HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Warrior football team kicked off fall camp, Thursday, with the first of 24 practices in preparation for its season-opener against Central Arkansas, Sept. 4 at Aloha Stadium. Kick-off is 29 days and counting.

 

After leading the team to a Hawai'i Bowl berth in his inaugural season, head coach Greg McMackin begins his second fall training camp with loads of optimism.

 

“It was really exciting being around the guys,” McMackin said. “Their effort was outstanding today. They're going to be a tight-knit group. The coaches coached hard. There was a lot of teaching going on and a lot of learning going on, which at this time of year, with no pads, is really important.”

 

Teaching was the operative word for the day. The defense looks to replace nine starters from last year, while special teams will also sport entirely new personnel.

 

“Defense and special teams--we're going right to the basics,” McMackin said. “We started working on tackling from the ground up, we worked on the option. We had players who got in last year and we recruited players to complement those guys. But, we have a lot of newcomers so we're working a lot on fundamentals and techniques.”

 

The offense returns nine starters and is less a work in progress. For McMackin, the offense didn't skip a beat from the progress it made during the spring. And while the 2008 fall camp focused on an open competition to replace Colt Brennan at quarterback, this year is entirely different. Senior Greg Alexander is firmly entrenched as the starter. Alexander had an impressive final stretch last season and has shown steady improvement.

 

“He gets rid of the ball quicker, his footwork is good,” McMackin said. “(Quarterback coach) Nick Rolovich has done a great job with the quarterbacks. We're not in the situation we were last year. We're at a point where our top three quarterbacks know the package. I was real impressed how the quarterbacks (did) and how the receivers caught the ball today.”

 

However, what impressed the coach most was the team's conditioning.

 

“This football team has great work ethic,” McMackin said. “They're great guys. I love how they came to camp and how they're taking care of business. This will be a special group.”

 

The Warriors will conduct single practice sessions for four of the next five days (Sunday off) until next Wednesday, when they begin two-a-day practices.