Hawaii vs Northern Colorado Previews

I'm not sure if I've posted versions of these from other papers already, as they kind of say a lot of the same things, but here are some previews of tomorrow's game.

From The Sports Network.

The defense has steadily improved over the last few seasons and turned the corner last year as it ranked third in the conference in run defense, giving up just 136.1 ypg after placing 98th in the nation in that department a year earlier. The pass defense was not as tight, allowing 241.7 ypg, but much of that had to do with the fact that almost every opponent was fighting an uphill battle both against the Warriors and the clock as they tried to catch up.

From the AP's Jaymes Song.

On defense, the Warriors will unveil a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Greg McMackin. He succeeded Jerry Glanville, who became Portland State's head coach and used a blitzing 3-4 defense.

"As far as defense, we played good at times last year, but what McMackin brought in was consistency," linebacker Solomon Elimimian said.

From The Rocky Mountain News.

Making the little plays - finishing tackles, keeping receivers from running free deep - is the only way many experts believe the Bears can avoid a loss of epic proportions.

"Our mind-set is that we don't know them, but they don't know us," senior safety D.J. Craft said. "We want to throw off their timing as much as possible. It's the first week, so hustle plays and special teams should make a lot of difference."

LWJ Articles

Steve Takaba of The Omaha World-Herald profiles former Nebraska Husker and current Hawaii Warrior Leon Wright-Jackson.

Suan said Wright-Jackson's pass blocking is coming along as well. All he needs to develop is his footwork and learn about blocking angles. Still, Suan said there's "no doubt" Wright-Jackson, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, can crack the starting lineup immediately.

As for life in Lincoln, Wright-Jackson said he misses his old teammates. He still keeps in touch with Marlon Lucky and Phillip Dillard. He also wouldn't mind seeing them in a bowl game. Sound silly? It isn't out of the question.

Several publications list Hawaii as a trendy pick to be this season's BCS buster. Should the Warriors go undefeated and Nebraska win the Big 12 . . .

"That would be fun," Wright-Jackson said. "But I really don't worry about that. I'm on a new team and I'm trying to help this team go forward. If we ran into Nebraska, that would be a good experience. That would be fun."

And Eric Degerman of SportsTriCities.com writes a blog entry about former Pasco High and current University of Hawaii running back Leon Wright-Jackson.

Looks like Leon leaves a good impression wherever he goes. Can't wait to see him and the rest of the running backs rotating in tomorrow night!

One More Day

Tomorrow is kickoff. Can. You. Believe It?!?!

Dave Reardon writes that the Warriors are raring to go.

Jones said the Warriors must prepare for everything and anything from UNC, a Division I-AA team that was 1-10 last year and has nothing to lose.

...

"I feel like we had a good camp and everyone came together," Jones said. "We can only do the next step by playing games and making it through the tough times together."

The article also continues Reardon's series of opponent previews, with a look at Washington.

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If you ever want to know how and why Colt Brennan is so good, besides looking at his stats, read this excellent article by Stephen Tsai. Here are a couple excerpts:

Right wideout C.J. Hawthorne said Brennan does not cut short his progressions, giving each receiver a fair opportunity.

"He goes through all of his reads," Hawthorne said. "It's not like he locks in on one guy. It's not like, 'I'm going to throw to my favorite receiver,' or 'this play is for one person.' "

Brennan said: "My whole mentality is I want my receivers to know that no matter what the play is, even if it's not designed for them, there's a possibility they can get the ball. You never know when things are going to break down (defensively). I like letting my receivers feel any night can be their night."

Grice-Mullins said: "The ball gets there fast, but it doesn't jam your fingers, like catching a bullet. That's the magic of Colt."

Brennan said the key is the way the football spins when he releases it. Morrison agreed, noting a fast-spinning pass is easier to catch.

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If you just look at the ridiculous scores from last year, lazy pundits assume that June Jones likes to run up the score. If you actually watch the games, you see that it's usually the backups getting in work and doing well in the second half of blow-outs. Ferd Lewis, who is not a lazy pundit, worries about the perception of running-it-up, or not running-it-up-enough, for people who just look at box scores.

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Jason Kaneshiro profiles senior defensive end Amani Purcell and his brother Melila Purcell.

And not long after the Warriors wrap up the regular season in December, Amani Purcell is anticipating joining his brother as a degree-holder from UH.

"It's been a big deal for me," said Amani Purcell, who is 12 credits away from earning his sociology degree. "My parents have been preaching that since we were little -- go to college, get a degree and get a paying job.

"When I saw (Melila) graduate I was real proud of him and it made me determined to graduate even more."

Great story. Looks like Mel is on his way to making the Browns roster, while Amani is poised for a gigantic monster year. Also from the article:

• Colt got his foot stepped on, but he should be fine.


• Ryan Keomaka was back at practice.


• And Calvin Roberts will be back, after clearing up a paperwork issue.

Warriors in the Pros

Good news for Timmy Chang. He's finally getting a chance to start for the Ticats. FYI, the article has a video that starts playing automatically. It includes interviews with Timmy, former starter Jason Maas, and Coach Charlie Taaffe.

"The reason (for the change) is we're 1-7, and this is not a condemnation of Jason Maas," Taaffe said. "Timmy's played and he's played well at times. We've been very patient. As I said from the beginning I'm not quick to judge positive or negative, especially in the first year. You've got to get to know people and you've to give it time.

"When exactly that time is, that's a call that has to be made, and after this (last) game we felt it was time to at least explore the other option. Certainly there's no guarantees in this. Timmy's a young quarterback. He's going to make mistakes, but we owe it to everybody --ourselves, our fans, our team -- to see if this can give us a spark or can help us.

Hope he does well against Toronto.

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Mel Purcell finished today's Browns preseason game with 9 tackles.

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Isaac Sopoaga continued to impress at nose tackle for the 49ers. From a game blog:

7:07 p.m.: Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga gets in the backfield yet again to blow up a play on first down, and the Niners force the San Diego offense into a quick-three-and out to begin the game, the kind of start everybody on the San Francisco sideline was looking for.

7:36 p.m.: The San Diego offense is having all kinds of problems up front with Sopoaga. Tackle Cory Lekkerkerker is flagged for holding, even though Sopoaga stops running back Germaine Race for no gain. That pushes the Chargers back to a first-and-20, and they have to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding.

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Ashley Lelie finished with 2 catches for 11 yards.

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Reagan Mauia was held out of Miami's preseason game as he continued to recover from wrist surgery, while Tala Esera started, though the Dolphins' offensive line did not do well.

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Nate Ilaoa caught a 2-point conversion pass, and had 8 rushes for 23 yards and 2 catches for 32 yards for the Eagles.

Soares, Fonoti Out / Hairdos

The Star-Bulletin reports that Blaze Soares will not play this Saturday.

Dave Reardon has more on his blog.

“It’s better to wait, the LaTech game is more important. I don’t want to make it worse and miss two or three games,” Soares said. “But it’s going to be hard to just watch.”

Defensive end John Fonoti also won't play. Hopefully both will be well enough to play the LaTech and UNLV games.

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Blaze Soares, Victor Clore and Colt Brennan were sporting some sweet new hairdos today. Orlando of UHWarriorFan.com took photos of all three. Both Blaze and Colt bleached their hair, then dyed the Hawaiian Islands onto their respective heads.

Colt:



Blaze, giving shaka for the ladies:



And Victor Clore has what looks like a mountain trail emblazoned on his dome.



Gotta love it. Click on the pics for bigger versions. And visit Orlando's 2007 training camp photo gallery for a whole lot more. You can also check out Stephen Tsai's blog entry from today for another shot of Colt's Hawaii.

JJ Interview

More video! Here's June Jones' telephone interview on ESPN's 25 Hours of College Football countdown from last night. It's a pretty long segment. Thanks to UHBows for posting this.

Liveblogs - Thursday

From Stephen.

From Dave.

And while you're waiting for updates (even though practice is almost over) here's an AP preview of the Hawaii-Northern Colorado game.

Colt Mania / Captains / NoCo / Bullseye

Jason Kaneshiro writes about all the press Colt has been getting in the national media. Nonetheless, his teammates are keeping him grounded.

"They do a good job of making sure whoever's getting a lot of the publicity during a certain time, they usually attack them, make fun of them, bring them right back down to humility," Brennan said.

"We have fun. We call him Mr. Heisman, Mr. ESPN," said receiver Davone Bess. "It comes with the territory."

Dave Reardon writes about the new captains, with June Jones praising all three.

"It was such a close vote," Jones said. "And Herc also has the respect of his teammates and is a great leader."

"Colt has all the intangibles. He's very competitive, and the players play for him," Jones said. "Michael works as hard as anyone and does a great job with everything. He's a coach on the field."

Some praise from the captains, in this Stephen Tsai article. From Colt:

I see a lot of guys who don't get the credit, but come to practice every day no matter if they're fourth team or second team. It doesn't matter. They all deserve respect."

From Lafaele:

"I treat all of these guys like they're my family," he said. "They have a special place in my heart. I try my best to take care of each one of them."

The Warriors got some great leaders.

Tsai writes about defensive back Jameel Dowling, who transferred from Oregon.

Dowling, who is 6 feet 3 and 202 pounds, played 11 games for Oregon last season after transferring from Butte College.

This summer, he underwent surgery to remove scar tissue in his left ankle. Two days after he stopped wearing a medical boot, Dowling claimed, he was "pressured" to practice.

Annoyed at the request, he opted to ask for a release from his football scholarship.

"I didn't want to lose my senior year like that," Dowling said.

After receiving his release, he contacted several schools. He said the most interest came from Rich Miano, who coaches the UH defensive backs.

"I liked what he was talking about," Dowling said.

Right on. Also from ST's article:

• Keenan Jones has ascended to top backup to Myron Newberry at right corner.


• Blaze is likely out for Saturday.


• Grad assistant Terry Duffield has officially joined the UH staff.

Dave Reardon writes that Northern Colorado QB Dominic Breazeale looks forward to playing UH and taking on Colt.

But Breazeale doesn't mind dreaming of outdoing Brennan and leading his team -- a 59-point underdog in some corners -- to a huge upset.

"I don't want to say I'll upset his (Heisman) candidacy, but I would like to have an effect on it," Breazeale said in a teleconference yesterday.

59 points! Also from DR's article:

• Blaze holds out hope.


• More from Duff.


• Some key players on the NoCo defense are out for this game. Uh oh.

Ferd Lewis writes about how UH will have a big bullseye on its back this season because of the hype, the ranking, the expectations.

Brennan, for one, embraces the challenge. "You can do two things with it," he said. "You can falter under pressure or you can rise above it."

Brennan — and the Warriors — leave no doubt which path they want to follow. "There are a lot of teams out there gunning for us," he said. "And, we're ready for whoever wants to challenge us."

And finally, Dave Reardon continues his opponent preview series with a look at Boise State.

P.S. Don't forget to check out the Star-Bulletin's excellent UH football preview, Warriors Report.

Warriors Report

The Star-Bulletin published a really cool UH football preview titled "Warriors Report." It's styled as a Consumer Reports type magazine, with player reviews, expert (coach) testimonials, strength and weaknesses of opponents, etc. Really good layout, really good articles, hours and hours of reading... Be there!

June and Colt on ESPN

UHBows is also on it, posting this video from ESPN's 25 hour college football countdown. June Jones and Colt Brennan talk about what they need to do for a successful season...



Big props to UHBows.

News Videos

Chawan's been working overtime. Here are some news stories from today and yesterday. The first one includes an interview with CJ Hawthorne on KHON. He talks about the starting receivers and compares himself, Rivers, Bess and RGM to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Good stuff.

From the Blogs

Dave Reardon has a cover shot of the Star-Bulletin's UH football preview which will be published tomorrow. There goes another 4 hours of my life. And I mean that in a good way.

Dave also had a liveblog going this morning. An excerpt:

7:00 a.m.: There is a large group of tough-looking kids from Japan, about a hundred of them, filing in and watching from the hill. We are told they are the team from Kwansei High School that beat King Kekaulike 46-20 last weekend. They return to Japan tonight.

7:32 a.m: Dennis McKnight tells Yoda (Aaron Bain) to stand next to Chewbacca (Brysen Ginlack). Players immediately start to make that “HHHWWAAAAANNNGGHH” Chewy noise.

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Colt Brennan, Michael Lafaele and Hercules Satele were named team captains today. Stephen Tsai got some reaction from Colt.

"It's a tremendous honor, especially because your teammates selected you," Brennan said. "I love my teammates. I think I'm going to do a great job for them this year. They know I came back to play for them, and to give them a great year. No matter how I'm going to do it, I'm going to give them a great year."

Also from that blog entry, news of Jameel Dowling, a transfer from Oregon.

Dowling, who is 6 feet 3 and 202 pounds, is enrolled at UH. He will redshirt this year and have a season of NCAA eligibility remaining.
Dowling, who can play corner or safety, played in 11 games for the Ducks last season.
He is recovering from an ankle injury. Pressed to play this season, he decided instead to seek a release from his Oregon football scholarship to allow him to redshirt.

Welcome to Jameel.

Farmer, Estes, Advertiser Preview, Etc.

Stephen Tsai writes about David Farmer getting a scholarship yesterday. Farmer talks about what inspires him.

"When I was in high school, I was an offensive lineman," Farmer recalled. "I wanted to play fullback. My coach laughed at me. I moved, and was the fourth-string fullback. I worked my way to No. 1 fullback one summer on my varsity team. We ended up winning a championship. My whole career I've been fighting. I think if I were on top, I wouldn't know how to perform. I wouldn't have that drive, that want-to. When they put a guy in front of me, rather than being discouraged, it encourages me. I kind of like challenges."

Dave Reardon has a profile of John Estes, who talks about what attracted him to UH.

His extended family on his mother's side all wanted him to go to Hawaii. When LaCount started earning some playing time, Estes took note and watched Hawaii games late at night.

He immediately noticed the new mean-looking black jerseys. He watched a team that liked to fly to the football and hit people with reckless abandon. It was such a wild atmosphere and he loved it.

"I'd see all the crazy black jerseys flying around and guys with long hair coming out of their helmets, it was nuts," Estes said. "I knew I wanted to play there."

Tsai has an injury update on Blaze Soares.

UH coach June Jones has said he would bench Soares if the injury has long-term repercussions. Soares has a second opinion.

"I didn't train all summer to sit on the side and watch everybody else play," Soares said. "I worked hard to play. I want to be safe and cautious, but not too cautious."

In better hamstring news, Solomon Elimimian was able to practice yesterday and intercepted Colt Brennan in 11-on-11 drills, coming back from his injury.

Michael Tsai writes about the insurance policy Colt Brennan took out against any injury he might suffer before the NFL draft. Hope he never needs to use it.

Brennan said he took out a loan for $28,000 to purchase an insurance plan from the Houston-based company that would protect him in the event of an injury that would be "detrimental to my draft position."

"My dad looked into a lot of things and got the best deal for me," Brennan said. "It was based on a projection from last year. I didn't want to have to be focused on it during the season."

Dave Reardon talks to Northern Colorado's Vinny Palone, who is looking forward to this Saturday's game.

"Coming from a program with a lot of transition, I think the best way to do it is play the best teams, and I think of Hawaii as one of the best teams," Pallone said. "And I can't think of anything better than playing in the Pro Bowl stadium. I've been here five years and played the Colorado School of Mines and the South Dakota States. This is a big deal."

Here's a link to the UH Athletic Department's press release for the Northern Colorado game. Looks like that page will update with new press releases as the season goes along.

UH associate athletic director John McNamara talks about his hopes for the attendance for the season opener.

"The whole goal is to get the students out early, show them how important they are to the electricity and excitement of the event," McNamara said. "We want to do everything we can to entice the students to come on out."

Overall, UH has sold about 22,300 season tickets, up from 18,125 last year, and McNamara said the department is projecting to issue around 34,000 tickets for Saturday's game.

And if the fans don't show up in force for Northern Colorado, there's another tantalizing opponent for the next home game, as McNamara tells Ferd Lewis.

"Hopefully, that word of mouth will get out and we'll have a better crowd for the next home game (Sept. 22 against Charleston Southern) and that will continue to build."

Also from the Lewis article:

• Details on the new UH medical policy dealing with player injuries.


• Will the 2008 schedule be announced Friday as Herman promised all those months ago?


• Some info on free student tickets and Aloha Stadium parking.

And Dave Reardon continues his series with a Nevada preview.

UPDATE: It hurts me. After writing the above post, I found that there are actually a whole lot more articles from the Advertiser's money-themed UH football preview, which they put in the football section of their new HawaiiWarriorBeat.com website. The stories include:

• Ferd Lewis predicting UH to be 11-1 this season. The fool!


• Lewis writes about June Jones' salary, and how he's relatively underpaid.


• Tsai talks to Colt Brennan, who doesn't regret passing up the NFL bucks.


• Lewis writes about the impact of Colt Brennan's Heisman DVD and website.


• And a whole lot more!

Lots and Lots / HawaiiWarriorBeat.com

I have lots and lots of work right now, so I won't be able to go through the lots and lots of articles The Advertiser decided to publish today. I'll come back and link to each individual article later on. So check out The Advertiser's Sports Section for hours and hours of reading.

And The Star-Bulletin has a bunch of great articles too.

Oh great, just found out that The Tizer has launched HawaiiWarriorBeat.com, a site devoted to UH Sports. It looks awesome. Darn the work I must do!

Be there!

UHWarriorFan.com

After a slight site redesign, UHWarriorFan.com is back in business! There's tons and tons of excellent photos from UH football practices, including the one above of QB Shane Austin being introduced to the ground. What a trooper.

Be sure to check out the whole site, because it is also home to the Ikaika Alama-Francis Fan Club. Big props to Orlando. Be there!

Warriors in the Pros

Isaac Sopoaga is profiled in this AP article.

"Isaac is a very athletic, very strong, powerful man, and when he plays that way you've got something good," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "He is playing stronger at the line of scrimmage, keeping guys off the linebackers, and every once in a while when you turn him loose, he's made plays in the backfield. He's a better player than he was last year and hopefully he continues to stay on track like he has."

"There's more improvement in my game because I'm reading the offense now," Sopoaga said. "I'm at another level of learning the other team's offense and their game plan on the field. That's the biggest thing I needed to work on. I've been working hard doing the things that need to be done in order to help our football team win."

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Reagan Mauia continues to recover from his wrist surgery.

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Nate Ilaoa talks about dealing with the impending roster cuts.

Somebody wondered if he plays the numbers game, if he thinks about who's ahead of him on the depth chart and who is not.

''You do at some points,'' he said, ''but you've really got no control over it, so you try to just focus on working hard and doing your part of the job. When it comes down to it, you can only do what you can. You just hope that it's enough.''

Let's hope Nate makes it. He got a lot of playing time this past preseason game, and did well.

Kelly on the Watch

Someone not named Colt Brennan has been named to a watch list. Congratulations to Dan Kelly.

University of Hawai`i place-kicker Dan Kelly was named today to the Lou Groza Preseason Watch List as one of the premier college kickers in the country.

Kelly, a 6-3 right-footed kicker, is 23-of-32 in field goals over his two year career. Last season, he booted 13-of-17, including 9-of-11 from 39 yards and in.

Let's hope knocking kick returners to the ground is a skill taken into consideration for this award. Awww yeah.

David Farmer Gets a Scholarship

Dave Reardon has the details.

“That’ll be a fun call,” said Farmer, looking forward to phoning his parents with the news. “(Coaches) told me for a long time I was close. I never got discouraged because if you’re doing it just for a scholarship, you’re doing it for the wrong reason.”

He said he will enjoy one of the fringe benefits.

“Yes, my first scholarship breakfast,” Farmer said. “I’m on a diet, so it’ll just be cereal and mango. But it will taste great.”

Right on. Congratulations to Farmer.

UPDATE: Check out Leila Wai's video on David Farmer, with an interview after he got the scholie.

Blaze, Corners, Grasso, Etc

Dave Reardon writes about how the injury to Blaze Soares might keep him out of Saturday's game.

"If it's close, we're not going to play (Soares). I don't know that he's ruled out, we'll know more (today)," McMackin said. "If a guy doesn't practice ... We don't want to hurt him for the season.

"You always miss a guy like Blaze, but we've got a lot of guys, we've rolled those guys since spring as four starters," McMackin added. "We're blessed with some good guys behind them."

Brian McInnis profiles starting corners Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis and how they've dealt with the competition.

Both Lewis and Newberry brushed off any worry about increased pressure to perform.

"Somebody goes down, the next person, they will do the job," Lewis said. "Only thing I was thinking was, do your job, and everything else pays off."

Stephen Tsai talks to punter Tim Grasso about getting the starting nod.

Told of Jones' decision after yesterday's 65-minute practice, Grasso said: "That's a first for me. It's awesome. It's something I've been working for. I worked my butt off all summer long for that moment to be named."

Another punter that should be applauded, writes Kalani Simpson, is Northern Colorado's Rafael Mendoza, who went through that whole ordeal being stabbed by his rival.

Also from Tsai's article:

• More about Blaze Soares' injury.


• Injury updates on John Fonoti and Raphael Ieru.


• Details about the backup offensive linemen and some of their nicknames.


• Ryan Grice-Mullins discusses his fashion sense.

Northern Colorado QB Dominic Breazeale talks about his hopes for Saturday's game, and the strategy the Bears may be using.

Breazeale isn't foolish enough to guarantee a victory, but he is confident enough in his team to believe an upset could happen.

"It's football and anything can happen," Breazeale said. "I have the mentality that I am going to go in and win the game. I am going to play to the best of my ability, and I hope everybody else does too. And we just have a great outcome."

"Controlling the ball is going to take a lot of effort from out of the running game and the line and everything in general," Breazeale said.

Still, the Bears know they will also need a ball-control passing game to keep Hawaii honest.

I think the UH defense will have a great game on Saturday.

And finally, Dave Reardon continues his opponent previews, taking a look at Fresno State.

Fall Practice Week 4(?) Video

I think these stories might be from today. Thanks again Chawan.



And Leila Wai has an impressionistic video of the Warriors getting ready for practice.

News Coverage - Thursday to Sunday

Chawan Cut posted a new local news compilation. It's mostly coverage about ticket sales, with interviews with fans, as well as Liz Chun's coverage of Murphy's Pigskin Pigout.

CB, Ikaika, Depth Chart

More love for Colt, the Advertiser has a new USA Today profile of him up.

And Ikaika has a new entry in his rookie diary. Some excerpts:

“But the key is to learn from those mistakes and get better. My first sack came – it is a thrill when you get one but I don’t want to stop there. I want some more – I want that feeling again over and over and over. That’s the plan, so I’m just going to keep working and work for those.

“(I think I am going to get some snaps at tackle) – I think that’s the plan. It’s exciting; they see something in me at tackle and at end, so whatever they want me to do – if they want me to play quarterback I’ll try to play quarterback if that’s what they really want me to do. I won’t be a very good one but I’ll try.

And Stephen Tsai has posted the depth chart just released by UH. I post the whole thing here, but read the whole blog entry and you can see our intrepid CC declare his love.

