Lolotai Commits

UPDATE: Updating one of the stories below, Stephen Tsai writes that Robert Marve turned down UH today.

Robert Marve of Plant High School in Tampa has turned down a scholarship offer from UH. He notified the UH coaches this morning.
He cited the distance as the major obstacle.

So somebody has to invent one of those teleportation machines, stat! Anyway, it would've been nice to get Marve, but we still got Graunke, Kepo'o, Brogan and Funaki. Thanks Stephen for the heads up.

Stephen Tsai writes that Mana Lolotai will become a Warrior.

Ending all doubts, former Kamehameha Schools linebacker Mana Lolotai yesterday formally accepted a University of Hawai'i football scholarship.

"I made it official," Lolotai said. "I wanted to make the best decision for me and my family. Staying home is a plus for me. My family is here, and the football program is very good. I'm happy with my decision."

Lolotai, who was named to The Advertiser's 2005 All-State second team, signed a letter of intent with Oregon State in February 2006. But he did not meet the requirements to play for the Beavers last season.

He said he is attending Hawai'i Pacific University, where he will earn enough credits to transfer to UH in the fall.

Hey, a local player chose UH instead of the Beavers. Let's hope this streak continues! Congratulations to Mana and UH.

Speaking of recruits, today's the day highly regarded QB prospect Robert Marve from Tampa makes his announcement on whether he'll go to Miami, Bama or HAWAI'I. Most think he'll stay with his home state and sign with Miami, but like Stephen Tsai said earlier, and I'm paraphrasing here, STILL GET CHANCE! We'll find out later today.

The Warrior Beat also hosted a live chat with Adam Leonard on Monday. You can read his answers among the 380 comments. Holy crap. No worries, they're all at the beginning, I think.

And yesterday, Stephen Tsai had a Warrior Beat post giving us an update on C.J. Hawthorne.

C.J. Hawthorne confirmed he is moving back to right wideout, competing for the spot vacated by Ian Sample, who graduated in December.
Hawthorne joined the Warriors in January 2006, and competed in spring practice — as a wideout for 10 days and cornerback for five. He started UH's first two games at cornerback last year.
While remaining as a valuable special-teams member, Hawthorne slipped on the depth chart at cornerback. By the end of the season, Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry were the starting corners.
Hawthorne said wideout is "my most comfortable position." He said the switch back was by mutal agreement.
Malcolm Lane, Greg Salas and Dylan Linkner are the other top candidates at right wideout.

We'll miss Ross Dickerson, Ian Sample and Chad Mock, but man, the UH receiving corps will still be unbelievable next this year!

And below are some Warrior football videos that have been posted online recently. The always awesome Sportshawaii.com is hosting two versions of the Warriors doing the haka during the halftime of Monday's UH basketball game. Here are the links. The second link looks better but you may need a codec.

mpeg1 version - 320x240 20fps

xvid version - 640x480 15fps

And here's a video of Nasti Nate Ilaoa video highlights as put together by Kapoleicoug.



And finally, here's a video edited together by chasethedragon for the Michigan State fans and (former) coaches who are still whining that MSU got cheated by the refs in 2004. It's 8 minutes long, but it's excellent. Enjoy.

Lookahead

Collegefootballnews.com does a "preseason lookahead" for the WAC. Hawaii is the top ranked team at 36th in the nation, with Boise just behind at 37. Here's an excerpt:

36. Hawaii 2006 Record: 11-3
Why to get excited: Colt Brennan isn't going to be playing for the Detroit Lions this year, or the Houston Texans, or the Oakland Raiders, or any other NFL team. He's going to be a Heisman front-runner and should assault the record books with his top three wide receivers returning. Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, and Ryan Grice-Mullen might be the nation's best trio and should go ballistic. Seven players are back on the defensive back eight.
Why to be grouchy: Three starters are gone off the offensive line, but the big hole is left by 254-pound RB Nate Ilaoa, who was a pounding runner and a fantastic receiver. Defensive ends Melila Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis will be missed, as will offensive tackles Tala Esera and Dane Uperesa.
The number one thing to work on is: Penalties. The Warriors were 112th in the nation committing 7.36 sins per game. The secondary could stand to be much tighter after giving up 242 yards per game, but that was because teams bombed away to try to keep up in shootouts. A few more third down defensive stops could mean the difference between a battle and a blowout considering the offense will put up points in bunches.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Nate Ilaoa
Biggest defensive loss: DE Melila Purcell

Sounds about right. But June has said that the offensive line will be fine, with a lot of the backups from last year as good as the starters.

And in the great marketing ideas department, via a Sportshawaii.com thread, here's your chance to get the Warriors on the cover of your copy of Athlon's 2007 College Football Preview magazine.

Haven't seen your school on an Athlon football cover lately? Or ever? Tired of sharing a cover with your hated rival? Well here's your chance to get a cover for your school with the Athlon Sports Limited Edition Covers program, just fill out the petition below. Be sure to include your name, a valid e-mail address and select the school you want to see on its own Athlon Sports cover.

You can help get students, alumni and staff to sign the petition. Keep track of the number of sign-ups by selecting your school below and viewing the thermometer graph. Once your school gets 1,000 sign-ups (deadline for sign-ups is March 15, 2007), we'll notify all your school's petitioners to purchase their magazine for $6.99 (must have a total minimum quantity of 1,000). Then get ready to enjoy your magazine! You may also download the cover to use as wallpaper, a screen saver or to add to your school memorabilia!

Clever bastards. I'm already getting ready to buy a copy of something I wouldn't normally buy. So vote today!

Recruiting Weekend

A lot of prospects are visiting UH this weekend. Among them is Kaniela Tuipolotu, a highly regarded/recruited defensive lineman from Kahuku, as well as Robert Marve, a highly regarded/recruited QB from Plant HS in Florida. In a sidebar to a Paul Honda local recruiting story, Dave Reardon discusses them.

The highest profile player among them is Plant quarterback Robert Marve, who is the second coming of Brett Favre or Drew Brees, depending on what message board you read. Also, depending on your "source," Marve is either A) leaning toward Miami, but seriously considering UH, B) trying to get his teammates offers from the Warriors, or C) merely taking a vacation in Hawaii with his buds. Based on Marve's published comments, and not second or third hand anonymous cyber-babble, he is here with an open mind, although the Hurricanes have the lead.

...

Kahuku DT Kaniela Tuipulotu is the local star of the current visitors. Things got tougher for UH with him as USC started to sniff around late last week.

Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat post from today discusses Marve as well.

It's crazy to imagine, but the Warriors actually have a chance — not the greatest, but a chance — at landing quarterback Robert Marve of Plant High.
Miami, which hosted Marve last weekend, has the lead, of course. But people familiar with the situation said Marve, who was named Florida's Mr. Football, is intrigued with the Warriors' prolific four-wide passing offense. Miami's head coach is a former defensive coordinator.
Also, Marve's mother is on the trip, and UH historically does well when parents accompany their sons.
Marve probably won't announce a decision for another week.

Sounds like things are going well. Read the rest of Stephen's post for an aspect of the UH recruiting process. Good luck to the coaches and players, hopefully there's some good news for Warrior fans this week!

Erik Ainge Gives Props to Colt

One of Colt's '07 Heisman rivals implies he's not jealous of Colt, but I think he is!

Ainge actually had the chance to play for Hawaii but declined.

``Coach Jones knows my family pretty well and he recruited me hard to go there,’’ Ainge said. ``Obviously, throwing 50 times a game would be awesome, but I don’t think you can throw it 50 times a game in the SEC.’’

I think Colt only threw 50 times in a game once this past season. His average was 39.9 attempts per game. But anyway...

Still, Ainge couldn’t help but notice Brennan passing for an NCAA-record 58 touchdowns to go with over 5,900 total yards – an average of 425 per game. Ainge averaged 249 passing yards per game and fired 19 touchdown passes.

``I did that kind of stuff in high school,’’ Ainge said of the Hawaii offense.

``What Colt did was unbelievable -- 559 yards and five touchdowns in one (bowl) game. Five (touchdowns) in the second half. That’s amazing.’’

Did Ainge watch with envy?

``Stats are fun and all that, but getting to play in the Outback Bowl and getting a chance to play on national TV every single week and playing against the players we play against in SEC – I’m not saying anything about Hawaii or who they play against,’’ Ainge said. ``Don’t take that the wrong way.

No no no, please don't take it the wrong way. He does have a point about the national TV and the SEC and all that, but I still think he's jealous. 19 touchdown passes? What is that?

I'm just kidding Erik. Hope he does well this coming year, but I have a feeling a lot of Hawaii's games will be on national TV this year, and Erik will be watching them, trying not to drool. :D

Getting Ready for the Draft

Stephen Tsai writes that Ikaika Alama-Francis is recovering well from his pectoral injury.

Two weeks ago, Alama-Francis suffered a torn right pectoral muscle during the Hula Bowl. He underwent surgery in San Francisco last week, and has started a rehabilitation program in Hawai'i.

"It was something that happened," said Alama-Francis, a defensive end. "My chest just gave out."

Such an injury could have necessitated a recovery period of up to six months. But Alama-Francis said the San Francisco-based surgeon "really took care of me. He's one of the best in the country."

Alama-Francis promised: "I will make the combine. I'll participate in it."

