Recap: BYU Cougars run over Hawaii

The Cougars completely dismantled the Hawaii Warriors, winning 47-0 in Provo last night. Here's a closer look at the 4 keys to the game from the early-week preview.

Youth Movement: Underclassmen fuel BYU's 47-0 rout of Hawaii

The BYU Cougars rushed for almost 400 yards in a 47-0 rout of the Hawaii Warriors on Friday night in Provo.

BYU's drought of 100-yard rushers was pulled down rather quickly tonight. Seventeen-year-old freshman Jamaal Williams posted 97 rushing yards in the first two quarters, leaving BYU three yards short of having two 100-yard rushers in just the first half, as Taysom Hill rampaged all over the Hawaii defense, including a 68-yard touchdown run.

Williams' extended minutes came, however, because Michael Alisa broke his right forearm early in the first quarter.

Jamaal ended the night with 155 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, while Hill had 141 yards and one touchdown with the same number of carries. Sophomore and former rugby player Paul Lasike also added a fun 40 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.

Hill's performance through the air was okay, but showed plenty of room for improvement. He finished 12-21 for 112 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The biggest flaw was probably under-throwing Cody Hoffman on two deep balls, either of which could have gone for a score.

Meanwhile, BYU's defense was staunch. Sure, Hawaii isn't great. But while Nevada allowed the Warriors 378 yards, and USC allowed 264, BYU gave Hawaii only 148 yards. It's still impressive. This defense is consistently holding opponents to between 100-150 yards below their averages against other opponents.

The Cougar defense ("Zion Curtain") has also not allowed any points for 136 minutes, which is just over 9 quarters of football.

Overall, it's all you could ask. The defense dominated, Hill got some experience, and the Cougars posted a 47-0 blowout win.

Now ... if we can just get Bronco Mendenhall to see it would take a perfect Riley Nelson to be better than Hill was.

Halftime: BYU up comfortably, Bronco rains on Taysom's parade

It's halftime in Provo, and BYU has run for 253 yards en route to a 20-0 halftime lead over Hawaii.

Taysom Hill has shown a capable playmaker, rushing 12 times for 144 yards (!) including a 68-yard gallop which saw him running away from Hawaii defensive backs.

Some bad injury news though: Michael Alisa apparently has a broken arm which he suffered very early in the game. The good news is that Jamaal Williams has looked very good tonight. He's rushed 10 times for 97 yards in two quarters of play. That's two freshman with 241 rushing yards through one half.

Oh, and Ross Apo is apparently still on the team! After a designed screen pass for him in the first quarter, he later scored on a 22-yard pass, taking an 8-yard crossing route the rest of the way for a touchdown. Glad to see him finally getting the ball.

BYU's defense is playing well again, allowing Hawaii just 99 yards in the half.

But at halftime, ESPN's Jemele Hill asked if there was now a quarterback controversy at BYU. Bronco Mendenhall responded, "Taysom's the understudy. Riley is the starter when he comes back."

Gee. Can't even enjoy a full game with Hill at the helm.

9-Line Prediction: BYU vs. Hawaii

9 Vegas-style line predictions on the BYU v. Hawaii American football contest.

Hawaii Odds and Betting Lines

Using Las Vegas Odds to get a hopefully-accurate prediction for BYU's game against Hawaii.

Four things we need to see tonight from the BYU offense

News to no one: the offense has been horrible. Here are four things we need to see tonight to give us confidence that this ship is turning around.

Hawaii Highlights: Links to better know the Warriors

Game day is tomorrow! every day! (edit by BYU marketing).

Here are some stories to help you get to know the Hawaii Warriors a bit better:

Norm Chow preaches responsibility, something he learned at a tender age
"We don't coach a ball. How do you tell a ball what to do? We teach young men the game of football, and all of the lessons that go along with football."

A pro-set offense can be helpful -- to your defense
"I think I've always had the belief you win games on defense. And you can play great defense by not having your defense on the field."