Offense
LWO—Jason Rivers, Greg Salas.
LSB—Davone Bess, Michael Washington
LT—Keith AhSoon, Laupepa Letuli
LG—Hercules Satele, Lafu Tuitoi-Mariner
C—John Estes, Larry Sauafea
RG—Larry Sauafea, John Estes
RT—Keoni Steinhoff, Brysen Ginlack
RSB—Ryan Grice-Mullins, Aaron Bain
RWO—C.J. Hawthorne, Malcolm Lane
QB—Colt Brennan, Tyler Graunke
RB—David Farmer, Kealoha Pilares

Defense
LE—Amani Purcell or David Veikune
LT—Fale Laeli, Keala Watson
RT—Michael Lafaele, Siave Seti
RE—Karl Noa, Francis Maka
SLB—Blaze Soare, C.J. Allen-Jones
MLB—Solomon Elimimian, Timo Paepule
WLB—Adam Leonard, Brad Kalilimoku
LCB—23 Gerard Lewis, Ryan Mouton
S—Jacob Patek, Dane Porlas
S—Keao Monteilh, Desmond Thomas
RCB—Myron Newberry, Keenan Jones

Specialists
K—Dan Kelly, Briton Forester
P—Tim Grasso, Briton Forester
PR—Davone Bess, Myron Newberry
KR—Jason Rivers and Ryan Mouton; Malcolm Lane, Kealoha Pilares

Chad Owens Released

Good luck to Mighty Mouse.

Five NFL Europa alumni and return man Chad Owens were among the nine players released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday afternoon.

“It’s always hard, but you’ve got to do it,” said Head Coach Jon Gruden. “You’ve got to reduce your roster when it’s time to reduce your roster. We’ve made some tough decisions today, and it doesn’t mean that these guys’ careers are over. I think there’s a chance some might come back; some might move on elsewhere. But it’s always tough. You spend a lot of time with these guys, and you want them to do well.”

Liveblogs - Monday

From UH Sports Extra.

From The Warrior Beat, which also has highlights of June Jones' WAC teleconference.

And while you're waiting for updates, a news article from the Hamilton Spectator, speculating as to whether Timmy Chang will get the start for the Ticats next week.

UPDATE: Crap. Reardon reports that The Blaze might miss the season opener because of his pulled hamstring.

A team source said he doesn’t expect starting strongside linebacker Blaze Soares will be able to play when Hawaii opens the season Saturday against Northern Colorado.

“I’m not sure about Blaze, but it sucks for Blaze because he just came back from the shoulder injury,” Elimimian said. “Brad (Kalilimoku) will step in there and we’ll be fine.”

C.J. Allen-Jones is listed as No. 2 behind Soares at strongside linebacker and will also likely see early playing time Saturday.

Hopefully this will give him time to heal for the road trip.

Ilaoa, Estes, Herc, Gibson, Etc

Nate Ilaoa had 5 rushes for 18 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards in yesterday's preseason game against the Steelers.

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Dennis McKnight has praise for offensive linemen John Estes and Hercules Satele.

"In my opinion, right now, John Estes is the best offensive lineman in the country, bar none," McKnight said. "... even with one arm."

During blocking drills, when McKnight is working with the tackles, Satele will tutor the guards and centers.

"Herc knows what we have to do as a group to get better," Mc-Knight said. "I trust Herc with my life. To have him take the centers and guards to work on something, that doesn't worry me at all."

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Dave Reardon profiles true freshman safety Le'Marcus Gibson, who may or may not redshirt this year. The way he first got in touch with UH is pretty cool.

How does a kid from Starkville, Miss., end up in Hawaii?

Via the video game NCAA '07, of course.

Le'Marcus Gibson was playing it last year when he noticed one of the UH starting safeties was a senior.

"I sent them a highlight tape, almost as a joke. I never thought I'd hear from them," Gibson said. "Then I got a call."

Haha, that's great. Glad he's a Warrior.

And finally, Dave previews New Mexico State, who should be surprising a lot of people this year.

Rivers, Austin, Scrimmage, CB, Etc.

Jason Rivers is profiled in this article by Jason Kaneshiro.

Rivers said he never doubted he'd find his way back. And with his focus reset, he finished second on the team in receptions (72), yards (1,178) and touchdowns (10) on his way to second-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in his junior season.

"It helped me to appreciate being here," Rivers said of his year off. "Coach Jones talks all the time about it being a privilege being here and I took it for granted. Losing that year, not playing, that was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.

"Once I lost it, that's when I figured out how much it meant to me. I wasn't going to give up, I was going to try my hardest to get back."

Stephen Tsai writes about the backups getting a few knocks in during yesterday's scrimmage.

In a cringe-inducing sequence, Austin fielded a high shotgun snap and, before he could set up to pass, was KO'd by the perfect storm of linebackers Po'okela Ahmad and R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane.

On the over-load blitz, defensive end Elliott Purcell bracketed an offensive tackle long enough to give Ahmad an unobstructed path to Austin. Kiesel-Kauhane arrived at the same time.

"I thought he wasn't going to get up," Kiesel-Kauhane said of Austin.

Also from that article:

More about who made some big plays in the scrimmage, including Tua Maheley and Josh Leonard.

• Ryan Mouton is coming on strong, ascending to #2 left cornerback.


• Fale Laeli resumed practice, while Blaze Soares sat out.


• Keahi Watson has been cleared to practice.

Dave Reardon has more details from the scrimmage.

Others earned VIP cards to the Katoosh Klub, including freshman safety Le'Marcus Gibson, for getting low enough to give as much as he got from 280-pound running back Jason Laumoli.

"I saw big 45 and knew I had to get the legs," Gibson said.

Junior defensive tackle Josh Leonard can claim the rarity of rarities after bagging Santos -- a real-live sack of a UH quarterback in practice.

Also from the article:

• Davone Bess and Jason Rivers may not be return men every game.


• Slotback Eric Shaffer may redshirt.

Dave Reardon has a San Jose State preview.

Ferd Lewis writes about Colt Brennan striving for perfection, even ridiculous perfection.

They have kept him dreaming, too. The thought of a perfect game — no incompletions — teases him. Difficult to be sure for someone who has authored, on average, 41 passes per UH appearance. The closest he's come is a 32-of-39 (82 percent) showing in a 68-37 bombardment at Fresno State. "To go a whole game and not have an incomplete, well, that would be awesome. That would be so sweet."

To see a box score with Colt going 35 of 35 would be nuts -- big dog nuts!

And finally, Pete Thamel, the writer who wrote that excellent NY Times profile on Colt, writes an article/blog entry about Brennan's chances in the NFL. It has interviews with Coach Jones, Matt Leinart, and NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt.

As for Brennan, his view on both the N.F.L. and the Heisman trophy are simple. If he leads Hawaii to a strong season, he’ll get his share of accolades and have a secure professional future.

“I could throw 70 touchdowns, but if we go 5-7 no one is going to care,” Brennan said. “If I throw 30 touchdowns and go 12-0, then I think people may say that I have a shot. All I care about is winning the football games.”

Warriors in the Pros

Isaac Sopoaga had a great game yesterday in a 49ers preseason game against the Bears.

Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, playing in place of the injured Aubrayo Franklin, turned in perhaps his best game as a 49er, regular season or no. Sopoaga and his 334 pounds filled up the middle well and he recorded three tackles, two for losses.

And from a 49ers report card from the San Jose Mercury News.

Who helped themselves

Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga stuffed Chicago runs for no gain or negative yardage four times in the first half.

Teammate Ashley Lelie did well as well.

Lelie productive again: Newcomer Ashley Lelie was on the receiving end of four of Dilfer's completions, again getting open both down the field and on short routes, while leading the 49ers with 48 receiving yards.

Teammate Jeff Ulbrich served as special teams captain and finished with two tackles.

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Samson Satele did well against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Rookie center Samson Satele had a good night – again – and was key during a first-down conversion on a 3rd and 1 quarterback sneak.

Samson also had precautionary x-rays taken last night, but he should be fine, according to Stephen Tsai. Reagan Mauia sat out the game recovering from wrist surgery. Didn't read anything about Tala Esera.

On the other side of the field, Chad Owens returned two kicks for 50 yards and 2 punts for 15 yards.

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Ikaika Alama-Francis had a sack against the Colts and finished with two tackles.

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Pisa Tinoisamoa had an impact in his game against the Raiders.

But linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who was all over the field in the first half, forced a fumble, with fellow linebacker Witherspoon recovering in the end zone for a touchback.

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Timmy Chang finally got some playing time after a few week's watching the Hamilton Ticats' offense sputter. He finished 4 of 6 for 38 yards. And Timmy might be seeing a lot more playing time in the near future.

It wasn't all Jason Maas' fault but he was terrible, fumbling twice inside the Montreal five-yard line to cost chances at majors.
And it appears Maas will pay the price.
"He didn't play particularly well," Charlie Taaffe said of his starter.
But then this:
"We have to answer some questions about Timmy Chang if in fact he can play. If one guy isn't doing it we have to give the other guy a chance. We're never going to find out about him if he isn't out there playing."
I don't know about you but that sure sounds like Chang starts Labour Day.

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And finally, let's hope Nate Ilaoa gets a lot of playing time today as the Eagles play the Steelers on NBC today. Be there!

Returners, Veikune, Leonard, Etc

Stephen Tsai writes that Davone Bess will be the punt returner for the upcoming season, while Jason Rivers will be one of the kickoff returners.

Jones' usual policy is to restrict a starting player from serving as a full-time punt returner until his senior year.

But Jones said Bess, a junior, will be an exception.

"Davone is the most natural punt returner I've seen," Jones said. "I'm going to let him do that."

Until this summer, Rivers, a fifth-year senior, had not returned kicks since he was a senior at Saint Louis School in 2002.

"He has a future in the NFL," Jones said. "He can return kicks. He's a real strong guy. I want to give him an opportunity to get on film doing that."

June Jones, helping out his players, right on. Also from that article, ST writes that freshman center Sila Lefiti, junior left tackle Ray Hisatake and junior defensive tackle Chris Leatigaga will redshirt this year, while freshman linebacker Po'okela Ahmad, who grayshirted last year, will play this year, a lot of it on special teams.

Dave Reardon has a Utah State preview.

Dave also has a profile of defensive linemen David Veikune and Josh Leonard.

The versatile linemen will fill several roles in UH's various defensive packages. Their smarts -- as well as their strength and quickness -- make them valuable.

"David showed us last year that he has the physical tools to play a variety of spots and the mental capacity to fill multiple roles. His role will expand," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said.

Leonard -- a highly-decorated defensive end at Sierra College (Calif.) -- could have gone to Nevada, Boise State, Wyoming or Washington and had a better chance of moving right into a starting spot. He elected to join what he knew to be a crowded defensive line at UH.

"I was expecting it. I knew Hawaii had great athletes," Leonard said. "I chose to come here for the competition. I wasn't going to get it anywhere else."

I was actually hoping UH would retain the 3-4 when Glanville left, but just reading about the depth and talent along the defensive line, going to a base 4-3 seems like a great move, and goes to show you how much I know. Also from that article:

• A mini-profile of running back Jason Laumoli.


• Injury updates on Jacob Patek, Solomon Elimimian, Adam Leonard and Blaze Soares

And finally, some details about the parking changes being implemented at Aloha Stadium this year.

Liveblogs - Saturday

Here are the practice reports that were once liveblogs.

From Stephen.

From Dave.

And here's an AP article from Jaymes Song previewing the UH season, which starts one week from now.

It took a couple seasons for Colt Brennan to feel totally comfortable running Hawaii's high-flying offense. Brennan summed up how he's going to operate this year: "full throttle."

"Last year, we knew we were going to be good, but we didn't know how good," he said. "This year, we know we're good. We know we have the opportunity to win every football game and it's up to us to take advantage of that."

"Colt is at the point now where he can teach the system," quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said. "He sees things that he didn't see before and has a great understanding of the system."

Brennan agreed.

"I feel like a veteran and it's an awesome feeling," he said.

So Colt might actually be better this year. As Kelly Bundy once said, "The mind wobbles."

More Colt

Looks like "Colt Brennan Day" was a week early. To go along with today's excellent Sporting News and New York Times profiles, here's another national article on Colt, this one from the Los Angeles Times.

Laeli, Hawthorne, Farmer, Punters, Etc.

I'm pretty late in posting these links, but I was excited about the Sporting News and New York Times articles from earlier in the day (see previous posts).

Stephen Tsai profiles Fale Laeli, who trained hard in the offseason and is now first-team defensive tackle.

"Fale improved his endurance, and that's been a real benefit," McMackin said. "Plus, he comes off the ball quickly."

In the base defense, the two defensive tackles — Laeli and Michael Lafaele — are called "gold."

"If it weren't for them, we couldn't play our package," McMackin said. "When we're successful, it's because the tackles are making something happen."

Also from that article:

• Brashton Satele's grandma has been coming out early to watch practice


• Malcolm Lane talks about taking tai chi and ballet, the latter to improve balance.


• Injury updates on Raphael Ieru, Jacob Patek, and Timo Paepule

Brian McInnis profiles receiver C.J. Hawthorne.

Receivers coach Ron Lee said it's imperative for Hawthorne to have a big season, in part to help free up All-Western Athletic Conference slotbacks Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess. He's been absorbing the Warriors' offensive schemes as fast as possible since December.

"He's geared up for that, running well after the catch and he's fast enough to beat anybody on top as well as catch it underneath and turn it into a big play," Lee said. "So he's going to be real explosive, keep (the defense) honest."

Jason Kaneshiro profiles running back David Farmer.

Farmer -- whose father, Dave, played at USC and was Jones' teammate with the Atlanta Falcons in the late '70s -- played fullback at Aptos (Calif.) High School and could have accepted academic scholarships to several schools. Instead, he chose to walk on at Hawaii.

"Thank God I took that risk," he said. "I never would have expected to accomplish as much as I have here. I'm a better person for it and I never would have known if I hadn't taken the risk."

Billy Hull writes about the competition at punter between Tim Grasso and Briton Forester.

"It's too close to call in my opinion because Briton is real consistent and I like his short, compact stroke," Mc-Knight said. "If (Grasso's) consistency holds up to what he's been doing recently then yeah, he might be the guy."

Dave Reardon has an Idaho preview, and talks to Jacob Patek and Solomon Elimimian about their injuries.

"I tried to fight it off, but it's a little too tight. I don't like watching, period. It feels like you're separated from the team," Patek said. "At the same time it doesn't bother me. Young guys like (true freshman) Le'Marcus (Gibson) got some much-needed reps."

And finally, I contributed to a "Blogger Q&A" about the Warriors to the Saturday Sound Offs blog, which is doing a nice job of covering the college football scene. Be there!

Warriors D

I've been calling this year's Warrior defense THE MONSTER, but some of the Tsaikos have come up with nicknames as well, and have been informally voting on them. One of the best ones has come from "Da Punchbowl Kid," who came up with the name, accompanying phrase and the logo design:



Awww yeah, I'll buy that t-shirt. Thanks, DPK! For real, make a t-shirt!

Liveblogs - Friday / Colt in New York Times

I haven't posted today's articles yet, but here are the liveblogs.

From Dave Reardon.

From Stephen Tsai.

And this is cool, Dave points out that Colt is on the front page of the New York Times website. Here's a screenshot in case it goes away.



More national exposure for Brennan and UH. Be there!

UPDATE: Glad I took the screenshot, his picture is off the page now. Anyway, it's a really great article.

In the National News

Start your day with this article by Matt Hayes of The Sporting News, profiling Colt Brennan and June Jones. A lot of the info Warrior fans already know, but it's a really well written article for a national publication about the ordeals June and Colt have gone through, and I may or may not have gotten choked up reading it. Ahem. Here's an excerpt:

It's late afternoon in paradise and the sun is settling into sleep with a magnificent orange horizon. The first week of preseason camp is wrapping up, and Brennan is walking off the field and signing autographs. A young fan asks if Brennan remembers him.

"I spoke to your class this spring, right?" Brennan says.

Boys and their heroes: a beautiful rite that never gets old.

More fans on the islands are making the drive -- or flight -- to the Honolulu campus to watch the team practice and play. They know this season could be special: The Warriors have a soft schedule and could finish unbeaten and find a spot in a BCS game. Boise State and Utah have proved it can be done.

A big season could vault Brennan to the top of the first round of the draft and could have NFL teams again looking at Jones -- a guy whose pass-happy offense was successful in the stodgy NFL, the coach who led the Falcons to the playoffs, the coach the Chargers desperately wanted.

Two men who shouldn't be where they are, on the verge of something neither could have imagined.

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Here's a great article Garret found in the LA Times about the rise of the WAC.

Never in its many incarnations has the WAC entered a fall campaign with more visibility.

"It's not a one-hit wonder," Boise State tailback Ian Johnson said of the conference. "It's not a gimmick show."

The WAC is excited. Overnight guests attending July media days in San Jose received hotel room key cards with WAC football information stenciled next to the magnetic stripe.

The WAC is opening doors.

Boise State's win over Oklahoma in last season's Fiesta Bowl still reverberates. The Broncos didn't win the national title despite finishing as the nation's only 13-0 team, but their performance gave the WAC credibility you can only win, not buy.

"What's good for the conference is good for us," Hawaii Coach June Jones said of the ripple effect. "Boise kind of set a standard that everyone's shooting for. . . . I think much of the preseason hype is because of their success."

The WAC has not one Heisman candidate, but two!

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And Steve Cameron of the Merced Sun-Star writes about Hawaii, the WAC and how the whole BCS system prevents most teams from competing for a national title.

Trust me: Northern Colorado, UNLV and Charleston Southern aren't going to trouble Jones' team. Hawaii does finish the year against Washington, but that game is also in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

OK, so why doesn't Hawaii have a shot at playing in the national title game?

Well, it starts with the preseason rankings.

Hawaii checks in at No. 23 in the AP poll, and slotted at No. 24 in the USA Today rankings.

Boise State, by the way, got a similar back of the hand from voters -- 23rd in the USA Today poll and No. 24 on the AP chart -- despite finishing at No. 5 last year.

You simply cannot jump from those lowly positions all the way to first or second no matter how many doggone games you win.

Simple math tells you that it's impossible for all those teams currently ranked above Hawaii to lose at least twice.

Cameron goes on to discuss Hawaii's weak schedule, which doesn't help. Maybe next year, coming off an undefeated season and a BCS bowl win, with UH playing Florida in the Swamp, Oregon State in... Beavertown(?), Washington State at home, and the WAC in general getting better and better. Can always dream!

Your Daily Colt News

Here's today's Colt Brennan profile, this one from Jaymes Song of the AP. It's actually a great article. An excerpt:

Bess said Brennan's returning to Hawai'i showed a lot.

"It showed he cared about the team and it also showed money isn't everything," he said. "By him coming back, it made everybody happy and made all of us closer as one."

Brennan has spent the past couple of weeks contending with a flurry of media interviews and photo shoots. Despite the success and notoriety, he remains low key, humble and hungry.

"Nobody's a big shot on this team. Any time my face starts getting in the paper too much, they do a pretty good job making fun of me, bringing me back and making me humble," he said.

And here's today's watch-list-Colt-has-been-named-to, the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Award.

The 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 119 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The winner then receives his trophy at the Foundation's annual national awards banquet on Jan. 12, 2008, at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

Last year's recipient was Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith.

I'm losing track of how many watch lists he's on already. In fact, I could've sworn I already read that he was on the Walter Camp list weeks ago. Anyway, great news!

Livebloggery - Thursday

From The Tizer.

From The Sextra.

And while you wait for updates, Al posted this on the ST blog, a pretty long profile of Samson Satele, from the Miami Herald. An excerpt:

''It's cool, but I have to focus on getting my stuff done so I get that starting job against Washington [in the Sept. 9 season opener],'' Satele said. ``If I get that first start, the job is mine. They have guys they can bring in, or guys here to push me, so that motivates me. At first my eyes were big, like a deer in the headlights. I didn't know where to go, didn't know what to call. Now I'm getting it down to a T, although I'm not all the way. I need to get faster.''

Keao Monteilh, Fale Laeli, Starting Defense

Stephen Tsai profiles safety Keao Monteilh, who was named a starter yesterday.

"Keao showed up," head coach June Jones said of the the 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior. "He's been playing very well for us."

In December 2005, Monteilh suffered from appendicitis. His grades suffered while he recovered. In March 2006, he was dismissed from the team because of his academic problems. But he was reinstated in August 2006, and last January he earned back his scholarship.

"I like to play safety," Monteilh said. "You get to see more. You get to see how the plays are developing."

Great perseverance through adversity. Right on. In an article about the starting defense, Dave Reardon has a great quote from Rich Miano, praising Monteilh:

"His understanding of the defense is unprecedented," Miano said. "He has a knack. He understands football. He has good skills and a feel for the game. We thought he could tackle, but he was out all year (as a redshirt last season)."

Back to Tsai's article, he writes about Fale Laeli, named one of the starting defensive tackles.

Keala Watson entered training camp as the No. 1 left tackle. But Laeli moved ahead, in part to his first-step quickness.

"Fale has had such a great fall practice," McMackin said. "He has worked himself into a starting tackle. That's nothing against Keala."

McMackin said he considers right tackle Michael Lafaele, Laeli and Watson as first-team players in the two interior-line positions. "They're the first three," McMackin said.

McMackin also talks about Josh Leonard moving from end to interior.

"Josh Leonard is playing really well," McMackin said. "We took his speed from the outside and put it inside. He's 275, 280, but he's a fast tackle. It's just a way to get more speed on the field."

MONSTER. Also from the article:

• John Fonoti, who injured his feet falling off a roof, will be held out of practice until at least Monday.


• Linebacker Kevin Konrath will redshirt.

Jumping back to Dave Reardon's link, which actually starts with a funny article about June Jones and Greg McMackin getting knocked down by their own players in separate incidents yesterday.

"I got up quick, didn't you see? It took two or three of them to get me," McMackin said. "I just got too close and our guys are playing fast."

The next article on that page is the aforementioned Reardon article about the starting defense.

"We're pretty well set -- I didn't really think of it, but we are," McMackin said. "We're still rolling three teams. We think our second unit is pretty strong too, and some of those guys on that third unit we respect a lot, too."

Especially if the Aloha Stadium game against Northern Colorado is the blowout expected (UH has been mentioned as a 53-point favorite), it'll be AYSO time -- everybody plays -- on both sides of the ball.

The same page has Dave's preview of Charleston Southern. P.S. here's Dave's UNLV preview that I forgot to link to yesterday.

On the Warrior Beat blog, Stephen Tsai has a break down of the first-team defenses for three different defensive packages.

Base (4-3): LE—Amani Purcell. LT—Fale Laeli. RT—Michael Lafaele. RE—Karl Noa. SLB—Blaze Soares. MLB—Solomon Elimimian. WLB—Adam Leonard. LCB—Gerard Lewis. LS—Keao Monteilh. RS—Jacob Patek. RCB—Myron Newberry.

Nickel (4-2-5): DL—Purcell, David Veikune, Lafaele, Noa. LB—Elimimian, Leonard. CB—Lewis, Newberry. S—Desmond Thomas, Patek. NB—Monteilh.

