Sol is WAC POTW, Grasso, Colt's Ankle, Etc

Congratulations to Solomon Elimimian, who is the WAC's Defensive Player of the Week.

Elimimian, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw HS), led the Warriors with a career-high 14 tackles (7 solo) in Hawai‘i’s 49-14 win at UNLV. He had one and a half tackles for a loss in helping to hold the Rebels scoreless for a stretch of more than 48 minutes during the game.

The Advertiser gets Solomon's reaction:

"I'm honored and blessed," Elimimian said. "I want to thank my teammates, especiall the defensive line. I think they did a great job. Whenever you get an honor, it's always for the team. Without them, it's not possible. A linebacker needs the defensive linemen to keep blockers off of him and a defensive coordinator to call the right scheme."

Right on. Dave Reardon also writes about Sol, and has some pretty awesome stats on Hawaii's special teams nominee, Tim Grasso:

- Averaged 47.0 yards on two punts
- Punted only five times through three games this season with an average of 45.2 per punt
- UH leads the nation in net punting (44.0)

Didn't even realize that. Looks like we got an excellent punter and punt coverage team.

Stephen Tsai talks to Colt about his sprained ankle.

"The black-and-blue is going down. I think I have to rest it up the next couple of days. I think I should be out there moving around on it pretty good by the end of the week."

Brennan said he probably will undergo an MRI this afternoon "to make sure it's good."

He said he likely will be on crutches "just to stay off of it."

Dan Morrison, who coaches the quarterbacks, said the time off will not hinder Brennan's preparation.

"It'll probably do his arm and legs good," Morrison said.

Let's hope it's nothing more serious than it appears. Be well, Colt!

Ferd Lewis writes about the long road trip the Warriors just completed.

That would be a Honolulu-Houston-Monroe (La.)-Ruston (La.)-Monroe (La.)-Houston-Las Vegas-Honolulu routing, not exactly a well-beaten path to success. You won't find it on the AAA-recommended travel guide for college coaches.

What the Warriors just endured in back-to-back road games at Louisiana Tech and Nevada-Las Vegas wasn't a road trip as much as a 12-day, 8,000-mile, 5 time zone-hopping expedition. It is already as much as some NFL teams will travel this season and the Warriors still have treks to Idaho, San Jose and Nevada ahead.

Dave Reardon writes about the 11-day road trip, Colt's ankle, and has this week's Warriors Replay, breaking down five key plays from the UNLV game. Here's #5:

5. Clincher

The Setup: Hawaii 35, UNLV 7; 1:20 remaining, third quarter, UNLV ball, first and 10 at own 28.
The Play: CB Ryan Mouton picks off a pass by QB Travis Dixon that goes off the hands of WR Casey Flair. Mouton, with his first interception as a Hawaii player, dashes 40 yards into the UNLV end zone. It is the first touchdown for the Hawaii defense since Adam Leonard picked up a fumble and scored against New Mexico State last season.
The Impact: The game's only turnover gives Hawaii a five-touchdown lead with little more than a quarter left to play, all but ruling out any UNLV hopes for a miracle comeback. After its rocky start, the Hawaii defense yielded just 142 yards after halftime.
Hawaii defensive end Karl Noa: "Coach (Greg McMackin) got on our butts and everybody stepped up."