In the Hawai'i football team's estimation, there is no underestimating Boise State, which has won the last five Western Athletic Conference titles.

"They're not only the defending champs, they're worthy champs," UH offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said. "They're a solid football team. They come off as nice guys, and they respect everybody. But when you watch the film (of Bronco games), they're the type of team that wants to punish you. They want to embarrass you."

The Broncos have won more games (86) and scored more points (42.0 per game) than any other Division I-A team this century.

Since 2002, they have won 46 of 47 WAC games.

The Broncos have won the last six meetings against the Warriors.

"They're a dynasty, flat out and simple," McKnight said. "They don't make mistakes, and they capitalize on every mistake you make. They pounce on it. They're like Navy SEALs. Nobody steps on a trip wire. Nobody steps on a land mine. Nobody drops a candy wrapper so the enemy finds out you've been there. They're a fine-tuned, well-oiled machine. When you go up against them, you know you're going up against the best."

UH quarterback Colt Brennan echoed that opinion, saying: "This is one of the few times where I really get into a chess match with defenses. Boise is that good. They know us that well. Sometimes it works to our advantage, sometimes it doesn't. It's a lot of fun playing them, especially with everything on the line."

BOISE STATE OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

WR—87 Austin Pettis 6-3 200 Fr.

LT—79 Ryan Clady 6-6 315 Jr.

LG—66 Tad Miller 6-4 297 Sr.

C—54 Jeff Cavender 6-2 285 Sr.

RG—60 Andrew Woodruff 6-3 336 Jr.

RT—75 Dan Gore 6-5 302 Sr.

TE—39 Ryan Putnam 6-2 237 Sr.

WR—9 Jeremy Childs 6-0 191 So.

QB—10 Taylor Tharp 6-2 203 Sr.

RB—41 Ian Johnson 5-11 195 Jr.

FB—40 Richie Brockel 6-2 249 So.

Outlook: It has been said there are only so many things that can be done on a football field. The Broncos prove otherwise. They start the year with an empty notebook, then fill it with scores of formations that balloon into hundreds of possible plays. For instance, Putnam, when aligned in the right slot, can be used as the lead blocker on sweeps to the left. Then again, every player is a candidate to pull — or perform other tasks. Two weeks ago, the Broncos attempted a double pass in which Clady was deemed an eligible receiver.

The Broncos run a shell game, with constant pre-snap motions and shifts. Sometimes the motions become on-the-go handoffs, but mostly they serve as calculated moves to induce defenders to double-clutch. But look past the twitches, and the Broncos' schemes are rooted in physical blocking, precise routes and no-pause runners.

Johnson, who finished eighth in last year's Heisman balloting, is a tough between-the-tackles runner with speed (4.46 seconds over 40 yards). His numbers are down because of health problems — he missed a game with a lung collapse — but he has a team-high 15 touchdowns and averages 104.9 rushing yards per game. Johnson is fearless, evidenced by when he ate 4 ounces of canned dog food as part of the team's Fear Factor competition in 2004.

Jeremy Avery, a freshman who runs 40 yards in 4.44 seconds, also has been productive, averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

Tharp, a fifth-year senior and first-year starter, took a recruiting trip to UH in 2003. But he chose the mountains over the ocean — his father, Dick Tharp, was Colorado's athletic director at the time — and is making up for lost time. The offensive line, which has allowed a sack every 26.3 pass attempts, gives Tharp ample time to find Childs (74 catches, nine TDs). Titus Young, who runs a 4.4 40, is the deep threat.

BOISE STATE DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

DE—97 Nick Schlekeway 6-4 256 Sr.

DT—90 Ian Smart 6-3 274 Sr.

DT—95 Sione Tavake 6-1 300 Sr.

DE—93 Mike T. Williams 6-4 245 Jr.

DE—98 Ryan Winterswyk 6-4 259 Fr.

SLB—24 Tim Brady 6-1 205 Jr.

MLB—44 Kyle Gingg 5-11 216 Jr.

WLB—51 Dallas Dobbs 6-2 220 Jr.

CB—8 Orlando Scandrick 5-11 198 Jr.

S—5 Jason Robinson 6-0 190 Fr.

S—20 Marty Tadman 5-11 185 Sr.

CB—1 Kyle Wilson 5-10 190 So.

Outlook: Asked about the Broncos' concerns, defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox named Brennan's "feet, arm, head ... pretty much everything." Wilcox added: "I've coached against some great quarterbacks in my short time, and he's every bit as good as any of them."

There are two approaches to defending the four-wide offense: Apply a heavy pass rush or crowd the passing lanes. The Broncos, who allow a WAC-low 18.3 points and 185.8 passing yards per game, rely on Schlekeway, who excels in narrowing the offensive backfield. "He's kind of the grit of the group," Wilcox said. "He's not really a vocal guy, but he plays really hard, and the guys respond to him."

Robinson replaces fellow freshman Jeron Johnson (back) at safety. Tadman, who has 79 tackles and eight pass breakups, is the leader of the secondary. Tadman and Brennan knew each other when Brennan's junior-college team practiced at Tadman's high school in Mission Viejo, Calif. In Brennan's first season at UH, Tadman intercepted Brennan and raced for a touchdown. "I really got to know him after that," Brennan said.

BOISE STATE SPECIALISTS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

K/P—35 Kyle Brotzman 5-10 172 Fr.

P—49 Brad Elkin 6-3 191 Fr.

LS—51 Dallas Dobbs 6-2 220 Jr.

H—2 Tanyon Bissell 5-10 194 Jr.

KR—6 Rashaun Scott 5-10 197 Sr.

PR—20 Marty Tadman 5-11 185 Sr.