Oky (3-3-5): DL—Purcell, Lafaele, Noa. LB—Soares, Elimimian, Soares. CB—Lewis, Newberry. S—Thomas, Patek. NB—Monteilh.

The post also has a bio of PIAA's Doris Sullivan.

Jason Kaneshiro and Billy Hull write that while the offensive line is pretty much set, with Keith AhSoon, Hercules Satele, John Estes, Larry Sauafea and Keoni Steinhoff from left to right, Lafu Tuioti-Mariner figures to be in the mix.

McKnight and head coach June Jones feel Lafu Tuioti-Mariner deserves a chance to play, too.

"Right now I think Lafu could play anywhere inside guard or center. It's still really close for him," McKnight said. "I think right now Lafu is probably the first guy inside if he's not starting."

The article also mentions that A.J. Martinez, still recovering from injury, stopped by practice, and Murphy's Pigskin Pigout is tonight. Visit this Na Koa page for more info.

Responses to Ian

Some of these reponses have been in print already, but here's the video:

Posted by Chawancut, June Jones responds on KHON.



Posted by UHBows, ESPN's Joe Schad reads some of Colt Brennan's comments regarding the controversy.



UPDATE: Here's a link to KHNL's story (with video) about this whole deal.

Fall Practice Week 3 Video

Another video from the one, the only, the Chawancut. Big props to him once again.

Colt Q&A

There's an "SI On Campus" Colt Brennan Q&A up on SportsIllustrated.com. Here's an excerpt:

On coach June Jones's offense

He spreads responsibility across the offense, which makes it fun. I have more confidence when I don't have to call every play, change every protection and change receivers' routes. From that standpoint, Coach is a genius and I love him.

On being called a system quarterback

Damn right I am. And I love this system. But you see me make plays even when it breaks down. That separates me from guys in this system in the past.

On entering the 2007 draft, then changing his mind two days later

Everything happened too fast. Before my five TDs in the Hawaii Bowl no one talked about me as a big-time pick. Then I sent my projection to the NFL, and it came in really high -- a mid-first-round pick. What the hell? Then I realized the NFL combine was soon, and I'd have to gain weight. I just wasn't ready to leave. My heart was still in Hawaii.

Liveblogs Wednesday

Here are the links:

Reardon's blog.

Tsai's blog.

...and while you're waiting for updates, another Hawaii Warriors preview, this one from The Sports Network.

Rudy, Brian, LBs, OL, IS

Rudy Ruettiger, inspiration for the movie "Rudy" was a guest speaker at a team meeting yesterday in which graduate assistant Brian Kajiyama was presented with a grant from the June Jones Foundation.

"Brian is an awesome guy," Ruettiger said. "He kind of stuck around, and now look at what he's done."

"He made such a commitment to help us," Jones said. "His mom and dad have helped so much for eight years. They live on the Windward side. Can you imagine the commitment his family made trying to help him get his doctorate? I wanted to help in some way."

That's when Jones decided to present Kajiyama with the grant. "It's just a small gesture," Jones said.

Kajiyama said: "I'm shocked, because I really didn't do anything special. I'm extremely grateful to coach Jones and his staff for letting me be a small part of the Warrior family."

Congratulations to Brian! Also in the article are injury updates on John Fonoti, Raphael Ieru, Adam Leonard, Mario Cox and Solomon Elimimian.

Jason Kaneshiro profiles the injured starting linebackers, Leonard, Elimimian and Blaze Soares as they ease their way back to practice. He also writes about the backups who have been getting a lot of valuable experience.

With the trio taking it slow, C.J. Allen-Jones, Timo Paepule and Brad Kalilimoku (already considered a starter by defensive coordinator Greg McMackin) worked with the first defense yesterday. The increased repetitions have helped some who started farther down the depth chart get up to speed with the 4-3 system.

"I feel a lot more comfortable than before," said Paepule, who has played in Elimimian's spot. "At first I was a little shaky. I understand what Solomon goes through now, he has a lot of pressure. Being in that middle you're like the quarterback of the defense. We have a good relationship, we trained together this summer, we're real tight, we help each other out. It's good competition."

At the bottom of that page is an article about the first-team offensive line getting time to gel as center John Estes practiced again, back from injury.

Chemistry was the theme of yesterday's practice. Several potential starters mentioned how important it is for them to develop the same bond that was shared by the seniors from a season ago.

"Us five have been together for a couple years now, so we just need to continue to build together," junior Keoni Steinhoff said.

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Athletic director Herman Frazier addressed the whole Ian Sample thing. From Dave Reardon's article:

UH has started its own investigation, Frazier said.

"The alleged things reported on the Internet are under review by the university," Frazier said. "We've already had four or five meetings since Friday. This takes precedent over some other things."

Sample's accusations of rigged drug testing have no basis, Frazier said.

"Through the comments (Sample) made, he had no evidence of it. He pretty much says it himself," Frazier said. "But we will do a thorough review, because we take it very seriously."

At the end of the article, Frazier says the final two games of the 2008 season will be announced at the end of the month...

Michael Tsai has more from Frazier regarding the drug-testing aspect of Ian's deleted chapters.

"The NCAA does random testing so nobody in our department chooses those people," Frazier said. "I can refute that right off the bat. Just knowing how that's handled, that's not an issue."

Independent of the NCAA's random tests, Frazier said the university also conducts its own drug testing of all new athletes during their first week of classes as well as periodic random tests throughout the year.

"I'm a big proponent of drug testing," Frazier said, citing his involvement with the Olympics and the selection of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to test U.S. athletes.

"I probably know more about drug testing than most people you would encounter," he said. "I speak nationally on panels about drug testing, so I would know if there are any irregularities within our testing program — first hand."

Frazier also takes a swipe at blogs in general, but I'm just going to let it go. Maybe file it away for later use if need be, like all those other quotes from the AD. Hehehe.

Urine Sample

Colt Brennan addresses Ian Sample's humbloggery in this ESPN.com article by Joe Schad.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan said Tuesday that his ex-teammate's claim that the school manipulates drug testing to avoid placing top players in jeopardy is false.

"The thing he really messed up on was to say some players aren't drug tested," Brennan said of former Hawaii wide receiver Ian Sample's claim. "I've been tested. I don't know of one person on the team who hasn't been drug tested by our university. The school tests every player before the season. And now there's an investigation? I know I've peed in a cup. We all have."

Hawaii players have been told to be expected to be available for interviews with school compliance officials.

"Perception is a huge thing," said Brennan, who added he will not read the book. "I just hope this is handled responsibly by the media and by the NCAA. We're going to really try to concentrate on football now."

Let's hope this distraction doesn't linger going into the season. Eleven more days.

Non-BCS Conferences, 25 Hour Countdown

Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News ranks the non-BCS conferences. Well, look who's first.

1. WAC: The getting is good out west. Check out this roll call of coaches: Hawaii's June Jones, San Jose State's Dick Tomey, Nevada's Chris Ault, Fresno State's Pat Hill, Boise State's Chris Petersen. Yeah, pretty good.

And I happen to think New Mexico State's Hal Mumme is an eclectic sideline Caesar who has the Aggies poised for big things. Add it all up, and there are two legit Top 25 teams in this league -- and four other strong programs.

Dienhart seems like a very smart man. And as a bonus, he ranked the Mountain West third, behind C-USA. Ouch! I kid my MWC friends.

Dienhart also ranks Colt Brennan as the top non-BCS player, with Davone Bess at #11 and Jason Rivers at #52.

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ESPN is going to have a 25-hour countdown show leading up to their first college football game broadcast of the season, and it looks like UH is taking part in the festivities.

ESPN's Twenty-Five Hours of College Football Presented by TIVO starts at 7 p.m. ET Aug. 29 and continues until the Tigers-Bulldogs kickoff 25 hours later. Some regular shows, such as SportsCenter will remain intact, but with more emphasis on college football, while offbeat fare fills time slots. The University of Hawaii team practice was moved to 9 p.m. in their time zone to fill the 3 a.m. ET slot.

That should be interesting.

P.S. Colt Brennan is on the Davey O'Brien Watch List. Here's the full list.

Liveblogs, Warrior QBs for Charity, Miller

A little behind today. Here are the liveblogs, which are no longer live.

UH Sports Extra. Excerpt:

7:56 a.m.: Backup OL Raphael Ieru is apparently injured. He’s on the side, walking up and down the hill.

8:01 a.m.: Jake Santos and Kiran Kepoo are the scout team QBs.

8:08 a.m.: Mario Cox is back from his hamstring and getting some reps with the 1s.

The Warrior Beat. Excerpt:

7:19 a.m. — Scout teams have been formed. The scouts are wearing yellow jerseys.
Ryan Perry and Spencer Smith are on the scout team.

The post also has an injury update on John Fonoti, a short recap of the Warrior Quarterbacks for Charity event last night, and the bio of some foolio!

Back to Reardon's blog, he also has a recap of the charity event.

We are told it was an extremely touching moment when a 91-year-old former UH football player — a member of the 1941 team — finally received his letter tonight, 66 years later.

Great story.

Reardon also has a post about J. David Miller, the author of the other Warriors football book, with his response to the whole Sample controversy. Here's part of what he writes:

To compare Ian Sample’s book to Hawaii Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption is unfair; we’re not using relying on half-truths, allegations or accusations to sell books. Our book is about faith, hope and redemption, and how one man – June Jones – took a program that was on the verge of extinction and turned it into a Top 20 program with a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Our project wasn’t based on a single person’s perspective; or a single season – to the contrary, it’s a nine-year slice of Hawaii football that nobody has seen, read or heard before.

A book I've been looking forward to reading. Visit Warriors' Haka for more details.

KR to RB, Rocky and Keala, Practice, Etc

Stephen Tsai writes about Korey Reynolds' move to running back.

On Sunday, Jones told Reynolds: "If you stay on defense, you're not going to get on the field this year. We've got eight or 10 D-linemen. You're going to redshirt. If you make the change to offense, I'll also put you on special teams and forgo the redshirt year."

Reynolds, who also played H-back and tight end at nationally ranked Hoover (Ala.) High last year, said the offer was not a surprise.

Also from that article:

• John Fonoti suffered injuries to both ankles.


• Blaze Soares and John Estes were back to practice after sitting out with injury.


• Running back David Farmer talks about playing without a scholarship.


• Links to even more Leila Wai videos.

Brian McInnis profiles defensive linemen Rocky Savaiigaea and Keala Watson, who have slimmed down over the summer, but not to worry.

"I felt grouchy, you could feel it hit you," said Savaiigaea, who went from 336 in the spring to 298 at the start of fall camp. "It was like a food withdrawal."

"Oh yeah, it was brutal," said Watson, a 295-pound junior from Nanakuli. He checked in at 335 going into the summer.

It's all part of a master plan to get the linemen attuned to Greg McMackin's new 4-3 defensive scheme this season, which requires the bangers to rely as much on quickness as strength.

Defense? MONSTER!

As for the offense, Dave Reardon writes that it's pretty much set.

People who have watched Brennan over the past two years know he is capable of such tremendous strings of accuracy. But was there something special this day, the first of fall classes? School was definitely in session.

"This was the first time we had the starting offensive line together," Brennan said. "Everyone was confident and we had it going."

Also from the article:

• Running back Jayson Rego was back with the team.


• Math genius Francis Maka got a basic math course this semester.

Kalani Simpson writes about hitting (and not hitting) in practice.

But I confirmed my suspicions with a few players. Don't even look at Colt the wrong way. But should some unsuspecting freshman end up on the wrong end of intersecting trajectories?

Well, katoosh. But then everyone picks himself up, and the offender will be reminded not to hit.

And then a coach will say quietly, "Eh, good hit."

"That's exactly how it is," one of the offenders said.

Reardon profiles our second opponent, Louisiana Tech.

Dooley's first task is to ensure the Bulldogs don't repeat the 3-10 debacle of 2006. He plans to do so by ball control on offense.

"It's probably our biggest challenge, convincing the team this is the way to win," said Dooley, the son of Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley. "Running the ball is important to me. It helps your defense develop toughness. That's my philosophy."

In the next breath, however, Dooley sounds like Steve Spurrier.

"But if I've got guys who can catch it, we'll spread 'em out and sling 'em around," he said.

And Reardon expands upon yesterday's response to the Sample story.

"The main thing I hope is that it doesn't have a negative effect on what we're trying to accomplish," said Brennan, quarterback of the No. 23-ranked Warriors.

Props to Tombo!

Thank you for providing this site and your sacrifice for the last few years. The Honolulu Advertier's Stephen Tsai has recognized you for your effort.

Since you probably won't toot your own horn, I'll do it for you. (that just doesn't sound right).

Here's the link:

Tombo Ahi's blog gets Blogged....


also, here's the "new" resized banner to fit the border constraints. just click on it to see it full size. just something i made up real quick to go with all thats been going on recently with IS' book fiasco. (well, not the book, but his excerpts online). i'm pretty sure the book is good, but myself, and many others are already disenchanted with what has come about with the negative national coverage on this. i don't want to read the book anymore.

National News

As the story makes the national rounds, Ian Sample talks about his blog.

Sample said he does not regret posting the deleted passages.

"I'm a little saddened that the blog detracted from the attention of the book, which is the most important part," Sample said. "That's my only error. I don't regret putting it up. I wish both (the printed and online versions) could have been together. In the blog, there's maybe three paragraphs that people are talking about. In the book, it's 120 pages. I wish people could look at both instead of looking at a few paragraphs, and judge me or judge the situation by that."

Unfortunately, many people are not buying the book because of what was on the blog. Although I'm sure there are some who will because of it.

Onto more positive national news, some CFN pundits write their college football predictions for the year, with several of them forecasting UH to win the WAC, and a couple seeing a BCS bowl game in the Warriors' future, along with some Heisman talk. From Pete Fiutak:

A: Winner of the Heisman – Colt Brennan, Hawaii – The numbers will be too gaudy to ignore for a second year in a row, and this time around, he'll have the record to back it up.

BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose – Wisconsin vs. UCLA
Sugar – Michigan vs. Hawaii
Fiesta – Oklahoma vs. Louisville
Orange – Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
BCS Championship – USC over LSU

From Richard Cirminiello:

WAC – Hawaii – Forget the WAC. The Warriors have the right mix of talent and flimsy schedule to run the table, and make a pitch for an at-large BCS bowl berth.

BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose – Wisconsin vs. Cal
Sugar – Oklahoma vs. Florida
Fiesta – Texas vs. Hawaii
Orange – Boston College vs. West Virginia
BCS Championship – LSU over USC

Ahhh, the possibilities. Season starts in less than two weeks!

Around the NFL

Some recent "Warriors in the Pros" news:

Isaac Sopoaga has improved and impressed with his recent opportunity starting at nose tackle for the 49ers.

After reviewing game film, Nolan said he was encouraged by the strong play of Isaac Sopoaga, who has been playing nose tackle in place of injured Aubrayo Franklin (knee).

Sopoaga held the point with more consistency, occupying blockers and creating play-making opportunities for the linebackers.

"Isaac played his best game in the two years that I've been here," Nolan said. "I was very pleased with his play and the other guys were better than we were a week ago."

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Fellow 49er Ashley Lelie has been doing well as well. Here's an excerpt from a profile on 49ers.com:

“Each week I’m just looking to get better,” said Lelie. “That’s the goal of every preseason game so that when you get to the regular season, you are ready to go.”

Head coach Mike Nolan said he felt like Taylor Jacobs was probably his third receiver after a solid and consistent camp showing, but Lelie is right there in the mix and has come on strong in recent days.

“Competition brings success, everyone is just competing and that’s pushing everyone to play better,” said Lelie. “I think however it ends up that the competition right now is really going to show when the season gets going. It’s just making our whole position better.”

Lelie is also profiled in The San Mateo County Times. An excerpt:

Jump to Saturday night, Lelie's first time to have a real shot at catching passes from Smith. There, things began to click.

In the first half there were two receptions, the first for 20 yards, when he was wide open, and the second for 14 yards. There was an incompletion that Smith threw behind Lelie that both blamed on, of all things, the 6-foot-3 Lelie's Tommie Smith-like stride.

"I think with my stride being so long, I probably got down the field too far," Lelie said. "It was supposed to take six steps, but my six steps may be different from somebody else's six steps."

"He is different," Smith said. "His stride ... can kind of throw off those timing routes. I really hadn't been in a game with him until (Saturday)."

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In Miami, Reagan Mauia had surgery on his wrist, but is expected to continue playing with a cast. And Tala Esera had a chance to work out with the first team offensive line.

Right guard Rex Hadnot missed the morning practice with a toe injury sustained when Alabi stepped on his foot during the walk-through portion of Sunday's practice. ''It was funny until it was bleeding,'' Hadnot said.

Hadnot returned for the afternoon practice. During the morning session, he was replaced on the first team not by Mormino, but by Tala Esera, an undrafted free agent from Hawaii. ''He's doing a pretty good job,'' Cameron said of Esera.

======

And here's a fan report on Dane Uperesa, along with some great photos, from HawaiianBuckeye on WSN. A short excerpt:

Good feet and quick to engage and protect. He would help out when needed and DID NOT let anyone get past him at all from what I saw. Bruddah was flawless from what I could see through my lens.

What's That Saying About "No Such Thing As Bad Publicity?"

The AP has picked up on the Ian Sample story.

HONOLULU (AP) — University of Hawaii athletic officials on Monday said they will look into allegations raised by a former receiver, including the claim that school officials and players manipulated NCAA-mandated drug tests.

Ian Sample, who recently published a book chronicling the 2006 season entitled, Once A Warrior, released unpublished material on his blog about excessive drinking, widespread use of marijuana, sex with groupies and rigged drug tests.

Sample, who now plays professional football in Japan, wrote that he's "convinced the 'random' tests are not random at all."

Earlier today, Dave Reardon had this response from June Jones.

One chapter on the Internet implied that UH rigged drug testing so that key players who used marijuana or steroids were not tested.

"Absolutely a lie," Jones said, in making his first extensive public comments on the book. "It's a farce to assume we hand pick them. We don't have anything to do with it."

Jones said the NCAA sends the school a list of names of players to be drug tested.

"It's unfortunate," Jones said. "These are the greatest kids in the world. It's a shame someone would throw them under the bus. In this day, with the Internet, anyone can say what they want.

"It's so dishonorable. Some of those things do happen, but to suggest it's condoned. ..."

Guess we'll see how this plays out. Just in time for the start of the season!

Malcolm Lane / Rosters Expand/ NoCo

Jason Kaneshiro profiles sophomore receiver Malcolm Lane, who is practicing with much more confidence than last year.

"Last year coming out on the field as a little kid from Germany, I was scared of everybody, scared of competition," Lane recalled of his first year as a receiver with the Warrior football team.

"Now I'm just out there and it's like I'm not scared of anybody. I feel like I can beat any DB they put in front of me. ... I'm more focused and the confidence is there."

Though a bit timid at first, Lane found himself playing in 11 games as a freshman. Now a year of experience has Lane playing with more swagger and in contention for even more playing time in his sophomore season.

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Stephen Tsai writes about the players who will join or rejoin the team now that rosters can expand.

Reporting to the Warriors are quarterback Kiran Kepo'o, slotback Mitch Farney, offensive lineman Nate McKay, defensive end Antwan "Tua" Mahaley, defensive tackle Keahi Watson, linebackers Jared Lene and Corey Peredes, cornerback Camron Carmona and safety Kenny Estes.

Tsai also has injury updates on John Estes, Malcolm Lane, Khevin Peoples and Siave Seti.

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Dave Reardon has an article about out first opponent, Northern Colorado.

Things weren't always this bad for Northern Colorado.

They were actually national champions in 1996 and 1997 in Division II.

But the Bears were 1-10 last year, playing a full schedule in the Big Sky Conference while making their final transition to the medium-time.

Nice one.

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Practices go back to being early in the morning, so liveblogs are done for today.

Today's Warrior Beat.

Today's UH Sports Extra.

Both with the news that true freshman Korey Reynolds is moving from defensive end to running back.

UH News from Around the Nation

Lots of great exposure for UH as the media discusses the AP Top 25. Here's a short clip from ESPN, posted by UHBows:



Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com writes an article on Colt Brennan, who's getting some extra instruction from June Jones in anticipation of the upcoming season and the NFL draft afterwards.

Jones believes that Brennan is far from average. And he believes that Brennan will have an advantage when he goes to the NFL next year because defenses blitz him from the time he runs out of the dressing room to the moment the game is over.

"I mean, we see every blitz," Jones said. "We see everything imaginable in the years he has spent with us. He has seen it over and over and knows what to do."

But just in case, Jones has begun tutoring Brennan not only on the run-and-shoot that he will need this season, but what he will need in the NFL next season and beyond. That is the double major in football.

"He's already teaching me [defensive] fronts, ways to break down fronts, stuff I just never needed to know to be in this offense," Brennan said of his head coach. "Instead of film [sessions with Jones] being 30 or 40 minutes, it's now an hour and five [minutes], where I'm getting a lesson on stuff I never knew before."

In another article, Maisel predicts that Hawaii will be in a BCS game if they go undefeated.

If Hawaii runs the table, it will win a BCS bid even though the Warriors play two I-AA opponents. There's something to be said for where you start the race. Quarterback Colt Brennan has earned enough respect to get the voters' attention, and Hawaii's toughest games are in the back half of the schedule.

Maisel also thinks Colt will be a Heisman finalist. Let's hope Maisel is psychic.

======

Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman think that WAC players have no chance of winning a Heisman.

The chances of Johnson or Brennan winning the Heisman are only slightly better than my chance to hoist the trophy in New York. If the WAC superstars want to be in New York City in December, they're going to have to buy a ticket.

And it has nothing to do with Johnson or Brennan. Each is a fantastic player. Each is likely to put up the requisite stats that a Heisman Trophy winner needs.

Unfortunately, neither is likely to win or play for a national title. Unfortunately, the flawed process for determining the winner isn't going to be magically fixed this year.

Gotta agree. Everything has to fall in place, even for an invitation.

On the other hand, the Heisman talk brings great publicity to the conference and the schools. Chadd Cripe of The Idaho Statesman writes about the Heisman hype for Colt Brennan and Ian Johnson, even as both players don't think they have a shot at winning, nor are they focusing on it.

"It's a great honor and something I'd definitely want to be a part of," Brennan said. "But I'm not going to work for a Heisman Trophy. Last year we didn't try to break records. It's about having fun and winning."

Neither player gives himself much of a chance to win the Heisman, in part because of what happened with Brennan last year.

If 58 touchdown passes isn't good enough, they wonder, what is?

At least the WAC coaches know what they have to deal with:

"He's got an awesome feel for the game," said Petersen, a former college quarterback and quarterbacks coach. "He's kind of a step ahead of everybody else out there in terms of anticipating where the ball needs to go. And he's elusive to go along with it."

Tomey calls Brennan's 2006 statistics "obscene."

"Colt may well be the best quarterback in the country to me," Tomey said. "… He just gets the ball out really quickly, and he's tough."

