Guy Hagi knows severe weather.

Jim Leahey knows really big words.

And University of Hawai'i football defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville?

"I can tell if a guy has coached in the NFL," said Glanville, who has studied videotape of Idaho's offense in preparation for tonight's game at Aloha Stadium.

"I don't know the name of (Idaho's) offensive line coach, but I bet he coached in the NFL. Look it up."

Flip, flip ...

On page 27 of the Idaho media guide, it says Greg Smith's last job was with ... the San Francisco 49ers.

"I knew it," Glanville said. "You can tell by the way they block. That's NFL stuff."

Glanville then asked: "And the offensive coordinator?"

On page 28, it says Dan Cozzeto also coached for the 49ers.

"Now try the defensive coordinator," Glanville said, smugly.

Jeff Mills' 19-year career was only in college football.

"Two out of three?" Glanville said. "You know what that means? It means I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night."

Here's a look at tonight's game between Idaho and host UH:

IDAHO OFFENSE

WR—26 Marlon Hayes 6-0 185 Jr.

H—23 Wes Williams 5-10 167 So.

LT—68 Nate VanderPol 6-6 306 Sr.

LG—50 Jade Tadvick 6-5 314 Sr.

C—72 Adam Korby 6-2 292 So.

RG—62 Adam Juratovac 6-3 297 Fr.

Or 51 Marcis Fennell 6-1 304 Jr.

RT—65 Kris Anderson 6-3 297 Fr.

TE—45 Luke Smith-Anderson 6-3 299 So.

WR—1 Wendell Octave 6-1 187 Sr.

QB—8 Steve Wichman 6-3 219 Sr.

TB—44 Jayson Bird 6-0 221 So.

TB—4 Brian Flowers 5-9 190 Jr.

Outlook: Three plays into the video session, the UH coaches realized they were watching the Denver Broncos' offense. The stretch zones. The bootlegs. The backside blocking. The play-action passes. "That's all the Broncos," Glanville said.

The key is Korby, who has not missed a career start, even after suffering a sprained thumb. Korby has first-step quickness, is a skilled pad-level blocker, and, in football parlance, has a good "motor." Korby's quickness pays off on "double-eat" running plays, in which the tight end blocks down on the defensive end, the strong-side tackle and guard block toward the perimeter, and Korby ties up the nose tackle. The Vandals also run counter plays off that scheme.

Bird is a between-the-tackles runner who dares to be hit. Flowers is the speedster, but he's suffering from an ankle injury.

Wichman is completing 52 percent of his passes while using nearly 100 percent of his targets. Sixteen Vandals have caught passes; 11 of them are averaging at least 12 yards per reception. Smith-Anderson, a sixth-year senior, is a triple threat as a blocker, receiver and after-catch-runner. Max Komar, a slotback not on the depth chart, is the most intriguing. He has caught 15 passes, averaging 18.5 yards per catch.

IDAHO DEFENSE

DE—98 Josh Shaw 6-2 254 So.

Or 55 George Fa'avae 6-2 258 Jr.

DT—91 Siua Musika 6-1 293 Jr.

DT—84 Alex Toailoa 6-1 299 So.

DE—93 Charles Campbell 6-3 226 Sr.

SLB—31 Josh Bousman 6-2 228 Jr.

MLB—11 Jaron Williams 6-1 217 Sr.

WLB—40 David Vobora 6-1 240 Jr.

CB—20 Kiel McDonald 5-10 190 Sr.

S—21 Chris Smith 5-9 179 Jr.

S—10 Shiloh Keo 5-10 175 Fr.

CB—6 Stanley Franks 5-11 167 Jr.

Outlook: The Vandals like to blitz out of their 4-3 alignment, with most of the pressure coming from the outside linebackers and safeties.

Vobora, who is built like a middle linebacker, is effective on the edge, using his strength to track outside runners and his quickness to pass-rush. Of his team-high 91 tackles, 74 have been solo stops. He has nine tackles for losses. Keo has five backfield tackles.

"I think Idaho's front seven, and I'm not saying this just sucking up, is one of the best we've seen — them and Nevada," UH offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said. "It's a great defense. They play like the University of Miami used to play. They run to the ball. Everybody shows up and gets there. Everybody gets a piece of the ballcarrier."

Franks is second nationally with seven interceptions in eight games.

IDAHO SPECIALISTS

PK—19 Tino Amancio 5-9 215 So.

LS—35 Joel Jones 6-1 224 So.

P/H—14 T.J. Conley 6-3 216 So.

KR—27 Raymond Fry 5-8 170 Fr.

KR—6 Stanley Franks 5-11 167 Jr.

PR—26 Marlon Hayes 6-0 185 Jr.

Outlook: Conley is an efficient punter. Of his 42 attempts, none resulted in a touchback. He has induced six fair catches, and nine punts were downed inside the 20.

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

LWO—84 Jason Rivers 6-2 192 Jr.

LSB—7 Davone Bess 5-10 195 So.

LT—70 Tala Esera 6-4 308 Sr.

LG—65 Hercules Satele 6-3 288 Jr.

C—64 Samson Satele 6-3 298 Sr.

RG—55 John Estes 6-2 290 Fr.

RT—72 Dane Uperesa 6-4 310 Sr.

RSB—1 Ryan Grice-Mullins 5-11 179 So.

Or 82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 198 Sr.

RWO—3 Ian Sample 5-10 196 Sr.

QB—15 Colt Brennan 6-3 196 Jr.

RB—4 Nate Ilaoa 5-9 250 Sr.