Outlook: The Broncos have nine blocks this season — four each on field-goal attempts and punts, and one on a point-after kick — and 28 since 2002. In last year's meeting, they blocked two UH PAT attempts, one of which was returned for two points.

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LWO—84 Jason Rivers 6-2 189 Sr.

LSB—7 Davone Bess 5-10 195 Jr.

LT—62 Keith AhSoon 6-1 315 Jr.

LG—65 Hercules Satele 6-2 293 Sr.

C—55 John Estes 6-2 292 So.

RG—73 Larry Sauafea 6-2 294 Sr.

RT—78 Keoni Steinhoff 6-3 282 Jr.

RSB—1 Ryan Grice-Mullins 5-11 180 Jr.

RWO—2 C.J. Hawthorne 5-11 168 Sr

QB—15 Colt Brennan 6-3 201 Sr.

RB—21 Kealoha Pilares 5-11 190 Fr.

RB—48 David Farmer 6-1 224 Jr.

RB—4 Leon Wright-Jackson 6-1 211 So.

RB—26 Daniel Libre 5-8 185 Fr.

Outlook: As good as Tyler Graunke was last week — and he was the WAC's Offensive Player of the Week — Brennan, now healthy after suffering a concussion, is at a different tier. Brennan is particularly sharp in what appears to be pedestrian plays — the bubble screens, swing routes and shovel passes. In three years, Brennan has thrown incomplete twice on bubble plays and swing routes. "It looks easy, but it's hard," Bess said. "I don't know how he does it." Brennan said: "Anything where a guy is parallel to you moving downhill is a hard throw. If you throw it straight, the ball is going to be thrown behind him. It's a very awkward pass because you're throwing it out and in front. It's a quick throw, too, so you can't really put a lot of mustard on it."

Brennan is skilled in making quick throws because he has learned to throw without gripping the laces. On shotgun snaps, most quarterbacks pause to turn the football to the laces. Brennan spends 10 minutes every practice working on catch-and-throw motions on screen plays. "I realized if I don't care about the laces and just get the ball there, it makes it easier when I do get the laces," Brennan said.

Brennan also is crafty in disguising his shovel passes by rolling to the perimeter. The shovel is more effective when the defensive linemen can't camp on the running back.

Grice-Mullins continues to be a favorite target, with an average of 15.5 passes thrown in his direction in each of the last four games. His yards-after-catch (YAC) average of 6.54 is best among the starting receivers. In the first nine games, Hawthorne had an average YAC of 2.3; last week, his YAC was 9.6. "It's starting to come on," Hawthorne said. Also last week, Bess had the first perfect game of his career, catching all 12 passes thrown in his direction.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—54 Amani Purcell 6-4 277 Sr.

LE—94 David Veikune 6-3 252 Jr.

LT—96 Fale Laeli 6-1 292 Jr.

DT—93 Keala Watson 6-3 300 Jr.

RT—67 Michael Lafaele 6-1 302 Sr.

RE—12 Karl Noa 6-4 251 Sr.

RE—58 John Fonoti 6-3 250 So.

SLB—43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-10 221 Sr.

SLB—53 Blaze Soares 6-1 239 So.

MLB—17 Solomon Elimimian 5-11 218 Jr.

MLB—10 Timo Paepule 6-0 252 Sr.

WLB—44 Adam Leonard 6-0 236 Jr.

LCB—23 Gerard Lewis 5-9 175 Sr.

FS—24 Desmond Thomas 6-3 174 Jr.

NB/CB—27 Ryan Mouton 5-10 182 Jr.

SS—31 Jake Patek 6-0 204 Sr.

RCB—3 Myron Newberry 5-9 174 Sr.

Outlook: Nobody benefitted more from the move from the 3-4 than edge-rusher Veikune. As a defensive end in the 3-4, Veikune was absorbed by double teams. In the 4-3, Veikune can use his power (455-pound bench press) and speed (4.75 seconds in the 40) against lumbering tackles. Veikune has a team-high six sacks, and 7.5 of his 28 tackles have been in the opponents' backfield. "When you look at production per play, he might be our best player," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "He's got great balance, a great first step, and a relentless motor."

Laeli, who has been battling hip and rib injuries, is back in the starting rotation.

HAWAI'I SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

K—86 Dan Kelly 6-3 202 Jr.

LS—57 Jake Ingram 6-4 234 Jr.

P/H—49 Tim Grasso 5-11 221 Jr.

KR—29 Keenan Jones 5-11 181 Sr.

KR—89 Malcolm Lane 6-2 184 So.

PR—7 Davone Bess 5-10 195 Jr.

PR—3 Myron Newberry 5-9 174 Sr.

Outlook: During the practice periods when the offense is at one end of the field and the defense is at the other, Ingram and Grasso will play "dream team" in which one is the quarterback and the other the receiver. What appears to be silliness, in fact, is a useful training exercise that helps Ingram's throwing and Grasso's catching on placekick attempts. It is part of the reason the Warriors believe they can avoid the snap-hold problems that sabotaged last year's game against Boise State. There was a point last year when "we couldn't catch the ball, we couldn't put it down," coach June Jones said. "Those three guys (Ingram, Grasso, Kelly) have done a very nice job this year."

Ingram relies on positive thinking. "Why be nervous?" he said. "If you're nervous, you're worrying about something that is going to happen. If you go out and do your job, it's not going to happen."

Grasso, an all-state receiver at Utah's Davis High, is a sure-handed holder. "He's really attuned to giving me exactly what I want," Kelly said. "After a kick, he's like, 'How was that hold?' Those two guys are always seeking perfection."

Grasso has allowed one return in six punts the past two weeks, and none last week.

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.