======

And earlier this week, Terry Bowden and Hawaii's own Larry Beil discussed this year's non-BCS contenders for a BCS bowl game in this Yahoo Sports video.

Fall Practice - Day 14: AP, D-Line, Fonoti, Kelly, Colt, Etc.

The Advertiser gets some reaction to UH being ranked #23 in the AP poll.

"It's great to be ranked," defensive tackle Michael Lafaele said. "It's a start. It looks good for our team, our program, our state."

Dave Reardon writes that the defense, especially the line, did very well in yesterday's practice and scrimmage at Aloha Stadium.

Yesterday, the defensive line showed that all the talk about its amazing depth may be true. If you don't believe it, ask defensive ends coach George Lumpkin.

He's been at UH since Watergate was just a hotel.

He said maybe three full strings are game ready. Now, two weeks before the opener.

"I'm not talking about just being out here (at practice). I'm talking can play," said Lumpkin, a man not known for exaggeration.

Stephen Tsai profiles John Fonoti, back from an academic redshirt.

"I tried to prove myself," Fonoti said. "When I messed up in school, everybody thought I was a failure. I'm glad to be back. I'm doing it for my mom."

Fonoti has impressed the coaches with his quickness and aggressiveness. Yesterday, he served as wedge-blocker on kick returns. He caught Briton Forester's pooch kick.

During one-on-one drills between offensive and defensive linemen, Fonoti twice threw a blocker to the ground.

"It doesn't seem like he ever left, not by the way he's been performing in practice," said George Lumpkin, who coaches the defensive ends. "He's working hard and doing what we ask him to do. He loves the game, loves to hit. He does have a motor. He plays hard. He picks up things pretty quick."

It's time for a new season of the John Fonoti Show. Also from that article, some details from the scrimmage, including a note on kicker Dan Kelly.

Dan Kelly was not bothered by the new rule in which the kickoff tee is placed on the 30 — 5 yards back from previous seasons.

Both of his kickoffs landed 3 yards deep in the end zone. He said he did not kick either with full force.

"They were working on kickoff returns," Kelly said. "I didn't get everything into it. I kind of popped them. I wasn't going full blast."

Right on. Speaking of Kelly, Dave Reardon writes a profile on him. He talks about growing up in a family full of thespians, and discusses what life on the football field has taught him:

"I always thought football players were meatheads. I was wrong," he said. "To be a good football player you have to be smart. If you're not, you're going to end up watching from the side while the smart guy who's got as much athletic ability as you is playing."

I may have taken that slightly out of context. Anyway, read the whole thing. Kelly's gonna have a great year.

Dave Reardon and Jason Kaneshiro has more details from yesterday's scrimmage in this UH football notebook, including:

• RB Leon Wright-Jackson was glad to get hit hard in yesterday's scrimmage.


• Safety Keao Monteilh was glad to hit people hard.


• Defensive lineman Karl Noa, Rocky Savaiigaea and John Fonoti made some great plays.


• Punter Tim Grasso averaged over 40 yards a punt in live special teams drills.


• More players, including Viliami Nauahi and Tua Mahaley, are expected to join the team tomorrow.

Warriors in the Pros

Reagan Mauia broke a bone in his wrist and will need surgery.

Dolphins fullback Reagan Mauia fractured the navicular bone in the wrist of his left hand and is expected to have surgery on Monday.

The Hawaii product, whom the Dolphins selected in the sixth-round of last April's draft, injured the hand during Thursday night's 11-10 exhibition win over the Chiefs.

While the 6-foot, 275-pound fullback practiced on Saturday with a heavily padded cast, and might continue to play with the injury, Cameron said Mauia won't return to the field until the swelling goes down.

Cameron also said Mauia will wear a cast for the next four to six weeks.

"It's a pretty common, pretty minor operation," Cameron said. "He'll be casted and once the swelling goes down he'll play with it."

He's been practicing with the injury, so hopefully he won't miss too much time. Here's what Cameron says about the Juggernaut's development:

On a side note, Cameron said he has been impressed with Mauia's ability, but he'll need to continue to develop.

''He's has a long way to go, he knows that,'' Cameron said. ``He's willing, he's smart, he's very mature for his age, but he's got a lot of room for growth. People will start to figure him out. As they watch him on tape, he'll have to learn how people will start to play him differently because he is so big and so strong.''

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Ashley Lelie did well in yesterday's preseason game.

Lelie had four receptions for 57 yards and the touchdown. Gilmore, who had been having a quiet training camp, latched onto three passes for 35 yards in a smooth showing of professionalism.

"It definitely felt good to get out there and get the timing down with Alex," Lelie said. "My stride is probably so big I probably get down the field a little deeper and a little faster than he's used to. My step is just a lot different than a lot of other guys."

It's a good sign he was out there with the first and second string.

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Chad Owens had one reception for 9 yards, and returned 2 kickoffs for 44 yards in yesterday's preseason game. He still faces an uphill battle on the Bucs' depth chart.

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Ikaika Alama-Francis received a lot of playing time in yesterday's Lions-Browns game.

Rookie Ikaika Alama-Francis started at right defensive end, then moved to left end with the second team.

He ended the game with one tackle. Mel Purcell also played but didn't have any stats.

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Nate Ilaoa had 7 carries for 13 yards in Friday's Eagles preseason game.

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And Pisa Tinoisamoa had 3 tackles in his game.

Another Fall Practice Video

From Chawancut!

Week 2, Part 2:

Liveblogs - Day 14

Dave Reardon is liveblogging from Aloha Stadium.

UPDATE: Dave started a second practice post.

And Stephen Tsai has a couple updates as well.

Here's the link again for the AP Top 25 Poll.

Here's an AP story about the non-BCS teams trying to make a BCS bowl.

Fall Practice - Day 13: Haka, Kalilimoku, Etc.

Stephen Tsai writes that the Warriors will no longer perform the haka. But not to worry:

But during a recent team meeting, it was decided to retire the haka.

"We have great respect for the Maori culture," cornerback Guyton Galdeira said. "But we wanted something that represented us. We're from Hawai'i. We're Hawai'i Warriors."

Galdeira, linebacker Brad Kalilimoku and defensive tackle Keala Watson were put in charge of creating the chant and dance form. Galdeira and Kalilimoku have training in hula, and all three players studied the Hawaiian language.

Watson said several teammates made suggestions. They also consulted with several Hawaiian language instructors. While the focus will be on Hawaiian, the calling will incorporate traits from other Polynesian cultures.

Right on, something for the Warriors to call their own. I'm sure some fans of the All Blacks will be happy as well. Also from Tsai's article:

• Safety Viliami Nauahi has been cleared to join the Warriors.


• Running back Leon Wright-Jackson is also cleared after a slight delay in getting transcripts.


• Receiver Joe Avery also needs to clear up some paperwork issue.


• Greg McMackin says Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis keep getting better and remain the starting corners.


• Safety Erik Pederson is fine and does not have a damaged ACL as once feared.


• Receiver Malcolm Lane continues practicing despite a dislocated finger.


• Scout QB Jake Santos, who is redshirting this year, is happy to be here.

Dave Reardon profiles linebacker and paniolo Brad Kalilimoku.

In addition to weight training, Kalilimoku credits ranching for helping him bulk up to 222 pounds.

"I'm getting stronger," he said. "I tackle and brand cows, and they're heavier than the guys."

For now, he'll focus on rounding up running backs. Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and linebackers coach Cal Lee consider Kalilimoku a starter along with Blaze Soares, Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian -- especially since the other three are tending to injuries.

"He's become a really solid football player," UH coach June Jones said. "He's got great athleticism and really worked hard this summer. He gets better every year. He's settling into the scheme."

Dave also talks to RGM and Davone Bess about the progress of the offense.

"Everyone looks faster and the offense is in sync," Grice-Mullins said. "Our running backs and linemen are working to adjust to our level. In other years we had to pick up things to get to their level."

Reardon also has more about LWJ and Joe Avery's paperwork situations.

And Kalani Simpson writes that the fans and media are lucky that UH holds open practices.

Hawaii fans are lucky. I think UH does it right, with this openness. It sets a more relaxed, confident tone for the whole program. (Doesn't it sound a little uptight these days up on that blue turf?) There are fewer wild rumors because the real information is right there.

You do get rid of a few headaches when you control the flow of information. But we'll see if it makes up for the new ones that pop up, for the risk you take (there's an old saying about being careful what you wish for).

I love the way UH does it. Still, we probably shouldn't take it for granted, so soon. And bring the dog -- his days are probably numbered, too.

Except for today, when today's practice at Aloha Stadium is closed.

And Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman has a Hawaii Warriors preview.

"They are by far the most underrated receiving corps in the nation," Brennan said. "People think Hawaii doesn't get the top recruits, so how could they have the best receiving corps in the nation? But somehow, some way, I got these unbelievable receivers dropped off at my doorstep in Hawaii."

Hawaii Ranked #23 in AP Poll

Great news!

No. 16 Rutgers is ranked in the preseason for the first time, as is No. 23 Hawaii.

Penn State is No. 17 and Auburn, Florida State and Nebraska round out the top 20. Arkansas, TCU, Hawaii, Boise State and Texas A&M are the final five.

UPDATE: The Advertiser has the full Top 25.

Record Pts Pvs

1. Southern Cal (62) 11-2 1,622 4

2. LSU (2) 11-2 1,511 3

3. West Virginia (1) 11-2 1,396 10

4. Texas 10-3 1,375 13

5. Michigan 11-2 1,371 8

6. Florida 13-1 1,276 1

7. Wisconsin 12-1 1,192 7

8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,166 11

9. Virginia Tech 10-3 1,148 19

10. Louisville 12-1 1,031 6

11. Ohio St. 12-1 876 2

12. California 10-3 790 14

13. Georgia 9-4 782 23

14. UCLA 7-6 605 —

15. Tennessee 9-4 571 25

16. Rutgers 11-2 560 12

17. Penn St. 9-4 542 —

18. Auburn 11-2 519 9

19. Florida St. 7-6 392 —

20. Nebraska 9-5 377 —

21. Arkansas 10-4 376 15

22. TCU 11-2 283 22

23. Hawaii 11-3 256 —

24. Boise St. 13-0 187 5

25. Texas A&M 9-4 162 —

Day 13 Updates, Ikaika, AP, Samson

Dave Reardon liveblogged today's morning practice. An excerpt:

10:36 a.m.: Jason Laumoli does a nice job of picking up Patek on a blitz and preventing a sack.

10:39 a.m.: Jim Donovan says he has never seen this much depth on defense for UH in 27 years … actually both sides.

10:41 a.m.: 11-on-11 pau. Leon Wright-Jackson did not participate. Does not have pads on.

Stephen Tsai has the deal on LWJ.

Leon Wright-Jackson was held out of this morning's practice while UH awaited his junior-college transcripts.
Those papers arrived. He is participated in the afternoon practice. He said everything is OK.

Great news for Leon. Oh, and what the heck? Just noticed that I'm scheduled to have my bio posted on the Warrior Beat on Tuesday. Errrr.

Here's a fan report from Isleboy. An excerpt:

Estes and Mariner rotated at center.....AhYoon is left tackle...Steinhoff is right tackle.....number of Olineman rotated at guard.....Eliminian, Leonard and Soares did not practice...

Tomorrow's practice will be held at Aloha Stadium and it won't be open to the public. So they can practice the wishbone, I assume.

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Ikaika Alama-Francis will start for the Lions in Saturday's preseason game.

The first-team defense is also scheduled to go deep into the second quarter. But if it gets a lot of work early, it could come out earlier. Rookie Ikaika Alama-Francis will start at right defensive end.

“I just want to see him get under pressure, feel it, see what it’s like, see how he reacts,” Marinelli said.

The AP has a profile on Ikaika.

Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry said he likes what he has seen so far from Alama-Francis, who has demonstrated the ability to fit in despite the shortness of his exposure to football.

"You forget sometimes that the kid is 280 pounds when you just see him — he's very smooth and athletic, Barry said. "You can't usually find big men that can run and change direction and rush the passer. He's going to continue to get better, but you know he's coming out here, working everyday and improving."

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The AP preseason college football poll comes out sometime this weekend. Jon Wilner of the Mercury News is an AP voter and reveals his picks. He has UH at #15.

15. Hawaii: The best bet to pull a Boise State, what with Colt Brennan at QB, all those receivers and Boise State visiting O’ahu.

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And a couple days ago, Miami Dolphins QB Trent Green had some good things to say about his center.

"...Their communication over the years was incredible, and that's what's really important. I think Samson (Satele) is doing a great job of that. He's grown exponentially throughout this whole process, the off-season and the training camp. His communication, I can continually hear him talking and communicating with the guys on the line, and that's very important."

I think Samson and The Juggernaut got roster spots sewn up at Miami. Let's hope Tala Esera can secure a spot as well.

Fall Practice - Day 12: Pool, Sauafea, Etc.

Stephen Tsai writes about the pool day the Warriors got to enjoy (for the most part) yesterday. Also in the article:

• An injury update on the players, including Malcolm Lane, who dislocated a finger.


• Former Warrior running back Chris Cole is trying to rejoin the team.


• Mana Lolotai will be the upback on punts.

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Dave Reardon profiles senior offensive lineman Larry Sauafea, who seems primed to have a great year. He practiced at center yesterday.

"I feel really good at right guard," the senior from Pago Pago, American Samoa, said. "But I have no problem with a ball in my hand. It was kind of strange at first, but I'm used to it.

"We had to adjust a little bit today. John and Aaron (Kia) are both a little bit sore. Everybody's going to have an off-day. They'll pick it up."

Sauafea hasn't had many bad days. He's been a rock at right guard this fall after reporting at 6-foot-2 and 294 pounds.

"He really committed himself. He lost 30-something pounds (in the offseason)," Brennan said. "Coach (June Jones) challenged him and he responded.

Fun fact from the story: Larry's nickname is Liger.

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Aloha Stadium is making some parking improvements for the upcoming season.

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Oh, and someone mentioned some sort of controversy with Ian Sample's book? Whaaaaat? Read what the fans had to say (and Ian's responses) on Tsai's blog yesterday. You can tell Dave what you think as well. As for me, I haven't received the book yet. I did read the excised chapters however. All I can say is, gee, thanks for sharing.

Fall Practice Videos

Chawancut spent a lot of time putting these news stories from the first two weeks of fall practice together. By the end of it, he was too exhausted to make a post about it. So here they are from me, big props to CC!

Week 1, Part 1:



Week 1, Part 2:



Week 2:

Day 12 Updates / Dolphins Preseason

UH superfan Jason liveblogged from practice using Stephen Tsai's computer today. He did an awesome job with lots of great details, giving the pros a run for their money. Here's an excerpt:

8:51 a.m. - New stations are up. Linebackers are practicing different drills, such as backpedal and pursuit, react to the ball, wrap up and drive, and block shedding. At one point during the drills, Cal Lee stresses, "You don't want to turn your back to the quarterback." Defensive linemen are working on the same drills as last time, rip and pursue, footwork and ball recovery, swim moves and QB strip. Defensive backs are working on strafing, backpedaling, and reactions to deep passes.

Dave Reardon liveblogged as well, giving himself a run for his money:

9:16 a.m.: Right now I am sitting in front of 16 defensive linemen — all of whom look like legit Division i-A football players, with the right size for their positions. Even true freshmen Vaughn Meatoga and Korey Reynolds. They are all in visibly good health, with the only obvious injury being Lafaele’s hand. Rocky Savaiigaea and Keala Watson have slimmed down incredibly, but are still formidable. They are all paying attention to instruction from Jeff Reinebold, Greg McMackin and George Lumpkin.

There is no superstar in this group of defensive linemen, but it is by far the deepest college group of DTs and DEs I’ve seen close up from top to bottom, including Florida in 1998 that included three future NFL players (maybe four, I’m not sure), including Jevon Kearse.

Some fine praise for the defensive line. Speaking of which, here's a video from Leila Wai showing Coach Reinebold talking to the d-lineman about the greats that came before them. Reinebold is a great speaker.

NelsonO posted this recap on Sportshawaii.com. Here's an excerpt:

Keao Monteilh had another interception today.

Siave Seti appears to be one of the back-up defensive tackles. There is a close battle for the other back-up defensive tackle spot between Fale Laeli and Rocky Savaiigaea.

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And in today's preseason game, Reagan Mauia had 2 rushes for 5 yards and 1 catch for 1 yard. More details from the Miami papers tomorrow (or maybe tonight).

UPDATE (8/17/07): This writer says Samson Satele did well.

Rookie center Samson Satele was the main standout. He has a real mean streak to go with his great strength and technique; Satele thoroughly dominated Chiefs defensive tackles James Reed and Ron Edwards.

Fall Practice - Day 11: Allen Joneses, RBs, Maka, C.J.

Brian McInnis profiles the Allen-Jones brothers, C.J. and Cameron. Excerpt about C.J.:

Linebackers coach Cal Lee glowed about Allen-Jones' resilience.

"C.J.'s very talented. He's got speed and size," Lee said. "We need to get him on the field, either special teams or coming off the bench."

Excerpt about Cameron:

Coach June Jones envisions him possibly filling the roll that Reagan Mauia had last year, something that got Cameron salivating.

"All those positions kind of do the same thing, they're blockers first," said Jones, who has rarely used a tight end in more than 20 years of coaching. "He's a good athlete, and got good feet."

It's now a matter of working on his alignment and ball-catching.

"Jones, he'll give the walk-on players a shot," Cameron said. "He's that type of dude, he cares for his players and stuff. Just try to get out there, making big plays."

The Star-Bulletin staff write about the Warriors' three first team running backs.

Jones said his plan right now at running back is for David Farmer, Kealoha Pilares and Leon Wright-Jackson to share the significant time.

"Those three will all play about the same," Jones said.

Jones is just trying to hint that UH is running the wishbone this year. Dave Reardon backs it up with the all-too-curious phrasing in this article.

Jones said he tentatively plans to go with a three-headed monster of David Farmer, Kealoha Pilares and Leon Wright-Jackson as the "starters" against Northern Colorado on Sept. 1.

Shhhh!!!

Also in Dave's article:

• The safety battle between Keao Monteilh and Desmond Thomas is still very close.


• June Jones talks about Keoni Steinhoff and Keith AhSoon playing both offensive tackle positions.


• Francis Maka is a student of calculus physics, math and engineering. And he actually enjoys these things.

Stephen Tsai has more about Maka passing his summer classes, and his role on the football field.

Because he was enrolled in school, Maka was allowed to participate in training camp. But he had missed several practices while attending classes. Maka is a backup to left end Melila Purcell and right end Karl Noa.

"By learning both sides," McMackin said, "he doubles his chances."

Maka, who enrolled at UH in January, is listed as a senior, having played at Arizona and College of San Mateo. Because he was injured during one season at Arizona, he will petition the NCAA for a medical hardship that will allow him to play as a sixth-year senior in 2008.

Also in Stephen's article:

• An injury update on Brad Kalilimoku, Erik Pederson and others.


• The Warriors get to move out of the fall camp dance studios.


• A link to another Advertiser video.

And KGMB profiles receiver C.J. Hawthorne.

Hawthorne arrived in Manoa two years ago with visions of scoring touchdowns, not stopping them. But when the Warriors were short-handed on defense, Hawthorne made the switch, playing in all 14 games last season.

"As I look back, I wish I would have just kept him on offense cause he's going to be a really good player for us," UH coach June Jones said.

This year, Hawthorne's back doing what he knows best.

"High school through junior college, I was recruited as a wide receiver also so that's my original position," Hawthorne said. "That's where I'm most comfortable, most confident at. So I feel like I'm back at home, pretty much."

Gabe Tuata Gone / Ask Coach / Day 11

Brendan Shriane of West Hawaii Today writes that heralded Kealakehe running back Gabe Tuata, who was supposedly grayshirting and on track to enroll at UH next year, has instead enrolled at Pasadena City College.

Tuata, the speedy tailback/kick returner from Kealakehe who on Feb. 6 signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at the University of Hawaii, will instead play this fall at Pasadena (Calif.) City College.

This summer, Hawaii coach June Jones had said Tuata, last year's Big Island Interscholastic Federation Offensive Player of the Year, would grayshirt in 2007, meaning he wouldn't start school -- or football practice -- in Manoa until 2008.

Tuata's father, Laau Tuata, said Gabe Tuata wasn't happy with being grayshirted and thought the process wasn't explained to the family very well.

Huh. Maybe we'll get more details tomorrow. In any case let's hope he eventually makes his way back to UH. Just last month, June Jones wrote about having big plans for him in a Warriors' Haka "Ask Coach" segment (now gone because no permalink). Here's an excerpt:

I think Gabe Tuata will be one of the most exciting players to come and play for me at UH.He has it all and his skills will show up in our offense more than they will at any other school. I will utilize him in so many ways once he gets here. He also will be an exciting punt returner. Ex-running backs have turned out to be the best slots for me.

Good luck to Gabe.

And while that "Ask Coach" segment may be gone, there's a new one up. Here's an excerpt:

Q.) Aloha Coach Jones, first of all congratulations on bringing us to another level. well, the long awaited start of fall camp is finally upon us. you have had a week to evaluate what we have and who we have. as one with a keen eye for talent, which positions will a priority be placed upon for 2008 recruiting wish list?

A.) Gosh I have not even targeted that yet, other than one position; QUARTERBACK. We know we have to sign a 5 star player. Tyler can play but we need future help after he and Inoke are gone. At Hawaii we are not into future recruiting like most schools as we cannot compete or are we in the ball park on the guys that are coming out. Our decisions on guys are usually made in January as we see who got left behind from the big schools. Only exception to that is if some 5 star is recruiting us.

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Stephen Tsai has some details from today's practice. An excerpt:

• Defensive end Nate Russell has joined the team, and is practicing. He was not expected to join until Monday.
• Ryan Mouton is practicing today. He just showed his quickness on a kick return.

There's a bunch of other stuff in that post, as well as a chat with offensive lineman Aaron Kia buried somewhere in the comments.

And Dave Reardon has a few details from today's practice.

Now all four starting LBs are out. Brad was icing his right knee on the side and also said his hamstring is tight. “Don’t worry, I’m a Warrior,” he said.

Hope Brad and the other LBs get well soon. Season is right around the corner!

Fall Practice - Day 10: Monster, Kapolei, Injuries

Ferd Lewis writes a great column about how the Warrior defense is focusing on creating lots of turnovers this year. A preview of The Monster:

Indeed, if they have heard it once, UH defenders have heard "the game is all about turnovers" mantra a hundred times already this summer. Still, coaches shout it, exhorting their charges to live it.

This year the Warriors' defense seeks not just to hold back opposing offenses, it wants to go on the offense itself. And, if it can't score itself, then to put the ball right back in the hands of what should be the most potent offense in UH history.

"One of our goals — one of our biggest goals — is to average three turnovers a game," McMackin said. "With this (UH) offense that's an opportunity for us to score a lot of points."

I really can't wait to see this defense on the field.