Breaking even will be hard to do for the Warriors
Chow came to UH pledging to "chase championships," but the reality is with all that is on the Warriors' plate this year - new coaches, new systems, transitioning players, etc. - that chase will have to be taken up in a subsequent season.

For Chow, it's trip down memory lane
In his first month as head coach, Chow returns to two stadiums where he crafted much of his resume as one of the nation's most celebrated offensive coordinators.

Well-traveled Duke grad finds comfort zone at UH
Although he couldn't have anticipated some of the twists in his path, there is a full-circle element to Sean Schroeder's arrival in Hawaii.

Taimatuia draws strength from those he can trust
Taimatuia is supposed to be living in a UH dorm. Instead, he keeps a small portion of a scholarship check that is supposed to cover room and board, then gives the rest to his family.

Stat Update: S&P+ rankings for BYU and Hawaii

Football Outsiders has released updated statistical rankings following last week's games. Here's how both BYU and Hawaii are stacking up. (Hint: BYU's defense, still really good.)

Know The Foe: Hawaii Bio

Time for another Know The Foe bio blast. This week, BYU is taking on Hawaii in a series that should feature eight more games after this year. Last year, BYU beat Hawaii 41-20 on the islands. This year, Norm Chow brings his Warriors to Provo.

BIO

Name: University of Hawaii
Nickname: Warriors
Colors: Green, White, and Black
Conference: Mountain West
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Enrollment: ~50,000 (UH System)

Venue: Aloha Stadium, cap. 50,000 (Field Turf)

Bowl Appearances: 10 (5-5 record)
Last: 2010 (lost to Tulsa in the Hawaii Bowl)

Best seasons:
2007: Hawaii finished the regular season with a 12-0 record and rose to a #10 ranking before being man-handled by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Finished #19 at 12-1. Scored 43.4 ppg.

Player-Alumni
K Jason Elam (1992) Held the WAC's all-time scoring record until 2010. NFL Super Bowl champ, one of four players to hold the NFL longest-field-goal record at 63 yards. WR Ashley Lelie (2001) First-round NFL draft pick in 2002, caught 15 TDs and 3,749 yards in 8 NFL seasons. WR Greg Salas (2010) Unstoppable college force currently on New England Patriots roster.

Coach: Norm Chow, 1st season. (1-2, .333)

Last 5 Years: 41-26 (.612)

History vs BYU: 8-20

Most recent 5:
2011: BYU 41-20
2002: BYU 35-32
2001: Hawaii 72-45
1998: BYU 31-9
1997: BYU 17-3

2012

Record: 1-2
Ranked: NR
Sagarin Rating: 107

AVERAGES (3 games)

CURRENT STAT LEADERS

PASSING
2012: Sean Schroeder | 61-102 (59.8%) for 592 yards, 6 TD 4 INT
Career: Schroeder, same numbers

RUSHING
2012: Will Gregory | 202 yards, 1 TD on 32 carries
Career: Joey Iosefa | 630 yards, 7 TD on 135 carries

RECEIVING
2012: Trevor Davis | 170 yards, 1 TD on 9 receptions
Career: Billy Ray Stutzmann | 1,089 yards, 5 TD on 94 receptions
Jeremiah Ostrowski | 929 yards, 6 TD on 86 receptions

TACKLES
2012
DB Mike Edwards | 14 tackles
Career:
DB John Hardy-Tuliau | 127 tackles, 6 for loss
DL Paipai Falemalu | 113 tackles, 20 for loss
LB Art Laurel | 70 tackles, 18 for loss

TIME/TV

Kickoff: Friday, 6:00 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN

Watch for the Game Thread on Friday, where you can join fellow Cougar fans in discussion throughout the game.

Week 5 Preview: Hawaii @ BYU

A first preview of BYU football's week 5 opponent. The Hawaii Warriors come to Provo in Norm Chow's fourth visit since coaching at BYU.