Hawaii Move Up in AP and Coaches Poll (w/UPDATE)

Bumped to add Harris Poll.

UH moves up three spots to #16 in the AP poll, and move up two spots to #15 in the Coaches poll.

UPDATE: UH moves up two spots to #16 in the Harris Poll. Here's a PDF of the poll from Harris Interactive. I'll post an HTML version when it's released.

...and here's it is.

UH at Idaho Wrap-Ups

The Advertiser has a scoring breakdown and game stats.

Dave Reardon writes about the motivation the UH defense took into this game.

Most of the Hawaii defensive players had never heard of Craig James before Friday night. Greg McMackin made sure they did before yesterday's 48-20 victory at Idaho.

The former SMU star running back became a part of the UH defensive coordinator's game plan when McMackin heard about negative comments James made about the Warriors defense during the Thursday night Boise State-Southern Miss telecast.

James, now an analyst with ESPN, said the UH defense is inferior, and that he knocked the No. 19 Warriors out of his Top 25 for that reason. McMackin passed that on to his players Friday and they took it to heart yesterday. They shut down the Vandals' running game and picked off five Nathan Enderle passes, returning two for touchdowns.

UPDATE: Forgot to include Ferd Lewis' column on McMackin's reaction to the comments.

Stephen Tsai writes that Colt Brennan tweaked his ankle again during the game.

In the first quarter, Brennan "rolled" the ankle. He opted to continue playing. But the injury made it difficult to push off on his right foot. Two of his interceptions came when he threw off the back foot. Two others were initially tipped.

"(The Vandals) made some good plays, and I wasn't myself," Brennan said. "I didn't do the best job of capitalizing when I had the opportunities. It was a weird, wacky thing. We played that poorly on offense, and we still crushed them. That shows how good this team is."

Ferd Lewis talks to the coaches about Colt's injury.

Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said the injured ankle caused Brennan "not to be able to do some of the things he normally does as well. But it is something he's going to have to work through and he's a tough kid."

But Morrison said, "even with it, he made some unbelievable throws at times. He made a couple across the field to Davone (Bess) that, I mean, had to be put right where they were. There was no other place — and he did it."

Jones added: "A lot of (the problems) came when he was moving around. That's when you feel it. When he was able to get set he made some good throws. Take away the 2 or 3 balls that were tipped and he played a pretty good game. But he's tough on himself. He's his own worst critic."

Also from the article:

• June Jones talks about Malcolm Lane's performance.


• Blaze Soares finally got to play, but didn't record any tackles.


• Ryan Mouton's knee was sore after the game and may get an MRI.

Dave Reardon highlights the performance of Kealoha Pilares.

"I was just trying to make the first guy miss and get in the open field," Pilares said. "The field was kind of soft and hard to cut on."

Pilares repeated the UH running backs' mantra that their first job is to block -- that's especially true now with Brennan dealing with rehabbing a sprained right ankle.

Also from the article:

• Colt talks about bouncing back from the 5-INT performance.


• Malcolm Lane talks about burning, and then getting tackled in the endzone by Stanley Franks.


• Ryan Mouton's knee injury is not to the same knee as last week.


• Adam Leonard talks about lobbying June Jones to put him in as a fullback in goal-line situations. Speaking of which...

Ferd Lewis talks to coach Jones about putting Leonard in on offense.

"He talked about that last week," Jones said. "He's got some running ability."

Would Jones let the 6-foot, 236-pounder make the move?

"Naw."

Doh!

Kalani Simpson's final column is a great one, profiling Kalaheo QB and son of Fred, Cody vonAppen.

And finally, some Warriors like yogurt.

Video Highlights: Hawaii at Idaho

ESPN highlights from the always on it UHBows.


And here are some video highlights from KREM in Spokane, Washington.

UPDATE: Woops, Chawan Cut was so fast in getting this up, I didn't even look. Here are some game reports from KITV's Rob DeMello, KHON's John Veneri and KHNL's Stephen Florino.

Hawaii 48, Idaho 20

Here's the AP wrap-up by Tim Booth.

Brennan finished 30 of 49 for 369 yards with three touchdown passes and added a 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter. Brennan's five interceptions — two were on deflections — tied a school record, but while the Warriors' star struggled, Hawaii's talent easily overmatched the Vandals.

Brennan's ankle seemed fine, but he was far from sharp. Many of his passes were slightly off target, either behind or in front of his receivers. Brennan's 19 incompletions were the most since missing 20 throws against Wisconsin in 2005 and third highest of his career.

Davone Bess caught a season-high 12 passes for 162 yards, just two receptions off the school record he co-owns, and Kealoha Pilares added 85 yards rushing on just 10 carries, the highest total by any Hawaii back this season.

The Star-Bulletin has a scoring breakdown and some game stats.

Hawaii at Idaho Updates

Not a liveblog, but just some scoring updates. Check out other ways to follow the game in the post below.

1st Quarter:

10:32 - Colt Brennan connects on a 13 yard pass to Ryan Grice-Mullins. Dan Kelly's PAT is good. Hawaii 7, Idaho 0.

7:10 - Idaho scores a TD on an 18-yard sweep. PAT good. Hawaii 7, Idaho 7.

4:47 - Adam Leonard intercepts the Idaho QB and RETURNS IT 40 YARDS FOR A TD!!!! PAT is good. Hawaii 14, Idaho 7.

End of 1st Quarter - Hawaii 14, Idaho 7


2nd Quarter:

14:07 - Colt Brennan throws a 41-yard bomb to Malcolm Lane for a TOUCHDOWN!!!! PAT is good. Hawaii 21, Idaho 7

10:44 - 24-yard TD pass from Colt Brennan to Davone Bess across the middle! PAT is good. UH 28, Idaho 7

3:54 - Dan Kelly kicks a 39-yard field goal. Hawaii 31, Idaho 7

2:42 - Myron Newberry intercepts an Idaho pass and takes it 75 yards for a TD! He gets an unsportsmanlike penalty for jumping into the endzone. PAT is good. Hawaii 38, Idaho 7

0:36 - Idaho kicks a 50-yard field goal. UH 38, Idaho 10. Wasn't this the final score of the USC-Idaho game?

0:04 - Dan Kelly kicks a 25-yard field goal. UH 41, Idaho 10. End of the 1st half.


3rd Quarter:

3:04 - Colt Brennan sneaks in a TD run from the 1-inch line. PAT good. UH 48, Idaho 10


4th Quarter:

5:42 - Idaho kicks a 49-yard field goal. UH 48, Idaho 13

3:21 - Idaho passes 35 yards for a TD. Hawaii 48, Idaho 20.

0:00 - END OF GAME. Hawaii 48, Idaho 20.

Ways to Follow the Hawaii at Idaho Game

Bumped. I found a Yahoo GameChannel link for live stats and audio. Also, some people are saying that ESPN360 does not list the game when you open the player up. Hopefully it'll be available by the time the game starts. Please comment below if you find any other way to keep up with the game. GO WARRIORS!!!!

In Hawaii:

Oceanic PPV at home. K5 will also being showing repeats.

Check out this list from the Oceanic cable website, which has a list of bars and establishments showing the game live. This Advertiser page has addresses and phone numbers for some of them.

1420 AM on the radio.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Streaming audio and game stats via Yahoo Sports' GameChannel (click on the "Idaho" link). You need Internet Explorer and a Yahoo login.

Streaming video via the Idaho Athletics website. You'll need Windows Media Player or an equivalent. It costs $6.95 for a month. I have not tried it.

Live online stats from ESPN's Scoreboard, which should have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.