Billy Hull writes an article featuring the four Kapolei graduates on the UH football team: Alasi Toilolo, Po'okela Ahmad, Daniel Otineru and Jon Medeiros. Here's an excerpt on Toilolo:

Toilolo was brought to Hawaii on potential as much as anything. He didn't play football until midway through high school, but has developed some pass-rushing moves at defensive end that have given some of the offensive lineman fits, including starting tackle Keith AhSoon.
"When we looked at him as a high school player we thought he would fit in perfectly as an edge rusher here," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "He's got some unorthodox moves, but because they are unorthodox, they are not something you see every day, which really helps him."

Dave Reardon has an update on the injury bug going around. Those recovering from injuries include: Mike Lafaele, Blaze Soares, Solomon Elimimian, Adam Leonard, John Estes, Mario Cox, Davone Bess and Keenan Jones. But there was great news for Keenan, as well as Francis Maka:

Keenan Jones and defensive end Francis Maka reported outstanding summer school grades, ensuring their eligibility.

"I heard," defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said to a beaming Jones. "Great job."

Right on.

Stephen Tsai also has an update on the injuries, including those to Erik Pederson and Malcolm Lane. Also from the article:

• Players talk about fall camp winding down.


• Le'Marcus Gibson discusses Flossie (now tropical storm) and recounts how his hometown was devastated by Katrina.


• Joey Lipp talks about practicing at center and trying to maintain his weight.

And finally, Dave Reardon has a short anecdote on safety Keao Monteilh.

"I was 66 pounds and you had to be 70," he said, recalling when he started playing football at age 11. "I had to eat poi and drink water and wear heavy jeans for the weigh-in. Back then I was wondering if I'd ever make it to high school ball."

And today, he may be a starting safety with the Warriors. Practice continues today with a two-a-day. Visit the Warrior Beat and UH Sports Extra for the sheer livebloggery.

UPDATE: The Star-Bulletin reports that morning practice has been cancelled.

University of Hawaii football coach June Jones canceled this morning's practice.

"I want to see this blow over," Jones said, referring to rain and wind caused by tropical storm Flossie.

Jones said the Warriors will hold their regularly scheduled afternoon practice at 3:30 p.m. today.

Preseason - Nate, Samson, Ikaika

Nate Ilaoa talks to The Free Lance-Star about his need to rebound off his so-so performance in his NFL preseason debut.

He'll need to do better in Friday's home exhibition against Carolina.

"Every game is important," Ilaoa said. "You have to try to get better each and every time--make sure you're improving. You're going to make mistakes, but you need to correct them and improve."

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Samson Satele also talks about needing to step up after disappointing play by the Dolphins offensive line.

The group played so poorly Saturday night against Jacksonville that Satele described it perfectly Tuesday when he said, ``We didn't have a game plan for the game and we stuck to it.''

''They got on us a lot the whole day yesterday up until our practice,'' said Satele, a rookie starting center. ``It was a wake-up call for us. I know I woke up. I don't want coach Cam on me anymore.''

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Ikaika Alama-Francis is recovering from a minor injury.

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis had a bruised shoulder but “should be fine,” Marinelli said.

Ikaika also has a new diary entry up. Here's an excerpt:

“I think things are getting a lot better, day-by-day. We’ve made a lot of improvements, put in almost all the defenses and everything. Everything is looking really good; everybody’s getting better – that’s the main thing, that’s all you can ask – and what I try to focus on is getting better with everybody else.

“If we grow as a team, we’ll build on what we did last week and we’ll get even better from there. I mean, we won, but there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of good things also. So all we can do is build on that and focus on the next game and who’s our next opponent. We have a big game – regular season coming up at Oakland – so we have to be ready for that. We have to get these preseason games in. We’re trying to win all of them. It’s just a preseason game, but we want to win all of them.

UH Featured on College Football Live

UHBows posts an ESPN College Football Live segment featuring the Warriors that aired today. Coach June Jones talks to Rece Davis by phone, mostly discussing Colt Brennan, his crazy accuracy as well as obstacles to his Heisman chances. Later in the segment, the analysts talk about the "easy" schedule situation, but also point out how Michigan State bought their way out of their scheduled game. At the end, they do an NCAA 08 simulation of Hawaii's November 23rd game against Boise State...



They also open the segment mentioning Hurricane Flossie. Here are some links if you want up-to-date info on the storm.

National Weather Service

KITV

Advertiser

Liveblogs - Day 10

From UH Sports Extra.

From The Warrior Beat.

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.

RGM Profile

Ryan Grice-Mullins, also known as Ryan Grice-Mullen, gets a great write-up in this Press-Enterprise (SoCal) article by Dan Weber. Here's an excerpt:

"Hawaii is the perfect place for me," Grice-Mullen says, ticking off the reasons: a quarterback like Colt Brennan "who throws with pinpoint accuracy," and a second star receiver, Davone Bess, to draw some of the defense's attention.

The slot receiver in the Warriors' high-powered, four-receiver attack, Grice-Mullen has caught 131 passes for 1,998 yards with 23 touchdowns in 22 games.

"He's a great kid -- and he just keeps getting better," Jones said of his candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football's best receiver. "He has explosive speed. He can definitely play in the (National Football) League."

The article is also a profile of Ryan's mom, Sheila.

But Hawaii's where the Pinkneys get the most "aloha."

"We can be out walking at a mall, and people will come up to us and say, 'You did good' as they point to Ryan," Sheila Pinkney said. "They know who you are and really want to tell you what they think of him."

Monday Preseason Games Update

Ashley Lelie played with the third team and had two catches for 26 yards. Jeff Ulbrich had one tackle.

Nate Ilaoa had 3 carries for 3 yards. To be fair, none of the Eagles running backs did well, with the leading rusher being quarterback A.J. Feeley, who rushed once for 8 yards. Ilaoa also caught two passes for 6 yards. He fumbled once, but recovered his own fumble.

If there are any more relevant articles later on, I'll post them.

Ryan Mouton / UHWarriorFan.com

Great news for incoming JC corner Ryan Mouton and the Warriors.

Cornerback Ryan Mouton has been cleared to join the University of Hawai'i football team.

The Advertiser also has a video interview with him.

The Star-Bulletin has more.

"We need to get his paperwork and physical done today and conceivably he could be on the field tomorrow," said UH assistant coach Jeff Reinebold, who recruited Mouton from Blinn (Texas) Junior College.

If Mouton learns the UH defensive schemes quickly enough, he is expected to compete for a starting position.

Awesome.

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And UHWarriorFan.com, i.e. the "Ikaika Alama-Francis Fan Club" has updated its site for the 2007 season. There are links to Ikaika's Yardbarker and Detroit Lions blogs, as well as some awesome, top-notch photographs of the Warriors' fall practices. Some really great images. Be there!

Liveblogs - Day 9 / Sportsline WAC Preview, Etc

First full pad practice liveblogs are here:

From the Warrior Beat.

From UH Sport Sextra. Woops, Freudian slip. It's two-a-days today, so Dave might create a new post for second practice.

And while you're waiting for updates, J. Darin Durst of CBS Sportsline writes a WAC preview that's mostly about Hawaii and Colt Brennan, even though he picks Boise to win the conference. Anyway, he likes Brennan.

What do you get if you mix Jim Kelly, Jeff George and Warren Moon?

Maybe the greatest quarterback to ever play college football.

Maybe Hawaii senior Colt Brennan.

He also talks to June Jones about how the schedule might hurt UH's BSC chances.

"We don't have any control over that," said Jones. "Unfortunately Michigan State bought their way out of a game and we are one short. But you just line up and play as good as you can play and hopefully when it's all said and done, we'll be there at the end of the year. We don't worry about the rankings, we have a chance to be a good team and the kids realize what's at stake."

Another article to read, ESPN's Mark Schlabach writes about how the WAC is a better conference than Conference-USA.

A play-in game between the WAC and Conference USA would be like a No. 5 seed playing a No. 12 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The WAC is just that much better than Conference USA right now.

Although Conference USA has a couple of teams capable of producing good seasons in 2007, the WAC has more recognizable coaches, more star players and a much better record against non-conference opponents and in bowl games in recent years.

It's all a part of a "Who's Now" style "bracket tournament" to see which will be the best conference in 2007. Sounds about as fun and exciting as "Who's Now" was... Nonetheless, and this is why they do it, you can go to Schlabach's column to vote on who you think is a better conference, WAC or C-USA.

Meatoga, Manu-Olevao, Lesu, Previews

Jason Kaneshiro writes a great profile of freshman defensive lineman Vaughn Meatoga, who is adjusting well in his first year of college ball.

"I thought it was going to be harder, especially being the rookie here," Meatoga said. "But a lot of the upperclassmen took me under their wing and helped me a lot."

Meatoga, who celebrated his graduation from Kamehameha earlier this summer, got a head start in his immersion into the D-line as a regular at the team's voluntary offseason workouts, where his efforts endeared him to the returnees.

"He's like one of the boys now, we're showing him how things are done," said tackle Mike Lafaele, the defensive front's senior leader. "He's learning real fast."

"I just need to get better habits," Meatoga said. "Something different (from high school) is they expect perfection here. A lot of the upperclassmen have been practicing that for four years and I just need to start as soon as I can perfecting my moves."

He's gonna be a great one!

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Stephen Tsai writes that offensive lineman John Manu-Olevao will delay his enrollment for a year.

Manu-Olevao said he will take some classes at a local college this academic year. If all goes according to plan, he will have four seasons of eligibility.

"This is good," Manu-Olevao said. "It will give me one year to train."

And Elijah Lesu will attend City College of San Francisco this year. Also in the article:

• A profile of kickoff return wedge blockers Jason Laumoli, Brashton Satele and Siave Seti.


• Receiver and kick return Malcolm Lane is more confident.


• Corners Calvin Roberts, Keenan Jones and Jakeem Hawkins will receive extensive practice time today, the first day of full pads.

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And the Nevada Appeal has a good 2007 UH football preview, along with a profile of UH defensive lineman Mike Lafaele.

Time will tell how Lafaele fits with the 4-3, but after one spring in the new system, he likes it.

"I like the new defense," Lafaele said. "In a 3-4, you have to play two gaps. In the 4-3, you only have to play one gap. I should have a lot more fun. It gives me a chance to make more plays at or behind the line."

And that's exactly what defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold expects from him.

"Mike is the undisputed leader of the defensive line," Reinebold said. "He has great work ethic and is coming off a tremendous season. He will be the key to how we do up front."

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And just a reminder that Ashley Lelie, Isaac Sopoaga, Jeff Ulbrich and the 49ers take on Denver in a preseason game on ESPN tonight. Here are a couple recent profiles of Lelie, as he seeks to move past the whole holdout ordeal in Denver a year ago. From the AP. From the Mercury News.

UPDATE: Also forgot to mention that Nate Ilaoa and the Eagles play Baltimore tonight as well. Garret from UH Warrior Quotes sent me this profile of Nate from the Philadelphia Tribune. Thanks G!

Fall Practice - Day 8: DBs, LWJ, Autographs, Etc

Stephen Tsai writes about the competition at the two safety positions.

While most defenses use a strong and free safety, the Warriors' safeties are designated as "left" and "right." The jobs are interchangeable.

Rich Miano, who coaches the defensive backs, said Jacob Patek, Desmond Thomas and Keao Monteilh are competing for the two starting positions.

Thomas said the interchangeable safety responsibilities make it easier to counter multiple offenses.

"We always look at the strength of the (offensive) formation," Thomas said. "If the play is coming to my side, I have to know my responsibilities. If the play is going to the other side, I have to know the back-side responsibility. It's pretty intense, but coach Mac is a real organized person. He makes sure we're in the correct position."

Also from that article:

• Injury reports on Adam Leonard, Blaze Soares, Solomon Elimimian, David Veikune, and John Estes. None of the injuries appear to be serious.


• D-lineman Chris Leatigaga resumed practice after taking care of schoolwork.


• Timo Paepule talks about the team needing to work on the haka.

Billy Hull profiles Leon Wright-Jackson, who talks about his second chance in Hawaii.

It's a completely different offense than the smash-mouth style preached at Nebraska; Hawaii emphasizes the passing game. Wright-Jackson has all the physical tools to be a great back, but beating out David Farmer and Kealoha Pilares for the starting job may come down to his ability to block for quarterback Colt Brennan.

"He's the man and we have to protect him," Wright-Jackson said. "There are a lot of big outside linebackers coming at full speed and we have got to have the right technique and flush them out."

Brian McInnis has an article about how the veterans like Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins are helping out the newcomers.

"We got a couple of young guys, not too many (freshmen) this year, but even the sophomores, just having them see us more or just helping them out as much as we can," Grice-Mullins said. "That's why now, you see (the) guys getting more reps, you see us doing more coaching. You know, because once we leave, we want to have this program not lose a step."

That's just too cool.

Billy Hull with another article, this one focusing on the #1 corners, Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis.

Lewis and fellow corner Myron Newberry stood much taller than their 5-foot-9 frames . Each of the returning starters intercepted passes in yesterday's practice against the Warriors offense, and the secondary put together one of its best efforts of training camp.

"Until somebody shows they are better than those guys, it's not even close right now," Miano said. "They are our starters and I thought it was a great practice. They are good players, but today they looked like real good players."

Excellent.

Dave Reardon and Jason Kaneshiro detail what Colt does after practice.

Quarterback Colt Brennan first spent a solid 5 minutes talking to a high school athlete, giving advice on drills to improve quickness. Then he began signing autographs for some of the estimated 250 fans who attended the practice, and he did some interviews.

Twenty minutes later, Brennan was still on the field, chatting with friends and fans. Today, his day off is interrupted with a Sports Illustrated photo shoot.

Also from that article:

• Kicker Dan Kelly and holder Tim Grasso practiced some fake field goals.


• Mike Lafaele's 1-year-old son wants to play football already.


• Le'Marcus Gibson was out with dehydration.

Ferd Lewis talks to Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing.

Five months ago, when the University of Northern Colorado athletic director asked, "would you be interested in playing Hawai'i?" Bears' football coach Scott Downing's eyes lit up.

"I said, 'well, yeah!' " Downing recalls envisioning a 2009 or 2010 "trip of a lifetime" game, and years to prepare.

"(Then) I said, 'when?' He said, 'this year,' " and Downing recalls, "I said, ' ... wow!'"

That's pretty funny, in a sad sort of way.

Kalani Simpson talks to Dennis McKnight about how two-a-days can be counterproductive.

"I think it's good to come out, work hard, concentrate, focus -- it makes guys, as they get tired, be able to pay attention to detail, and I think it's good that it keeps you into it," McKnight said. "I think sometimes when you have two practices, you get into an afternoon practice, guys can sometimes try to pace themselves, try to get through it."

Exactly. Just getting through it. Guys weren't thinking about improving. They were thinking about trying not to fall over and die.

Not that it's ironic or anything, but UH resumes practice tomorrow with a two-a-day.

And finally, Sportshawaii.com is rocking it as usual with the photos from practice.

Also rocking it? Irse, with some awesome action shots.

And always rocking it with the video, Leila Wai with the Advertiser. Here's video from Saturday's practice, with a faraway shot of the haka and interviews with Bess, LWJ, Brennan, Jacob Patek, and Lafaele.

And this video, which I may have posted already, focusing on the linebackers, with interviews with Adam Leonard and Coach Cal Lee.

NFL Preseason - Week 1

Here's a recap of how some Warriors did in their NFL preseason games...

Ikaika Alama-Francis had just one tackle in his first preseason game, but his coach praised his performance.

Coach Rod Marinelli said Saturday he was pleased with the way linebacker Johnny Baldwin and defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis played in a 27-26 victory Thursday night over the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Five-O did a pretty good job," Marinelli said. He calls Alama-Francis Five-O, a reference to the old TV show "Hawaii Five-O" and the University of Hawaii, where Alama-Francis played college football.

Ikaika writes about his experience in his rookie diary.

“There’s a few technique things I need to work on here and there, knowing these little mistakes that you make going (forward). This was a really good game for us; we were put in a lot of situations: hurry-up offenses, hurry-up defenses, so it was really great for us and it was a great experience for me. It was the first time I have ever been rushing like that in a two-minute type deal at the end of the game but it was just get better from it, learn from it so the next time it comes up I’m better.

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Mel Purcell only had one tackle as well in his Browns preseason debut, but that tackle happened to be a sack.

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Chad Owens had 1 punt return for 9 yards.

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Reagan Mauia had 2 carries for 4 yards and 1 catch for 7 yards. He also made a good block.

That's when fullback Reagan Mauia helped spring Jesse Chatman on his third-quarter 74-yard touchdown run.

Also from that article, Samson Satele talks about needing to make calls faster.

''Sometimes, I take longer than I'm supposed to and the clock is clicking down and we've got to rush things,'' he said.

But not to worry as the o-line is just getting started.

But rookie center Samson Satele said that all things considered - a new playbook, several new linemen and the tough matchup against defenders Marcus Stroud and John Henderson - the offensive line wasn't that bad.

"At one point we had three rookies in there with the first squad," Satele said, referring to himself, guard Drew Mormino and tackle Julius Wilson. "When we get jelled together, we'll get Ronnie Brown out there."

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On Monday, the 49ers, with Isaac Sopoaga, Jeff Ulbrich and Ashley Lelie, play Denver. While Nate Ilaoa and the Eagles play Baltimore.

The Fans

KHNL's Russell Yamanoha does a news story where he interviews several of the dedicated UH fans who attend the fall practices.

And below are two very good reports from fans who attended today's practice.

From Sportshawaii.com.

From Warrior Sports Network.

Liveblogs - Day 8 Practice

Here's today's liveblog from Stephen Tsai.

Here's today's liveblog from Dave Reardon.

Dave also writes about two great former UH quarterbacks who are appearing at the upcoming Warrior Quarterbacks for Charity event.

Garrett Gabriel and Michael Carter, who led Hawaii to some of its biggest football victories, are among the UH stars past and present set to appear at Warrior Quarterbacks for Charity on Aug. 20.

“Maybe it should be called Linemen for Charity, since that’s what Mike and I look like now,” Gabriel said.

For more info, here's the Warrior Quarterbacks for Charity website.

Warriors in the Pros

Chad Mock had 2 catches for 18 yards and caught his first CFL touchdown for the BC Lions. You can see video highlights of the game here. Mock's TD is the very first play shown.

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Another Warrior in the CFL, Timmy Chang, who hasn't seen playing time in a few weeks, is profiled in the Edmonton Sun. Hamilton Ticats coach Charlie Taafe talks about TC's talent as well as what he still needs to learn.

"He is a gunslinger. He'd throw the ball 80 yards down field every play if he could.

"What he has got to learn ... you got to get it done in two downs. You got to be more willing to be patient and take the throws that are available - the underneath throws - being in a second and manageable situation.

"He struggles with that a little bit.

"But I think he is a real talent."

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Nate Ilaoa is profiled in this Special to the Advertiser article. He's working hard to make the Eagles roster, which is already loaded with running backs.

During drills on Thursday, Ilaoa proved just how ready he is, participating in key plays from quarterbacks Donovan McNabb, A.J. Feeley, Kelly Holcomb and Kevin Kolb.

A quarterback sneak by Kolb that resulted in a gain earned the former Warrior a rarely seen show of positive emotion from head coach Andy Reid, who gestured to Ilaoa with a pumped fist.

With heavy competition at the running back position, Ilaoa also has been training on the Eagles' special teams. He said he could also see himself as one of the special-team aces on punt-return coverage or kickoff coverage.

Here's what Eagles general manager Tom Heckert has to say about Nasti.

“Nate shows up. I'll tell you what, he's not real fast, but he's got real good feet and he's a natural ball carrier and he's tough. We've got a lot of good backs, but he's done some nice things and we're happy with where he is.”

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Former UH linebacker Jeff Ulbrich is featured in this article from the Gilroy Dispatch. He talks about coming back from multiple injuries last year.

"Last year I tore my labrum, and also dislocated my shoulder, and I've had three surgeries on it," Ulbrich said.

Last preseason, before the shoulder injury, Ulbrich was just coming off a biceps tear surgery. Then in week eight, Ulbrich had his right hand surgically repaired due to a broken thumb and ruptured thumb tendons.

Ulbrich wore a thumb cast and a shoulder harness in all of the games he played in last season.

"I took half of last season off, so now it's one of those deals where I can't take time off ... I just have to play with it," Ulbrich said. "I'm just looking forward to being healthy this year."

The 30-year-old linebacker will be in on special teams, and will provide depth to the Niners inside defense.

And the money quote:

Staying consistent, Ulbrich said the quarterback he would most like to sack this season is Arizona's Matt Leinart.

"He (Leinart) gets so much hype, and he's so Hollywood," Ulbrich said.

Haha.

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From Thursday, here's an article, probably the 20th to cover this topic, about the Polynesians Dolphins, including Samson, Tala and Reagan.

Samoan children sometimes sacrifice their sandals for knee pads, share mouthpieces and swap helmets that don't fit. Most don't see a grass field until high school, Satele said.

Think the NFL's physical?

"You're out there getting scraped every day and getting sprayed with the other guys' blood," Satele said. "It makes the NFL sound easy."

Samson and the rest will get a chance to impress when the Dolphins play their first preseason game today.

Fall Practice - Day 7: Graunke, D-Line, Special Forces

Woe be the d-back who intercepts the Phoenix out of Arizona.

"We're not supposed to hit the quarterbacks and I guess they're not supposed to hit us but it's all good," Thomas said. "I was sitting there about to pitch the ball and I ended up keeping it and Tyler just comes on a frickin' sprint from 20 yards away straight down and just blows me up. ... Next thing I know, BOOM. ... I think I might have a little something for him tomorrow."

Graunke is a combative player even when he's not protected by the orange jersey.

"Dez understands I got a competitive nature. The only pick I threw in college I brought the guy down by his neck," Graunke said.

Man! Also from the article:

• JC transfer defensive lineman Josh Leonard likes how he's playing right now.


• Linebacker Brashton Satele talks about trying to stay healthy.


• June Jones talks about the injuries to Blaze Soares and John Estes. He says that JC corner Calvin Roberts should be able to practice soon, as well as d-lineman Chris Leatigaga, but doesn't know when or if corner Ryan Mouton will show up or not. Here's hoping for the best.

Michael Tsai, Stephen's bro-bro, writes a great article about the defensive line. He talks to coach Jeff Reinebold, who discusses the nature of pass-rushing.

And it takes a certain sort of stubbornness and controlled aggression to maintain focus down after down when the payoffs are so few and far between, Reinebold said. Hence, the defensive team motto: "The main thing is the main thing."

"You're not going to win all the time, so you have to be relentless," Reinebold said. "You can't take 'no' for an answer. You have to keep pushing, keep pounding that rock or it's never going to break."

Reinebold also talks about several key players. This d-line is gonna be awesome.

And Jason Kaneshiro writes about the kicking and special teams.

"We've got bigger, faster, stronger athletes this year and that should compute to having more success on special teams," Miano said.

On the other end of the equation, Malcolm Lane and Kealoha Pilares were the first in the rotation as kick returners yesterday, backed up by Jason Rivers and Michael Washington.

Liveblogs - Day 7 Practice

Here's a link to Stephen Tsai's liveblog of both practices today.