Really good to hear.

Dave Reardon writes about Samson Satele's progress in Senior Bowl workouts.

"He's having an unbelievable week," said Satele's agent, Leo Goeas. Goeas might be biased for more than the obvious reason -- he, too, played offensive line at UH.

But a scout said Satele, like everyone else, has had his good reps and his bad reps. That's how it is for even the bluest of chips competing for draft position. The difference is Satele has improved as the week has gone by, the scout said.

Satele has been playing center and guard in practice.

"They're having me split the reps. It's good that I can play both," Satele said. "It's fun. Felt like three games in a row. I love the contact and tempo of the practice. There are some good players over here."

Good luck to Samson, Ikaika, Nate, Tala, Dane, Leonard and Melila.

Kauwalu and Lesu Commit

Stephen Tsai writes that Waianae linebacker George Kauwalu and Farrington receiver/safety Elijah Lesu have committed to the Warriors.

Kauwalu, who is 6 feet 1 and 210 pounds, can run 40 yards in 4.6 seconds. He also is a track sprinter. He said he has been a UH fan for several years.

"I always wanted to play for Hawai'i," Kauwalu said. "That was my plan."

Wai'anae defensive coordinator Jason Hussey said Kauwalu is "one of the best I've ever coached. He's very good in pass coverage. He's very instinctive, very intelligent. He's not just a great player, he's a great person."

...

Lesu was named to The Advertiser's first team as an all-purpose player. He also was the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's 2006 Offensive Player of the Year.

"I wanted to stay home and play in front of my family," said Lesu, who likely will compete at safety for the Warriors.

Right on! Sounds like UH got two more great players. Congratulations to George and Elijah!

On yesterday's Warrior Beat post, Stephen Tsai had a post about Jerry Glanville, who sounds like he's sticking around!

In as vague a way as possible, Jerry Glanville appears set on returning for a third year as UH's defensive coordinator.
'You're there until you're not there," said Glanville, who's still "there."
Glanville said the plans for spring practice and training camp are to rebuild the aggressive attitude on defense.
"The one thing I've learned is you don't start up where you left off," Glanville said. "By the end of last year, we hustled more than any team in America. That's not guaranteed when you go into spring (practice). If you think that, you might end up like (last year's Super Bowl champion) Pittsburgh Steelers — out of the playoffs this year."

Fantastic! BTW, there are 259 comments on that post as of right now. Holy crap.

And finally, looks like you can cross Wisconsin off the list of possible 2007 opponents.

Meanwhile, a UW official confirmed officials from Hawaii recently inquired about scheduling a game with the Badgers next season in Hawaii.

Hawaii was scheduled to host Michigan State but that game fell through and UW still has an open date for 2007.

According to associate athletic director Vince Sweeney, UW officials declined the offer. The Badgers already play at Nevada-Las Vegas next season, a popular trip, and are scheduled to play at Hawaii in 2009.

Good to hear UH is going after some great teams. Can't wait for the full schedule to be announced!

More on Korey Reynolds

Stephen Tsai talks to Hoover High defensive end Korey Reynolds, who has committed to Hawaii.

"I love the program, and I'm excited to become a Warrior," said Korey Reynolds of Alabama's Hoover High.

Reynolds, who is 6 feet 3 and 250 pounds, turned down offers from Illinois and Southern Mississippi. Last month, he withdrew a verbal commitment he made to Houston.

"Houston wasn't the college atmosphere I was looking for," Reynolds said. "Hawai'i is the right place for me."

Accompanied by his mother, Mary, Reynolds visited UH this past weekend.

"The visit was great," Reynolds said. "It's a great program. The distance didn't bother me. It bothered my parents a little bit, with me going all the way out to Hawai'i. That just means they won't see as many games as they usually would. They'll make most of the Mainland games."

Houston must not like us. First we got the same UH initials, then they like beef at the Hawaii Bowl, then Klingler's record falls to Colt, now Korey decommits from them only to end up with us. Next, Linda Lingle's gonna beat Texas governor Rick Perry in a cage match. You watch.

And Ferd Lewis has an interesting story about one aspect of the Warriors' recruiting process this year.

And coming off an 11-3 season, No. 24 national ranking and record-setting offense, the parcels are pouring in. FedEx and UPS know the way to Manoa by heart and assistant coach Ron Lee's office looks like a stock room at Blockbuster or Netflix.

Whereas in most years coaches they say they might get 100 to 150 tapes and such from prospective quarterbacks and a similar amount from receivers, this year the numbers are already well over 300 at both positions with more coming in advance of the Feb. 7 national signing day, the first date that high school seniors can sign binding commitments.

So much so that Lee's third-floor office at UH has four stacks of video cassettes on a file cabinet and four cardboard boxes of them on the floor. One year Morrison said he figured UH heard from at least one player from 75 percent of the states and Canada. This year he figures it is a lot more — but has been under such a stack that he hasn't had time to total them up.

"I attribute most of it to the year that Colt had, the games we had on TV late in the season, how prolific the offense was," Morrison said. As Lee said, "if you were a high school receiver or quarterback and you saw us on TV, where would you want to go?"

Let's hope this is just the start of the avalanche!

Korey Reynolds Commits

Stephen Tsai writes that Hoover High School defensive end Korey Reynolds has committed to becoming a Warrior!

Defensive end Korey Reynolds of Hoover High School in Alabama has accepted a football scholarship offer from the University of Hawai'i.

"I love the program, and I'm excited to become a Warrior," Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who is 6-feet-3 and 250 pounds, is projected to compete at defensive end.

Excellent news. Warrior defense gonna be a monster!

Ostrowski, Legay, Colt for Heisman

Wes Nakama talks to Miah Ostrowski about committing to UH and trying to pull double duty.

Ostrowski said Warriors coach June Jones has given him the OK to pursue both sports, although any basketball opportunity will be determined by whoever succeeds retiring Hawai'i hoops coach Riley Wallace.

"(Jones) is the one who told me I should try to play both," Ostrowski said. "Hopefully I can do both."

Ostrowski and former 'Iolani standout Derrick Low are believed to be the only basketball players in Hawai'i high school history to win first-team All-State honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior. In football, Ostrowski led the state this past season with 81 catches for 1,313 yards, including 10 touchdowns.

Paul Honda also talks to Ostrowski.

The two-sport standout called UH assistant coach Rich Miano with his decision yesterday at 8:30 a.m. The decision made sense long ago for Ostrowski, but he was patient.

"I didn't want to push too early a decision," he said.

Basketball is still his first love. The two-time All-State selection hopes to walk on as a freshman at UH, depending on whether next year's new coach will allow him to try out. Ostrowski already has the support of Jones, who likes two-sport athletes.

"I didn't talk to Coach Jones yet about everything, but from what we talked about before, I'm probably gonna redshirt my first year," Ostrowski said of football.

Ostrowski and Gabe Tuata are gonna be an awesome slot tandem in the coming years! Honda also talks to Tuata's Kealakehe teammate and recent commit Levi Legay.

"They really welcomed me there," said the 6-3, 270-pound Legay about the visit last weekend. "It's really a great football team and it will be great to be a part of that. It's a close-knit team. One big family over there."

Legay played center and tackle for the Waveriders and is projected as a center for the Warriors. He also said it's possible he may play guard.

"He's very intelligent and has good balance, good feet and a nice center of gravity," said Sam Papalii, who coached Legay at Kealakehe for three years. "He has all the intangibles and a bright future. He's the kind of guy you want to be making the calls for you. He gets good grades and that's why Stanford was recruiting him for a while."

And finally, UH will get an early start on promoting Colt for Heisman, among other things.

The University of Hawai'i has vowed to get behind returning quarterback Colt Brennan's push for postseason honors with, "a campaign where we're going to try and pull out all the stops."

John McNamara, UH associate athletic director, said the athletic department "will use every resource that we have available" to get out the word on Brennan not only for the 2007 Heisman Trophy but other awards.

...

McNamara said UH will pull together its various partners, "in a comprehensive effort that makes sense for us." He said a budget hasn't been assigned, but the campaign would be run, "in such a way that we're going to put together a smart campaign, not just an expensive campaign."

McNamara said, "The lion's share of getting Colt's Heisman campaign rolling has been done by Colt" with his record-setting junior year. With last season's late takeoff by Brennan, "I think we garnered an awful lot of attention in a short period of time, so this is going to be a real luxury to have this many months to plan and get started.

"This (campaign) will be out there helping Colt, but everybody's going to win, the state, the city and the university. That's why we what to make sure we put our best foot forward."

Colt vs Colt Sports Illustrated cover! Come on guys! Make it happen!

UPDATE: Here's an updated link for Coach Jeff Reinebold's chat on The Warrior Beat.

Ostrowski Commits

The Advertiser writes that Punahou receiver Miah Ostrowski will become a Warrior.

Miah Ostrowski, an All-State receiver from Punahou School, has accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawai'i football team.

Ostrowski led the state in receiving this past season. He also was an All-State basketball player.

Good news! More details tomorrow, I'm sure.

Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat will have recruiter extraordinaire Coach Jeff Reinebold as tomorrow's guest blogger. Be there!

Tala Esera impressed at the East West Shrine Game.

