Hawaii Football: Gameday Depth Chart Breakdown

Up to the first game, everything we think we know about the roster is all speculation. No matter if the coach hands you the depth chart or not things change when the games get real. Not a lot of changes were made after the Colorado game. The lineup that led the Rainbow Warriors to their first victory in the 2015 season will remain largely intact. The Bows are sporting just three changes from the starting lineup from the opening day roster. One of them comes from the fact that Diocemy Saint Juste remains out likely dealing with the same ailment that held him out in week one.

Paul Harris played well in his first game with Hawaii but I am still waiting to see what Saint Juste can do in this high tempo offense. Harris is a great substitute for Saint Juste as they both have some moves with the ball in their hands. Steven Lakalaka should still see work spelling either as the hammer. Lakalaka is supposed to be a good pass blocker and may be called upon more if the offensive line falters.

The offensive line remains intact for week 2 in hopes that added chemistry will aid in the battle versus Ohio State. Ben Clarke, Dejon Allen and Elijah Tupai played four games together so far. While R.J. Hollis and Asotui Eli made their first starts last week. They have not shown that they are a cohesive unit just yet. In their lackluster performance against Colorado, they allowed four sacks, eight tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. Without improvements in their play, Max Wittek and the UH offense could be in for some pain.

The usual suspects, Marcus Kemp and Quinton Pedroza, will be the primary route runners for Wittek. Dylan Collie will be manning the slot along with surprise contributor Isaiah Bernard. Metuisela 'Unga will get the nod once again at tight-end and most likely will be counted on to help in the blocking game.

On defense the only changes made were Daniel Lewis Jr. taking over as a starting safety and Ne'Quan Phillips taking back his starting spot he earned back when the 2014 season started. The secondary is has a lot of talent and experience this year but still is prone to giving up big plays. With the offensive line the Buckeyes sport, UH will need to count on their secondary to hold their coverages for a little longer than usual.

The front seven will play a paramount role the game. They will be led by a deep linebacker corps and a newly found impact player, Luke Shawley. Shawley eclipsed his 2014 totals in sacks and tackles for loss while nearly accumulating half of his 2014 total tackle tally against Colorado (14 vs 35). His emergence along with the ever steady performance of Kennedy Tulimaseali will help to provide the linebackers with much needed space to make plays.

Jerrol Garcia-Williams and Lance Williams lead this linebacker corps in Week 2. With Urban Meyer anticipated to to run up the score, this group will be counted on to lead this defense. Their ability to penetrate the backfield will help with the coverage schemes and lack of depth on the line.

Rigoberto Sanchez has won the kicking job outright. Sanchez showed signs of being an improvement from the inconsistent season Tyler Hadden had in 2014. Paul Harris and Quinton Pedroza both retain spots as the primary return men on kickoffs and punts respectively. Both have the ability to gain some serious yardage in the return game and will be counted on to help with the critical field position battle.