And a link to Dave Reardon's liveblog of the morning practice.

Fall Practice - Day 6: JJ, Paepule, McMackin

Dave Reardon writes that June Jones was not at practice yesterday because he was at Bill Walsh's funeral.

Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison handled the offense, along with Ron Lee (receivers), Wes Suan (running backs) and Dennis McKnight (line).

"Things went smooth, it was pretty easy to step in," Morrison said. "We've watched it for so long we kind of know what to do. But you always miss him because he's such a force on the field. It was real important for him to go up there. The players and coaches wanted for him not to worry."

Kalani Simpson profiles senior linebacker Timo Paepule.

It's been a long run. It's been a good run. The UH media guide says he's had one career start, but he's always hitting somebody, on special teams. He's always right there. He has everyone's respect.

He's the old lion, the veteran. He knows everything; he's seen it all.

He's a leader now. The young guys come to him for guidance, and he gives it, even though as a backup he's vulnerable to being jumped on the depth chart.

"I remember I was in their shoes and I just humble myself," he says. "They're just getting better, that's the main thing. That's what we had last year, the unity. Now we got all these new guys, we gotta keep it going."

Stephen Tsai writes about defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and his playbook.

"It doesn't just show you what to do, it tells you why you're doing it and the situation it's used," middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian said. "It's a big book, and there's a lot of terminology, but it's not complicated."

"He has that teacher's approach," Leonard said. "He wants to make sure we learn the plays and the reason we're running them before we practice them. He's a teacher and a coach."

McMackin is like Dr. Frankenstein, building a MONSTER. Also in that article:

• Cornerback Calvin Roberts should be arriving soon.


• Aaron Kia and Jason Rivers are recovering from injuries suffered when teammates stepped on their foot, while Blaze Soares recovers from a shoulder bruise and John Estes from a sprained elbow.


• Cameron Allen-Jones might be practicing once again at tight end later in fall camp. Gonna love seeing all the new wrinkles in this year's offense.

Dave Reardon writes that today is the start of two-a-days. Also in that article:

• McMackin talks about tackling strategy in practice.


• Keao Monteilh talks about the battle between him, Desmond Thomas, Dane Porlas and some newcomers at the free-safety position.

So be on the lookout for the liveblogs, maybe two each, today.

Liveblogs - Day 6 Practice / Garret / Juggernaut

A few excerpts from today's practice liveblogs...

From UH Sports Extra:

10:55: Freshman DT Vaughn Meatoga beats his man, drawing praise from Reinebold.

11:03: Brennan to Bess across the middle. DB goes lateral 15 yards, cuts up untouched. Greg McMackin is not amused. “No one touched him,” he yells. “That’s a touchdown.”

And from The Warrior Beat:

11:03 a.m. — Largon Pau, a running back, actually seems like a pretty tough player.
Dylan Linkner has moved from right wideout to the left side.
Michael Washington just sped past the secondary, then dropped a 40-yard pass from Colt Brennan.

11:08 a.m. — So much for Davone Bess' commitment to north-and-south running. He caught a pass in the left flat, looped behind the line of scrimmage ands sprinted to his right. He looked like a hockey player circling behind the net.

Tsai's entry also has a profile of Garret, who writes the UH Warrior Quotes blog, a compendium of quotes related to UH football. He finds many many articles of UH and ex-UH players from around the nation, several of which he has e-mailed to me or I've nabbed. Oh, and he's literally a rocket scientist. For real. Perhaps he can contribute some mathematical and scientific firepower to The Juggernaut Quantum Duality Theory?

Speaking of The Juggernaut, he's been making an impression as a tailback on the Miami practice field.

From The Palm Beach Post blog:

TB/FB Reagan Mauia just bounces on outside before S Renaldo Hill rides him out of bounds. It will interesting to see how the team uses Mauia. He potentially seems to be more of a factor in the running game than Lorenzo Booker.

Mauia around end again, bouncing off everything in site. He may have gotten more carries than anyone in the drill.

From The Miami Herald:

They look serious about having Reagan Mauia carry the ball more than usual for a modern NFL fullback. Cam Cameron said they would give Mauia, projected as a Pete Johnson-like wide-load fullback, a shot at tailback this Saturday. Thursday morning, Mauia carried the ball often in team drills.

From The Sun-Sentinel:

The majority of double-tight-end sets were used in 9-on-7 short yardage simulations, where rookie Reagan Mauia was a plow. Mauia is a squat 270 pounds but moved his feet very well during the practice.

The Dolphins spent 20 minutes working 11-on-11, and Mauia popped up again, this time as a pass protector. Former Bear Cameron Worrell rushed on a safety blitz into a big hole, but Mauia appeared out of nowhere to stand Worrell up.

Right on. Oh the theory shall become law soon. Soon!

Fall Practice - Day 5: Singing, Injuries, Kickers, Salas

Stephen Tsai details the singing-in-front-of-everybody all the first-year Warriors must do.

In what has become an annual tradition, rookies are asked to stand in the middle of the campus dining room — in front of teammates and other UH students — and sing.

"The thing is you can't be scared doing it," freshman safety Le'Marcus Gibson said. "You get up there, do what you have to do, and get down as quick as possible. And hope you don't get booed."

Lotsa luck.

"Almost all of them got booed," said Adam Leonard, a junior linebacker.

Also in the article:

• Injury updates on Blaze Soares, John Estes and Laupepa Letuli.


• Punter Tim Grasso has taken over placekick holding duties from Inoke Funaki.


• Briton Forester is competing at punter and placekicke.r


• Kicker Dan Kelly now weighs 212 pounds, adding more muscle in the offseason. Woe be the fool who encounters Kelly on a kick return.


• Starting corners Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry talk about being perimeter kick-blockers.

Dave Reardon talks to coach Cal Lee about Blaze Soares' injury.

Linebackers coach Cal Lee said another player's helmet knocked Soares' shoulder out of place.

"He had it last spring, too," Lee said. "It's one of those things. I'm going to work on getting him a larger set of shoulder pads. But he likes the small ones, for speed."

Reardon also writes that Joey Lipp received reps at center.

And Billy Hull profiles receiver Greg Salas.

His athletic catches have caught the eye of receivers coach Ron Lee, but as is the case with most players in his position, consistency is the key.

"The thing with him right now is that he'll make a big catch and then he'll disappear for the next few plays," Lee said. "It's something all the young kids go through and he'll get better at it."

He'll end up being an awesome receiver for the Warriors.

Colt in The Washington Post

Eric Prisbell of the Washington Post writes a great article about Colt Brennan. Here are some excerpts:

One of the perceptions Brennan continues to fight is that he is a "system quarterback" who excels primarily because of the run-and-shoot offense of Jones, who has used the pass-happy attack throughout his career...

Brennan believes his completion rate of 72.6 percent, which was tops in the nation last season, runs counter to the belief that run-and-shoot quarterbacks often have low completion percentages. Jones characterized Brennan as "so unconsciously accurate," a quarterback who reminds him of former NFL quarterbacks Jeff George and Dan Marino.

And don't forget that Colt broke the season passing efficiency record with a 186.0 rating last year. To throw for 5500 yards and break the efficiency record is insane. The article ends with a great quote from Coach Jones.

"I have had a whole lot of guys in the Pro Bowl and two guys in the Hall of Fame," Jones said. "Colt is the best quarterback I have watched or coached in my 35 years."

Whoa! Anyway, there's a lot more to read, with quotes from Karl Benson and Boise State coach Chris Peterson. June also addresses the weak schedule situation. Overall, it's more great exposure for Colt and UH. And there's probably more to come!

Manning / Sopoaga / Vids / LWJ / Rolo

Colt Brennan was named to the Manning Award watch list.

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Isaac Sopoaga gets a write-up in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Size, width and strength are not a problem for Sopoaga, one of five 49ers able to work out with 200-pound dumbbells ... in each hand. He can also bench press 535 pounds.

The issues with Sopoaga are technique and consistency. He has a tendency to stay engaged with blockers too long. Of course, some defensive calls have him occupying blockers in order for linebackers to make the stop.

He'll get a lot of opportunity to impress in the upcoming preseason games, where he will start at nose tackle.

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Leila Wai has some videos from UH practices. This one from today, focusing on the defensive line, has interviews with Keala Watson and Karl Noa. Here's a video focusing on the offensive line, which has interviews with Larry Sauafea and Hercules Satele.

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KGMB has a quote from running back Leon Wright-Jackson, talking about why he likes the Warriors' offense.

"I think this fits my style of running. I fit right in," he said. "The Nebraska thing, the West Coast Offense, I guess it's just a little more work because they pound the ball, pound the ball, that type of back. I'm a guy that wants to be out in space. This fits really well."

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And finally, Nick Rolovich has a new article up on Warriors' Haka. He writes about being proud of the Warriors' preseason ranking. He also mentions Colt's hair, which leads to a suggestion for fellow UH QB alumnus Dan Robinson.

I thought I’d follow Colt’s lead, but I don’t want to risk losing any hair, and I’ve got some gray poking through, so it wouldn’t be as cute as Colt’s. Personally, I think Dan should do something special, something newsworthy, something that shows our football team that the grandfather of our program is behind them.

I vote that Dan should give himself a Mohawk. Nothing like a Mohawked, Mormon dentist to scare away all the people who say we can’t go 12-0.

In fact, Dan, if you’ll do it, I’ll join you. But you have to go first.

Do it! Do it!

'07 Rule Changes that (hopefully) should benefit UH

from espn....

the 2 major ones are for the clock.

last year the clock started when the ref put the ball in play, causing teams to have to rush onto the field. this cut out on many plays and minutes from games last year. (imagine how that would've impacted the team in the bama, boise and oregon state losses where we were coming back).

2nd big impact rule, is the kickoff from the 35 to 30 now. i guess they want more kickoff returns and less touchbacks.

anyways, here's espn's story, and the new rules compared to the old rules.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07/news/story?id=2966243

Liveblogs - Day 5 Practice

Here's a link to UH Sports Extra's liveblog.

Here's a link to The Warrior Beat's liveblog.

And while you're waiting for updates, you can pass the time reading this blog entry from Russ Lande of the Sporting News, who writes about the "system QB" tag.

Sure, Brennan plays in a funky offense and lack ideal height, but when you evaluate his play without looking at his system, it is clear that he has a strong arm, a very quick release and can make every throw with good zip and accuracy.

Brennan also is a real team leader. He has overcome the craziness at Colorado that led to him ending up at Hawaii in the first place and has consistently shown the poise and captaining skills to lead the Warriors to big wins.

UPDATE: Practice done (while ago). Here's an excerpt from TWB.

starting weakside linebacker Blaze Soares did not participate in the controlled scrimmages after suffering a stinger in his left shoulder during drills earlier today.
He said he hopes to resume practicing tomorrow.

Here's more details from UH Sports Extra.

Starting outside linebacker Blaze Soares suffered a shoulder subluxation during nine on seven drills today. He sat out the remainder of the practice with his arm in a sling.

Soares, who was replaced on the first string by Brad Kalilimoku, said he will be back as early as tomorrow.

“It’s nothing, whatevers. But the trainers will decide,” he said. “Every year I get this. I had it all through high school.”

Fall Practice - Day 4: Estes, Kia, Reynolds, Keenan

Dave Reardon has an update on John Estes' injury.

Starting center John Estes suffered what he described as a sprained left elbow during Monday's practice when he tried to brace a fall. He tried to play through it, but then thought better of it.

"If it was a game, I'd be out there," said Estes, who started all 14 games at right guard last year as a freshman, despite a sprained knee midway through the season.

In his spot, Aaron Kia and Lafu Tuioiti-Mariner took a lot of reps. Stephen Tsai talked to Kia about his versatility.

UH head coach June Jones described Kia, a third-year sophomore from Mililani, as "our jack-of-all-trades." Kia can play tackle, guard and center.

"I used to watch film with Samson (Satele)," Kia said of last year's starting center and the Miami Dolphins' second-round draft pick in April. "He would help me with everything. He knew every position. I figured I might as well know everything. It's working to my advantage."

Also from Tsai's article, Davone Bess talks about running north-south, while Leon Wright-Jackson, Dennis McKnight and Colt Brennan talk about the monster that is Blaze Soares:

McKnight said: "Blaze is going to be a great one. Blaze is a man. He reminds me a lot of Pisa (Tinoisamoa, a former Warrior now with the St. Louis Rams). He's athletic. He can run. He's big. He's strong. He's got that smile to him, that you know he's going to kick your (butt) and there's nothing you can do about it."

Reardon's article also mentions that Brashton Satele will remain at linebacker, while JC transfer cornerback Calvin Roberts should be arriving Friday, hopefully with NCAA verification of his AA degree.

Brian McInnis has a great article profiling freshman Korey Reynolds of Alabama, who's getting adjusted to his surroundings in Hawaii.

"It's very different," Reynolds said. "It's not as humid, and you've got the beach right there. The mountains, rain forests. It's definitely different."

The poofy-haired freshman paused.

"And uh, the culture. It's a culture shock."

...

That's where teammates on this tight-knit team come into play. David Veikune, Amani Purcell and others have helped him on the field, while some of the younger grayshirts have shown him around the island. He tried his hand at surfing and has been up to the North Shore ("Everything 'cept the hiking, haven't done that yet").

"It's (been) pretty good, guys are real friendly," he said. "I think it's starting to get the 'team' feeling. All that, trying to be accepted. It's working out pretty good."

He'll get settled soon, surfing, hiking and eating squid luau in no time. Mmmmm, squid luau.

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Michael Tsai has an article on cornerbacks Keenan Jones and JoPierre Davis. Here's a quote from Davis:

"What I really want, though, is game experience," Davis said. "When you practice, it's your team and you can't throw your body around the way you want to.

"I want to make the most of my reps and give the coaches a chance to see that I'm the best guy for the job."

And finally, off-topic somewhat, here's a profile of Chad Owens, from the Herald Tribune in Florida.

Owens hopes to bring to Tampa the magic that worked for him at Hawaii.

"My no-fear attitude, my willingness to always want to make that big play, just playing fast, just going 110 mph, using my quickness, my reactions," Owens said.

Bunch of News

Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, who sounds like he's working on a big article about the Warriors, blogs about Hawaii's ascent.

What June Jones has accomplished in his seven years as Hawaii's coach truly is remarkable, especially considering the program was close to belly-up when he arrived. UH has gone from a school that had lost 18 straight games to one that beats BCS-conference schools regularly, and the Warriors are in prime position to earn a spot in a BCS bowl game this January.

Heaven help the team that plays the Warriors in a BCS game -- these guys already have a Big Island-sized chip on their shoulder because no one wants to play them in the regular season.

I'm here in paradise because, for the first time, Hawaii matters in college football. That, in and of itself, is a major testament to how this program has evolved -- and where it sits as the 2007 season begins. Hawaii boasts a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in Colt Brennan, a boatload of legitimate NFL prospects (11 Hawaii players from last season are in NFL camps right now) and a coach who has stayed true to a system in which he believes -- and his program is thriving because of it.

Not so sure about being the first time "Hawaii matters in college football." Maybe to national sportswriters. Either way, the rest of it is good, and it's great attention for UH. If he is writing a big article, I'll definitely be first in line to read it.

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Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes a profile of former UH linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who is working on his tackling as he comes back from injury. Some excerpts:

Tinoisamoa spent his offseason eating better and putting in more time in the weight room. He has done specific types of exercises to strengthen the muscles around his elbow and shoulder.

"To make sure that when it comes to game time, I can trust that they're going to hang in there tight," he said. "I can just go ahead and play and perform and know it's strong."

In terms of relearning how to use his hands and proper tackling technique, Tinoisamoa said, "I feel like a kid trying to walk. I'm learning how to use these hands now, and it's different. But I'm getting to use them, and I feel more confident in using them."

He should be back in top form this year.

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The Juggernaut continued practicing at tailback with the Dolphins today.

Rookie Reagan Mauai, a 380-pound NT turned 270-pound fullback, continues to line up at TB. Is Lorenzo Booker really that ineffective running the ball?

Mauia, nicknamed the “Little Fridge” by Barry Buetel, could be a stud on short-yardage situations.

Time for 7-on-8 passing drills.

Green up first, lining up with back-ups. He goes 3-for-3, with a leaping snap by Mauia the highlight.

The Dolphins depth chart has Mauia at 2nd string fullback, Tala Esera at 2nd string left guard and Samson Satele as starting center. Awesome.

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Before Colt cut off his pseudo-dread hairdo, KHNL's Russell Yamanoha did a news story about it. The story may not be relevant anymore, but the on-camera interviews with Colt, RGM, Davone and Hercules are still pretty funny.

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Here's another UH / WAC football preview, this one from Tim Booth of the AP.

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And finally, Sports Illustrated surveyed one starter from all 119 I-A teams, asking them questions about various topics, like what coach they would like to play for, who they pick to win the Heisman (Colt was 5th with 3.4% of the vote), etc. But it was the last question that intrigued me the most.

8. Do you read message boards or blogs where fans discuss your team?

Yes: 39.5%
No: 60.5%

Here's my favorite part:

Quotable: "I read it if I want to have a good laugh," said one Big 12 player. "Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that they're showing their opinions, but at the end of the day, they don't know what's going on." ... Most players who responded "no" said the people who write on message boards or blogs do not know what they're talking about. Said one MAC player: "My grandma could guess the same thing."

I think they're catching onto us. In fact, while 75% of the content I post here does come straight reliable news sources, the other 25% comes straight from my butt. And now that my friend has started to post here, we have another "fount" of "information." Just kidding, CC. Everyone knows your butt is not prone to wanton speculation. Mine on the other hand, you just can't depend on.

Liveblogs - Day 4 Practice

Here's a link to Dave's liveblog.

Here's a link to Stephen's liveblog.

Updates later on.

UPDATE: Practice is over now. Here's a funny excerpt from Tsai's blog.

4;46 p.m. — Starting center John Estes is not practicing. HIs left arm is wrapped with a padded sleeve.
Dennis McKnight put on his shirt. He yelled at us: "If a picture of my big (breasts) appear in The Advertiser, I'll kill you."

:D

Here's an excerpt from Reardon's blog.

4:31 p.m.: Joe Avery is an early candidate for catch of the day. On an out pattern, the freshman walk-on extends his 6-4 frame to make a one-handed grab, over his shoulder, with his left hand.

4:40 p.m.: Desmond Thomas, one of the top candidates for free safety, displays nice closing speed in open-field contact drills with the other safeties.

Training Camp Day 3: Noa, McMackin, LWJ

Jason Kaneshiro profiles senior defensive end Karl Noa, who is poised for a breakout year.

At 6-foot-4, Noa's range has long been among his assets and he's added a bit more bulk in anticipation of playing on the line in his final season, checking in for fall camp at a solid 250 pounds after entering the program at 209 and playing at 238 last year. According to the figures in this season's media guide, he's also the fastest of the UH defensive linemen at 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

"It really doesn't matter how big you are, if you've got the technique down, and the fundamental things, you should be OK," Noa said. "But it helps me a lot, strength-wise. Now it's transferring that from the weight room out here."

On the other end of the line, Stephen Tsai writes that senior defensive end Amani Purcell is first-team left end.

"It's a good defense," Purcell said. "I feel comfortable playing back down in the (three-point) stance."

Purcell said he weighed 245 at Penn State. He said he gained about 30 pounds since the end of last season and now weighs between 275 and 280 pounds.

From Kalani Simpson's column about defensive coordinator Greg McMackin comes this quote about what the defensive ends will be doing in his scheme:

Now, suddenly, sleek ends are in. "Our ends are really outside linebackers," the coach said.

Perfect for Amani Purcell. Karl Noa, we'll know his name.

It's all attacking, and speed.

Grrrr!!!

Going back to Tsai's article, he writes about the defense putting on pads for the first time this camp and notes:

• Greg McMackin has very high praise for freshman safety Le'Marcus Gibson.


• Davone Bess is healthy for the first time in two years (which is scary.)


• Colt Brennan discusses shaving his dread-braids off


• JC transfer safety Erik Robinson talks about learning a new defense

Dave Reardon writes about the defense's eagerness to hit some people. He also notes:

• Bess and receiver Greg Salas did well in practice.


• Defensive end Francis Maka needs to finish a couple summer school classes in order to be eligible to practice to be eligible to play this year.


• David Farmer was first string running back, while Leon Wright-Jackson had an impressive cutback move.

Expanding off that last bullet point, Reardon has a new post up on UH Sports Extra where he discusses trying not to get too excited about the potential of Leon Wright-Jackson while admitting that he's very excited about that potential.

But for the second practice in a row, I saw LWJ do something that makes me think he’s a superstar running back waiting to explode. It’s all I can do to keep from chugging the entire pitcher of Action Jackson Kool-Aid.

On Saturday, it was a sudden burst of speed that got him deep into the secondary faster than I’d seen any human being do so in person since the 2006 Pro Bowl.

On Monday, it was a cutback at the line that turned what would’ve been a 2-yard gain into a TD. Yes, against the scout team — but a great instinctive move nonetheless.

He’s starting to remind me of Adrian Murrell, the former Leilehua great who went on to star at West Virginia and rush for 1,000 yards in a season with the New York Jets.

Same great size. Same electric burst. Same devastating cutback move.

All I can say for now is Nebraska must have some incredible talent at running back if this guy had to play defense.

I'm sippin on the Kool-Aid too. OHHH YEAHHHH!!!!

The News, It Never Stops

Junes Jones has a new Ask Coach column up at Warriors' Haka. Here's an excerpt:

Q.) Coach, you've always been a die-hard believer in the run & shoot. It's taken many decades, but its philosophies are finally making an impact on the sport. Unfortunately, few coaches practice the run & shoot in its truest form as you do. Have you given any thought to grooming others in your offense so that it might live on at Hawaii and elsewhere when you're no longer coaching?

A.) Every one in America runs some of what we do, including most NFL teams. What is different is that most coaches will not live and die with it. That is their choice and every coach has there own thing. Hal Mumme runs a lot of what we do. He has his own touch on it but it is very close. In fact his punt team stuff with all the fakes is what Mouse originated in high school and at Portland State years ago.

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Ashley Lelie is featured on the 49ers website. Here's a quote from him:

"My leg is not bothering me. That was my main concern coming into camp after missing out on the OTAs. That’s good now, so I can focus on everything else. I just want to establish myself on the team during this camp. The first part is getting a spot, and then you go from there."

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Ikaika Alama-Francis did well in practice.

Marinelli liked how rookie defensive lineman Ikaika Alama-Francis looked this morning. “He’s really starting to see it a little bit right now,” Marinelli said. “He looked faster and more explosive today. That was fun to see.”

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The Juggernaut, aka "Reagan Mauia" got some carries at tailback, and impressed coaches and teammates.

"He's like a Mini-Me Bus," said nose tackle Paul Soliai, referring to the Austin Powers movie character Mini-Me and former Steelers great Jerome Bettis. "The juggernaut can handle it."

"You have to get him early," linebacker Derrick Pope said. "He is a load — a big load."

Coach Cam Cameron said Mauia is "not only a tailback, but a fullback. I thought that was a huge plus to find out that we've got a big man who can play at tailback."