Outside of Hawaii:

Watch it on ESPN Gameplan, if your cable or satellite provider has it.

Streaming video from ESPN360.com, if your ISP supports it.

Streaming video via the Idaho Athletics website.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Streaming audio and game stats via Yahoo Sports' GameChannel (click on the "Idaho" link). You need Internet Explorer and a Yahoo login.

Live online stats from ESPN's Scoreboard, which should have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.

UH at Idaho: PreGame

Orlando from UHWarriorFan.com has a bunch of great photos from this week's UH football practices.



Chawan Cut has compiled some UH-Idaho previews from some recent local broadcasts. From last night's news, previews from KHON's John Veneri, KITV's Rob DeMello and KGMB's Liz Chun. They show footage from the last time UH played in the Kibbie Hangar, two years ago. Check out the silver numbers, check out the Astroturf!



And check out Chawan Cut's Youtube page for much more.

And from earlier in the week, here are some game notes from the UH Athletics website, which includes a link to the PDF press release for the game.

GameDay: Hawaii at Idaho

Stephen Tsai has an update on Colt Brennan's status.

Although he has "tweaked" the right ankle a couple of times in practices, the soreness has subsided after ice treatments.

"I'll be fine in the game," said Brennan, who will not take any pain-killing shots. "Game-day adrenaline is unbelievable. I could have played last week and been fine. Trust me. But the rest was good, and I'll be that much more ready this time."

Dave Reardon's gameday preview has probable starting lineups, breakdowns on both sides of the ball, and this key matchup:

Idaho (lack of) consistency vs. Hawaii explosiveness

Idaho has some talented players, but not enough to afford costly mistakes, especially against a team with as many offensive, defensive and special teams weapons as Hawaii. Five of UH's 31 touchdowns have been scored by defense or special teams. The Vandals have generally played well, but made critical errors at key junctures.

A popular way to try to slow down the run-and-shoot is to mix zone coverages with blitzes in an attempt to contain the Warriors for short gains and pressure the quarterback. But UH's receivers run well after the catch, and Brennan does a good job of detecting blitzes and audibling into quick passes.

If this approach is to have a chance, it must be paired with a ball-control offense that also scores points while eating the clock.

Idaho coach Robb Akey tells the Idaho Statesman how he plans to defend the UH offense.

Because Brennan has a quick release and doesn't get sacked often, the Vandals may have to find an alternative way to pressure the run-and-shoot offense. Idaho has recorded only three quarterback sacks in its first four games.

"Just like you can blitz a quarterback, you can blitz receivers a little bit," Akey said. "You have to have two answers, you can't do just one. More than anything, they do what they do and they do it very well. And they don't care what you do. Hopefully we can change it up enough to where we can keep the big plays to a minimum."

Another Idaho Statesman article discusses the Vandals' emphasis on special teams.

"It's the biggest game-changing play that can happen during a game," said Idaho sophomore Shiloh Keo, who returned a punt 100 yards for a score last week. "You get the biggest momentum swings out of special teams play."

"In regards to playing quality opponents and having an opportunity to win this conference, the special teams have got to play a role in that," Idaho coach Robb Akey said. "We've made good progress in regards to having that happen."

Stephen Tsai's gameday preview has probable starting lineups and breakdowns of offense, defense and special teams for UH and Idaho. Tsai also talks to the players about the Kibbie Dome lights.

The Warriors' biggest adjustment will be the yellow-shaded lighting in the Kibbie Dome. The lights also are lower than at Aloha Stadium. "You have to concentrate more," said Grice-Mullins, who played in the dome as a second-year freshman in 2005. The four starting receivers — as well as Brennan — wear clear visors on their helmets. "You'd be surprised how the clear visors shield the light," Grice-Mullins added.

Tsai also writes that Jason Rivers did not practice this week and may be held out of the game.

Ferd Lewis writes about this UH team being able to play and practice on the road.

For it wasn't too many years ago when any venture out of Aloha Stadium was a toss-up — or worse. Any game away from home, especially up in altitude and down in temperature was a cause for deep concern. The slightest things that could go wrong usually did. Even when it was just the seemingly routine opening coin flip.

If the Warriors didn't play their best, they usually didn't win. And if they were off their game, look out, it had a tendency to get ugly.

But these Warriors — and we're talking since June Jones took over in 1999 in general and the last two campaigns in particular — have shown an ability to do more.

And finally, best wishes to Star-Bulletin columnist Kalani Simpson, who's leaving the paper and moving to the mainland.

No, as many of you know, my wife is from the mainland and we're moving closer to her family. We're moving to the mainland for all the reasons families move to the mainland. It's tough to make it work in Hawaii; it's worth it, but that doesn't make it any less tough. We're moving because the dollar goes further. We're moving because we want to have more kids. It's very much a family decision, a life-decision thing.

Suddenly you sound like Ken Griffey Jr.

Thank you for not using Dennis Erickson.

It's tough. It is sad. But it's the best thing for our family, and we're looking forward to the new adventure ahead.

When he was on, he wrote some of the best columns around.

And regardless, he always kept it interesting.

I really enjoyed the humor he brought to the table.

And as you can tell...

His writing style has rubbed off on me.

I kid, I kid. All the best to Kalani Simpson!

And... GO WARRIORS!!!!

Rivers, Lane, Special Teams, Akey, D. Smith

Stephen Tsai writes that Jason Rivers' back injury continues to bother him, and it'll be a gameday decision whether or not he plays. If he can't go, Malcolm Lane will start in his place.

"People know I'm fast, but it doesn't matter," Lane said. "I don't care about that stuff. I care about running hard every play and making the right reads on the football field. Speed is always an advantage, but you have to be smart, too. It showed last year (as a true freshman). I was fast, but I didn't know what I was doing, and it didn't get me anywhere. You can have speed, but if you don't know what you're doing, it doesn't mean anything."

Also from the article:

• Linebacker Poʻokela Ahmad will redshirt.


• Details about the personalized t-shirts some players are making.

Dave Reardon writes about some of the UH fans in Idaho. On the same page, Dave and Brian McInnis profile the special teams.

"Dennis has done a great job of tying it all together and creating an attitude amongst the players that special teams is important," Reinebold said. "And not just that, but giving the guys some fundamentals and techniques."

Junior cornerback Guyton Galdeira has found a niche as an outstanding special teams player, blocking on returns and making tackles on kickoffs and punts. He often blocks two defenders on the same play.

"I'm trying to get to three," Galdeira said. "Coach McKnight always talks about taking it to the next level. Once you know your block is secure, you go to the next level and find another one."

In their Sports Notebook, McInnis and Reardon write that Colt Brennan was still hurting, but accurate in practice. Also from the Notebook:

• Korey Reynolds may be eligible for a medical hardship due to a shoulder injury.


• Kiran Kepoʻo continues to recuperate from his on-campus bicycle accident.


• Jared Lene is back with the team after recovering from a viral infection.

Ferd Lewis writes about 1st year Idaho coach Robb Akey.

Robb Akey, who will coach on the sideline opposite UH's June Jones for tomorrow's game, is the third head coach in as many years and fourth in five seasons for the Vandals. Some players are working on their fourth position coaches in as many years.

And the Warrior Insider spoke to defensive back Daniel Smith, who will become a Warrior in 2008..

“I committed so early to Hawaii because I wanted to show the school how much I wanted to become a apart of the team. When I was on my visit I really felt at home and accepted. The thing I am most exited about when I get to Hawaii is my first practice. I just want to get on the field with the team” said Smith.

Colt's ESPN Article, Silence, McMackin

Here's the online version of Chad Nielsen's ESPN the Magazine cover story on Colt Brennan.

