Mountain West football preview: Hawaii Warriors

LAS VEGAS – If Andrew Peasley passed for 2,348 yards, Wyoming fans would probably be happy.
But those numbers, which Brayden Schager put up last season, don’t cut it at Hawaii.
In an effort to get more out of his returning quarterback this season, head coach Timmy Chang had Schager watch his old film from the glory days of the run-and-shoot offense.
Chang, entering his second season as the head coach at his alma mater, set an NCAA record with 17,072 yards passing and 117 touchdowns during his career.
To play to that level, Schager will have to pass for about 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns this season.
That’s going to be a tall task considering the Warriors are picked to finish 10th in the preseason Mountain West media poll.
“I love his grit. I love this toughness,” Chang said of Schager at the MW media day event in Las Vegas. “Now it's really just kind of getting to the cerebral side, just taking a step back looking at at defenses, looking at how guys are trying to play us and just being able to counter and get on the same page with our receivers and put ourselves in a good position.”
Schager beat out two Power 5 transfers, Cammon Cooper (Washington State) and Joey Yellen (Pitt), last fall. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior needs to improve on his completion percentage (55.3%) and improve his turnover margin (13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions) from 2022.
Tylan Hines, who returns at running back after averaging 7.6 yards per carry with two touchdowns as a backup, is expected to help Schager balance the offense. The sophomore will be the featured back with the graduation of Dedrick Parson (881 yards, 11 touchdowns).
The offensive line returns four players with significant experience in Eliki Tanuvasa, Solo Valpulu, Sergio Muasau and Stephen Bernal-Wendt.
“I think (Hines) is a guy that has to touch the ball a certain amount of plays. He's a playmaker,” Chang said. “He can run between tackles, he’s shifty enough, he's strong enough. But he's also dynamic when you put him out there in space. I expect him to do some big things.”
The Warriors return seven starters on defense, including leading tackler Logan Taylor at linebacker. Former Wyoming cornerback Cam Stone, a preseason all-MW first-team selection, is one of 10 FBS transfers new to the program.
“Good player, good person,” Chang said of Stone, the only starter on UW’s 2022 defense not returning to Laramie. “He brings a lot of value to our team being able to run and cover some guys.”
Hawaii plays three Power 5 opponents – Vanderbilt (Aug. 26) and Oregon (Sept. 16) on the road and Stanford (Sept. 1) at home – but avoids preseason favorite Boise State and reigning champion Fresno State in the MW's unbalanced, division-less schedule.
The Warriors must make the trek from Honolulu to Laramie for the third time in four years. UW hosts Hawaii in the home finale on Nov. 18 at War Memorial Stadium.