Hell yeah! The article also has a quote from Samson Satele, who talks about how The Rock gave him some tips on football and life. For real.

Once A Warrior

As promised, here's a link to where you can pre-order Ian Sample's book, which comes out next week. Here's the description from the site:

"Go behind the scenes in the huddle, in the locker room and on the road with former University of Hawai‘i receiver J. Ian Sample. What is it really like to be a UH football player? Sample answers this question with honesty and humor. Each chapter focuses on a single game from the Warriors’ record-breaking 2006 season, sharing intimate details both on and off the field. Anecdotes in Once A Warrior run the gamut from summer camp pillow fights to dancing the haka to intimidate opponents. It’s a player’s eye-view of a special season in University of Hawai‘i football history—the joy of winning big, the sting of losing the close ones—and a heartfelt look at what it means to be a Warrior."

Can't wait to read it. And while I'm at it, here's the link again to preorder J. David Miller's Hawaii Warriors book (not sure what the final title is) from the Warriors' Haka website. Looks great as well. The site says it should be released in September.

Liveblog Wars Wrap-Up

It was great checking both blogs as they liveblogged the practice. It was almost like reading about being there. Here's an excerpt from Reardon's liveblog, with big news regarding the dreaded dreads.

5:23 p.m.: Kalani Simpson reports a sighting of the Big Bag … a remnant of the 2-year Jerry Glanville era and symbol of UH’s gang tackling of last season. Nobody else sees it though, and Kalani admits he may be suffering from sun stroke.

5:29 p.m.: It appears the dreaded dreads are no more on Colt Brennan. “A pretty good buzz cut from what I can tell,” McInnis says.

And here's a couple excerpts from Tsai's liveblog:

4:16 p.m. — Wideout Joe Avery finally has a jersey. He's No. 39. After dropping a pass, June Jones walked over and showed him the noose technique — thumbs and index fingers touch to create a circle. Jones has taught that technique to every UH receiver the past nine seasons.

Here's the new depth chart at linebacker:
Weak: 1. Adam Leonard.2.Brad Kalilimoku. 3. Micah Lau.
Middle: 1. Solomon Elimimian. 2. Timo Paepule. 3. Rustin Saole.
Strong: 1. Blaze Soares. 2. C.J. Allen-Jones. 3. R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane.

Would be cool if this became a daily thing. Hope their fingers can handle.

Competing Liveblogs

Stephen Tsai swoops in with his own UH practice liveblog after Dave Reardon announced he was going to have one today. And he got a head start on Dave too. Oooooh, the competition!

So who will be the winner of this Liveblog Battle Royale?

The fans!

I wish could've heard the inflection in my voice when I said that. You would be rolling. But seriously, this is great for UH football fans. Thanks to Dave and Stephen. Stay tuned. For easy access, here's the link to Dave's blog, and here's the link to Stephen's. Practice starts soon.

UPDATE: Here's the direct link to Dave's liveblog.

Reno / Books / CFN All-American / What's Hot

Thomas Ranson of the Lahontan Valley News is very confident about Nevada's chances against Hawaii this season.

Hawaii (H), Nov. 16

After facing Halbrook, Nevada will be ready for Brennan.

Remember two years ago when the Pack solved Timmy Chang at Mackay? The same thing will happen this season. No doubt it will be a high-scoring affair just like the previous week, but it's the most anticipated home game of the year aside from UNLV.

Hawaii will be looking ahead to its games with Boise State and Washington after it travels to Nevada. Plus, Hawaii has really never been a good team on the mainland. The fact that the game will be played on a Friday at night under snow-possible conditions, it gives the Pack more of an edge.

Nevada comes out on top and ruins Hawaii's chance to win the WAC.

Interesting perspective. I don't think UH will be overlooking Nevada though.

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Dave Reardon has a new post up on his blog, previewing the two upcoming books focusing on the Warriors football team.

Ian Sample, who graduated with a degree in English while starting at wide receiver last year, is playing football in Japan now. He returns to Hawaii on Aug. 15 to promote his book, “Hawai’i Football, On the Field and Off the Record.” It goes on sale that week. He’ll be signing at three Borders locations: Pearlridge — Sat., Aug. 18, noon; Ward — Sat., Aug. 18, 2PM; Waikele — Sun., Aug. 19, 2PM.

J. David Miller comes from another angle. He goes way back with June Jones and Mouse Davis as a writer who covered the NFL for Sport Magazine back in the 1980s. His book will be a look at how Jones resurrected a desolate program in 1999, and how the theme of redemption is such a prevalent factor for many key figures in UH football to this day.

Can't wait for both books. I'll post a link to Ian's book if it becomes available online. You can pre-order Miller's book at the Warriors' Haka website.

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CFN has come out with a list of their preseason All-Americans. Colt Brennan is 1st team QB. His blurb is full of praise.

Brennan is the absolute, 100%, NFL-caliber real deal running a high-octane offense at peak efficiency. After throwing for 5,549 yards and 58 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, he'll have to be even crisper and sharper with plenty of holes on the line and new running backs who won't take the heat off like Nate Ilaoa did. His NCAA record-setting stats are ridiculous: nine games last year with 400 yards or more, finishing up with 559 against Arizona State, two or more touchdown pass in every game, with eight games with five or more, and most amazingly, a 72.6 completion percentage. For his career, he's thrown 93 touchdown passes and 9,850 yards, and he can run with 520 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a superstar in full command of the offense as the perfect marriage of talent and system.

Davone Bess is listed as 2nd team receiver.

A consistent scorer, with at least one touchdown in seven straight games last season, he also shows up in prime time with some of his biggest games coming against Boise State, Nevada, Purdue and Oregon State. He'll play at the next level.

And Jason Rivers is ranked at #20 receiver. UPDATE: Hercules Satele is ranked as #14 guard.

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And finally, ESPN's Mark Schlabach has a list of what's hot and not for 2007. Hawaii is mentioned several times, mostly in the hot categories. Here a couple interesting ones:

Clock stops. College football returns to the old clock rules, in which the clock stops after a change in possession and doesn't start back up until kickoffs are fielded. Stadiums on the West Coast and in Hawaii might need triple-digit scoreboards this fall.

Freshman running backs. These runners might be household names by the end of the season: Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, Hawaii's Kealoha Pilares, Miami's Graig Cooper...

That's excellent Pilares is getting notice without playing a down yet. And one more:

Stepping down. Even with Brennan, Hawaii might be out of the BCS race before the season even begins. The WAC schedule won't be enough for the Warriors to overcome two games against I-AA Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern.

Boooo!!! Nah, if UH goes undefeated and UH is the only undefeated non-BCS team, they'll make it to a BCS game. There's gonna be way too much momentum at the end of the year for the voters to resist!

UPDATE: ESPN's Ivan Maisel has an article about how the South is awesome. He also mentions UH and Colt.

Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2006, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.

After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.

Thanks to Kawiks for the link.

Monday News - Washington, Reynolds, Rice, etc.

Stephen Tsai profiles talented junior receiver Michael Washington, who is the immediate backup to Davone Bess.

"I always get frustrated," Washington said of his lack of playing time. "But I keep hungry and humble. All I can do is work my butt off."

Washington, who is 5 feet 7 and 165 pounds, focused on improving his strength. He bench pressed 315 pounds six times.

"It shows that Mike worked hard during the summer," said Ron Lee, who coaches the UH receivers. "He's in great shape."

Tsai also profiles freshman defensive end Korey Reynolds.

Reynolds is a weight-lifting enthusiast who can bench a maximum 450 pounds. The first time he lifted 400 pounds, he recalled, "was like breaking down a brick wall."

You can check out a video of him at a weightlifting competition in this post from June.

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Brian McInnis profiles linebacker and Viking look-alike Joshua Rice.

"Some guys (on the team) think I look like a Viking or something," Rice said. "Yeah, I'm pretty into Vikings. I haven't cut it in two years, since I got here. I started growing it out in the summer of my senior year (of high school)."

Here's what coach Cal Lee has to say:

To Lee, Rice has distinguished himself by tirelessly looking to hone his ability.

"He knows what he's up against, and he just works hard at it," Lee said. "Trains hard" -- the coach paused -- "and you never know, you never know. If the time comes, you gotta be ready. And if it did come to Josh, he'd be ready."

Ready with his broadsword to fight Grendel and drink mead in the halls of Valhalla!

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Stephen Tsai has a lot of stuff in this Warrior Beat post, including news that Russell Yamanoha is leaving KFVE, corner AJ Martinez recovery is coming along slowly and he might miss a few games, and details about the Warrior receivers' blocking abilities:

Play after play, the receivers would create space for the running back. The secret is in the technique. Instead of trying to flatten defenders, the receiver will block an opponent's shoulder, screening an area for the running back. With their quickness, running backs Leon Wright-Jackson and Kealoha Pilares should have ample running space this season.
The most impressive thing about UH's blocking? The receivers do not practice it. Their education comes entirely from video sessions and the coaches' instructions.

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Dan Robinson has a new "Passing Time" column up at Warriors' Haka.

Colt, in particular, looks great in his new dreadlocks (not!) … it won’t be long before he’ll be able to afford a good weave to keep that look alive! Colt says he took Samoan to bond with the Polynesian guys, and did his hair in dreads to bond with his receivers. Let’s hope Colt and Coach McKnight don’t start bonding, or … you get the picture.

Saucy! Robinson also got a chance to speak to Bengals receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, who is looking forward to watching the Warriors' receivers play this year.

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And if all goes according to plan, Dave Reardon should be liveblogging from UH practice today. Be there!

Around the NFL

Here are a few "Warriors in the Pros" stories from the past few days.

Chad Owens is profiled by David Dorsey of Florida Today. Chad talks about perseverance and what he wants to do in Tampa. Coach Jon Gruden talks him up as well. It's a great article. Here are several excerpts:

Owens, holder of two NCAA records, hopes to earn a roster spot as a punt and kickoff returner. If he does, he will have shot at achieving another milestone. He can be the first Buccaneer to return a kickoff for a touchdown.

"That's what I was known for in college, Mr. Excitement," Owens said. "I made the fans feel like they needed to get to the stadium in time to get to the opening kickoff. That's what I accomplished there, and that's what I hope to bring here."

"He had a hard time in Jacksonville hanging on to the ball," Gruden said. "That's been well documented, but he is very compact, thick and quick. He has tremendous cutting ability at full speed. In the kicking game and as a creative receiver, he can do some things for us. And he's made some plays the last two days that are pretty easy to see."

"That's the thing I had in college. They just knew I had the chance to go all the way whenever I got the ball. They would block their butts off. It was just amazing. We have a great special teams unit here with Tampa. I'm looking forward to it.

"I feel like I have a great opportunity. A great chance."

There's a lot more to read. I can't wait to see him returning kicks for the Bucs.

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An article in the Tennessean discusses Titan defensive ends Antwan Odom and Travis Laboy, as they both come back from injuries from last year.

"My first year was down, my second year was up, and last year was down," LaBoy said. "So hopefully I will be back up again."

With the current roster, Washburn said he expects to start Odom, who has been practicing with the first team. LaBoy likely will be employed as a situational player.

"We are going to do some things this year," Odom said. "We are going to be a little one-two punch."

Washburn's made a scheme change that may make a difference. On occasion he's moved Vanden Bosch to the right side of the line while rotating Odom and LaBoy in on the left.

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Samson Satele had a couple quotes about the offensive line and the crazy heat in Miami in this South Florida Sun-Sentinel report:

Center Samson Satele on how the offensive line is gelling together: "It is pretty good. It is more for me because the more I talk, the more I call out the guy that I am going to, everybody is going to fall out after that. We are becoming a solid group right now. Like I said, it is more on me because I have to learn my plays and call out the right backer."

Center Samson Satele on if playing in Hawaii prepared him for the South Florida heat: "No, this is hot. This is really hot. The humidity here is really bad. At Hawaii, it would be hot, but you get that cool breeze everyday. At practice it would be easy for us."

It's still amazing whenever I read that he's the Dolphins' starting center. Right on.

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And finally, Ikaika Alama-Francis had a new entry on his Detroitlions.com blog on Friday.

“I feel that it’s a growing process. Every day I learn a little bit; I learn something that’s going to help me later on and every day I’ve got to soak in as much as I can from the veterans, the coaches – everything. Everything that’s going on, I’m learning. So if I can just get a little bit better – even if it’s one-percent every day – that’s still one-percent. So I’m just going to take that mentality and try to get better every day.

Reardon's Blog / Tsai's Blog / Practice Photos / Wary

A day early, Dave Reardon's blog, entitled UH Sports Extra, debuts on the Star-Bulletin. Great to have another source of UH football info. Here's an excerpt from his first post.

We’ll do some live blogging from practice beginning Monday. We want your questions, opinions and insight. I’ll throw out some topics now and then, and we’ll keep you up-to-date with breaking news on a more timely basis than we can do in our print editions.

Right on. Can't wait to see the liveblogs.

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Not to be pushed aside by any stretch of the means, Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat has a new post. Warriors don't practice today, but Tsai still got the news.

Ryan Keomaka is on a personal leave, but is expected to rejoin the team this week.
Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin has described Keomaka as a No. 1 cornerback. Keomaka was expected to rotate with Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis. Yesterday's backup cornerbacks were Guyton Galdeira and JoPierre Davis.

He also reports some great news for Nick Rolovich.

Former UH quarterback Nick Rolovich has signed a two-year contract with Las Vegas of the Arena Football League.
Rolovich said there is a penalty-free exit clause if he is invited to an NFL camp.
He would enter next season as the favorite to start at quarterback.

Rolo!

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Sportshawaii.com's uhwarriors took some photographs of UH practice on August 4th. Be there!

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And you know Boise can't be scared of playing Hawaii or anything, but their secondary is a little wary of playing against Colt.

If there is one quarterback in the country who could do something against this secondary it is Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan. The Broncos won't prepare for the Warriors until the week before the game, but it is on the mind of everyone else in Idaho.

"I know they are a good team and I am definitely excited to play them," (cornerback Kyle) Wilson said. "But I will worry about that when it comes down to it. We just have to take this one game at a time and we'll meet them at the end of the season."

Of course, this could all be part of an attempted disinformation psyche-out campaign, those tricky bastards. In any case, can't wait till November 23rd.

Training Camp Day 2 Wrap-Ups

Dave Reardon writes that practices have been very efficient so far.

Cal Lee, with the expanded role of coaching all the linebackers, said the pace is brisk and he likes it. Lee was famous for efficient practices as a high school coaching legend at Saint Louis School.

"Guys can have fun, but it's a business type of environment and atmosphere, and that's the way it should be," Lee said. "You should know what you're doing. It's got to be important to you."

Reardon goes on to write about the running backs. Kealoha Pilares and Leon Wright-Jackson talk about the respective hype each one is getting.

Wright-Jackson said he did sneak a peak at footage of Pilares rampaging through the ILH.

"His tape is very good," Wright-Jackson said. "Who says we can't have three or more running backs who are all capable of doing it? He can run the ball, really quick and explosive."

Pilares said Wright-Jackson is "cool."

"We're trying to not even think about (the hype)," the Damien graduate said. "We're teammates and we're both learning, so we want to help each other out. We want to win, so it's not an individual status kind of thing around here. We'll see how it goes. We all just have to put in the work now."

Picking up a lot of the "team first" attitude from these articles, which is awesome. Another example comes from Reardon and Brian McInnis, who write about freshman receiver Joe Avery.

Junior slotbacks Michael Washington and Davone Bess stayed after practice to offer the lean Avery -- who was the last man off the field -- some tips for his routes.

"Everybody here is so welcoming," said Avery, who has been in Hawaii a week. "They treat each other like brothers, so it's not like high school, where you're fighting for spots, competition, or whatever. And we all want the same thing: that's to win games."

The article mentions the other freshman receiver in camp, Royce Pollard, and notes two sideline observers, Viliami Nauahi (who might be able to start practicing on Friday), and JC cornerback Deyon McElroy, who plans to enroll at UH in January. There's also an update on MIAs -- AJ Martinez (snowboarding accident), Ryan Keomaka (may join Friday) and Elliot Purcell (should join August 20).

Stephen Tsai profiles receiver Jason Rivers, who recently got baptized.

"I have way more peace," Rivers said. "I don't stress over things. I'm enjoying my life."

Rivers, who will start at left wideout, said he is embracing his role as a team leader. Yesterday, he gave pointers to the first-year receivers.

"If a guy is unsure out there, I'll help him," Rivers said. "We're trying to develop depth on the roster. We need to get everybody up to speed. I want to help. I feel like a leader every year — maybe not by voice in previous years, but by my actions, and the way I practice."

Tsai also talks to Keenan Jones about being back with the team, albeit without a scholarship; Adam Leonard, back from his meniscus injury, Blaze Soares, who used to spar with boxer Brian Viloria, and freshman receiver Joe Avery.

Jason Kaneshiro profiles Blaze Soares, who talks about his fellow linebackers.

"They all can play. We're a great family and I think that's what's going to make us successful, that we're all so close," Soares said.

He also discusses part of his training regimen.

Since his sophomore season of high school, Soares has lugged the 70-pound tire, which had outlived its usefulness in construction, onto the sand at Kailua Beach. Once he's hooked it up to the harness, he'll drag it up a hill, building speed and strength with every step.

"It's more challenging, so when I run on grass or turf I feel way faster," the Hawaii linebacker said.

Gonna be a huge, nay, monster year for Soares and the Warrior D. Here's a quote from his recent chat on Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat.

Comment from: Blaze Soares [Member]

Comment from: Da Punchbowl Kid [Visitor]
Aloha Blaze,
You have a great name for an LB.How do you like Coach Mckmackin's new defense? Do you see the defense getting better numbers than last year. We are hearing lots of great things about you. Hope you have a great season.

I really like coach's defense. It's similar to last year. We'll blitz a lot. I think we'll do way better than last year. We have higher expectations this year. It'll be lots of fun. Plus, they don't know where we're coming from.

It's gonna be a sight to see.

Kalani Simpson has a great column about long snapper Jake Ingram.

INGRAM IS SO good at what he does, so accurate, so valuable, he's on scholarship for a single skill.

...

Which means the junior out of Mililani is officially a specialist, something he chafed at at first. "I felt like I wasn't a football player," he says.

He kept showing up at practice with the D-linemen, jumping in when the coaches weren't looking, to the point where he was officially banned from any and all defensive drills. He was just too valuable.

And finally, Ferd Lewis has a run-down of what are probably four of the toughest games for Hawaii this year -- Louisiana Tech, Nevada, Boise State and San Jose State. Here's an excerpt:

UH draws Nevada smack dab in the middle of what should be emotionally charged games with its two biggest Western Athletic Conference adversaries, Fresno State and Boise State. This kind of schedule squeeze comes in a short week due to a Friday ESPN-mandated TV game. It also does so at elevation (5,300 feet) and at a place where UH has never won and where there could be snow flurries.

Small wonder oddsmakers at the Las Vegas Hilton have listed this as one of their "national" games of the year to bet.

And let's not forget New Mexico State, which will surprise a lot of people, and Washington, which will have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation by the time they roll into town.

Keenan / LWJ Video / Patek / Lelie

Stephen Tsai reports that cornerback Keenan Jones was cleared to practice today. Great news. Tsai also listed the first team defense at the start of fall camp.

LE: Amani Purcell.
LT: Keala Watson
RT: Michael Lafaele
RE: Karl Noa.
WLB: Adam Leonard
MLB: Solomon Elimimian.
SLB: Blaze Soares
LCB: Gerard Lewis
FS: Desmond Thomas
SS: Jacob Patek
RCB: Myron Newberry

Also, Adam Leonard didn't report any discomfort in his knee during practice, which is excellent news.

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Leila Wai has a short video interview with running back Leon Wright-Jackson.

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Coy Slavik of the Victoria Advocate in Victoria, Texas talks to hometown hero Jacob Patek about living in Hawaii and being a Warrior.

Many are asleep on the mainland before the kickoff of Hawaii's home games. But Patek, who was recently named to the preseason All-WAC second team, feels the Warriors will open some eyes this season.

"It's not just an average program," Patek said. "Everybody can see we're a little bit above average and hopefully this year we'll have a chance to go to a BCS game. Granted we do have a pretty weak schedule, but it doesn't matter what kind of schedule you have, just as long as you play everybody hard and get the W."

The article also has some mp3 soundbites from his interview. Here's my favorite.

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And Ashley Lelie is interviewed by the Warriors' Haka site. He talks about his upcoming season and his excitement for the Warriors' upcoming season.

“There is no better place than Hawaii to prepare you for the NFL,” Ashley says. “When I was drafted by the Broncos, I had one read really, and that was a pre-snap read. Then I would run my route. With June, I read before the snap, after the snap … I kept reading and reacting until the ball was in my hands.

“Now that they’ve all been there together so long, Colt and his receivers have that core group of plays that when they execute, just can’t be stopped by any defense in the world, and they know it. Man-free, cover two, cover three, it doesn’t matter. That’s what I miss, and that’s what I love right there – knowing you’re going to be open on every single play.

“And with Colt Brennan, if you’re open, you’re getting the ball.”

:)

First Fall Camp Practice Wrap-Ups

Lots of news from the first day of camp.

In Dave Reardon's article, quarterback Colt Brennan and new center John Estes talk about building a connection.

Despite his familiarity with the position, Estes said it will take some time to develop timing with Brennan, as well as proficiency with the line calls -- which is just as important as the snap relationship.

"With every center and every quarterback it's different. Sam snaps the ball different than I do. We've just got to get used to each other," Estes said. "(Brennan's) voice, too. I'm somewhat used to it from playing guard last year."

Stephen Tsai writes about the 220s and talks to strength coach Mel deLaura, who helped devise the test.

Mel deLaura, who coordinated the summer conditioning program, said he was pleased with the completion rate. "This showed the guys who took things seriously," deLaura said.

DeLaura noted that more than a dozen who failed to meet the requirements were in their first UH training camp.

"A lot of them thought this was like high school, and they didn't really do what they needed to do," deLaura said.

74 out of about 100 completed the test. Some players, like Adam Leonard and Leon Wright-Jackson were held out of it, but they seem to be okay.

"Everything is good," Leonard said. "I can run. My knee is fine."

Running back Leon Wright-Jackson also had to postpone his 220s while he awaits results from his physical examination.

Tsai also writes of Keoni Steinhoff's move from right tackle to left tackle.

In another article, Stephen Tsai talks to the three Warrior walk-ons who received scholarships, Steinhoff, Jake Ingram and Rustin Saole. Also in the article: LWJ will run the 220s when he's cleared, Ryan Grice-Mullins practiced punt returns, punter Tim Grasso talks about improving over the summer, John Estes has more about becoming center, strong safety B.J. Fruean talks about coming back from an academic redshirt, Jason Ferguson discusses his transition from player to student assistant, and Paul Harmon is the new video guy. All that in one article.

Billy Hull of the Star-Bulletin writes about the offensive line, and how they formed a bond over the summer.

Three days a week during the summer, senior Hercules Satele got everyone together for morning workouts before spending the afternoon in the ocean looking for fish.

