2008 Hawaii Warriors
Written July 21, 2008 by Jason Lowry
We are getting ready to start another exciting season of college football, and professional handicapper Jason Lowry is here to bring you his 2008 Hawaii Warriors football predictions. Last year the Warriors put together one of the schools most memorable seasons going 12-0 in the regular season, but they did suffer a loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. This year the Warriors have to really hope on a field full of new starters, as only 8 starters return for 1st year head coach Greg McMackin. To get a good idea at just how the Warriors will look this upcoming season, lets take a look at what they will be sending to the field on both sides of the ball.
Hawaii Warriors 2008 odds to win National Championship
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Offense:
The Warriors had one of the best offenses in the nation last season, averaging over 43 ppg, but this year only 4 starters are back on offense, and it will likely spell trouble for this unit. The team has a big hole to fill at quarterback after the loss of Colt Brennan to the NFL, as it looks now senior Tyler Graunke will step in as the new starter. Graunke did a respectable job coming in last season as the backup. The team has a pretty solid duo at the running back position in junior Leon Wright-Jackson and sophomore Kealoha Pilares. Where this team really hurts is at the receiver position, as the 4 leading receivers from last year are gone, and it will be up to junior Malcom Lane, senior Michael Washington, and sophomore Daniel Lofton to step in and take over the 3 starting spots. The offensive line does bring back 3 starters, which is good news for an inexperienced squad. Junior center John Estes is going to be the anchor of this line, and will need to help senior Lafu Tuioti-Mariner step in at right guard, while junior Aaron Kia steps in at the all important left tackle spot.
Defense:
Only 4 starters are back on this side of the ball, so things will likely be a little rough on this side of the ball as well. The defensive line should be able to perform pretty well, as they have one of the best defensive ends in the conference in David Veikune, who racked up 7 sacks last season. Opposite of Veikune will be junior John Fonoti, and in the middle they will have the senior duo of Fale Laeli and Keela Watson. The Warriors are pretty set at the linebacker positions as they have two of the best in the conference coming back this season in seniors Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian. Joining the group at linebacker will be junior Blaze Soares who did see action last season as a reserve. The secondary only brings back one starter in senior free safety Desmond Thomas, while a trio of seniors come are likely to come into the starting spots including Keao Mouton, who had 2 interceptions last season.
Prediction: 3rd in the WAC
The Warriors lost way to much talent to even consider defending their WAC title from a year ago, but the season is not lost just yet, as we think this team still has the talent and schedule to pull off 6 to 7 wins this season. Having to play both Fresno State and Boise State on the road doesn’t help matters, and the team gets their season going with a very tough opener against Florida.
If you are looking for a great place to do your betting on the Warriors this upcoming season, head over to Sportsbook.com and get an account started today! Also be sure to check back for our WAC Conference predictions, and be sure to check out many other great team preview and predictions from Jason Lowry at Betfirms.com