Hawaii record with 560 passing yards and three touchdowns.

But that was against a San Jose State defense that was playing without two-time all-WAC safety Duke Ihenacho, who missed all but two games in 2010 with an injury. This season Ihenacho is healthy again, and along with fellow safety James Orth, is tied for second on the team with 40 tackles.

"We just like their defense overall," wide receiver Allen Sampson said. "We feel like they can't stop anything we do (and) we're gonna dictate their defense. So they really got to worry about us more than us worry about them.

"(Ihenacho's) good. He looks real good on film; we've been watching him, we watch (Orth), they change positions a little bit but other than that they both look good. So we're just gonna keep doing what we do."

Playing on national television, Sampson who is from Tampa, Fla., said "I got a lot of family that'll try to watch it. I look forward to playing, and playing in front of my family."

Game Notes

Slot receiver Miah Ostrowski missed the last three games with a foot injury but made the trip to San Jose State and is hopeful of playing.

"That's the coach's decision. I don't expect them to put me in or not put me in. I know whatever decision they make is going to be the right one for the team," he said.

Defensive end Zach Masch, who hails from the Northern California town of Nevada City, said: "I might have 60-plus people there, so it's going to be fun. It's the first time I'm starting in front of my whole friends and family... it's going to be exciting."