Hawaii vs UMass: 3 things to watch

3. Will Hawaii’s defense see any differences with their new coordinator?

With the defense transitioning from former coordinator Kevin Lempa to Legi Suianuona, there are bound to be some growing pains along the way. As mentioned before, Hawaii’s defense struggled greatly against the run last season, likely a contributing factor in Lempa’s departure.

Despite finishing in the middle of the pack in the Mountain West, Hawaii finished dead last in opponent points per game. Should things tighten up on the defensive side of the ball, don’t be surprised to see the Warriors finish near the top of their conference this season.

Of course, things tightening up is a big if for Hawaii. The Warriors have witnessed a poor defense over the last couple of years, their best statistical season coming in 2014 when they strangely finished 4-9.

Nowhere to go but up

Hawaii was below average last season in regard to sack totals, but hope that defensive line specialist Suianuona will be able to provide more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the new defensive coordinator.

On the other side of the ball, the Minutemen finished third to last in the FBS with 45 allowed sacks. Look for Hawaii to be champing at the bit against UMass, hungry to put the right foot forward in their first game with their new DC.

Also lookout for redshirt junior Jahlani Tavai who will undoubtedly be gunning for his first sack of the season after finishing with a team high six last season. This will also be a good test for the Minutemen to see if they are capable of resisting such a force early in the season.

Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017

Again, don’t expect this to be a highly publicized game, but if you happen to watch it keep an eye out for a few of these things. You never know if they might turn into a much larger story down the road.