He gave up NFL millions for this? A twin foam mattress without sheets on a bare tile floor? It looks like a dog's bed, except no dog lives in this cozy plank house. Instead, Colt Brennan, college football's most complete quarterback, lounges here, waiting out the early August heat in Kahuku, a two-stoplight town in rural Hawaii.

Brennan is watching a Steelers-Eagles preseason game on a grainy TV, listening for Hawaiian names. That could have been him getting beaten up as an NFL rookie.

Read the whole thing! Awesome article.

Stephen Tsai writes about the UH offense practicing the silent count in anticipation of playing in the echoey Kibbie Barn.

"It's all about the timing," center John Estes said. "I snap it when it's a certain time. It's a certain rhythm we use."

In practices earlier in the season, Estes said, "Sometimes I'd snap it faster than I should. But we worked on it, and our timing is better."

Left guard Hercules Satele said: "It's a matter of trust. You have to trust the center will snap the ball on time. This is a precaution in case in gets loud. But we're ready."

Also from the article:

• Colt talks about his ankle.


• Ryan Mouton talks about the kickoff return for TD he promised Colt.


• Jason Rivers was held out of practice due to his stiff back.


• Safeties Erik Robinson and Spencer Smith will be on the travel roster to Idaho.

Dave Reardon talks to Greg McMackin about the upcoming game.

"They're getting the most out of their athletes," he said. "They played well against USC (a 38-10 loss) and they were ahead of Washington State. They got their win against Cal Poly, and they should've won last week against Northern Illinois, but that was an accident game. They had all kinds of accidents go against them."

"I think they're better than LaTech. They held and grabbed face masks," he said of the Bulldogs. "(Idaho's) offensive front is as good as any we've played yet."

Billy Hull and Dave Reardon's Sports Notebook has news that Leon Wright-Jackson has been told to cut loose.

During a recent tape session, Hawaii coach June Jones noticed the sophomore running back trying to stick to the offense too much on some of his runs.

"He told me to just run wild," Wright-Jackson said. "If I see something else, hit it as hard as possible and get upfield."

Yeah baby. That's exciting to hear. Also from the Notebook:

• More details about the silent snap count.


• Dennis McKnight discusses the offensive line's performance.


• Blaze Soares and Ryan Keomaka are set to make the trip.


• J. David Miller's "Hawaii Warrior Football" book is ready for pre-order at WarriorsRespond.com. I'm hoping that I'll get an e-mail from warriorshaka.com about the pre-pre-orders we submitted all those months ago!

And finally, Chawan with a news compilation from last night. KHON's Kanoa Leahey reports about Colt's ankle and ESPN cover story; KITV's Rob DeMello reports on the ankle as well as the good news about Ryan Mouton's knee; KGMB's Liz Chun talks to Colt about playing at Idaho and she has a report from the Janevia Taylor fundraiser. And KHNL's Stephanie Lum has report from the fundraiser, while KHNL's Stephen Florino reports about Colt's ankle and has a preview.

Idaho Previews, Mike Washington

Here's a UH at Idaho preview from The Sports Network.

Here a preview from Andrew Giornalista of the AP.

And here's an article from Nick Jezierny of the Idaho Statesman, profiling Vandals cornerback Stanley Franks, who talks about facing the Warriors offense.

"This right here is a cornerback's dream," said Franks, who was an All-WAC cornerback last season. "With as much as they throw the ball ... it's definitely a cornerback's dream."

Awww yeah, that should be a fun battle to watch out for.

Finally, UH receiver Mike Washington is profiled in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Hawaii coach June Junes inserted Washington to return a punt in the third quarter, and Washington responded by returning it 80 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. The highlight-reel run was similar to those of Santana Moss and Dante Hall, two diminutive NFL receivers after whom Washington (5-7, 165) said he patterns his game.

"When I got an opportunity, I just had to let coach Jones and everybody else know what's up," said Washington. "I'm like: You've got to look at my highlight tape or something. Everybody back home wants to know what I do down here. I just got the opportunity and I just did what I do."

Wed. Practice, Fundraiser

Dave Reardon has a short practice report from today. Here's half of it:

>> If Colt Brennan is rusty, it wasn’t evident on the last play. He slipped one in between two defenders into the hands of Ryan Grice-Mullins.

>> June Jones on Colt Brennan after practice today: “He’s probably six or seven out of 10 but he’ll play.

Stephen Tsai writes that Colt tweaked his ankle.

Colt Brennan said he "tweaked" his right ankle during today's practice, but said he's fine and he "definitely" will start against Idaho Saturday.

Yikes! Be well, HI's man. Also from the entry, Tsai gives an update on the status of members of the 2007 UH football recruiting class. He also has a reminder about today's fundraiser for Janevia Taylor. Here's an excerpt from a Ka Leo article about it:

The University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine Booster Club will host the "Friends of Janevia Taylor Fundraiser" on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at Eastside Grill. Doors open at 5 p.m. Ticket price is $10 and includes heavy pūpūs, as well as four raffle tickets for prizes including restaurant and retail gift certificates, autographed UH memorabilia and a Las Vegas travel package.

Taylor, one of the school's all-time leading scorers, remains in a coma following a serious automobile accident in June near her home in California.

Donations may also be made to Taylor's medical fund at any First Hawaiian Bank branch or may be mailed to:

Friends of Janevia Taylor
c/o First Hawaiian Bank
2764 Woodlawn Dr.
Honolulu, HI 96822

Colt, Bess, Idaho, D

Another CC compilation. Kanoa Leahey previews Idaho, Liz Chun reports about Colt getting back to practice and highlights Davone's somersault into the endzone, Robert Kekaula has a preview and looks at some stats, and Stephen Florino takes a look at the Warriors D.

Colt, Special Forces, Mouton, Etc.

Stephen Tsai writes about Colt Brennan resuming practice yesterday.

"My ankle is fine," Brennan said. "I'll definitely be ready by Saturday."

Quarterback coach Dan Morrison said Brennan was "his usual accurate self."

From UHWarriorFan.com, here's a shot of Colt "getting back into gear," ahem.



Tsai's article continues with a profile of the special teams.

They are the self-styled "Hit Men," the heat-seeking players who form the left side of the Warriors' kick-coverage unit.

"They do the job," said Dennis McKnight, who helps coordinate the kickoff coverage.

UH's strategy is to narrow the field, with Dan Kelly placing kickoffs to the return team's right.

The Warriors loaded their left side with two speedsters (Ryan Keomaka and Guyton Galdeira) along the sideline, and wedge-busters Rustin Saole, Francis Maka and John Fonoti between the numbers and the tee.

Dave Reardon profiles playmaker Ryan Mouton, who got some great news about his knee.

Mouton's MRI came up negative for any serious harm, and the junior participated fully in team drills yesterday. That was a big relief for both the UH defense and special teams, for which he has become a knight on the chessboard: versatile and shifty.

"He's a big-time player," McMackin said. "He's for real, and he complements our corners. He's playing our nickel (package), and we're getting him more and more reps and we consider him a starter and one of our better players."

The article concludes with an injury update on Le'Marcus Gibson, who will undergo knee surgery and apply for a medical redshirt.

Dave has a profile of Idaho running back Deonte Jackson, who hopes to recover from an ankle sprain in time for the UH game.

And Ferd Lewis has hopes that season ticket holders will no longer have to pay for pay-per-view UH football road games, hopefully in the near future.

