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PROVO -- The storied rivalry between the BYU Cougars and the Hawaii Warriors resumes Saturday in Honolulu after a nine-year hiatus between the two schools.
Dating all the way back to 1930, BYU and Hawaii have faced off a total of 27 times with BYU leading the series 19-8. Hawaii has had a football program since 1909 with their first victory over a local high school 95-5. The Warriors defeated their first collegiate opponent in 1922, a 14-0 victory over Pomona College out of California.
The Warriors were known as the Rainbow Warriors until 2001 when they switched the football team's name to simply the "Warriors." The nickname "Rainbow Warriors" came in 1923 after a rainbow appeared over the field on which Hawaii upset Oregon State.
The Warriors have yet to win in Provo after playing eight times in LaVell Edwards Stadium, with the average score of 34-18. However, that means BYU is only 11-8 on the islands. Proof of how difficult of a place Hawaii can be to play.
The Warriors are coached by their former defensive coordinator Greg McMackin since. McMackin has been coach since 2008 and has an overall record of 23-17 with the University of Hawaii.
The Warriors have won four conference championships since joining the WAC in 1979, their most recent being last season with a 10-3 (7-1) record, sharing the title with Boise St. and Nevada.
Currently the Warriors hold a record of 6-6 on the season.
OFFENSE
Like the Cougars, the Warriors have had a lot of struggles at quarterback this year. Senior quarterback Bryant Moniz went down with an injury in November against Nevada after throwing for 2,733 yards with a 63 percent completion rate, with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Warriors were 5-4 in their first nine games before Moniz went down against the Wolfpack.
Senior Shane Austin replaced Moniz, but the Warriors lost big 42-28. Against Fresno State, Austin was replaced by sophomore David Graves in the second quarter and nearly rallied the Warriors back from a 17-0 deficit to lose 24- 21.
With Graves behind center the Warriors went on to beat Tulane 35-23 the following week.
Senior wide receiver Royce Pollard leads a great receiving core with 963 yards on 66 receptions and eight touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Billy Ray Stutzman and junior wide receiver Jeremiah Ostrowski compliment with four touchdowns apiece.
The Warriors average over 412 yards a game (42nd nationally) and over 32 points a game (32nd nationally). And despite the changes at quarterback, Hawaii still averages 311 yards through the air.
This team is geared toward the pass, but they can still move the ball on the ground, averaging over 101 yards per game.
The whole offense has run for 1,223 yards with freshman, Joey Iosefa leading the way with 541 yards on 106 carries.
DEFENSE
Hawaii gives up over 375 yards a game (56th nationally) and just over 28 points a game. The Warriors will give up points and yards, but their strength appears to be their run defense.
Hawaii gives up 140 yards on the ground (51st nationally), led by 2010 first team All-WAC linebacker Corey Paredes, who leads the team with 102 tackles, one sack, one interception, and three forced fumbles.
Senior linebacker Aaron Brown compliments Paredes with 95 tackles of his own 65 of which were unassisted and 3.5 sacks for a total loss of 38 yards.
2010 second team All-WAC defensive lineman Kaniela Tuipulotu returns to anchor the defense with 32 tackles, four of which were for a loss of yards.
Sophomore linebacker Art Laurel and junior defensive lineman Paipai Falemalu are sack machines, with nine sacks, and 4.5 sacks respectively, combining for a total loss of 86 yards.
The secondary gets picked on, giving up 235 yards through the air. They've allowed 25 passing touchdowns, but do have 14 interceptions.
Senior safety, Richard Torres although small, at just 5- feet 8-inches tall, has three interceptions on the year, with two returned all the way for touchdowns.
Sophomore cornerback John Hardy-Tuliau has three interceptions as well, but also four blocked kicks/punts, making special teams a point of emphasis for BYU.
Hardy-Tuliau is definitely one to watch for on Saturday.
Look for an enticing matchup this Saturday. Although their record doesn't show it, the Warriors could be a very tough opponent for the Cougars.
The Cougars have a history of not performing very well in Hawaii, with all eight losses being in Hawaii. The Warriors also view BYU as a rival; some even think the Cougars are their biggest rival. So expect to see a very fired up crowd, and pumped up players when the Cougars come into town.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 MST on Saturday.