Tala Esera, offensive lineman, Hawaii – The West offensive line featured a few strong performances, and Esera led the way. His nimble footwork helped set him apart from the other interior linemen being evaluated.

It's too bad Ikaika couldn't have been there.

And finally, John Walters of NBCSports.com writes about all the bowl games he went to in his "Bowlnanza" road trip, including the Hawaii Bowl.

This one's a lei-up. What the Hawaii Bowl does best is embrace its cultural and tropical backdrop. Coaches from both sides donned Hawaiian shirts (except for UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, who wore his customary black) and the halftime show featured Polynesian dancers. And when the Hawaii players do the Haka dance at midfield afterward? Goosebumps.

The Mo' Mane Defense: Remember that shampoo commercial that went "and she told two friends…and so on…and so on…and so on"? That's what Hawaii's roster looks like. From behind, half the team looks like the lead singer from Soundgarden.

In other words, they had an even better second half than Texas Tech: Hawaii, which led the nation in offensive touchdowns entering the game with 84 (2nd-most was Louisville with 58), was held to three points in the first half. In the second half Colt Brennan threw five touchdown passes on the way to a 559-yard passing evening.

Levi Legay Also Commits

Following up on yesterday's story about Ryan Mouton and Matagisila Lefiti committing to UH, Stephen Tsai writes that Kealakehe HS offensive lineman Levi Legay will also become a Warrior.

Until December, no Kealakehe player had ever received a UH football scholarship. Now there are two, with Legay following his best friend, running back Gabe Tuata. "I think he's more excited than I am," Legay said.

Legay, who is 6 feet 3 and 270 pounds, will play center or guard. He turned down a Stanford offer.

"(UH) is close to home," Legay said. "I feel I'm right for that school. It's a good school. The offense is great. The school is on its way up. It's a good place to play. Everyone is really close up there. The coaches are really great."

Legay, who was raised in Lakewood, Calif., moved to the Big Island four years ago after his father accepted a job in the charter-fishing industry.

Legay, who often works with his father in deep-sea fishing, once caught a 500-pound marlin.

He competes in the shot put and discus. He also plays for Kealakehe's jazz band.

Sounds like he's smart and strong. Stanford? 500 pound marlin? Jazz band? Cool. Congratulations to Levi and to UH! From the same article, Mouton's coach as well as Scout.com have high praise for him.

"I'm just so happy to be part of the Warrior family," Mouton told The Advertiser. "I thought Hawai'i had a great atmosphere, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Blinn offensive coordinator Mike Nesbitt praised Mouton as "a phenomenal athlete. He's one of the fastest players I've been around coaching-wise. He's a great corner with NFL-type skills."

Nesbitt said he timed Mouton running 40 yards in 4.28 seconds. Nesbitt said "4.31 is the slowest I've ever seen him run a 40."

Mouton, who is 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds, was named to the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association All-America team. He was chosen the most outstanding defensive player for Blinn, which went 12-0 this season and was named JC Grid-Wire's national champion.

Scout.com gave Mouton a 4-star rating. "He'll be able to step in there and be a difference guy," said Kevin Lustgarten, publisher of JCFootball.com, which rates players for Scout.com. "He'll be an all-conference guy, if not this year, then the year after that."

Woo hoo! UH can thank Jake Patek and Coach Reinebold for showing him what UH is all about.

Mouton will be reunited with UH strong safety Jake Patek, a former Blinn linebacker. Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold recruited both players.

"Coach Reinebold has done a good job recruiting the Texas JCs," Nesbitt said.

Dave Reardon also writes about Lefiti and Mouton and has the scoops on another possible commit.

Korey Reynolds left Hawaii yesterday, but there's a good chance he'll be back.

"Hawaii's definitely at the top of my list," the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive lineman said in a telephone interview from Honolulu International Airport after his recruiting visit with the UH football team.

...

"I really like it here," Reynolds said about UH. "They make you feel like you're part of their family. That's the impression I get from interaction with the players.

"I'll be going back to Alabama and talk it over with my family."

Nice to hear the nice things being said about UH. Team's gonna be awesome in '07!

Mouton and Lefiti Commit

Stephen Tsai writes that JC All-American corner Ryan Mouton and Mater Dei HS offensive/defensive lineman Matagisila Lefiti have committed to the Warriors.

Mouton was named to the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association's All-America team.

Mouton, who is 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds, has been electronically timed at sprinting 40 yards in 4.28 and 4.33 seconds. Three times, he was hand-timed at running the distance in under 4.3 seconds.

Mouton chose the Warriors over Utah, Iowa State and Boise State.

Also, Matagasila Lefiti, a lineman for Mater Dei High School in California, told The Advertiser he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Warriors.

Lefiti played on both the offensive and defensive lines at Mater Dei. He said he has not decided which position he will play at UH.

Mater Dei is quarterback Colt Brennan's alma mater.

Right on! Glad both of them decided to become Warriors. Mouton comes from Jacob Patek's JC, Blinn College. Stephen Tsai had previously written that Patek had gotten Mouton interested in UH.

Patek is being credited for 3-star cornerback Ryan Mouton's interest in UH. Patek and Mouton were teammates at Blinn College in Texas in 2005.
"He's been talking a lot about Hawai‘i," Mouton said.
Mouton said he watched the telecast of UH's victory in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl, and he speaks often with Patek, who is spending the holiday break in Texas.

Give it up to Jacob!

And earlier today, Ferd Lewis gave it up to Tyler Graunke.

By making the tougher choice instead of seeking the easy exit, Graunke reinforced a lot of what UH saw in him early on.

"Tyler is a competitor," said UH assistant coach Dan Morrison. "We liked that about him from the beginning."

You have to like his feistiness, too. As Graunke told Stephen Tsai's blog in the event Brennan chose to come back: "I want to try to give him (Brennan) a little scare, even through he's probably coach Jones' favorite right now and Hawai'i's favorite, everybody's favorite."

Graunke grasps the sense of family and core value of unselfishness that made the Warriors special last season. He understands he has a role to play, and that by playing it he makes the Warriors better.

When Graunke arrived at UH, he was one of three freshmen and seven overall QB candidates. One by one they have left. That Graunke will still be here, even in the wake of this setback, says the Warriors have a couple winners at quarterback, even if only one can be the starter.

Well said. Graunke is just gonna explode right out of the gate his senior season. Until then, I hope he'll be playing in a lot of 4th quarters in 2007!

Saturday Night Speculation

Just in case, someone needs to hide Jerry Glanville's phone.

Brad Wright spent less than 48 hours as the interim head coach at Texas State. On Saturday afternoon, he reportedly dropped the interim from his title and became the 15th head football coach in school history.

...

A slew of candidates reportedly made themselves available for the position at Texas State including Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, formerly the head coach for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers.

Now the key word is "reportedly" which could mean practically anything. But this is the second Texas college in the past couple months that Glanville has been rumored to be in contact with. Here's what Jerry told Dave Reardon back in November, addressing the then North Texas rumors:

No one expects Glanville to stay at UH forever, but he seems more comfortable now than last year, his first at Hawaii. Yesterday he clearly indicated he's in no hurry to leave his post as Warriors defensive coordinator.

"I may move (soon)," Glanville said. "But not past Diamond Head."

He said he will be automatically linked to any job in Texas.

"That's just Internet chatter," Glanville added. "I have not spoken one word to anyone. People will always speculate."

So there you go, nothing to see here. Say no more, say no more.

But while I'm here, let me just say that I, along with a bunch of other UH fans, think the Warrior defense is gonna be amazing this year. It'll be a hard-hitting, run-stuffing, quarterback-hurrying, fumble-causing, poi-pounding, fear-striking, incontinence-inducing WAVE OF DESTRUCTION! -- one of the best Warrior defenses in the history of UH! And none of this would've been possible without Jerry Glanville's genious mind and his San Shi Defense. I just think he would want to stick around this year to witness the spectacular results of all his hard work! It's gonna be a great season! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Huskies v Warriors

Stephen Tsai gets some reactions to the news that the Warriors will host the Huskies.

"That's awesome," UH quarterback Colt Brennan said. "I can't wait. I'm glad we've got a big-name school on our schedule. Hopefully, they'll have a good year, and by the end of the year it'll be a good matchup. Either way, it's going to draw a lot of attention, and I'm definitely excited. I've got a lot of respect for Washington and (its) program. I can't wait to play."

...

The game will have added meaning for a future Warrior. Running back Leon Jackson, who will join the Warriors this summer, said he looks forward to playing against his hometown team.

"I'm going to be psyched up for that game," said Jackson, who was a USA Today Super 25 Player as a Pasco High School senior in 2004.

Jackson played at Nebraska as a freshman in 2005. He is attending a junior college in Washington this semester.

Inside linebacker Adam Leonard, a Seattle resident who led the Warriors with 114 tackles last season, said he did not receive a scholarship offer from the Huskies. Leonard was a highly recruited prospect before suffering a torn knee ligament during his senior season in 2004.

"I wasn't good enough to play for U-Dub, I guess," Leonard said. "With the coaching change, they let me slip away. By the time (Ty Willingham) got there, they were basically done with recruiting. They didn't have a scholarship. I don't think they looked at me."

I'm already looking forward to December 1st. The Manimal and Action Jackson gonna have HUGE games! Colt, however will have an average game, 400 yards, 5 touchdowns, whatevers. I'm so glad he's coming back that I'm already taking him for granted.

