2017 Hawai'i Football Fall Camp Coverage | For more, visit @HawaiiFootball on Twitter
Day 1: Rainbow Warriors Open Fall Camp Hungry to Prove Themselves
Day 4: Brown Provides Stability at Quarterback in 2017 Offense
Day 7: Linebackers Unified Around Experienced Core
Day 8: Warriors Gunning for Greater Offensive Improvement in 2017
Day 9: Versatile Tight Ends and Receivers Look to Push Passing Attack to Next Level
Day 11: Warrior Secondary Uses Veterans to Balance Talented but Inexperienced Depth
Day 15 (Aug. 14): Special Teams Preview with Coordinator Mayur Chaudhari
Day 16 (Aug. 15): Running Backs Preview
Day 17 (Aug. 16): Defensive Line Preview
Day 18 (Aug. 17): Offensive Line Preview
Day 19 (Aug. 18): Defensive Preview with Coordinator Legi Suiaunoa
Day 20 (Aug. 19): Fall Camp Concludes

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team participated Saturday in a game-situation scrimmage at Clarence T.C. Ching Field to cap off the third week of fall camp, complete with team run-out, pregame and Ha'a. Opening up week four after resting on Sunday, the pieces are starting to come together for the Rainbow Warriors, who near their preparation for opponent No. 1, Massachusetts.
 
As Hawai'i looks to build upon last year's turnaround, which saw the Rainbow Warriors win their first bowl game in a decade, all units must continue to improve in order to rise even higher. The five special teams units are a cornerstone in the progress, providing scoring opportunities and aiding UH in the field position 'game within the game.'
 
"I go into every year, and week too, thinking about how are we going to help the team best win the game," second-year special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari noted, "being sound in every team, and obviously playing penalty free."
 
In the first year under Chaudhari's tutelage, the Rainbow Warrior special teams were able to block four kicks, ranking 13th in the NCAA, including Viane Moala's last-second tip for the win at Fresno State. In addition, the pressure applied on Air Force forced the Falcons' first miss of the season, sending the eventual double-overtime win into its first extra period.
 
UH also saw much progress in other areas under Chaudhari. After ranking 123rd in kick return defense in 2015, UH rose to 54th nationally, holding the opposition to 20.25 yards per return. On the other side of the coin, Hawai'i ranked 44th on their own returns, collecting 21.92 yards on average. Punt returns also rose to 64th in the nation at 7.88 yards per return.
 
The center of attention on special teams, the UH kicking game likely has the biggest shoes to fill for the program heading into the 2017 season, finding the heir apparent to all-Mountain West honorable mention Rigoberto Sanchez. He was one of only a handful of kickers nationally who handled all kicking duties. Sanchez is now in contention for punt duties with the Indianapolis Colts. The kicker for the Rainbow Warriors the past two seasons, Sanchez was an anomaly, arriving to replace steady placekicker Tyler Haddon, and quickly rising above all competition to replace another seemingly indispensable player, the 'Most Interesting Man in College Football', Scott Harding. Filling all those roles for Chaudhari and the Warriors could require a multi-part equation.
 
"Losing Rigo is obviously big. We know that, we knew that even during the season last year. I don't know if you ever replace a guy like that, because I think you have to go with the mindset that we're so lucky to even ever have a guy like this," Chaudhari said. "He's one in so many. You have to find your answers from different places. We have some good kickers and punters in the program right now.
 
"Sometimes that might not be all the same guy. It may be four different guys, and situations dictate also how big of a leg you need."
 
Aided by improved coverage, Sanchez' big-leg kickoffs were at the core of return defense. He fired 71 kicks for 4,329 yards – an average of 61 yards, dropping 25 in for touchbacks. Providing the power, sophomore Ryan Meskell (Gold Coast, Australia) joined UH in the fall after two years of soccer at Lewis and Clark Community College in Illinois. He was a member of national teams back home and also has a background in rugby. A late addition for the Rainbow Warriors, freshman Michael Boyle (Camas, Wash.) was a three-skill kicker that has proven he's up to the task, logging 84 touchbacks – exceeding 80 percent in the stat for Camas High School.
 
