Wednesday Articles Leading Up to THE BIG GAME

Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman profiles Adam Leonard.

Leonard is one of the top contenders for the WAC Defensive Player of the Year award going into Friday's showdown with Boise State (7:06 p.m., ESPN2). He has 87 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions and two touchdowns this season.

Leonard (6 foot, 236 pounds), a third-year junior who has helped turn the defense into a strength, senses a difference this year.

"We're finally playing together as a unit," he said. " We're making more big plays that change the game."

And many of them have come from Leonard, who also has a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two sacks.

"He's been a big-play guy," defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. " He's a great player with a great attitude."

Dave Reardon writes that Herman Frazier has friends who are telling him that BCS conferences don't want Hawaii in a BCS game. You don't say!

"(Athletic directors from) non-BCS schools think people don't want us to be in that position. ... They say, 'Herm, there's guys at some of those schools that don't want you there. Look and see who's won nine games and is on the BCS bubble,' " Frazier said.

Also on that page is an article about the BCS expanding their at-large eligible teams in case there's not enough in the top 14, and a profile of Keala Watson:

"He just has that wit about him, anything can turn into a joke around him. He's a fun guy to have around. Walrus, he always keeps us on our toes," linebacker Adam Leonard said.

"And you can see how hard he works, especially getting down in weight from last year (334 to 300 on his 6-foot-3 frame). I was shocked to see how much he changed. He's been making plays the past two years. He's one of those guys that when he comes in the game we have confidence he'll get the job done."

Stephen Tsai also has an article on Keala Watson and his wife Leona.

And she has watched as he has ascended the depth chart. Keala is now in the starting rotation at defensive tackle.

"He's doing a really good job," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said.

While Keala is living up to his promise on the football field, he wanted to keep a promise he made 3 1/2 years ago when he took a knee and proposed to Leona.

"She was crying," Keala said. "She cried for five minutes. I was like, 'is that yes or no?' She said, 'yes.' "

Stephen Tsai has notes about Kealoha Pilares' knee improving, Davone Bess' thoughts on leaving for the NFL, Colt discussing a low hit on him by a Boise corner last year, Hawaii's win over BSU in 1999, and great news for Rustin Saole and the UH special teams.

Saole, a valuable member of three special-team units, missed the past two games because of a partially torn medical collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee.

But he received medical clearance, and he was back on the kick-return and punt units yesterday. He is expected to rejoin the kickoff team today.

"I feel pretty good — 100 percent," Saole said.

Coming up on the biggest game in UH football history, Ferd Lewis recounts some other big and important UH games from years past. Here's #3, which is always a nice one to remember:

3. UH 56, BYU 14 (Oct. 28, 1989) — UH broke out of the 10-game, 11-year BYU "jinx" to set the stage for the school's first NCAA bowl game. As Wagner told the team before the game: "Guys, it doesn't have to be close." It wasn't. Coach: Wagner.

Alexandre Da Silva has an article on those wonderful scalpers.

And finally, Chadd Cripe talks to June Jones about the trophy back-and-forth Ferd Lewis wrote about earlier.

"How often does anyone ever go undefeated and have that type of year and do everything they did?" Jones said. "I just thought he deserved it."

So where's that trophy now?

"It's in my office," Jones said, "behind a bunch of things."

Fittingly enough, the winner of Friday's game likely will get the 2007 WAC Coach of the Year award.

And like the WAC title, this one will be undisputed. Two more days!