Dave Reardon also writes about the game and discusses other possible matchups in 07.

That leaves two more openings on the Warriors' nonconference schedule. Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said they will be Division I, and is leaning toward home games after Brennan announced Wednesday he will return for his senior season rather than go pro.

"Anytime we can be home it's a big advantage. It helps us a lot," Brennan said. "I prefer to be home, but I also don't mind playing at great venues like we have at Michigan State and Alabama."

A big road victory could move the Warriors up in the rankings. There also has been some informal talk about a game at Louisville that would match Brennan against Cardinals quarterback Brian Brohm, also a Heisman candidate.

Louisville on the road, and as Tsai mentions in his article, possibly USC to open up the season, would be an incredibly tough, yet awesome schedule. We'll see how it goes. Reardon also has a side graphic that lists UH future OOC opponents through 2011. Let's hope none of the teams will panty out like Michigan State did. Anyway, with apologies and also thanks to Reardon, I'm gonna "borrow" the info from that graphic and put it on the right column of this blog, especially since the nationalchamps.net link I have up doesn't have everything yet.

Here's an excerpt from a Seattle Times article by Bob Condotta.

Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham turned down a chance for the Huskies to play at Hawaii to end the 2006 regular season, saying he thought UW wouldn't need the extra game because it would be playing in a bowl.

Friday, the Huskies announced they have reached a tentative agreement to end the 2007 regular season at Hawaii, with a game scheduled for Dec. 1 the week after the Apple Cup, now set for Nov. 24.

But set aside the cynical assumption — that Willingham thinks the Huskies don't have a bowl in them next season.

The coach instead said he simply thinks UW will be more ready to handle such a game next season.

You know who else should have a HUGE game against the Huskies? Malcolm Lane! UH has Tyrone Willingham to thank for hooking up Coach Jeff Reinebold with Lane's prep highlight DVD.

“I contacted all the big schools — Washington, Nebraska, schools like that,” said Lane, who sent out DVDs showcasing his abilities. “They said they liked what they saw, but that they had already used up all their scholarships.”

However, Dan Miles, a Hohenfels-based coach for Team USA Football, used his connection with University of Washington coach Tyrone Willingham to get a copy of Lane’s DVD into the coach’s hands, Lane said. Although Willingham had already used his scholarships, Lane said, he passed the DVD on to Jeff Reinebold, an assistant at Hawaii.

Reinebold was impressed.

“I looked at the tape and thought, ‘This is a no-brainer,’” Reinebold said in a story in Tuesday’s electronic edition of the Honolulu Advertiser. “If he’s as fast as he looked on tape, we had a great prospect.”

Lane will have the offense down pat by next year, especially by the time December rolls around. Oh, and even though it's an old article, give a hand to Jeff Reinebold again!

Warriors to Play Huskies

Stephen Tsai with the news.

The University of Hawaii will host the University of Washington Dec. 1 at Aloha Stadium, head coach June Jones confirmed today.
Jones said he learned of the game after a morning meeting with athletic director Herman Frazier.

The game will serve as the regular-season finale for the Warriors.

That leaves UH with two openings in the 2007 schedule.

Star-Bulletin with more details.

“We are very pleased that Washington has agreed to a home-and-home series with our football team,” UH athletic director Herman Frazier said. “The Huskies are a national-caliber opponent from a BCS conference and they are a great addition to our 2007 home football schedule for our players and our fans.”


The game will mark the third meeting between the Warriors and Huskies. The series is tied at 1-1 with the Warriors pulling out a 10-7 road win on Sept. 15, 1973. The win is considered the biggest upset in UH history after the Huskies were favored by as many as 50 points.


“We’re very excited about playing a quality Pac-10 team like Washington at home this season,” June Jones, UH head coach, said. “Tyrone Willingham is a first-class coach and person and he’ll have a very competitive team next season, so we’ll need to be ready. In regards to the rest of the schedule, I know Herman has some exciting things in the works, so it will be great to see it all come together.”


The teams will also play each other at Washington on a future unannounced date.


“Hawai‘i has a much-respected program under the direction of June Jones and returns an outstanding quarterback in Colt Brennan,” Tyrone Willingham, UW head coach, said. “Hawai‘i will present a great challenge for us and I think, as our program continues to develop, we should be well prepared for the opportunity to play them.”

Right on. Let's hope the Huskies come in improved and with a winning record. Slowly but surely...

The Graunke

Tyler Graunke talks to Stephen Tsai about Colt Brennan's return.

Graunke yesterday emphasized that Brennan is one of his best friends. "We're going to do our best to win," Graunke said. "If our best chance is with Colt, that's the way it is."

Still, Graunke could not mask the disappointment over his situation — not Brennan's decision — that impacts his immediate football future.

"It hurt, to be honest with you, it hurt my heart," Graunke said.

In recent weeks, when Brennan said he was 50-50 between applying for the 2007 National Football League draft and returning to UH, Graunke prepared for both outcomes.

"I thought he was going to go," Graunke said. "When he didn't, it hurt a lot more than I thought it was going to.

"That's just my competitive attitude," Graunke added. "I want to be the guy in there. I've never been a bench warmer (before attending UH). I don't think it's selfish wanting to play. I shouldn't feel guilty for that. Colt has started for two years already. I've got two more years. My future was almost in his hands. He chose to come back. I've got to postpone my dreams for another year. Hopefully, I'll start as a senior."

Graunke said he has no intentions of transferring. He pondered that option — briefly — in 2005, when Brennan transferred to UH.

"If I went somewhere else, I'd probably start at the bottom," Graunke said. "I'd have to learn the system. I know I can help out another team, but there's something special about being here. In the worst-case scenario, I get to to start my senior year."

You gotta feel for him. He's a great player, a great competitor and would do great as a starter for UH. I'm glad he's honest about his feelings and it sounds like he'll be sticking around, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Ahhh, the Phoenix out of Arizona shall rise in '08!

Ferd Lewis writes about Colt shining that light on the facilities situation.

Indeed, Brennan could have skipped off to the pros and his presence in the NFL would have benefitted UH. He could have written a nice check to his alma mater after draft day and been done with it.

But he chose to return and invest what is most precious right now, a season of his time and effort, in the program.

Now, you'd like to see UH and the community reciprocate by matching that gift and its spirit.

Brennan's father, Terry, suggested UH could start "with putting soap in the locker room and showerheads on the showers." It should be noted he didn't seem to be joking.

What would seem to be this most elementary of requests was a wish of some standing for the Warriors in 2006 and indicative of other, larger concerns. For as the quarterback noted, "if you look around and see these facilities, a lot of the things here at this program are not Division I."

Brennan's return and the goodwill and interest it is already engendering provide a launching point for improvements rarely seen. Ones that should be capitalized upon, not squandered.

He's doing a lot for UH and it looks like he'll leave it a better place than he found it.

Colt News Videos

Here are some video links of news coverage of Colt's announcement.

From KHON.

From KITV. Check out Robert Kekaula's interview with Brennan after the announcement.

From the Advertiser, though I can't get it to work.

From KHNL.

Back in Black

More on Colt coming back!

From Stephen Tsai:

"Colt probably turned down about $25 million," (Coach June) Jones said. "It's a lot of money. It's a huge sacrifice."

Shakti Stream, Brennan's girlfriend, said the money "could buy you your own island. But it can't buy you the experience of Hawai'i."

"Hawai'i's really changed him," she added. "He's really adapted to the culture and the people. He honestly fell in love with everything about Hawai'i. That has a lot to do with why he's coming back."

...

"I think the people here, the life experiences here, are second to none," Jones said. "I believe one day this will be Colt Brennan's home permanently. He was embraced here. People accept him here."

Indeed, Brennan said he felt that way when he returned to California for the holiday break.

"When I got out there, I felt I wasn't a local in my own home anymore," Brennan said, laughing. "I was driving around. I didn't know where things were. I was confused about things. This was the place I grew up. I was thrown off by how fast-paced it was, little stuff like that. I was laughing about it to (Stream). It felt good to get back to Hawai'i."

I can attest to that, having spent a lot of time on the mainland, going back and forth, even still. "Far away and out of touch! People I know, I-" Anyway.

From Dave Reardon:

"We're very proud of what Colt has done," Jones said, "but I'm more proud of how he's handled himself. He has a command about being a quarterback and a leader. It's a very hard decision."

Brennan said he went back and forth before finally making his choice on Tuesday. He postponed his announcement twice and sought Jones' counsel several times.

He asked me, 'Where do you think I'll go?' I told him, and I'll tell you -- I didn't want to before because I didn't want to be the reason he went -- I told him, 'I know what they're going to do. They're going to line up every pass Brady Quinn has thrown, every pass he has thrown, every pass the kid Russell's thrown, every pass the guy Troy Smith has thrown. ... You're going to be the first quarterback taken.'"

If Jones is right, that means Brennan turned down a signing bonus of more than $10 million.

"To make this decision shows a lot about his heart for Hawaii, for the fans, for the people and for his teammates and the school. I think that kind of says it all about Colt Brennan," Jones said.

Offensive lineman Hercules Satele was among those at the news conference. He is one of the more stoic of the Warriors, but he was flooded with positive emotions after Brennan's announcement.