Lunch and Practice Reports

Dave Reardon has a report from Brian McInnis about today's practice. Here's an excerpt:

CB/KR Ryan Mouton got his MRI back, and he’s cleared to play. His left knee is still a little sore, but he practiced at full speed today and DC Greg McMackin said RM will make the trip and his regular contribution is expected, meaning he’ll rotate in at both corners and return kickoffs.

That's excellent news for Mouton and the team. The replays showing him bent backwards at the knee did not look good.

Speaking of bending over backwards, Stephen Tsai writes that the UH Lower Campus has endured a few minor inconveniences while Toyota hosts a convention there. Also from the article, BJ Fruean, who was dismissed from the team during the 11-day road trip, will be back next spring. And Leila Wai has a new video, which includes a funny interview with Ryan Mouton.

Both blogs report that Colt Brennan threw the ball at practice today, though Reardon (or McInnis) writes that Colt was still favoring his ankle. Godspeed, Colt!

Sportshawaii's uhwarriors has a great recap of this week's Na Koa lunch where coach Rich Miano and Dennis McKnight discussed and dissected various plays from the Charleston Southern game. And just a reminder that you can listen to "Call the Coach" with June Jones tonight (soon!) at 6:00pm HST via 1420 AM, or streaming audio here.

Injuries, Cover Boy, Ridiculousness

Stephen Tsai writes about the injuries to Colt Brennan and Blaze Soares, who both plan to play this weekend, Jason Rivers, who may not, and Ryan Mouton, who had an MRI done on his knee and feels good about his chances to play. On the other hand, freshman safety Le'Marcus Gibson looks to be done for the year due to an ACL injury:

Gibson, a freshman from Mississippi, is prepared to undergo surgery to repair the partially torn ACL in his left knee.

He will seek a medical hardship. If granted, as expected, he will have four years to play four seasons.

"I'll still be a freshman next year," Gibson said.

Gibson said he suffered the injury while practicing in Houston two weeks ago.

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. Also from the article:

• A few words from new dad Josh Leonard.


• Keoni Steinhoff, Adam Leonard and Ryan Mouton were selected by coaches as Warriors of the week.


• Ryan Keomaka is on the comeback trail after getting academics in order.

Dave Reardon writes about Colt Brennan being on the cover of the soon-to-be-published ESPN The Magazine (the article has a picture of it), and writes about Jason Rivers' injury.

"I feel bad for him in his senior year," Jones said yesterday at his weekly press conference. "He's getting (his back) looked at again. He tried to go, I probably should have held him out. So we'll make adjustments that he's not going to be there."

Reardon also has some national stats:

The Warriors have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns and enter the week third in Division I at 32.4 yards per return.

The Warriors also enter the week third nationally in net punting (41.9 yards per punt) and 12th in punt returns (16.8). Mike Washington is second in the country in punt returns, based largely on his 80-yard touchdown in the opener.

Cool.

Kalani Simpson has a few great quotes from QB coach Dan Morrison about the ridiculousness of the UH offense.

He said, "We're doing some things different (scheme-wise), but nothing dramatically different than we've been doing the last eight years." On behalf of the coaches, he said, "It's not us."

Well, then what is responsible for this seismic shift? El Nino? Global warming? A grave disturbance in the force?

"It's just the young people we have in the system right now," Morrison said.

"Get to the stadium while you can," Morrison said. "Because they're going to be gone really shortly." He's talking about the young people. They're on quite a roll. And once they're gone ...

Golden age, baby!

And finally, Ferd Lewis writes about the unseemliness of the Boise president begging to join the Mountain West. Boooooo!

CSU Pics, Vids and News, Idaho Info

Orlando of UHWarriorFan.com has a bunch of great pics from the Charleston Southern game ready to view on his 2007 Season photo gallery. Here's but a wee sample of the over 700 photos from the game -- Davone's somersault in action!





Crazy! Looks like he scared Malcolm Lane a little bit. Thanks to Orlando for taking and posting all these photos, and for letting me preview some here. Check out UHWarriorFan.com for lots more.

Chawan Cut has a compilation of Monday night's UH football news up.


Thanks again, Mr. Cut!

Here's the UH Athletic Department's press release recapping June Jones' Monday press conference. An excerpt:

On the team's play
"We're going to have to better this week, obviously, to win at Idaho than we were at home against Charleston Southern. We'll also have to be better at San Jose State and Nevada than we are right now."

On the running back situation
"I like what I see on the offensive line and at running back. Kealoha (Pilares) and Leon (Wright-Jackson) get better each week. Kealoha is getting more confidence each week with his running. This week, he looked like he did when I saw him in high school. His blocking is getting better too. Leon was better this week running north to south. I call the same game for both running backs but have put them in depending on the play the first few games. Now that I know they can block, I don't care who is in there. Leon gives us more speed in open field and can run away from people, where Kealoha is a little more shiftier. There are advantages to both of them."

Dave Reardon also had a few notes from the press conference, and noted that Colt Brennan rested his ankle today while the team did some light conditioning. Tsai has an injury update on Colt, Jason Rivers, RGM and Ryan Mouton, who underwent an MRI on his knee. Let's hope it's all good. Also from the post, congratulations to Josh Leonard on becoming a dad.

The UH Athletic Department also released notes and information about the upcoming Idaho game. It also has a link to the PDF press release for the game.

Warriors in the Pros

Travis Laboy made a good play on Monday Night Football, forcing a Drew Brees fumble, which was a key play in the game.

Ashley Lelie got in Saturday's 49ers game, but didn't catch a pass. Teammate Isaac Sopoaga recorded two tackles.

Ikaika Alama-Francis was active for Detroit's game against the Eagles, but didn't record any tackles.

Pisa Tinoisamoa was inactive for the Rams as he recovers from an ankle injury.

The Dolphins lost, but Samson Satele and the offensive line seem to be improving. Reagan Mauia had no rushes or receptions.

Colt on ESPN The Magazine Cover

Man, I hope my subscription kicks in this week. UHBows has a clip previewing the cover of the new ESPN The Magazine, which hits newsstands this Wednesday.

Sunday news up

June Jones Show, 4-0, Graunke, Etc

Irse has this week's June Jones Show up in Windows Media format. And Orlando has it up in Youtube format here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Dave Reardon writes about UH's 4-0 record matching the best start since 1988. He also discusses the most recent polls.

When the polls came out yesterday, Hawaii was 17th (coaches), 18th (Harris) and 19th (AP). Some would think a 56-point victory would mean a bigger jump, but the Warriors are paying the price for having played two Division I-AA teams. From the national perspective, the score could've been 100-0 and the jury would still be out with wins against Northern Colorado, LaTech, UNLV and now Charleston Southern.

And at the end of the article is this week's Warriors Replay. Here's #3, the "bloggers' choice."

3. Untouched

The Setup: Hawaii 21, Charleston Southern 10, 15:00 remaining, third quarter, Charleston Southern kicking off from own 30.
The Play: KR Ryan Mouton gathers the ball at the 10, near the left sideline. He cuts toward the middle, follows a lane and scores untouched.
The Impact: Charleston Southern went into halftime trailing by just 11 and with hopes of pulling off a major upset. Hawaii's third special teams touchdown of the season put a major dent into those aspirations.
Mouton: "Colt (Brennan) told me at halftime, 'I thought you said you were going to run one back for me?' I had to live up to my word."

Stephen Tsai talks to June Jones, Colt Brennan and Tyler Graunke about the jeering Graunke got from some fools in the crowd.

"I didn't hear (the boos) when the game was going on, but I heard it on the (television) replay of the game, and that's kind of disappointing that people would do that," Jones said. "I don't know what would cause people to do that to kids."