"All the new guys coming from the mainland were like 'Damn, dudes, you guys are crazy," Ah-Soon said. "Me, from Samoa, I never seen those spear guns before. I was excited to go out there and shoot some fish."

The SB's Brian McInnis talks to defensive coordinator Greg McMackin.

"The players will trust us because they know we work really hard to play the best players," McMackin said. "If a guy can help us win, then we want to get him on the field."

McMackin talks about the strength and depth of the linebacking corps. New safety Erik Robinson is also mentioned.

The SB's UH Football Notebook has a short interview with o-lineman Ray Hisatake, who completed his 220s and is in great shape.

Hisatake is competing at left tackle and checked in for camp at 313 pounds after playing at 338 in the spring.

"I feel healthier, I can move better," he said. "I feel great."

June Jones had this to say:

"A lot of the big guys, more than ever before (did well)," Jones said.

The Notebook also mentions LWJ and Adam Leonard being held out of 220s, Steinhoff talking about getting a scholie, Blaze Soares and Victor Clore doing crazy stuff with their hair, and punter Tim Grasso not minding that he might not punt much this season.

"I'd rather be on a great team and not punt very much than be on a losing team and punt every game," the JC transfer from Saddleback (Calif.) said.

Amen.

But it's not over. Ferd Lewis has a great column about the unselfishness of the Phoenix out of (Tucson) Arizona, Tyler Graunke.

Graunke could have bolted to a I-AA or Division II team and played right away. Nobody would have blamed him. Not when plenty of others from UH have already traveled that path.

Instead, Graunke is the poster spokesman for team unity. A point-to model of unselfishness and doing what it takes even if it doesn't smack of career enhancement. "I wish I could play for two years, but, hey, what happens happens," Graunke said. "It is cool. I like being a member of this team. I like being here and being part of all this. It isn't about me."

UH is a much better team because of Graunke. He's gonna tear it up in 2008.

And finally (!) Kalani Simpson writes about the giddiness and hard work, the hype and the 220s that come with the opening of fall camp.

And so there it was, yesterday. That's what it's about. Training camp is never glamorous, not even now. But it is exciting. It's always exciting, or at least it is on the very first day.

"It's like cracking a shell," Grice-Mullins said. "Now finally it's here, it's like, hey, now it's time to go to work, time to cook, time to eat."

Amen.

UPDATE: Woops, not so fast. Forgot to include Jaymes Song's AP article covering the first day. A quote from Rich Miano:

"This is definitely the most anticipated season since I've been here and I've been around here for 30 years," said Rich Miano, Hawaii's secondary coach and former star safety. "People expect us to go 12-0, but we're going to take them one at a time. We're very excited and we can't wait to get started."

And fan reports from Isleboy and Krans on Sportshawaii.com. From Jason on the Warrior Beat (spread out over several comments). I'm sure I've missed some, but thanks to all of them for the reports.

First Practice

Stephen Tsai has a quick summary of the Warriors' first practice of training camp on The Warrior Beat. He writes that walk-ons Keoni Steinhoff and Rustin Saole received scholarships. Congratulations to both of them. Tsai also writes that Leon Wright-Jackson practiced, but didn't run 220s, Ryan Grice-Mullins returned punts, and more. Lot more info to follow I'm sure.

UPDATE: An article from The Advertiser states that Jake Ingram also received a scholarship. Right on.

And Dave Reardon writes that linebacker Adam Leonard was held out of practice today as a precautionary measure.

Junior linebacker Adam Leonard, who led Hawaii with 114 tackles last season, was held out of the Warriors' first practice today which was comprised of a set of 10 220-yard runs designed to test conditioning.

Leonard underwent arthroscopic surgery in June to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He remained home in Seattle to rehab the knee, and arrived in Hawaii last night to report for fall camp.

"I'm in the training room right now," Leonard said in a phone conversation with the Star-Bulletin this afternoon. "It's just a precautionary thing and my knee should be OK. I'll be practicing soon."

Let's hope he can start practicing soon. He's a very important part of the Warrior defense. Godspeed, Manimal!

UPDATE 2: The Advertiser has a video shot by Leila Wai. It includes interviews with Mike Lafaele, Brad Kalilimoku and Colt Brennan, along with footage of the players running the 220s.

Catching Up with Colt / CSTV Previews

Saw this on Sportshawaii.com -- Colt Brennan is doing a weekly column at NFLDraftPro.com called "Catching Up With Colt." Here's an excerpt from his first entry on July 28th.

One thing I love to do in my down time is play video games. I play a lot of NCAA Football 2008; it’s a great game. The game was cool the first year I was in it [2005], but the one thing I was really upset about is that they made me really crappy. I led the nation in passing. I had like 68-percent completion and they still made me really bad in the game. I never really played with Hawaii in the game, because they made me a bad quarterback, but I was good. But this year they gave me a 97 [overall rating] in the game, so now I play myself and Hawaii everyday.

And an excerpt from his second entry.

This week has been interesting. I had a guy from the New York Times come out to Hawaii and he’s been following me all week long, so that’s been pretty cool. I understand where I am in this thing and I know that there will be media coverage all season long. I am ready for it and the way I look at it is that any exposure for our team is good exposure. Personally, I just try to embrace the attention, because for the most part it’s very positive.

The columns are pretty long and full of insight. Can't wait to read his entries from camp.

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CSTV.com has a feature on the Warriors offense, focusing on Colt and the receivers.

Junior Davone Bess is the leader of the bunch. He's coming off a season where he posted 96 receptions for 1,220 yards and 15 touchdowns. As his numbers show, he's a constant big-play threat who Jones calls the most explosive player on the team.

He also seems to have a good head on his shoulders. While having a big ego is almost a requirement for a No. 1 wide receiver, he certainly doesn't put one on display. When I asked him to talk about himself he deflected to the team.

"I don't really try to go for the individual goals," he said. "As long as the team goals are met, the individual goals will take care of themselves. As a team, hopefully we're fortunate enough to win the WAC and get a BCS bid."

CSTV also has a WAC preview.

There's little doubt that Brennan will put up Heisman-worthy numbers, but if he hopes to be invited to New York, an undefeated season is all but required. Most of the national media is obsessed with the trick plays and marriage proposals - not to ignore the good football - at Boise State, but the local writers picked Hawaii to win, and if Hawaii can beat the Broncos for the first time since both teams joined the WAC, the Warriors could be this year's Boise.

More on the #24, Gearing Up for Camp

Ferd Lewis writes about the benefits of the Warriors' pre-season #24 ranking.

If you're UH, a place in the Top 25 is exactly what you need right out of the gate. The schedule the Warriors are saddled with would have made it tough for them to climb into the Top 25 in the season's first six weeks when the opposition is Northern Colorado, Louisiana Tech, Nevada-Las Vegas, Charleston Southern and Utah State. None of those schools had a winning NCAA Division I-A record in 2006 nor is forecast for one this go-around.

But a place in the preseason poll amounts to an early check-in and gives the Warriors a presence and a validation of sorts. Not to mention a chance to move up, albeit in measured steps as the teams above them play tougher competition.

Definitely an excellent starting point.

Dave Reardon talks to Na Koa's Ben Yee, who is very happy.

Ben Yee has been waiting for this his whole life as one of the biggest University of Hawaii football fans.

Yee, a vice president of Na Koa, the Warriors football booster club, and a UH booster the past 38 years, is overjoyed his team is receiving unprecedented national attention. Yesterday it was revealed Hawaii is ranked in the preseason for the first time in school history, No. 24 in the coaches' poll administered by USA Today.

"Honestly, this is what I've dreamed of happening with this program. This is the biggest ever. The hype is on," Yee said. "It was pretty big in 1992, but this is magnified."

Stephen Tsai gets reaction from Colt Brennan and Ryan Grice-Mullins.

"Nice," UH quarterback Colt Brennan said. "That's really awesome. These things are based on what you did last year. It's nice for our team to be recognized. It's exciting."

Slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins recalled the frustration of the Warriors' 5-7 season in 2005.

"To go to 11-3 the next year and then be ranked, that means a lot," Grice-Mullins said. "It shows how we built up this program. I'm proud of that."

Tsai's article continues with a training camp preview, as the players move into the dance studios for their two week stay. We learn that the force is strong in Yoda. We also learn a few things defensive coordinator Greg McMackin will be working on in camp.

"We will work on tackling every day," said McMackin, who previously coached in Manoa in 1999, Jones' first season as UH head coach. "Technique-wise, we're going to be sound."

"We're going to do different things in the secondary," McMackin said. "They're not going to be as manned up."

Swinging back to Reardon's article, he has a positional breakdown heading into camp. Here's an excerpt:

Defensive linemen

Top of the chart: Amani Purcell, Karl Noa, Josh Leonard, David Veikune (ends), Mike Lafaele, Keala Watson, Fale Laeli (tackles)

Sleeper: Coaches and teammates say Noa is poised for a huge year.

Skinny: The move to the 4-3 defense allows the linemen to get more involved in blitzing and blowing up running plays behind the line. There is plenty of depth here despite losing two starters to the NFL.

Monster! Can't believe training camp is here already, with the season less than a month away! GO WARRIORS!!!!

Warriors USA Today Preseason #24

Had to post this Tombo. Last time I'll beat you to it though. I'm leaving the East Coast tomorrow, so I won't have that 3 hour edge on you. It'll be reversed when I get back to Hawaii.

Wow. Great to get the recognition. We need to not let it get to our heads as fans and as players. Need to see it as a challenge to keep that ranking and possibly raise it. But gotta focus on week by week, game by game, and go from there.

Here's the poll, and a breakdown of each team. I don't know how to make it nice looking like Tombo, so he'll probably embed the poll in his post somehow.

USA Today Top 25 Poll

Top 25 breakdown

UPDATE (by Tombo Ahi): Thanks for posting the official release, CC. Here's the entire poll:

Rank	Team (first-place votes)	Record	Points	Final 2006 rank
1.	Southern California (45)	11-2	1,481	4
2.	LSU (4)	11-2	1,372	3
3.	Florida (9)	13-1	1,278	1
4.	Texas	10-3	1,231	13
5.	Michigan (2)	11-2	1,218	9
6.	West Virginia	11-2	1,205	10
7.	Wisconsin	12-1	1,114	5
8.	Oklahoma	11-3	1,026	11
9.	Virginia Tech	10-3	1,005	18
10.	Ohio State	12-1	919	2
11.	Louisville	12-1	836	7
12.	California	10-3	763	14
13.	Georgia	9-4	604	NR
14.	Auburn	11-2	595	8
15.	Tennessee	9-4	583	23
16.	Rutgers	11-2	466	12
17.	UCLA	7-6	454	NR
18.	Penn State	9-4	440	25
19.	Nebraska	9-5	388	NR
20.	Arkansas	10-4	360	16
21.	Florida State	7-6	301	NR
22.	TCU	11-2	233	21
23.	Boise State	13-0	222	6
24.	Hawaii	11-3	214	24
25.	Texas A&M	9-4	209	NR
Others receiving votes (with 2006) records:
Boston College (10-3) 150; Georgia Tech (9-5) 150; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 91; Notre Dame (10-3) 90; South Carolina (8-5) 90; Wake Forest (11-3) 71; Missouri (8-5) 58; Oregon State (10-4) 52; Brigham Young (11-2) 47; Clemson (8-5) 30; Oregon (7-6) 30; South Florida (9-4) 26; Texas Tech (8-5) 20; Alabama (6-7) 16; Oklahoma State (7-6) 15; Southern Mississippi (9-5) 14; Iowa (6-7) 12; Kansas State (7-6) 8; Memphis (2-10) 5; Houston (10-4) 4; Arizona (6-6) 1; Duke (0-12) 1; Kentucky (8-5) 1; Washington State (6-6) 1.

And here's Hawaii's breakdown:

24. Hawaii (11-3)

Points: 214. Previous ranking: 24. Outlook: Can a quarterback from the Western Athletic Conference win the Heisman? Statistical marvel Colt Brennan will give it a shot, passing to veteran receivers, as the Warriors try to end Boise State's league reign. The Broncos visit in late November when first place could be on line. Opens: Sept. 1 vs. Northern Colorado.

Warriors in the Pros Update

Ashley Lelie is starting to impress in 49ers camp.

Play of the day: Receiver Ashley Lelie had a solid practice Thursday morning that included a deep touchdown catch from Trent Dilfer. His best reception, however, was a juggling, falling, one-handed snag in which he came down with the ball in the crook of his arm.

Here's more detail about that catch.

The sweetest catch so far, however, may have been made by Ashley Lelie, who had three defenders tightly wrapped around him when he snagged a short pass in two-minute offense. Lelie never had control of the pass, and as he was being taken to the ground, he bobbled it all the way down, finally securing it with the fingertips of one hand a few inches from the ground with the rest of his body getting crunched to the turf. That’s not the only good thing Lelie has done lately. The veteran is starting to come on.

Gonna be a big year for Ash.

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Ikaika Alama-Francis had another entry in his diary yesterday. Sounds like they're getting put through the ringer.

“(Non-padded practices are) a lot of mental (work). A lot of mental (work). Knowing your assignments, knowing what to do; not so much banging, but it is mental. Football is more mental than it is physical, so we’ve got to be on top of things and be ready for anything the offense throws at us and be ready for these games we have coming up this week.

“I lost track of days, let’s just say that. I don’t know what day it is, what’s going on, all I know is I have football tomorrow morning and football tomorrow afternoon and for the rest of the week and for the next long days to come.”

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And Chad Mock had two catches for 27 yards in his second game with the BC Lions.

Camp Schedule / Reardon Blogs / UH Preview / Vote

Here's a link to a training camp schedule the Star-Bulletin published a couple weeks ago. I've also posted a thumbnail of the calendar on the right sidebar, which links to the same thing. Hope the SB is okay with that. Don't want to get in trouble with them or anything...

Say, did you know that the Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon is starting a UH football blog on Monday? Definitely a cool thing. I'll post a link to it when it debuts.

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Shawn Harrison of The Herald Journal in Utah has a preview of the Warriors upcoming season. Here's an excerpt:

While the Warriors are the preseason favorites, Jones is quick to point out there are some missing bodies from a year ago. Five players were taken in the NFL draft and seven others signed free-agent deals.

“We’re excited about the team coming back, but we lost a lot of good players,” Jones said. “That is a concern, but we have some good players returning.”

The obvious star returning is Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan. The senior quarterback declared for the NFL after finishing sixth in the Heisman balloting last year, then decided to return for his final year at Hawaii.

“I’m glad I decided to stay,” Brennan said. “I’ve never thought about the Heisman, I just want to be the starting quarterback. I need to keep working.”

The Herald Journal is doing previews of all the other WAC teams as well. I'm sure I'll get around to reading them some day.

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And finally, the Warriors' Haka site is giving an opportunity for the fans to vote for their favorite UH players of all time. The leading vote-getters will comprise "The Legends" team, announced at the end of this month. So go vote!

Hawaii 24th in USA Today Coaches Poll

Looks like Hawaii will be ranked #24 when the USA Today Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll is officially released tomorrow.

For the first time since the Bowl Championship Series began in 1998, three teams from conferences without automatic BCS bids are ranked in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches' Poll: No. 22 TCU, No. 23 Boise State and No. 24 Hawaii.

""I think there's narrowing,'' says Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson, who has two teams in the preseason coaches' poll for the first time since USA TODAY took it over in 1991. ""I think there's almost an expectation that a team (from the WAC or Mountain West) will emerge.''

This is a great starting point for the Warriors, especially since the coaches' poll figures in the BCS rankings.

GO WARRIORS!!!!

UPDATE: Here's the Star-Bulletin article with the news. Here's the Advertiser article.

UPDATE 2: The link to the original story died, so maybe they were too early. Here's another one.

Training Camp Is Near

Very near. Dave Reardon writes about some players who may be delayed in their arrivals.

Heralded running back Leon Wright-Jackson arrived in the islands yesterday, but he can't practice with his new Hawaii football teammates until verification of completion of his associate's degree is received.

The status of junior defensive end Jon Fonoti was not clear yesterday, but sources said it appears Fonoti has made good academic progress and will be back on the team after sitting out last year when he was expected to start.

Senior outside linebacker Francis Maka is also awaiting a summer school grade.

Stephen Tsai also has an article about the players who may be delayed.

Defensive backs Ryan Mouton, Keenan Jones, B.J. Fruean and Kenny Graham will not attend the opening of the University of Hawai'i football team's training camp.

Mouton, Jones and Fruean are awaiting certification of summer-session classes.

Graham, a four-star cornerback from Bakersfield College, is not expected to play for the Warriors this season.

Mouton, a cornerback who played at Blinn College in Texas, has earned an associate degree, an NCAA eligibility requirement for a junior-college transfer. But he was told to remain in Texas until his transcripts have been certified. That could take at least another five business days.

Jones, a junior cornerback, and Fruean, a third-year sophomore strong safety, could miss even more time. They are attending UH's second summer session. The term ends Aug. 10.

Too bad about Graham. Let's hope there are no extended delays in certification for the rest. Also from Tsai's article, Dennis McKnight has some advice for the backup offensive linemen heading into camp.

"The old theory I hang my hat on is: life is like a dog-sled team. If you're not striving to be the lead dog, the view never changes. If you're content looking at someone's rear from Nome in the Iditarod, then that's fine. But I want to be out front, breathing fresh air and leading the way. That's what I want to instill in them."

Gotta love McKnight. Speaking of which, when will we be able to see his awesome acting in the soon-to-be-released(??) "June Jones and the Magic Temple"?

UPDATE: Stephen Tsai also posted the latest UH roster on The Warrior Beat.

Warriors at #16

MSNBC has Hawaii ranked #16 in their Preseason Top 25. Here's an excerpt:

The run-and-shoot Warriors have a two-word bottom line — Colt Brennan. The senior quarterback, a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, could break his Division I-A single-season record of 58 touchdown passes — if his arm doesn’t get too tired. At times, his numbers are staggering, such as his pass efficiency ranking (186.0) and average passing yards (396.4 per game). Maybe somebody should also pay attention to the numbers from his receivers, particularly junior Davone Bess (96 catches, 1,220 yards, 15 touchdowns). The Warriors are going to hang half-a-hundred on plenty of teams.

Our First Opponent

Northern Colorado just got certified.

Heralded as a "historic day for the University of Northern Colorado," by school officials, the Bears' rise out of Division II has been certified in advance of their season-opening football game with the University of Hawai'i, the NCAA said.

UNC, which won NCAA Division II national championships in 1996 and '97, had been in a four-year transition process toward full membership in the 124-school Football Championship Subdivision (previously known as Division I-AA).

June Jones Video Interview

KITV's Dan Meisenzahl interviewed Coach Jones about the upcoming season this morning. KITV posted the interview on their site. Thanks KITV!

Here's Part 1.



Here's Part 2.

Herman, Year Six

Ferd Lewis with the article.

Herman Frazier starts his sixth year as the University of Hawai'i athletic director today — although he chuckles and says "it seems like longer."

Here's what Frazier thinks of his tenure so far:

"I think, given all the things that we have had an opportunity to touch since we've been here — and everyone might not always agree that we did the right thing — we will certainly tell you that we believe that we have," Frazier said.

And I can certainly tell you - though some might say I'm crazy - that I believe in unicorns.


My pretties

One of those who might not always agree with Frazier is K. Mark Takai:

But some, including state Rep. K. Mark Takai D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City), who led a legislative meeting into UH athletic operations under Frazier in May, question what he has accomplished. "In my few interactions with Mr. Frazier he seems like an intelligent person and nice guy. However, for the amount of money we're paying him ($250,000), I just don't see what he has personally done to bring Hawai'i to the next level," Takai said.

The football scheduling fiasco (no 13th game but two Division I-AA opponents) and budgetary questions (a balanced budget for 2006 but overall unrestricted net deficit of $4.2 million) are issues that have hung over Frazier's past year. "Those two issues are examples," Takai said. "The finances, some could argue, have put the UH athletic program in a more financially risky (position) and deeper in debt."

And here's Ferd with the follow-up column.

By year five of that administration, a football schedule — the only major schedule the AD actually works on — should have been long since cast in stone. Especially for one whose contacts have been so heralded. That it hasn't been, especially befitting a season in which UH has its first real Heisman Trophy candidate, is a huge disappointment.

And a hope (or lament) for the future:

Frazier has done some praiseworthy things in his tenure, keeping UH largely out of the NCAA doghouse and running a quality, broad-based department among them.

But for one of whom so much has been expected more needs to be produced.

LWJ

Stephen Tsai writes a great profile on incoming running back Leon Wright-Jackson. Here's an excerpt:

It is that obsessiveness to detail, he hopes, that will provide motivation this season. While he was recruited to instantly contend as the successor to running back Nate Ilaoa, Wright-Jackson cautioned not to expect too much too soon.

"I want to get this system down first," Wright-Jackson said. "It wouldn't do the team any good to throw me out there if I'm lost. I know it's going to be a challenge. I know about the hype and the pressure. I'm going to give it 100 percent and try to get better."

Gotta love hearing that. Stephen also mentions the highlight videos.

The most downloaded video features a series of breakaway runs when he was an All-American at Pasco (Wash.) High in 2004. The other video package is from his freshman year at Nebraska in 2005.

I haven't seen the Nebraska video. But I have seen this one, many many times.

2006 Highlight Videos

Kapoleicoug does it again, with three awesome new videos, recapping the 2006 season. Wow.





This last one covers the last three games of the 2006 season, Purdue, Oregon State and Arizona State. Very dramatic, with music, a story arc and everything. Cool.

Around the League

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron discusses the various duties fullbacks have in his offense.

Cameron views Schlesinger and rookie Reagan Mauia, who played in the run-and-shoot offense at Hawaii, as multitalented players capable of delivering a block, a run or pass reception. He coached three-time Pro Bowl FB Lorenzo Neal as he helped make LaDainian Tomlinson a superstar in San Diego.

"A fullback is part lineman, part tight end and part groundhog, I guess," Cameron said. "The mental part is the key because he's the second-level blocker most of the time."

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Jason Elam is amazed that the Broncos' new special teams coach has them running plays.

O'Brien's attention to detail has been evident from the jump in training camp.

Kicker Jason Elam, who has played under Richard Smith, Rick Dennison, Frank Bush and Ronnie Bradford before O'Brien, marveled earlier this week when the Broncos, in their third practice of camp, sprinted onto the field in a live, two-minute field- goal drill.

"We didn't even do field-goal team then," he said of his past experiences. "I'm not even sure if guys knew who was on field goal."

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Jaguars.com's Vic Ketchman answers a question about Vince Manuwai.

Matt from Honolulu, HI: Aloha from Hawaii, Vic. Fans in Hawaii would love to know how Vince Manuwai is doing?

Vic: Manuwai has a chance to become one of the league’s elite run-blockers. He’s naturally powerful and reminds me of the most naturally powerful and athletic offensive lineman I have ever covered. Tony Boselli? No, it was a guy named Carlton Haselrig. Manuwai is Haselrig; Manuwai has that kind of fork-lift power. Look at what he did to Derek Landri in the Oklahoma.