"Relief. Happiness. Excitement. I can't wait for the next season," Satele said. "I kind of heard a lot of rumors and ideas, but I always hoped that he stayed."

Whew!

From Dave Reardon again:

Brennan also said a vision of what UH football can be after he's gone is one of the main reasons he decided to return to Manoa. It's a 4F Plan: He hopes the attention he brings to the Warriors in 2007 translates into fans, funding and facilities in the future.

Basically, he hopes to get Hawaii a step closer to the big time.

"They're not going to change while I'm here," he said of the facilities. "But we have a chance hopefully to get this program in the right direction and get it to that level that we're trying to take it."

Colt Brennan, shining that light. Just amazing. Thanks Colt! The article also has a great picture of a happy Robert Kekaula!

From an initially doubtful Kalani Simpson:

There was no way this would be interesting.

"Colt does have to leave in about 20 minutes," UH sports information director Lois Manin said.

See? Not a good sign.

And then ...

And then he started talking, saying Hawaii and coach June Jones "gave me an opportunity when no one else would." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Standard.

More regular about-to-leave stuff.

And then ...

And then he was talking, and what was he saying? Wow! The guy was almost crying!

And then, it's official -- he's coming back.

Cheers and whistles, from the players. "Ayug," Colt said, the way tough guys say it, when they shrug away just-fallen tears.

And then, he was staying, that smile so wide. The emotion so real. So choked up he needed a second.

"Ayug," he said, clearing the galas, soldiering on. Brightening. Coming alive.

From Ferd Lewis:

Upon returning to campus following the Walter Camp Awards at Yale last week, Brennan said he came to feel what was important to him. "I came back to school here and (as) I was walking around and going to classes, I realized, you know, it is a great opportunity I have just being with these guys. To experience it for one more year means a lot to me."

That it apparently is worth millions says a lot about the man behind the decision and how much he has grown into the position of the Warriors' leader.

2007 will be a great year for UH football!

======

And about that 2007 schedule.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan's announcement to return for his senior season might mean more home games for the Warriors this fall.

Athletic director Herman Frazier said he will look at scheduling eight of UH's 13 regular- season games at home now that the Heisman Trophy candidate has pulled his name out of consideration for the 2007 NFL Draft.

Frazier had previously talked about at least one and possibly two of four remaining unannounced games being on the road.

"That will factor in," Frazier said, when asked about the crowds Brennan could help draw to Aloha Stadium.

Also, Michigan State is officially off the Hawaii football schedule for 2007, Frazier said.

Another source said MSU will pay UH a $250,000 fee for pulling out of the game, but Frazier would not confirm that yesterday.

"I can't talk about that aspect of it, but they will be off the schedule," Frazier said.

...

"ESPN, in conjunction with the WAC, will release (a schedule) in either the first or second week of February," Frazier said. "It will include all of our conference games. We will (release the nonconference schedule) at the same time or earlier."

Sounds like a lot of games will be on the TV next year. Looking forward to the first or second week of February!

======

And finally, more on incoming JC transfer Joshua Leonard.

From Dave Reardon:

Nevada would've been the convenient choice for Josh Leonard. The Reno campus is less than a 2-hour drive away from his family's home in Sacramento.

But the 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive end from Sierra (Calif.) College decided Hawaii is where he really wants to be, and he accepted a scholarship offer from the Warriors yesterday.

"My only worry was about how far away I would be from home," Leonard said. "But I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Leonard visited UH last weekend and was impressed by the "fan support and the team."

Woo hoo!

Leonard committed to UH before quarterback Colt Brennan announced he would return to the Warriors for his senior season. Leonard said that's a bonus.

"Definitely a plus," he said. "He's a helluva player."

From Stephen Tsai, who writes that Keahi Watson, brother of UH D-lineman Keala Watson, may be joining the Warriors as well:

Leonard said he chose UH because of his future teammates and "how great the fans are. Those were the two biggest factors in my decision."

Leonard can run 40 yards in 4.7 seconds and bench press 475 pounds. He amassed 21 sacks in two years at Sierra.

...

Scout.com gave Leonard a 4-star rating. "That means he will have a big impact his first year," said Kevin Lustgarten, publisher of jcfootball.com, which produces the Scout ratings. "It's like a can't-miss guy."

...

Watson, who is 6 feet 2 and 290 pounds, said he is in the process of securing a release from Saint Francis before contacting UH.

A graduate of Nanakuli High School, Watson said: "I miss home. I went home for winter break, and went to some of Hawai'i's practices. I watched the Hawai'i Bowl. I want to come home."

Watson, who started two games as a freshman last year, will have four years to play three seasons.

Great to have both of them!

GO WARRIORS!!!!

Josh Leonard Commits

Dave Reardon writes that JC All-American defensive lineman Joshua Leonard has committed to becoming a Warrior.

"It came down to the fan support and the team," Leonard said.

The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Sierra (Calif.) College athlete also had offers from Nevada, Wyoming and Florida International.

Leonard's father, Rick, was a college football teammate of UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold at Maine.

Stephen Tsai has more details.

Leonard, who is 6 feet 3 and 285 pounds, visited UH this past weekend. yesterday, he told the UH coaches he would go elsewhere, but changed his mind today.

"I was thinking more about trying to stay close to home," said Leonard, who lives in Sacramento. "But then I decided I wanted to go to a better program, a better team. I got to thinking how good of an opportunity Hawai'i was for me."

Leonard said Colt Brennan's decision to remain at UH was not an influence.

"I found out (about Brennan) after I called up to commit," Leonard said.

Leonard was named to the All-California first team, which is the equivalent of an All-America team. He also was named to the JC Grid-Wire All-America third team. He received a 4-star rating from Scout.com.

He can bench press 475 pounds and run 40 yards in 4.7 seconds.

Sounds like he'll be a great player for UH! Congratulations to Josh and the Warriors.

And just watch Colt Brennan's speech again. The set-up is great. And you know the rest!

Colt's COMING BACK!!!

He just announced it! WARRIORS!!!!!

UPDATE: I don't have a transcript right now, but basically he said he's coming back because he likes the person he's become in Hawaii, he loves Hawaii, the people, his teammates, etc. As for not going to the NFL this year, he says that it doesn't matter where he gets drafted (next year), it only matters what he does after he gets drafted. I'm sure Warrior fans are jumping up and down right now!

UPDATE 2: COLT IS COMING BACK!!!!! Okay, back to work.

UPDATE 3: I can't concentrate on work right now. Here's Dave Reardon's quick wrap-up he must've been typing as it was being spoken.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan said today he will return for his senior season, ending weeks of speculation.

"I've decided to come back for my senior year."


"This was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make," Brennan said. "I made the decision late last night with Coach (June Jones0 and family and friends."

...

Dozens of teammates stood outside of the Stan Sheriff Center minutes before Brennan's news conference today.


Slotback Mike Washington held a homemade sign that said "1 more year ... or" on one side and "we fly for Ty" on the other, referring to Tyler Graunke, who is next in line to quarterback the Warriors.


"(Brennan's) a friend first and a teammate second," UH receiver Jason Rivers said before the announcement. "We'd like for him to come back. But in the end I hope he makes the right choice for himself."

UPDATE 4: Here's an update to the Advertiser article from below.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make," an emotional Brennan said. "I've decided to comeback for my senior year.

"I don't think I prepared myself (for the NFL) yet. I have yet to prepare myself yet physically and mentally... get myself, my mind and my body ready."

Brennan said he came to his decision Tuesday night.

"We have a chance to have an unbelievable football team next season," Brennan said.

UPDATE 5: Here's a link to a video of KITV's coverage of the press conference.

UPDATE 6: Here's the AP article on Brennan's return.

Wearing flip-flops, baggy jean shorts, white dress shirt and a kukui nut lei, the former walk-on made his announcement at a news conference packed with about 100 teammates, coaches and fans.

They cheered wildly when Brennan announced his decision, drawing a tear from the quarterback.

"I like the person I'm becoming in Hawaii. I want to give back to a school that gave back to me," he said.

...

"My future in the NFL will have nothing to do with where I get drafted. It will have everything to do with what I do after I get drafted.," he said.

Brennan said he was told he would be have been picked "extremely, extremely high," and would've fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing pro football, but wanted to continue building on Hawaii's success.

Brennan broke the NCAA single-season touchdown and passing efficiency records last month and led Hawaii to an 11-3 season -- matching the school mark for wins.

His had five TD passes Hawaii's 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24. Brennan finished the game with a school-record 559 yards passing.

UPDATE 7: Here's the UH Athletic Dept's article.

"I told Colt that he was going to be the first quarterback drafted in the NFL Draft," Warrior Head Coach June Jones said. "And for him to hear that and still come back says something about his character. I'm so proud of him. He's a great player, but I'm more proud of the way he has handled himself through everything. All the wins and losses, he stayed right there next to his teammates, and that's what it's all about. He understands that this game is not about one person. It's about the guy next to you. I'm obviously glad he is coming back, not just for our team, but for the University and for the entire State."

That should sum it up right there. That should be the last of the updates.

The Advertiser Calls It

For UH!

