Random Wednesday Links

Former Saints and Falcons QB Bobby Hebert talks to Peter Finney of The Times-Picayune about June Jones and the Warriors.

"I can only speak for myself," Hebert said. "June Jones has the greatest offensive mind in the history of football. Ask Warren Moon, and he'll tell you the same thing. I spent four years under him in Atlanta, and he was the reason I made the Pro Bowl in '94. As far as the Sugar Bowl goes, I don't know how the Hawaii defense will do against Georgia. But I promise you, with a month to get ready, Hawaii is going to score a lot of points against the Bulldogs."

The article also discusses the differences in BCS and non-BCS budgets and what this Sugar may mean for Hawaii's finances.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Terence Moore wants Georgia to crush UH.

So Georgia is among the elite two of college football? Then that means the Bulldogs just can’t go to the Sugar Bowl and beat Hawaii.

They must obliterate Hawaii.

After all, despite the nice storylines, including quarterback Colt Brennan as a possible Heisman Trophy winner and former Falcons coach June Jones turning a nothing program into something, the fact remains: Hawaii is among the most fraudulent teams ever to go undefeated.

No, shy of an absolute thrashing of Hawaii, the Bulldogs can’t win in this situation, and they better not lose.

I love it.

Though the votes are already in, and Colt's a finalist, Russell Levine of the New York Sun makes a great case for Colt Brennan in the Heisman trophy race.

Hawaii's three toughest opponents, Fresno State, Boise State, and Washington (the only BCS conference team on the Warriors' schedule) were scheduled to play during the team's final four games. In those contests, Brennan was marvelous, completing 110 of 142 passes (78.7%) for 1,333 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He also added a pair of rushing scores. That's an average stat line of 37-of-47, 444 yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception, and 1 rushing TD.

The Heisman is not supposed to be a career achievement award, though it sometimes toes the line that way, such as when Nebraska's Eric Crouch won in 2001. If any player deserves such a career prize, it is Brennan. He has brought a Hawaii program with a limited budget, poor facilities, and the unique challenges of geography to the big money world of the BCS, an outcome that will have a lasting effect on the school's football operations for years.

Amarillo.com has a few thoughts on the Warriors' success:

Heard of John Estes, Keith AhSoon, Hercules Satele, Larry Sauafea or Keoni Steinhoff? They form the offensive line that has allowed only 26 sacks on a team that has passed 606 times.

Defensively, Hawaii is ninth in the nation in sacks and fifth in the nation in tackles for losses. Solomon Elimian is ninth in the nation in tackles, averaging 11 per game.

Overall, the Warriors are 33rd in the NCAA in defense - better than Texas Tech (50th), Texas (54th), Texas A & M (83rd) and five Southeastern Conference teams.

They're legit.

Hawaii would still be good without Brennan. They didn't have him for two games, and they did exactly what Oregon couldn't do without Dennis Dixon - win.

Chris Steuber of ScoutNFLexperts.com has some good things to say about the UH linebackers in his 2008 NFL Draft Watch.

· Hawaii is known for its high-powered offense, but no one talks about their defense. The Warriors have two outstanding junior linebackers, Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian. At 6-foot, 218 pounds, Elimimian is an undersized outside linebacker who's a tackling machine. He's a rangy player who reads the action well and attacks the opposition. He has 127 tackles (65 solo, 62 assisted), 10.5 for a loss, and 1.5 sacks this season. But Leonard, who stands at 6-foot, 236-pounds is an even more impressive prospect. He's a tremendously skilled all-around player who's instinctive against the run and shows great awareness in coverage. He has 100 tackles (50 solo, 50 assisted), 12.0 for a loss, two sacks, and four interceptions. Elimimian and Leonard have promising futures, but should return to Hawaii for their senior seasons.