GAME NOTES: The 20th-ranked Hawaii Warriors continue their offensive assault this weekend as they hit the mainland for a date against Western Athletic Conference rival Louisiana Tech in Ruston. Last Saturday night, Hawaii blew past Northern Colorado without breaking a sweat with a commanding 63-6 triumph in Honolulu. This game represents the first of two straight away from home for the Warriors, with the team stopping off at Sam Boyd Stadium to challenge UNLV the following weekend. After that the team gets back to the island to face little-known Charleston Southern. As for the Bulldogs, they too won their 2007 season opener by posting a 28-7 triumph over Central Arkansas at home. Following this conference opener, LaTech hits the road for two straight in the Golden State versus California and Fresno State and then stops by Oxford, Mississippi to tangle with Ole Miss. As far as the all-time series between these two programs is concerned, Hawaii holds a 4-1 edge over the Bulldogs, but the teams have split the two meetings played in Ruston. Last year, the Warriors tore apart Tech at Aloha Stadium by a final of 61-17.

The story for the Warriors was again Colt Brennan as he surpassed the 10,000- yard passing mark for his career in the crushing win over Northern Colorado. But as was the case so many times last season, Brennan didn't even bother to finish the game, tying the team record for passing touchdowns in a quarter (four) and a half (six), while setting new UH standards for completions in a quarter (19) and in a half (34), and yards in a half (416). Brennan, who missed on a mere six attempts in the contest, is now tied with friend Matt Leinart for sixth on the all-time NCAA passing touchdowns list with 99, just 22 shy of the all-time mark held by Ty Detmer. Wideouts Ryan Grice-Mullen and Jason Rivers made it look rather easy for Brennan as they both caught passes for more than 100 yards each for the 10th time in their respective careers. Special teams for the Warriors also came to play as they scored touchdowns on both a punt and a kickoff for the first time since 2001 when Chad Owens turned the trick against BYU.

Not only did the Hawaii defense limit the Bears to just 182 yards of offense, the unit also refused to give up the full seven points on Northern Colorado's only touchdown of the game, as Keenan Jones blocked the PAT attempt in the fourth quarter. Despite trailing in the contest almost right out of the chute, UNCO still tried to keep the ball on the ground and make a dent in the Warrior defense, but it didn't work. The Bears managed a dismal 50 net rushing yards on 34 attempts which, in the end, meant the Warriors held the visitors to less than three yards per play on the night. Brad Kalilimoku and Solomon Elimimian both registered a pair of tackles behind the line of scrimmage, with the former posting eight solo stops and a forced fumble as well. Rocky Savaiigaea also had a forced fumble for the squad and recorded the only sack of the night for Hawaii, a team that is finally coming into its own in terms of having an aggressive defense these days.

With the offense for the Bulldogs having trouble sustaining drives against Central Arkansas, it was good to see LaTech punter Chris Keagle recognized for such a strong effort for the team. Keagle, who was named the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week, averaging close to 50 yards on six punts to pin back the opposition time after time. Senior quarterback Zac Champion did little to present an aggressive offensive attack for the Bulldogs, converting 12-of-23 for a mere 71 yards and a single score. Sophomore tight end Dustin Mitchell reeled in just a single pass for the unit, but it was the only passing score of the game for Champion. Although, Champion did score once one the ground, joining Daniel Porter and Patrick Jackson with rushing touchdowns on the night. Jackson finished the event with a game-high 120 yards on the ground on 21 carries, with the team averaging almost five and a half yards per carry to pick up the slack left by Champion in the pocket.

The LaTech defense came out rather flat in the opening moments of the first quarter last Saturday, allowing Central Arkansas to march 80 yards on just five plays, taking a mere 2:25 off the clock, to score the first touchdown of the game. But from there the Bulldogs tightened up and clamped down, holding the visitors scoreless the rest of the way. However, the fact remains that Central Arkansas still produced 386 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs, which is not exactly going to scare off a team like Hawaii and Brennan. Perhaps even more telling for the defense was that it was on the field for such a long time, having to fend off a total of 94 plays by the visitors. In all, UCA's offense was allowed to remain on the field for nearly 38 minutes, so if nothing else the defense for LaTech was a tired bunch by the final gun. All that and Tech actually picked off five passes and recovered a fumble. Three of those fumbles went to Tony Moss, earning him WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

With Brennan connecting on an unthinkable number of passes without being intercepted last weekend, it is almost scary to think how much he is salivating when planning to dissect the LaTech defense. Brennan may be around in the third quarter at least for this bout, but that doesn't mean the game will be competitive that late.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Hawaii 56, Louisiana Tech 13