On to the punting game, in which Sanchez' was stellar for UH across his two seasons. UH ranked 33rd nationally with a 39.29-yard average, courtesy of his 44.6-yard average, which rated second in the MW and 10th nationally. He had a MW-leading 20 punts of over 50 yards, and 21 inside the 20-yard line. Vying for the role are freshman Stan Gaudion and sophomore Alex Trifonovitch. Hailing from the same ProKick Australia program that produced the last two Australian punters, Harding and Alex Dunnachie, Gaudion (Melbourne, Australia) quickly adapted his Australian Rules Football style to the American game during a redshirt season. Trifonovitch (Honolulu, O'ahu) was named the first team All-America punter by Chris Sailer Kicking and averaged 47.8 yards per punt as a senior at Punahou School, dropping five inside the 20. Depending on the situation, junior linebacker Jahlani Tavai (Inglewood, Calif.) and sophomore defensive back Ben Scruton (Melbourne, Australia) both have punting skills from their rugby and Australian Rules Football backgrounds.
 
In the scoring aspect, Sanchez was as steady as you could ask, nailing a perfect 13-of-13 field goal attempts last year, including a near-record 55-yarder at Michigan. He also cashed in 49-of-50 extra point attempts to lead UH scorers with 88 points. Bending to situational personnel, Meskell, Trifonovitch and Boyle could all play a role in the unit. In that area, Boyle has the stats, hitting 6-of-7 field goals and scoring 101 points at Camas to collect all-league and all-region honors. However, Meskell has demonstrated power and Trifonovitch is acclimated to the college level, entering his third season at UH.
 
One major certainty for the Rainbow Warriors is the man touching the ball first. Although UH loses the services of four-year starting short snapper Brodie Nakama, long-snapper Noah Borden (Pearl City, O'ahu) brings 24 games of experience and will handle both duties. A steady and accurate snapper, Borden was named on the Wuerffel Award (community service) watch list and has a proven ability to get downfield in coverage, notching seven tackles last year.
 
"Noah is so consistent and he's so coachable. He's so hard on himself, but in a way that he goes and solves the problem if there's an issue," Chaudhari said. "He's so mature in other ways. The professionalism that Rigo had, Noah has that, so I'm excited about his future. He's already done a lot and I'm excited about what he'll do in the next two years here."
 
As for kick returns, UH must fill in for a pair of dynamic return men, but the cupboard is hardly bare. Paul Harris led the way, averaging 24.6 yards on 34 returns last year to rank 27th in the NCAA. Dejaun Butler chipped in another 12 returns at 20.2 yards on average. However, there is experience ready to step in, as Keelan Ewaliko (Wailuku, Maui) enters his senior campaign with 1,476 career return yards on 66 returns – a 22.4-yard average.
 
"It's great to have Keelan back there, because I know Keelan now. I know what his style of return is, so I can gear the return to help him out," Chaudhari noted.
 
Joining UH this fall, junior Justice Augafa (Anchorage, Alaska) played numerous positions at LA Harbor College, and had a 25-yard return average. However, he'll be battling a push from junior Dylan Collie (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), senior Isaiah Bernard (Santa Clara, Calif.) and junior Terrence Sayles (Kerens, Texas).
 
Finally, on punt returns, the Warriors are intact, returning sophomore John Ursua (Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i), who handled punts last year for a 7.9-yard average. Collie and Augafa could also earn a place in this ongoing competition as camp continues.
 
The Rainbow Warriors' countdown to game preparation dwindles to just five more practices this week, the final of fall camp. The Rainbow Warriors and UMass Minutemen will kick off the 2017 season on Aug. 26 in Amherst, Mass.