When his wife sends him to the store for three items, Hawai'i defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville might remember to bring back one.

Spelling bee? Glanville deserved an "F."

"In spelling, I was always the first kid who sat down," he said, laughing.

Yet pick a play, any play from his 40-season coaching career, and Glanville turns into Ken Jennings.

"He remembers everything," UH head coach June Jones said. "He's one of the smartest guys, football wise, that I've ever been around."

Jeff Reinebold, who coaches the defensive linemen, said Glanville "goes back and pulls situations out of his hat from games when our players weren't even thought of. He's got a great football memory."

That was apparent in Saturday's 41-34 victory over Nevada. In reviewing videos, Glanville noticed the Wolf Pack's offensive scheme was similar to the one the Detroit Lions employed in 1977, when Glanville was an assistant coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

Glanville decided to use some of the 1977 Falcons' defensive strategies against the Wolf Pack. The Warriors produced seven "knockout" defensive stands, in which the Wolf Pack did not score, including the final four-play, zero-yard drive from the UH 3.

The thing is, Glanville does not keep notes.

"I always joke that his notes are under that cowboy hat, but it's true," Reinebold said. "He does everything by memory."

"Well," Glanville said, laughing, "sometimes I lose some. Wait. Look at the floor. I think another piece of information fell out.

"But, really, June will tell you I remember every play of every game we've ever been involved in," Glanville added. "I've always been like that. My wife always says, 'How can you remember that play in 1968, but you don't remember where your car keys are?' That's just the way it is."

Glanville said the success of this year's defense is directly linked to his players' football IQ. In four days of meetings and practices, the Warriors prepared to play the Wolf Pack a certain way. During Friday's walk-through practice, Glanville put in several new defensive wrinkles.

"In the past, when we tried to make a change or an adjustment with technique or something we're doing, the kids would panic," Reinebold said. "Jerry came in on Friday with a whole bunch of subtle little changes he wanted to make, and the kids did not go into the jar and panic and think, 'Oh, my, they're changing everything the day before the game.' We made the changes, and they went out and played, and they played well."

Glanville also said he made several in-game changes.

"Our offense doesn't keep the ball long, so we only have two minutes for our players to make adjustments," Glanville said. "They adjusted within two minutes. That's where, I think, our improvement has gone. They adjust so quickly it's like I'm coaching in the NFL again."

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