"The fans don't see that a lot of mistakes that are pinned on the quarterback aren't necessarily the quarterback's fault," Brennan added. "The fans can't see that. The way our offense has been, and the success we've had, the fans can get a little spoiled."

But Graunke finished with 285 passing yards in three quarters, and he accounted for four touchdowns — three by passing and his 6-yard run.

"I probably didn't win everybody back," Graunke said, "but slowly and surely I will. I guarantee I will."

Ka Leo's Rebecca Gallegos has a quote from C.J. Hawthorne in her game wrap-up.

"I think he's a great football player, and great football players know how to deal with adversity," said UH wide receiver C.J. Hawthorne. "I think with any of us, (when) even your home stadium starts booing, people begin to doubt, you have to dig in deep a little bit. But I believe he persevered."

Ferd Lewis has a few words for those bozos.

Letting Graunke work through his early struggles, gather experience and eventually find his rhythm was the best thing UH could have done. Thankfully, the coaches weren't swayed by a chorus of muddled thinking to the contrary. Including some, no doubt, with a vested interest in the spread.

The Phoenix out of (Tucson) Arizona shall rise in '08!

Tsai's article continues with linebacker Adam Leonard talks about his pick six, his knee, and his motivation. By the way, it wasn't me!

Leonard, who is considered to be the Warriors' best open-field tackler, has found motivation on the Internet. He said he recently was criticized on a Warrior fan's Web site for being out of shape.

"It kind of stings, but it doesn't hurt me," Leonard said. "It won't break me or make me to have fans feel that way. It makes me want to prove them wrong."

Godspeed, Manimal!

Also from Tsai's article, June calls Ryan Mouton "the real deal" and talks about Jason Rivers playing with a bad back.

Hawaii Ranked #18 in Harris Interactive Poll

Great news for the Warriors! UH is ranked #18 in the first Harris Interactive poll of the year. Here's a PDF of the poll. I'll try to find a regular HTML version. UPDATE: Here it is.

FYI, from the BCS site, here's how the BCS rankings are forumlated:

The Standings include three components: USA Today Coaches Poll, Harris Interactive College Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings. Each component will count one-third toward a team's overall BCS score.

UH Remain at #19 in AP, Up to #17 in Coaches Poll

Three teams fall past while three others leapfrog UH as the Warriors remain at #19 in the AP poll.

And UH gets leapfrogged by two teams but still move up one spot to #17 in the Coaches Poll.

UH vs CSU Wrap-Ups

The Advertiser has a scoring breakdown, and some game stats.

Dave Reardon has a recap, which also has stats and scoring breakdowns. Here's an excerpt:

"Tonight we showed we're a great team," Brennan said. "Not just a great offense, but a great team."

It took the special teams and defense to break this one open. They struck decisively at the outset of the second half, with two touchdowns before the Hawaii offense even got onto the field.

"Very big," coach June Jones said. "It's a team game. It felt like a 21-20 game."

In Stephen Tsai's wrap-up, Tyler Graunke talks about hearing boos and "We want Colt" chants.

"That's cool," Graunke said of the early catcalls. "As long as I win them back. I know these people will have my back. When I'm not doing good, I expect them to let me know. I've got their back as long as they've got mine."

Also from the article, Kealoha Pilares talks about scoring on a touchdown run.

Pilares ran right on a long-trap play, cut upfield, stopped as a defensive back sped past, and glided into the end zone.

"That's from practicing on the video games," Pilares said. "You see that on the video games, and you go out there and try to mimic it."

And Tsai writes about a new defensive package UH unveiled last night.

Against an opponent that employs a no-huddle, spread offense, the Warriors unveiled their 45 defense, which resembles a nickel defense except the four starting defensive linemen are not replaced by speed-rushers. In this scheme, Thomas enters as a safety, replacing linebacker Brad Kalilimoku, and safety Keao Monteilh becomes the nickelback aligned as a linebacker.

Nick Abramo writes about the UH victory from Charleston Southern's perspective.

"If we could have held strong, I truly believe we could have beaten Hawaii," said Bucs quarterback Eli Byrd, who rolled his ankle three times but will be OK. "We expected to beat Hawaii. A couple of mistakes happened, and against a big team like that, there's no room for error. The second half was bad."

Jason Kaneshiro talks to Tyler Graunke about his shaky performance before settling down in the second half.

"It was frustrating at first. I wasn't really throwing balls the way I know how to throw them, and my head was kind of spinning a little quicker than it should have," Graunke said. "I settled down and started throwing some good balls."

"The second half I was more calm than I'd ever been," Graunke said. "I wasn't even thinking twice about it. I'd look at the coverage and know where I was going to go with the ball -- see what happened and adjust from there."

Stacy Kaneshiro talks to Colt Brennan about sitting out.

Brennan said he could've played; his ankle didn't appear to be affecting him during pregame warmups. But he said it was his and coach June Jones' decision.

"I wanted to rest it because even though it felt better, if I didn't get a chance to rest it then, it would've been sore all week and maybe sore the rest of the year," Brennan explained.

Kalani Simpson writes that tonight served as a reminder that Colt is awesome.

Those guys are good. And this offense works. But we got a slight reminder last night of what it was like BC (Before Colt). There's a difference between when he does this and when anybody else does. There's a reason why this is the year.

Graunke answered the call. He came through. But we were reminded that this stuff isn't as easy as it looks. The guy with the bad ankle is pretty dang good.

Ferd Lewis writes about the extraordinary vision of Herman Frazier.

What sure seemed like a colossal fumble when the schedule came out in June, gave Frazier the opening to claim "strategic placement" last night as the lightness of schedule afforded the Warriors the luxury of working out the kinks until coming up with a 28-point third quarter overdrive to put away plucky Charleston Southern, 66-10.

What he was bashed like a pinata for this summer, Frazier was able to stand at midfield last night and cite as scheduling "by design."

So true.

Billy Hull writes about David Veikune and Desmond Thomas, two backups who got extensive playing time last night.

Veikune had two sacks at critical times and Thomas helped jump-start a struggling offense with a key interception midway through the second quarter to help Hawaii get on track and rout Charleston Southern.

Michael Tsai writes about the Warriors' defensive performance last night.

"I think they're more comfortable, and having fun playing and not thinking so much," said UH defensive coordinator Greg McMackin. "I think they're getting better, which is more important than the wins and losses."

Guyton Galdeira's big night on special teams is featured in Star-Bulletin's Sports Notebook.

"That's pretty standard," UH kicker Dan Kelly said. "When Guyton doesn't have five or six tackles, that's when I notice. What, is he hurt?"

"He's a spark plug," Hawaii offensive line and special teams coach Dennis McKnight said.

Kelly said, "He and Timo (Paepule) are like the two golden geese."

Also from the article:

• Adam Leonard says he was disappointed in some of the fans jeering Graunke.


• News about some injuries suffered during the game to Leonard, Keala Watson and Ryan Mouton, who says he should be okay.

Michael Tsai writes about defensive lineman Josh Leonard, whose due-any-minute pregnant girlfriend watched the game from the stands. Also from the article:

• The Warriors performed the haʻa before the game.


• Graunke says he didn't hear the jeering.


• Dan Kelly made a great tackle on a kick return.

Hawaii 66, Charleston Southern 10

After a shaky first half, Tyler Graunke and the Warriors settled down and got in a groove in the second half, with Inoke Funaki getting a lot of playing time in the 4th quarter and looking sharp as well. I'm happy a lot of the second and third stringers got some game time, which can only help as UH heads into the rest of the WAC schedule, starting next week at the Kibbie Dome in Idaho.

Here's a post-game wrap-up by the Advertiser.

