Fall Practice - Day 9: Chopp, Cox, Pilares, Etc

There are several articles on different UH running backs today.

Dave Reardon profiles Alonzo Chopp, who is excused from camp curfew because of work.

FOOTBALL PRACTICE on 4 hours sleep in the hot sun isn't easy for anyone. But Alonzo Chopp, USMC, conquered more stressful challenges with significantly less rest.

Walking around through a crowded room of snoring compadres in the middle of the night like he's doing this week is nothing new; it's just like firewatch during boot camp.

Chopp also made it through 72 hours of jungle warfare and survival training with a couple of 10-minute catnaps in Okinawa five years ago.

And there were no Big Gulps or burritos for miles.

And June Jones has a great quote at the end:

"He's like every other Marine I've ever known," Jones said. "A team player. He does whatever he can to help the team, and that's what a good Marine is."

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Kalani Simpson talks to Mario Cox about the upcoming season.

He says, "I actually learned that there's no such thing as being good enough -- you've got to learn something each year."

We've already pigeonholed all the backs into their particular roles -- this guy's the blocker, these guys can run. Cox sees his role as knowing all of them.

"There's guys we've got for blocking," Cox says. "There's guys we've got for run plays. But if they key on that, there's always got to be a running back who can do both."

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Ferd Lewis profiles Kealoha Pilares. Great quote from Rich Miano:

"He's one of those guys, like Chad Owens, who will just take you out and embarrass you in the open field," Miano said. "He's got that kind of ability. He's so smooth, he's like a (thoroughbred)."

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And Miano is taking care of a kid from Australia and huge UH football fan, Brandt Honda. Here's a really cool story about it from Stephen Tsai. Can't really encapsulate it in an excerpt so go read the article! (Actually, read all the articles).

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Dave Reardon and Brian McInnis write that receiver Mike Washington and linebacker R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane got some additional reps as first-stringers like Davone Bess, Blaze Soares and Solomon Elimimian sat out with injury.

"I mean, shoot, if a player goes down, of course I'm going to step up, man," Washington said. "So I just do what I gotta do right now, man, just making plays and no drops. Especially for the second team ... 'cause the first team, if they mess up, it's like nothing happened."

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Stephen Tsai talks to cornerback Ryan Mouton, who finally got cleared to practice, pending some paperwork.

"I'm so happy," said Ryan Mouton, a four-star cornerback from Blinn College in Texas. "It's been tough the past week and a half. But it was better to get everything cleared up now than later."

Also from that article:

• Calvin Roberts, another corner who got held up a bit, practiced.


• Both Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian have strained hamstrings, but they don't appear to be severe.


• Offensive tackles Keoni Steinhoff and Keith AhSoon might be trading positions with each other (left to right, right to left).


• R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane practiced at the "Joker" position in the 3-4 Oky scheme.


• An ESPN video crew has been following Colt Brennan around.


• Cornerback A.J. Martinez talks about returning from his snowboarding injury, hopefully by the fourth game.


• The article has links to photos and four different videos, including interviews with Mouton and Roberts.