Outlook: The team's most consistent unit —the offensive line — actually was a concern entering the season, with new starters at three positions. Samson Satele has made an easy adjustment to center, Hercules Satele has become an effective run-blocker, and Estes, the youngest of the group, might have the brightest future. Estes earned last week's game ball as much for his quick thinking as his quick feet.

On "Tampa left," in which he pulls to the left as a run-blocker, Estes pushed aside a defensive end and then knocked down two defenders as Ilaoa gained 12 yards. Estes' in-game adjustment earned praise. "On the first 'Tampa left,' the end crashed down," Estes recalled. "He took himself out of the play, and I took myself out of the play. The next time, I shoved him down, and I went upfield. I learned from my mistake."

McKnight, who coaches the offensive line, said: "That's why he's going to be great. He's smart. He learns from things on the field. Some guys are robots. They learn only by rote memorization. He's a football player. He adjusts. I want them to get the job done, to believe what they see, and don't worry about not trying something different. The only thing etched in stone is the Ten Commandments. Everything else is etched in sand."

Grice-Mullins, who has missed four games because of a sprained left ankle, is ready to play. There won't be a slotback controversy. Grice-Mullins, Bess, who is second nationally 7.57 catches per game, and Dickerson will rotate. As the starting right wideout, Dickerson caught nine passes for 99 yards in three games. Since moving to right slotback as Grice-Mullins' replacement, Dickerson has 28 catches for 362 yards and five touchdowns. He is sixth in the WAC — and 32nd nationally — with 5.29 receptions per game.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

LE—98 Melila Purcell III 6-5 276 Sr.

NT—67 Michael Lafaele 6-0 302 Jr.

RE—93 Keala Watson 6-3 315 So.

LOLB—43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-10 211 Sr.

LILB—41 Solomon Elimimian 6-0 224 So.

RILB—44 Adam Leonard 6-0 230 So.

ROLB—26 Micah Lau 5-9 215 Jr.

LCB—23 Gerard Lewis 5-9 168 Jr.

FS—42 Leonard Peters 6-1 217 Sr.

SS—31 Jake Patek 6-0 202 Jr.

RCB—38 Myron Newberry 5-9 165 Jr.

Outlook: For the Warriors, the most important statistic — knockouts — is not a recognized NCAA category. In seven games, five opposing quarterbacks and eight running backs have left games after incurring hits from the Warriors. They have coined the phrase "big-bagging" for such hits, a reference to the tackling bags they practice against each day.

Head coach June Jones credits Glanville for turning UH into the school of hard knocks. "It's been that way everywhere Jerry's been," Jones said.

The approach is surprising because the Warriors do not tackle in practices. Instead, Glanville said, "it starts with an attitude, and it starts with the players. Coaches always ask me, 'How do you do it?' And I say, 'It's not me, it's the players. I don't hit anybody, although I'd like to hit some newspaper writers.' "

Glanville said at the start of each week, he shows highlight videos of the Warriors' greatest hits. "The best teaching tool is the video machine," Glanville said. "When they see a big hit, they get excited. They know that's what it takes. They know if they want to play, they'd better hit."

That's why Glanville said he does not have a defensive playbook. He uses videos and on-field instruction to teach his defensive schemes. "That really helps," Kalilimoku said. "For me, it's easier to watch my mistakes (on tape) and go over them on the field instead of watching it on a board. When I see all of those Xs and Os, I'm like, 'What?' "

Ikaika Alama-Francis, who started the first seven games at right defensive end, did not practice this week because of back spasms caused by a strained lumbar. His replacements are Watson, Renolds Fruean and David Veikune, who was wearing a neck brace Wednesday.

HAWAI'I SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—86 Dan Kelly 6-3 202 So.

LS—57 Jake Ingram 6-4 268 So.

H—11 Inoke Funaki 5-11 195 Fr.

P—25 Kurt Milne 6-0 205 Sr.

KR—82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 198 Sr.

KR—89 Malcolm Lane 6-1 181 Fr.

PR—38 Myron Newberry 5-9 165 Jr.

Outlook: One of UH's best centers does not snap the ball. Instead, Timo Paepule — the "center" on kickoff returns — is an active blocker. Paepule plays in the middle of the front line, and his job is twofold: stop the attacking cover defenders and then help build the wedge. Paepule was instrumental in Dickerson's kick returns last week.

"He takes pride in it," McKnight said. "He wants to be good. He knows that in coach Jones' eyes — in our eyes — he's a defensive starter. Kickoff team. Punt team. Punt return team. Kickoff return team. I mean, those are the first plays of every drive. He takes pride in it. He studies film. He pays attention when coaches talk about technique."

Paepule is the leader of UH's revamped kick-return schemes. In previous years, the Warriors used one deep returner. This year, they use two. They align six players at the 35, three between the 20 and 25, and two deep returners. If the ball is kicked to, say, Dickerson, the other returner joins the trio at the 20 in forming a wedge. By using two returners, it makes it easier to retrieve the kickoff.

Kelly, meanwhile, hopes to prove last week's kickoffs were not a wind-aided fluke. In New Mexico's high altitude, Kelly kicked off eight times; seven resulted in touchbacks, one was returned to the 20. Kelly said the thin air probably lengthened his kickoffs by five yards. He said he can consistently kick the ball into the end zone at sea level. He also said UH fans should not be concerned about his missed extra-point kick against New Mexico State. "I don't care what anybody says about me or thinks he knows me, I'm not a head case," Kelly said. "If I miss a kick, it doesn't affect my next kick. If I have two bad kicks in a row, and they say, 'Oh, it got to his head, he's a head case,' they're completely wrong. They don't know me. If I'm inconsistent, it's because I'm young, not because I'm mad. If I make a mistake, I move on."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.