Colt Brennan, the University of Hawai'i's record-setting quarterback, is expected to announce Wednesday he will return for his senior season, turning down an opportunity to enter the NFL draft.
Brennan filed paperwork with the NFL on Monday, but had 72 hours to change his mind. He is making his announcement this afternoon in a press conference at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The actual announcement is in a few minutes, so nothing's in stone yet! But it's very good news!

Ways to Follow the Colt Brennan Press Conference

Watch it on the TV. KGMB will have it for sure.

Watch the KITV livestream online. Here's a link to a page saying that they're carrying it and here's a link to the Sports page where the actual video link will probably be. UPDATE: Here's the actual link.

Listen to it on 1420 AM, either on the radio or online at SportsRadio1420.com. You have to register first.

Tick tock tick tock!

Reliable Sources

I have a couple of reliable sources who say Colt Brennan will most likely have a press conference today. Whatever he declares, I hope he brings up what he told SI.com's Cory McCartney.

"I think this program has a lot of disadvantages and there's a lot of changes that need to be made, especially with the facilities and how a lot of things are being run," he said. "I think if we keep everybody enthusiastic about next year and we had another big year, it would just do a lot for our program for years to come."

...

"I'm over 200 pounds right now," he said. "I was 190 as a sophomore and for whatever reason they didn't update our program weights this year. My program listed 190, but I'm 200 pounds and I think I could easily get 15 pounds by the combine, maybe even more."

Shine that light Colt! The facilities, coaches offices, soap in the bathrooms, the enthusiam of those who update the rosters, among other things, definitely need some attention / upgrade. Well, the press conference is later today, but already the ever frightful Ferd Lewis sees an omen.

We're not saying that quarterback Colt Brennan is a lock to announce he's leaving the University of Hawai'i early for the National Football League draft today or anything, but ...

Basketball coach Riley Wallace's "retirement" press conference earlier this month was held in the Edwin S.N. Wong Hospitality Suite.

Athletic director Hugh Yoshida's retirement announcement was delivered in the Wong suite.

Baseball coach Les Murakami's retirement announcement came in the Wong suite.

Anybody noticing a pattern here?

And, guess where Brennan's press conference has been rescheduled for this afternoon?

Yup, the place that is coming to be known as UH's departure lounge. Club Bye Bye.

Noooooooo.

Updates later today!

Mock Drafts

As of today, Scott Wright's Draft Countdown has Colt Brennan getting picked 17th overall by Jacksonville in his NFL Mock Draft.

Draftdaddy.com has Colt getting picked 9th overall by Miami in their current mock draft.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.

Colt Brennan has postponed his announcement until Wednesday.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan said he needs another day to decide on his football future, and a news conference scheduled for Tuesday has been moved to Wednesday.

"He needs more time," UH spokeswoman Lois Manin said.

Stephen Tsai says the announcement will be 3:00pm HST. Let the speculation begin once more.

Ikaika, Colt, Graunke

The Advertiser staff writes that Ikaika Alama-Francis will see a specialist in San Francisco to determine the severity of a torn pectoral muscle, an injury he suffered in the Hula Bowl.

Depending on the severity of the injury, his options range from non-surgical rehabilitation to several months of post-surgery recovery.

"That's all speculative," UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "Until you know what the injury is for certain, there's no point in gnashing your teeth or wringing your hands. You don't know."

Reinebold said he is hopeful Alama-Francis will be able to participate in next month's National Football League Scouting Combine.

"It's not a knee (injury), it's not a shoulder, it's a muscle tear," Reinebold said. "To what extent, we don't know. But muscle tears are a lot easier to fix than ligament tears. He's going to do fine. He's got a lot of time before the combine."

Best of luck to Ikaika. The article also gives an update on other pro prospects for the Warriors.

Another former UH defensive end, Melila Purcell III, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament during the Hula Bowl.

Leo Goeas, Purcell's agent, said the injury was diagnosed as a Grade 1, the mildest of the three grades of sprains.

Purcell, running back Nate Ilaoa, center Samson Satele and right tackle Dane Uperesa are expected to arrive in Houston today to begin two months of training. Satele, Uperesa and Ilaoa also were invited to compete in the NFL combine.

======

Colt Brennan may make his announcement today, or he may not.

"I think I'll have all of the information I need to make a decision" before today's 2 p.m. news conference, Brennan said. "I may end up postponing it one more day. If something presents itself where I need more time, I'll take more time."

Brennan notified the NFL of an intention to apply yesterday — the declaration deadline for college underclassmen — as a way to keep open his options. The NFL allows an applicant 72 hours to rescind.

"I still haven't decided," said Brennan, whose father sent the notarized application to the NFL yesterday morning. "No, not at all. For me, it's completely win-win. I'll have the time of my life whether I go or whether I stay. No doubt."

Brennan said he needed to receive certain "information" before making a decision. He declined to reveal the "information," saying it was "too personal and too private right now."

Hopefully everything will be put to rest this afternoon. I can't stand any more speculation!

Speaking of which, some NFL scouts talk to Dave Reardon and speculate on where Colt might be drafted.

"If I were him I would go back and play (college) one more year," the scout said of Brennan, who was listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds going into last season. "He's a very accurate passer, but he's not very stout and doesn't have a very strong arm. I haven't studied tape on him, but there are probably six or seven (draftable) quarterbacks who I would think are better at this time."

But another scout who has watched him play said Brennan will likely be the third quarterback chosen (behind JaMarcus Russell of LSU and Brady Quinn of Notre Dame), and probably in the first 20 or 25 picks.

"I don't think he'd get to the end of the first round (of the 2007 draft)," he said. "With another good year (at UH) and the team doing well, it could push him up higher, but statistically, how can he get better? What if he throws for 40 touchdowns instead of 58? That's still great, but now might be the time (to turn pro)."

That first guy should lose his scouting job. He hasn't studied tape on Brennan, yet he criticizes him anyway, which leads me to believe, and I'm just speculating here, that he ate what was fed to him by other people who haven't seen Colt play, digested it a bit, and then pulled it out of his ass! Hooahhh!!!

The second scout, and most anybody who has actually seen Brennan play, have great things to say, which, in the end, is bittersweet for Warrior fans! Oh well, looking forward to this afternoon, no matter what Colt decides. If he does leave for the NFL, the Warriors will still be in good hands.

Tyler Graunke came to the University of Hawai'i to replace a record-setting quarterback.

Funny thing is he thought it was going to be Tim Chang, not Colt Brennan.

So, if Brennan announces the intention to leave early for the NFL draft at today's press conference, as many expect, it won't be like the opportunity to step in and lead the Warriors is something that just snuck up on Graunke.

In Graunke's mind, and with his fiercely competitive makeup, he's been the air apparent to the nation's No. 1 passing offense all along. There's just been, as the airlines like to put it, a "slight delay" in the implementation. He's been the future of the Warriors, if only it would just get here.

When Graunke signed with UH in 2004, fresh from setting the state high school single-season passing yardage record in Arizona, he was the apple of head coach June Jones' eye. The feeling was he'd take the controls when Chang, who was a senior, departed. It was why Graunke redshirted while watching Chang polish off the NCAA career passing yardage mark. And why he stayed around as Brennan put down roots and set marks.

The Graunke shall rise like a Phoenix... out of Arizona!

MaxwellPundit Award Winner: Colt Brennan

While we wait to hear if Colt will come back to UH or go to the NFL, let's appreciate him and all that he's done one more time! So without further ado, Colt Brennan is the winner of the 2006-2007 MaxwellPundit College Football Player of the Year Award. I think this is an award given out by a group of writers and bloggers, and they know their stuff. Here's an excerpt from Rakes of Mallow, an unofficial Notre Dame blog, which I believe hosted the competition, starting with quotes from some participating blogs.

Your 2006-2007 MaxwellPundit Award Winner...

1) Colt Brennan, The Island Gunslinger, Hawaii

"I included him in my last list for top-5. And he justified with a spectacular performance against ASU in the Hawaii bowl (passing for 559 yards and 5 TDs). His end of season numbers are just astonishing with over 5,500 yards (almost 10 yards per attempt, a mind boggling 72.6 percent completion, and 58 TDs (12 picks). As I mentioned before he put up these numbers against all kinds of competition including throwing for over 350 yards against a stingy Crimson Tide defense in Alabama. He belongs here. Clearly one of the best players in 2006-07 season." - BruinsNation

"Hawaii dominated its bowl game, as expected, but get this, Brennan had 559 (not a typo!) yards passing in the game. Oh, and five TDs to only one interception. He finished the season with the nation's best passing efficiency (a 72.63 completion percentage), 5,549 yards, and almost double (58 to 32) the number of touchdowns of his closest competition." - RockyTopTalk

"Yes, I know . . . it's just the system. Against Arizona State, though, the island gunslinger hooked up on 33 of his 42 tosses, tallying 559 yards through the air and having a five-to-one touchdowns-(plural)-to-interception-(singular) ratio. His Hawaii Bowl quarterback rating was 224.9; when it gets to 225, sell. Over the course of the regular season, Brennan piled up 4,990 yards and threw 53 touchdown passes, as opposed to just 11 picks, and those gaudy numbers were not the result of facing weak competition. Need proof? Against Alabama, Boise State, Nevada, Oregon State, Purdue, and San Jose State, Brennan threw for 2,394 yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions." - DawgSports

