2008 OUTLOOK: The Warriors are rebuilding on offense, going through a coaching change and facing a brutal schedule, so this might be a difficult year. The offense lost quarterback Colt Brennan and all four starting wide receivers -- four of those five players are in the NFL -- and head coach June Jones. The defense may need to carry the load for a while, but that might not be enough with road trips to Florida, Oregon State, Fresno State and Boise State on the schedule. Plus, Washington State and Cincinnati go to Hawaii.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The Warriors morphed from good to elite under quarterback Colt Brennan. Nobody expects them to stay at that level regardless of who wins the job this year. The offense is getting a complete overhaul and even the system is changing. Coaches plan to put the quarterback under center a bunch this year to try to improve the running game. The best offensive players are on the line, led by center John Estes.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Five starters return, including All-WAC linebackers Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard and All-WAC defensive end David Veikune. Those three players will need to pull together an inexperienced defense if the Warriors are going to continue their defensive rise. Lost in all the gaudy offensive numbers last year was the fact that the Warriors ranked second in the WAC in total defense.
SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Dan Kelly and punter Tim Grasso return. Kelly was an All-WAC first-teamer, but he was just 12-of-17 on field goals and 70-of-74 on PATs. However, he drilled critical kicks against Louisiana Tech and Nevada to keep the Warriors perfect. Grasso averaged 39.7 yards on 35 punts last season.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Senior DB Keenan Jones was awarded an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. He will wrap up his career this season.
--RB Korey Reynolds was limited during the spring as he continued to recover from shoulder surgery last winter. He is expected to be fine for fall