Here's a wrap-up from the AP. By the way, the "fans" participating in this:

With Hawaii's high-octane offense sputtering and leading only by a touchdown midway through the second quarter, the crowd began chanting, "We want Colt! We want Colt!"

Not cool at all. I even heard it when Graunke was trying to drive the team from deep in UH territory. What the hell, you're not supposed to cheer against your own team. UPDATE: What he said.

Anyway, despite all that, Tyler was able to put it together and show what he can do in the second half. From the Advertiser article:

Granke completed 12 of 25 passes for 174 yards with a touchdown in the first half. In the second half, though, the junior quarterback was 10 of 11 for 111 yards and two scores.

Here's another AP wrap-up with some quotes.

Halftime: Hawaii 21, Charleston Southern 10

Tyler Graunke started in place of Colt Brennan and has done some good things, with 1 passing and 1 rushing TD, though he does have 2 INTs. Looks like he's settling down and should have a good 2nd half. I hope Funaki will gets some playing time too. See you after the game.

Ways to Follow the UH vs Charleston Southern Game

Bumped. Here's some info I posted earlier. Please add to it in the comments if you find anything else. Thanks!

In Hawaii:

Buy tickets and go to the game. UPDATE: Here's some parking and tailgating info from the Advertiser.

Oceanic PPV at home.

Check out this list from the Oceanic cable website, which has a list of bars and establishments showing the game live (hat tip to beegpk on Sportshawaii). This Advertiser page has addresses and phone numbers for some of them.

1420 AM on the radio.


In and Outside of Hawaii:

Streaming video via HTSportsnet.com. You'll need Windows Media Player or an equivalent. It costs $9.95 for the game, or check out the season packages they offer.

Streaming audio via ESPN 1420. Hope they've solved some of the bandwidth and/or buffering problems I heard about.

Streaming audio via CSUsports.com. Doesn't look like the link is available yet, but according to their last opponenent's website, you may have to register and fill out a short questionnaire before being able to listen.

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services via the UH website. CSUsports may also have live stats here. You can also check out online stats from ESPN's Scoreboard, which should have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.

Please comment below if you find any other ways to follow the action online or elsewhere. I really appreciated all the help last week. Thank you and....

GO WARRIORS!!!!

UH-CSU PreGame Perusal

Here's a link to the UH Athletics Department's press releases for today's game and for previous games.



Orlando from UHWarriorfan.com has a bunch of great practice photos from this week up on his site. Be there!

And Chawan has a video compilation of last night's news:

GameDay: Hawaii vs Charleston Southern

Dave Reardon writes that Colt Brennan will play.

"He gives us the best chance to win," (June) Jones said.

Brennan practiced yesterday, and had lost the limp he had earlier in the week.

Great news. The article follows with a gameday preview. Here's an excerpt:

The Warriors lead the nation in passing offense, but the running game might be emphasized more this week (as it was against UNLV) to give the Bucs fewer shots at a hobbled Brennan. Also, the Bucs haven't been very stout against the run, allowing 4.9 yards per carry.

While Brennan is expected to play, Stephen Tsai writes that Jason Rivers may not.

But UH's leading receiver, left wideout Jason Rivers, might not be ready to play. Rivers, who is suffering from tightness in his lower back, missed his fifth consecutive practice.

"We'll see how he is before the game," Jones said.

Malcolm Lane, who already has replaced Rivers as a kick returner, would be next in line at left wideout.

And Tsai has a gameday preview, breaking down the offense, defense and special teams on both sides. Here's an excerpt:

Lane has been itching for a chance, even agreeing to move from the right side, where he has played exclusively during his 17-game UH career. Of his three touches this season, two have resulted in touchdowns — a 94-yard kickoff return and an 81-yard catch-and-sprint. While Lane has been successful on inside screens from the right side, which allows him to scan the defense, he said the left side permits him to carry the ball with his right hand.

Jeff Hartsell of the Post and Courier talks to CSU coach Jay Mills about trying to defend Hawaii's offense.

Mills said the key for the Bucs will be to keep the ball away from whichever Hawaii QB is in the game.

"That's the week-in and week-out question for coaches facing them," he said. "You have to try to keep it away from their offense. The run-and-shoot, it's much like the wishbone in that there are only so many things you can do. I doubt if they even look at game film, because they know what they want to do and they know the things they will see."

Patrick Obley of TheState.com writes about how CSU ended up playing UH, and what the game means to them.

Once the two sides were able to agree, Charleston Southern had to figure out how to get to Honolulu. Mills consulted with past associates at Purdue, Northern Colorado and Eastern Illinois to learn what those schools did to prepare.

Charleston Southern will return to Hawaii in 2011 as well. In between is a 2009 trip to The Swamp to play Florida.

The six-figure paydays the school receives for the trips will be put into the construction of a new fieldhouse planned for one of end zones at Buccaneers Field.

“We’ll have lockerrooms for every sport,” Mills said. “There will be lockerrooms for the P.E. classes as well and an academic resource center for all student athletes.”

I'm glad this is helping at least one team upgrade their facilities. Gong!

And finally, Ferd Lewis writes an article about all the cures for a sprained ankle Colt Brennan has received from devoted UH football fans.

And folks want to get him on the field and at full capacity — and soon. "I would hate to see the Warriors' best season ruined because of this injury," e-mailed a fan named Bonnie, who recommended hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Another suggested allowing the tides, sea salt and sand to cure Brennan. Others have offered up herb cure treatments. One promotes a wrap of a molds and fungus mixture.

Eh aunty! Come give Colt lomi lomi!

And finally, Stephen Tsai writes that former UH receiver Ross Dickerson has joined the Marines.

Dickerson reported to basic training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. He only was allowed to bring a coat, $20 and his driver's license.
The country is a lot safer now that Dickerson is defending it.

Right on.

The Ankle, CSU, Leonard, Colt v Harrell 2

Dave Reardon with an ankle update:

"(Today) should be a good indication," Brennan said. "Mornings are the hardest part because the ankle's stiff. But I wanted to get out there and run around. By Saturday night it should be healed up enough (to play)."

Stephen Tsai has an update too:

At Jones' request, Brennan traded crutches for a heavily padded medical boot when he is not practicing.

"I think the boot helps because it makes it easier to move around," Brennan said. "At the same time, I'm walking, and that's good."

Jones said: "He's good enough he can play in that boot."

And Jason Rivers missed practice again with a sore back. Also from Tsai's article:

• Tyson Kafentzis is suspended for two games because of his role in a fight at practice.


• JoPierre Davis and Mario Cox talk about the growing enthusiasm of players wanting to be on special teams.


• Ryan Perry will be reunited with high school classmates on the Charleston Southern team.

Back to Dave's article, he talks to CSU coach Jay Mills about tomorrow's game.

"Obviously you do your team and your program a disservice if you enter without the goal of winning the contest," Mills said in a phone interview earlier this week. "We look at this as an opportunity to continue our growth. Our ultimate goal is to win a national championship at the FCS (Division I-AA) level. This gives us a chance to raise the bar."

Reardon talks to linebacker Adam Leonard about his role in Greg McMackin's defense.

In Saturday's 49-14 victory at UNLV, Leonard came at the Rebels from all kinds of different angles, finishing with 11 tackles. He also had 12 stops the week before against Louisiana Tech, including a sack for 19 yards.

Leonard's effort at UNLV was somewhat overshadowed by middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian's 14 stops that earned him a WAC Player of the Week honor.

But Leonard was just as disruptive and destructive. UH's defensive scheme against the Rebels involved Leonard and Elimimian among eight Warriors crowded at the line of scrimmage.