"Mel Kiper says he's a "system" guy. Whatever, Mel. He still had - what - 80 touchdowns? Okay, 58. And he threw for five touchdowns against Boise State! They are a good football team, no? Brennan's numbers are inflated, yes, but when you're pretty much doubling up the rest of the field, this is more than just floating through the system. You're playing great, great football." - BurntOrangeNation

"That's a pretty good non-conference schedule, to say nothing of the cache torching Boise within a touchdown of its undefeated life holds now. But what's astounding about Brennan's numbers is that they're not just the result of throwing the ball a whole lot - he led the nation in completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percent (attempts per touchdown) and voodoo passer rating, each of which is relative and has nothing to do with the number of times the ball is in the air. Even if it took 14 games against mostly WAC-ky secondaries, setting the single-season touchdown mark is pretty good; one player (Graham Harrell) got within twenty touchdowns, but no closer." - SMQ

If someone would have told me at the beginning of the season that only one quarterback made the final top five, you would have assumed that quarterback to be either Troy Smith or Brady Quinn, perhaps Brian Brohm, but we've got upset city. If I hear system quarterback from a WAC school as an argument against him one more time, I'm going to smash a ukulele over the opponent's head. At some point in time the system becomes an excuse, as you still have to make the reads and complete the passes, all at absurdly high rates. Stealing this from Kyle and SMQ, if you want to discount the stats against crappy WAC teams, go right ahead, but if that's the case, you need to erase the bottom half of all the other top quarterback's statistics and still look at the gap between Brennan and everyone else.

Including the two-touchdown, two-pick day against Oregon State, Brennan combined for 25 touchdowns and seven picks against Alabama, Boise State, Nevada, San Jose State, Purdue, Oregon State and Arizona State. If you just want to play the Calvin Johnson game and double those numbers instead of including the lighter fare on the Rainbow Warrior's schedule, that's still fifty touchdown passes and a completion percentage that never dipped below 68.8 percent.

Those are all really great comments about Colt and really great to hear! Congratulations to Colt once again, and thanks to the pundits for giving him this award.

Hawaii Warrior Videos

Some more videos from Youtube, this one via Sportshawaii.com: it's a video of BIG HITS by the Warrior defense (and offense), edited by kapoleicoug.


Awesome!

A big hit not in that video is this one from the Hawaii Bowl. Leonard Peters comes in untouched to sack Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter and force a fumble. Video posted by braddahneil.


Hoohoo!

And finally, here's another braddahneil video of Colt's five touchdown passes in the Hawaii Bowl.

Was that Colt's last game as a Warrior? We'll find out tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Another Colt, Ikaika and Mel Update

Via Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat:

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis was in the hospital this morning, receiving treatment for an injured pectoral muscle. He suffered the injury in the first half of yesterday's Hula Bowl. He did not know the severity, but said he would not play in this week's East-West Shrine Game in Houston.
The news was a little more hopeful for defensive end Melila Purcell III, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in the Hula Bowl. Tests showed it was a Grade 1 sprain, the mildest in the three-game system

We wish all the best for Ikaika and Mel's recovery. Read the rest of Stephen's post regarding Colt. He lists a lot of good reasons for Colt to leave for the NFL. Doh.

Ikaika and Melila Injury Update

They both record sacks in the Hula Bowl, and they both get injured.

In the first quarter, Alama-Francis recorded one of the three sacks by the Kai team, but suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle late in the first half.

"(Alama-Francis) was in a lot of pain," Kai assistant coach Rich Miano said. "Pectoral tears don't always require surgery, but it might. It's also terrible since he might miss the East-West Shrine Game now."

Alama-Francis returned to the field without his pads for the opening kickoff of the second half, but left midway through the third quarter.

Fellow All-WAC defensive end Mel Purcell was also injured. Like Alama-Francis, Purcell had a sack, but sprained a knee in the final minute. The early diagnosis is an MCL sprain, Miano said.

Let's hope they heal quickly. It doesn't sound like Ikaika will make the Shrine Game if they're talking about possible surgery. Hope he'll be okay for the NFL Combine.

As for the game itself, the Aina beat the Kai. All the Warriors were on the Kai side, but they had fun nonetheless.

Sparked by players from the Western Athletic Conference, the Kai scored on the opening drive.

Zabransky's 16-yard touchdown pass to Ilaoa gave the Kai an early 7-0 lead. On the play, Ilaoa caught the swing pass on the left side, got an upfield block by Colorado State offensive guard Josh Day and rammed his way into the end zone.

"It was a good thing I was able to score," Ilaoa said. "It ranks up there, but it was mostly hanging out with all these dudes that was special."

...

"It didn't matter what the outcome was," Hawai'i safety Leonard Peters said. "The main thing was we got to showcase our skills to the NFL scouts. I think people who came out here had fun watching us play."

The Kai team performed the haka at midfield about 20 minutes before the game. Hawai'i running back Reagan Mauia led the Maori war dance that was greeted with a roar from the crowd. Even Fresno State coach Pat Hill, the coach of the Kai team, danced from the back row.

I wonder what Bulldog fans think about Pat Hill doing the haka? Too funny! Anyway, here's a clip from the game of Nate Ilaoa scoring on a TD pass from Jared Zabransky.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Colt Brennan is filing for the NFL draft today, but only to give him more time to decide whether to go the NFL or not.

"I need more time and more information," Brennan told The Advertiser last night. He rescheduled the news conference for tomorrow afternoon.

The NFL allows an applicant 72 hours to rescind a decision. UH spokeswoman Lois Manin said Brennan will file the NFL application today as a way to keep open his options.

"It does not mean I've made a decision," Brennan said. "No, that is not it at all. I swear to God that's not it. I need more time."

Brennan said he is seeking undisclosed "information" that will ease his decision. He said the information would not have been available by this morning.

"If the decision calls for me to go to the NFL, I need to be ready," Brennan said. "If I don't send in the paperwork, I missed out on that opportunity. By putting in the paperwork, I'm reserving the right to have one more day to think about it."

Oh man, he really must not be getting any sleep. I hope everything, for his sake, is resolved by tomorrow. Colt also spoke to Dave Reardon, giving some insight into his decision.

"What I'm asking for is I need more time. I'm trying to keep myself eligible (for the draft), but I'm still torn. I'm still just torn down the middle.

"I'm still awaiting some information, some of it personal," Brennan added.

Some of the information he wants is whether Louisville junior quarterback Brian Brohm will declare for the draft. Brohm's presence in or absence from the draft could affect Brennan's status.

Well, this is probably bad news for Warrior fans who want Colt to stay, but Brohm decided to stay at Louisville, he announced today.

Brohm, 6-foot-4, 224 pounds, would have been considered among the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft. His aim now will be to be the top player in the 2008 draft. Brohm has thrown for 6,751 yards and 41 touchdowns in three seasons. Both marks are fourth on the school's career list.

Be well Colt! I hope he gets all the info he needs today and comes to a decision. Don't want him to be all haggard and grizzled at his news conference. One more day...

Tomorrow

Well, that was a pretty good Hula Bowl. All the Warriors got to show off their stuff. Let's hope there's good news regarding the injury to Ikaika Alama-Francis and that he can play in the Shrine game next week. Well, tomorrow Colt makes his announcement whether to come back for his senior season or go to the NFL. Louisville's Brian Brohm will make his announcement earlier in the day, so that might even factor into all of it. We'll find out tomorrow!

LiveBlogging: Hula Bowl

All Times Game Clock!

1st Quarter:

15:00 - Ross Dickerson takes the opening kickoff out to the 32 yard line!

14:30 - On 1st down from the 32, Kai QB Jared Zabransky's pass is too high for Reagan Mauia.

14:24 - On 2nd and 10 from the Kai 32, Zabransky hands off to Nate Ilaoa who takes it up the middle for no gain.

13:45 - On 3rd and 10 from the Kai 32, Zabransky scrambles to the Kai 48 for a first down.

13:20 - On 1st down from the Kai 47, Nate Ilaoa up the middle for a short gain.

12:35 - Zabransky takes a time out.

12:22 - On 2nd down from the Kai 47, short pass to Nate Ilaoa, who takes it into Aina territory for a 7 yard gain!

11:40 - On 3rd and 3, Zabransky completes a pass to Cedric Steptoe for a first down.

11:00 - On 1st down from the Aina 28, Zabransky's pass over the middle is incomplete.

10:30 - On 2nd down, Zabransky completes a pass to a Kansas State receiver to the Aina 16.

10:00 - ON 1st down from the Aina 16, screen to Nate Ilaoa, who TAKES IT IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!!!!

9:48 - Extra point is good. Nice run-after-catch by Nate! Kai 7, Aina 0.

9:45 - Kai kicks off, and Alabama's Ramzee Robinson takes it out. Time to see Leonard Peters, Mel Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis do their thing!

9:10 - On 1st down from the Aina 26, hand off for a couple yards.

8:30 - On 2nd and 8 from the Aina 28, pass complete out to the 34. 3rd down.

7:45 - On 3rd and 2 from the Aina 33, pass is incomplete. Gotta punt.

7:22 - Aina punts and it is downed at the Kai 32.

6:44 - On 1st down from the Kai 32, Zabransky scrambles for 5 yards to the Kai 37.

