The 2006 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Warriors tied the school record for most victories in a season with 11, with their only losses coming against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, an undefeated Boise State team that went on to participate in the Bowl Championship Series and Oregon State, which won ten games and finished the season nationally ranked. The Warriors finished in second place in the Western Athletic Conference behind Boise State and returned to the Hawaii Bowl after missing out on postseason play in 2005 due to a losing record. The Warriors defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the bowl game by a score of 41–24 to round out one of the school's most successful football seasons ever.
Junior quarterback Colt Brennan returned from a breakout 2005 campaign to put together statistically one of the best seasons of any quarterback in college football history. Brennan would end up setting NCAA single-season records for touchdown passes in a season (58) and passing efficiency rating (185.96) on his way to a sixth-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting, WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and numerous All-America honors as well. Head coach June Jones would go on to be named WAC Coach of the Year and the Warriors would place nine players on the All-WAC first team as a result of the team's outstanding play throughout the season.
2005 recap
Hawaii finished the 2005 season with a 5–7 record, going 4–4 in WAC play. The losing record was the first for Hawaii since 2000 and the team did not play in a bowl game for the first time since 2002. The 2006 Warriors returned nine starters from an offense that ranked No. 11 in the nation in total offense while the defense returned six players from a unit that was ranked No. 102 in the nation under defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville. The 2005 season began with blowout losses versus Southern California and at Michigan State and included heartbreaking defeats at home to Boise State and Fresno State.
Pre-season
The Warriors were picked to finish fourth in the WAC by both the Preseason Media Poll and the Preseason Coaches Poll behind Nevada, Fresno State and Boise State.
Colt Brennan was voted the WAC's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after a breakout 2005 campaign that saw him set 11 Hawaii offensive records and lead the nation in passing yards (4,301 yards) and total yards (371.2 YPG.)
Pre-season award watchlists
Colt Brennan
Maxwell Award watch list
Walter Camp Award watch list
Manning Award watch list
Davey O'Brien Award watch list
WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Samson Satele
Rimington Trophy watch list
Outland Trophy watch list
Ikaika Alama-Francis
Ted Hendricks Award watch list
Mid-season award semifinalist announcements
Colt Brennan
Walter Camp Award "Ten Players to Watch" Davey O'Brien Award Manning Award
Mid-season award finalist announcements
Colt Brennan
Walter Camp Award
Davey O'Brien Award
Manning Award
Schedule
Players and coaching staff
Depth chart – offense
Offensive Scheme: run and shoot
Depth chart – defense
Base Defense: 3–4
Depth chart – special teams
Roster
Coaching staff
Game summaries
Alabama (SEC) Previous meeting: Hawaii 37, Alabama 29 (2003)
John Parker Wilson threw for 253 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start as Alabama got a late defensive stand to hold off Hawaii 25–17.
Leigh Tiffin added three field goals for the Crimson Tide, which had two apparent touchdowns overturned on replay challenges by Hawaii.
Wilson started slowly, completing only four of 10 passes for 80 yards in the first half. Looking more comfortable after halftime, he was 12-of-19 attempts for 173 yards and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Keith Brown.
Down by a touchdown and 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, Hawaii drove the ball to the Alabama 26 with 13 seconds left. On fourth down with 1 second remaining, Colt Brennan lofted a pass to the goal line, where the Tide's Lionel Mitchell jumped for an interception to preserve the win.
In June 2009 Alabama was forced to vacate this win along with 20 others occurring from 2005 to 2007 after violating NCAA regulations.
Weekly accolades: None
UNLV (MWC) Previous meeting: UNLV 33, Hawaii 22 (2003)
Colt Brennan threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns while running in another score as Hawaii defeated UNLV 42–13.