Leonard also mentions that he's still not fully recovered from knee surgery, but hopes to be 100% by midseason. Those two byes on either side of the NMSU game should help.

And I guess this is a popular subject, or maybe the same person is asking it, but Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan follows CFN's Pete Fiutak (see previous post) in answering a question about why Texas Tech's Graham Harrell isn't getting the same buzz as Colt Brennan.

Critics may argue that his stats are inflated because he plays inferior defensive teams in the WAC, but he threw for at least 350 yards last season against Alabama, Purdue, Oregon State and Arizona State - all BCS-conference teams that went to bowls. On top of that, Hawaii was 3-1 in those games. Brennan also threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns in a loss to Boise State, which won the Fiesta Bowl.

This season, Brennan already has passed for 1,262 yards and 12 touchdowns. Harrell has thrown for more yards (1,317) and touchdowns (14) than Brennan, but last season Harrell threw for just 204 yards and no touchdowns in a loss to TCU, 236 yards and one touchdown in a loss to Colorado and 250 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Oklahoma.

Just gotta point out that Alabama didn't go to a bowl and (woops!) UH was 2-2 against BCS teams last year, but that's not the point!

Vids, Previews, Colt

Chawan puts together three news stories from tonight and wraps it into one, like a burrito. The stories feature Colt and his ankle, with some discussion about the upcoming opponent. In the last story, Liz Chun reports on the Warriors' haka replacement, known as the haʻa, or ha'a, depending on your fonts. It includes interviews with Guyton Galdeira, Keala Watson and Davone Bess.



CSTV visited some tailgaters from Hawaii in the Sam Boyd Stadium dust lot before the UNLV game last week. They interview fans and even some former UH players attending the game.



David Shelton of The Post and Courier on Charleston.net has a new preview of the Charleston Southern game. Here's what CSU kicker Nick Ellis has to say:

"We're going out there to win. I hope people understand that," said Ellis. "The trip will be fun, but it's business. We're trying to get better as a football team every time we play. Personally, I'm excited to get out there and kick in front of a huge crowd. For all of us that will be playing, this is something we've always dreamed of."

Rebecca Gallegos of Ka Leo has a game preview as well.

"We're maturing as a football team," said UH head coach June Jones. "All of them have taken a lot of pride in their efforts. We're 3-0 right now. We have to get better every week, and we have to play better this week to just keep inching along on what we want to do. We have to stay focused. If we can do that, we'll get better."

======

And now for the Colt Report. My friend Legios, who is on the east coast, says Colt is getting a lot of great exposure out there. An AP article about Colt along with his picture was printed in the Washington Post's Express, a free paper given out at metro stations. Also, the New Hampshire Union Leader's C.J. McCarthy has Colt at the top of his Heisman list.

As Al Davis used to say, "Just win, baby.'' And that's what Brennan did. While Arkansas and Louisville (see Darren McFadden and Brian Brohm) were losing, Hawaii remained undefeated. As a result, Brennan stays atop our Heisman Watch. While his numbers were pedestrian compared to his usual performances, he once again did not play much in the second half in a 49-14 win at UNLV. His 77 percent completion rate (that's slightly more than three out of four passes being completed) is a figure some teams cannot achieve in practice.

CFN's Pete Fiutak answers a Texas Tech fan's question about why TT's Graham Harrell isn't getting the same accolades as Colt Brennan.

Brennan is asked to do more for his offense. For example, he has 554 rushing yards and 11 scores, compared to Harrell’s -107 and three scores. Hawaii got a huge year out of Nate Ilaoa last season, but Harrell has been helped by far, far better running back play and far, far better defense. And then there’s the history. Yeah, the two quarterbacks are comparable over the first few games, but the career numbers aren’t even close. In 29 games, Brennan has completed 71% of his passes for 11,112 yards and 105 touchdowns with 26 interceptions. In 22 games, Harrell has completed 68% of his throws for 6,294 yards and 55 scores with 13 interceptions. Don’t forget that Brennan has often cranked out number in just a half or three quarters.

Ronnie of the Tsaikos found this really cool anecdote about Colt Brennan doing something cool for the younger brother of an unnamed redshirt offensive lineman.

And Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline has this short item in his "Dodds and Ends."

• Urban legend of the week: A caller on the Jim Rome Show said his son chatted with Colt Brennan on the Hawaii bench during Saturday's game at Louisiana Tech. Brennan then met the kid after the game. And no, Brennan didn't have his pads off in the middle of a blowout. This was a tight game throughout that ended in overtime.

During the game? This kid is loose.

Really cool.

Lane, Kepoʻo, Ankles, AJ, Jesse, Etc.

Billy Hull and Dave Reardon talk to Malcolm Lane about playing both left and right wideout positions.

For Lane -- a guy in just his second season in this offense -- a switch to the other side of the field isn't as easy as it sounds.

"It's a little awkward, but I am picking it up more and more every day," Lane said. "I've never ran routes on the left side."

Lane said he's comfortable with knowing the play calls. It's more the little things he needs to practice.

"It's just running routes and turning one way while turning my head the other way," he said.

Also from the article:

• Kiran Kepoʻo is recovering from a bicycle accident


• Larry Sauafea sat out with an illness


• Blaze Soares suited up but did not practice


• 31,000 tickets have been sold so far

Stephen Tsai talks to Colt about his ankle. And in practice reports from today, both Tsai and Reardon report that Colt isn't practicing again. So it looks increasingly unlikely that he'll be playing against Charleston Southern. Jason Rivers is not practicing either.

UPDATE: Brennan did practice in limited action today, and it'll be a game-day decision whether he plays or not.

But in better news from Tsai's article:

• A.J. Martinez has resumed practicing after recovering from his offseason snowboarding accident.


• UH finally got a usable Charleston Southern game tape.


• Malcolm Lane is profiled.

Dave Reardon talks to Colt about the last time he had to sit out with an injury.

"I had a really bad concussion as a kid," Brennan said yesterday after the Warriors' practice. "I was throwing up. I was taking too many shots to the head."

Brennan was 14, in his final year of Pop Warner youth football before advancing to high school ball.

The Warrior Insider has an interview with soon-to-be Warrior Jesse Williams. Here's an excerpt:

Warrior Insider: Do you have anything you want to say to the thousands of Warrior fans?

Jesse: Just like to thank Hawaii for this great opportunity, and I will do my best to uphold the Warrior name on and off the field.

Welcome Jesse! UPDATE: This link to the interview no longer works. Hopefully it'll be back up later.

And finally, in other sprained ankle news, former UH linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa talks about recovering from his ankle injury and hoping to get back out on the field for the Rams.

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa took part in practice on a limited basis Wednesday, spurring hope that he'll be able to play in the St. Louis Rams' game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I see myself on the field," Tinoisamoa said. "I feel good, but we'll see how the coaches see it. I had a good practice today, but we'll see how it goes."

The Ankle, Charleston Southern, Etc

Chawan Cut with a couple news stories about Colt Brennan sitting out practice today as he recovers from his sprained ankle.



The Sports Network has a UH-Charleston Southern preview.

Ken Burger of The Post and Courier on Charleston.net writes about what the CSU team is getting out of the 4,759 mile trip.

If it sounds like a long way to go to play a three-hour football game, it is. But Mills believes it will be an educational experience of a lifetime for his players.

While the Bucs will spend more than 20 hours in the air (leaving today and arriving back on Monday morning), they'll get a chance to play tourist as well as football.

"We're going to take them to Pearl Harbor and we'll attend a luau on Friday night," Mills said.