6:12 - On 2nd and 5 from the Kai 37, Nate Ilaoa takes it to the 40 for a short gain.

5:30 - On 3rd and 2 from the Kai 40, Zabransky's pass is incomplete.

4:20 - Kai punts and it's taken out to the 35 or so.

3:40 - From the Aina 29, pass is incomplete.

3:22 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 29, hand off to Tim Castille from Alabama for about 5 yards.

2:38 - On 3rd and 5, screen pass is taken out for a first down to the Aina 46.

2:00 - Handoff for a couple yards.

1:15 - On 2nd and 8 from the Kai 48, swing pass is incomplete.

0:45 - On 3rd and 8, Ikaika Alama-Francis with the SACK!!!

0:08 - Aina punts and Kai takes it to the 24.

0:00 - End of 1st Quarter. Nice showing by Warrior players so far.


2nd Quarter:

15:00 - On 1st down from the Kai 24, hand off to Dwayne Wright of Fresno State for a 15 yard gain.

14:15 - On 1st down from the Kai 39, Wright takes it about 4 yards.

13:33 - On 2nd and 7 from the Kai 42, Wright takes it to the 44. 3rd down.

12:40 - Zabransky takes a time out.

12:25 - On 3rd and 5 from the Kai 44, Zabransky's bomb down the sideline is incomplete.

11:52 - Kai punts and it ends up in the end zone.

11:25 - On 1st down from the 20, Aina rushes for a negative gain.

10:40 - On 2nd and 11 from the 19, short pass to the 23.

10:05 - On 3rd and 6 from the 24, pass is incomplete. Leonard Peters is flying around out there, but no big hits yet.

9:35 - Aina punts and it's taken to around the 21.

9:10 - On 1st down from the Kai 21, Curtis Brown from BYU takes it out to midfield for a first down.

8:35 - On 1st down from the Kai 49, the bomb is intercepted, but there's a flag on the play. Yep, pass interference on the Aina.

8:15 - On 1st and 10 from the Kai 44, the Utah QB, Bret Ratliff scrambles to the Aina 24 for a first down.

7:30 - On 1st and 10 from the Aina 24, the end around is taken by Steptoe to the 11 yard line for another first down.

6:50 - On 1st down from the Aina 10, short pass to Wright is taken to the 9.

6:10 - On 2nd and goal from the 9, Wright is tackled around the 6.

5:22 - On 3rd and goal from the 7, pass is incomplete in the end zone.

4:55 - Texas kicker for the Kai kicks it for a field goal. Kai 10, Aina 0.

4:50 - Kai kicks off and the Aina takes it out to the 22.

4:20 - On 1st down from the Aina 22, end around is stopped for no gain. Leonard Peters was in on the tail end of the tackle.

3:48 - Will Procter of the Aina completes a pass for a first down.

3:05 - On 1st down from the Aina 33, pass complete out to the 40.

2:40 - On 2nd and 4 from the Aina 39, ball is taken out to the 47.

2:04 - Will Procter completes a pass under pressure from Ikaiaka Alama-Francis. Ikaika is down on the field. I really hope it's not serious.

1:52 - It looks like Ikaika injured his right arm, but we'll see what his condition is later. Let's hope the equipment is too tight or something!

1:03 - Back to the game, Will Proctor completes a pass to Tim Castille out to the 2 yard line.

0:30 - On 3rd and goal from the 2, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

0:24 - On 4th down, the Aina kicks a field goal. But hold on, there's an illegal formation penalty. It's the Hula Bowl! Come on!

0:19 - On the 2nd attempt, the field goal is good again. Kai 10, Aina 3

0:14 - Aina kicks a squib, and its taken out to the 34.

0:00 - Clock runs down. End of half.


2nd Half

3rd Quarter:

15:00 - Kai kicks off and the Aina takes it out to the 37.

14:20 - Pass is batted down.

13:55 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 37, pitch is taken to the 40. 3rd down.

13:15 - On 3rd and 6 from the Aina 41, pass is incomplete.

12:40 - Aina punts and the punt is muffed. Aina recovers, but there's a flag. Illegal formation on Aina. Kai is bailed out!

12:20 - Aina punts again and the Houston player for Kai takes it to the 21.

11:50 - On 1st down, the bomb is incomplete incomplete on the sideline.

11:20 - On 2nd and 10 from the 21, hand off to Curtis Brown is taken to about the 25. 3rd down.

10:35 - On 3rd and 6 from the 25, pass is complete to the 35 for a first down.

10:00 - On 1st down from the Kai 35, Ratliff hands off for a couple yards.

9:20 - On 2nd and 8 from the 37, end around is taken by Yamon Figurs to the Aina 45 for a first down.

8:25 - On 1st down, a double pass is taken by Ratliff to the Aina 32.

7:50 - Hand off by Curtis Brown is taken for a few yards.

7:05 - On 2nd and 4 from the Aina 26, big loss as Brown is dropped back around the 35.

6:20 - On 3rd and long from the Aina 35, screen pass to Nate Ilaoa who takes it to the 28. 4th down.

5:19 - On 4th down, Kai goes for it but the QB gets sacked. Aina ball.

5:06 - On 1st down from the Aina 37, pass complete to the 47.

4:26 - Hand off taken into Kai territory to the 48.

3:44 - On 2nd and 6, Mel Purcell with THE SACK!!!

2:55 - On 3rd and 14, pass is overthrown. Gotta punt.

2:30 - Aina punts and Figurs, who is really really fast, takes it in for a TD on the return, but it's coming back since he stepped out of bounds.

1:51 - On 1st down from the Aina 34, John Stocco has to throw it away.

1:10 - On 2nd and 10 from the 34, hand off is taken to the 29.

0:25 - On 3rd and 5 from the 29, screen to Brown, who takes it to the 27. 4th down.

0:00 - End of 3rd Quarter.


4th Quarter:

15:00 - On 4th down, Stocco gets sacked wayyyy back. Aina ball on the 43.

14:22 - Proctor completes a pass out to the 49.

13:44 - Bomb is incomplete down the sideline.

13:22 - On 3rd and 4 from the Aina 49, offsides on he Kai.

13:10 - On 1st and 10 from the Kai 46, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

12:40 - Screen pass to Hairston is taken to the 40.

11:52 - On 3rd and 5, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

11:34 - On 4th and 5, Proctor scrambles for it but gets smashed by a couple players, including Purcell! Looks like it's short.

11:12 - On 1st down, hand off to Nate Ilaoa for a couple yards.

10:22 - On 2nd and 8 from the 39, Nate takes it for a tough 3 or 4 yards.

9:35 - On 3rd down, pass complete to McFoy for a first down.

9:00 - On 1st down from the Aina 48, hand off to Nate for another couple yards.

8:20 - On 2nd down from the Aina 47, Dwayne Wright takes it about 3 yards to the 44.

7:20 - On 3rd and 6 from the 44, Stocco's pass is incomplete.

7:15 - Kai punts into the end zone.

7:00 - Pass by Justin Zwick is incomplete.

6:52 - Zwick throws an INT, but there's a penalty. Offsides on the defense.

6:50 - On a crazy play, a Kai player takes away the ball from the Aina receiver. He then fumbles into the hands of another Kai defender. Wow!

6:23 - First pass by Stocco is incomplete.

6:10 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 31, Nate is dropped for a 1 yard loss.

5:30 - On 3rd and 11 from the Aina 32, Stocco completes a pass but it's short of the 1st down.

4:32 - Kai tries a long 48 yard field goal, but it is NO GOOD.

4:20 - Under pressure by Mel Purcell, the Aina QB has to rush it, and it's incomplete!

4:05 - The QB gets sacked by Abu Ma'afala after getting pressured again by Purcell!

3:23 - The QB throws a long bomb and it's intercepted.

3:00 - From the Kai 37, there's a fumble and Aina gets the ball back!

2:30 - On 1st down from the Kai 39, Proctor completes a pass to the 29 for a first down.

2:25 - On 1st down from the Kai 28, the RB Reggie Merriweather is stuffed.

1:55 - On 2nd down from the Kai 29, pass is incomplete.

1:45 - On 3rd and 11 from the Kai 29, Proctor completes a pass to the 9 yard line.

1:28 - On 1st and goal from the Kai 9, Merriweather takes it to the 1 foot line!

0:45 - Merriweather takes it in for a touchdown.

0:44 - Aina is going for 2!

0:44 - Proctor completes a pass in the back of the end zone for the 2 point conversion! Kai 10, Aina 11

0:44 - Aina kicks off and Vincent Marshall takes it out to the 20.

0:35 - Jared Zabransky is back in and completes a pass to the Kai 36.

0:26 - Zabransky's pass over the middle is incomplete.

0:20 - ON 2nd and 10 from the 36, Zabransky throws an interception to Ramzee Robinson, who takes it in for a pick six!

0:10 - PAT is good. Kai 10, Aina 18.

0:10 - Aina kicks off and Figurs takes it out to midfield. :04 seconds left and there's a 15 yard penalty on Aina, so it'll be in Aina territory.

0:04 - On the last play of the game from the Aina 37 yard line, Jared Zabransky's pass is incomplete. Kind of an exciting finish!

0:00 - FINAL SCORE - Aina 18, Kai 10. Let's hope Ikaika Alama-Francis is okay.