That's the good news. The bad news is that Saturday night they'll also get a good look at Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Here's a good article about quarterbacks playing in spread offenses, i.e. "systems." Missouri's Chase Daniel discusses his offense and mentions Colt Brennan:

Asked about being called a system quarterback this summer, Brennan told Sports Illustrated: "Damn right I am. And I love this system."

Daniel agrees. He got to know Brennan when they were counselors during the EA Sports Elite 11 Quarterback camp in late July. Daniel said they talked about the misconceptions that attach themselves to players in offenses like theirs.

"No matter what system you’re in, when you throw for 4,500 yards and freaking 60 touchdowns, you deserve the credit you should get," Daniel said. "No doubt about it."

And finally, here's an update on Gabe Tuata, who left the Warriors earlier this year because he didn't want to grayshirt. Looks like he's doing pretty good at Pasadena College. Maybe one day he'll be back.

UPDATE: Dave Reardon writes that QB Kiran Kepo'o appears to be okay, but remains hospitalized after a bicycle accident last night. Sounds like it could've been a lot worse. Hope they find out what happened.

From the Blogs: Practice, Lane, Corbin, JW

Dave Reardon has a report from today's practice. An excerpt:

Tyler Graunke is running the offense again today with Colt Brennan out with the ankle sprain. Colt is off the crutches, but limping noticably. Nothing’s wrong with his arm, though. He’s tossing the ball around with Ryan Grice-Mullins.

Stephen Tsai reports that Malcolm Lane is the top backup at both wideout positions.

In the meantime, Lane was allowed to take reps at left wideout. The coaches believe Lane deserves more playing time, which is why he was elevated to No. 2 at left wideout.
He also is expcted to be crafted a larger role at right wideout, where C.J. Hawthorne started the first three games.

The Warrior Insider interviews Corbin Brown, who has committed to become a Warrior, pending an official official offer. Here's an excerpt:

Warrior Insider: What was it about Hawaii that made you want to commit?

Corbin Brown:The coaches, the quality of the football program and school, and of course Paradise! But mostly, the fans who have endorsed my abilities, and sent their warm welcome! No where else I went even came close to it.

Right on. And The Warrior Insider interviews a defensive line recruit from Australia named Jesse Williams.

Jessie Williams stands 6 5″, weighs 302 lbs, benches 320 lbs, leg presses 980 lbs and is only sixteen years old. He played basketball as a youth and moved well under the hoop.

So how do you compare Hawaii with your other US Mainland visits?

“During my recent visit to the US Mainland, coaches at BYU were interested, and I have been asked to consider Arizona State as well, but something feels right about UH” said Jesse.

What position do you want to play at the collegiate level?

“As far as I know the coaches from UH are recruiting me for the Defensive line, my preferred position” said Jesse

Excellent.

UPDATE: Sportsbow reports that Williams committed to UH today. Congratulations to Jesse!

The Graunke, The Futon, The Blaze, The Heisman

With Colt Brennan on crutches, Tyler Graunke took the first team reps yesterday. He talks to Stephen Tsai about having to be ready at any time.

Even when Brennan returns, Graunke said, "I have to keep pushing him. Not just for him, but for me, too. He can go down at any play, and the coach could throw me in there any play randomly. I have to be ready to go, and know what to do on the field. I have to be mentally prepared. I have to be physically prepared. I've been here a long time. I know my reads."

Also from the article, Greg McMackin talks about getting Ryan Mouton more playing time.

"We think he's one of our better players," McMackin said. "We're trying to get him on the field more."

McMackin said Mouton is impressive because of "his quickness, his football savvy and great attitude. He knows where the ball is. He's a good tackler. He's a hard-nosed, well-rounded football player."

Tsai also writes about Tuika Tufaga joining the team, as well as Aloha Stadium enforcing illegal tailgating rules.

Dave Reardon profiles Tyler Graunke, who talks about running the first team.

"I have my own group of receivers and my own group of linemen. Today, I got thrown in there with the 1's and it feels good," Graunke said. "Put everybody on my back and let's go, let's do it. I get to be a leader and get to show everybody what I can do."

And Colt had some praise for his fellow QB.

"Typical Tyler," said Brennan when asked to evaluate his backup's practice performance. "He always goes in there and does well.

"If I'm ready to go Saturday, my intention is to get in there and get my reps and then let the younger guys go. I won't really know until Thursday or Friday, but I have every intention of playing. But whether I play or not, I expect Tyler to have a big game."

Also from the article, Herman Frazier talks about next year's schedule.

"We've got to fine-tune a couple of other things," Frazier said. "There's two teams still involved and we expect to get that done very quickly. For the most part, with the offers we had on the table they've pretty much been accepted. We just have to work out some kinks."

Quickly moving on from that topic, Dave Reardon writes about Blaze Soares, who's been recovering from injury and is eager to hit somebody.

"I think (playing against a I-AA opponent) is perfect for me, it'll let me get all my rust (off)," Soares said. "I can get back into the mode. I might have plenty mistakes but it's going to be a good game to build on for me.

"That's my goal, to play Saturday. I've got a lot of football stored up in me."

Awww yeah, I feel sorry for all the unsuspecting fools in his path. Also from Reardon's article:

• La Tech coach Derek Dooley says he never swore at Davone Bess. Bess still says he did.


• Erik Robinson practiced yesterday after his paperwork issues were cleared up.


• Jason Rivers sat out practice with a stiff back.

And Ferd Lewis writes about how important winning the Heisman Trophy is to Colt Brennan.

"The Heisman, that's the least of my worries. If I came out in the first quarter and we won every game, I'd do that. I mean if my numbers were bad (for Heisman purposes), that wouldn't matter as long as we won."

Great to hear. And Ferd sums it up excellently:

There's a lot to be said about somebody who isn't going to get blinded by the pursuit of individual glory to the detriment of his team. Even when it is the most prized individual honor in sports and a multi-million-dollar marketing boon to its winner.

Now, that's the kind of guy you'd like to see handed the Heisman Trophy come December.

News Videos, UH Fan in FL, Charleston Southern

Chawan Cut, finally back from Vegas, has posted some news videos. Here's one from KITV's Robert Kekaula, discussing aspects of the UNLV game and Colt's injury:



And one from KGMB's Liz Chun, with an interview of Tyler Graunke, who may see a lot of playing time due to Colt's injury:



Visit Chawan Cut's Youtube page for more.

======

Author J. David Miller of Warriorshaka.com has written a funny article about being a Warrior fan in a sea of Gator fans in Florida. He knows how to represent.

Second, the local sports bar here in St. Petersburg is called Beef ‘O’ Brady’s; imagine Murphy’s in Honolulu, and you get the picture. It’s where everybody gathers for wings, fun, brew and, sigh, Florida football. Franc Urso, the owner, has become sympathetic to my Hawaii cause, thanks largely to the kind, personal letter he received from June Jones. Covertly, unbeknownst to the Florida faithful, I’m quietly taking over the establishment. Last week, my publisher sent table-tents for the book, so at each table, you can now find the story of Hawaii football.

There is nothing more refreshing than hearing a Florida fan say, “Why is there Hawaii stuff all over the place?”

Hehe. Can't wait to read the book, which he mentions will come out in a few weeks. And I'm not just saying that because he gave TWWT a shout-out.

=======

And Charleston.com has a short preview of the UH-Charleston Southern game.

Charleston Southern football coach Jay Mills joked Tuesday that he tried to contractually limit the playing time of Hawaii's Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Colt Brennan.

"When we drew up the contract, the last thing I wanted to put in there was that Colt could only play two series in the game, one in each half," said Mills, whose club will travel to No. 19 Hawaii this weekend.

08 Update / Reports / CSU Previews

Dave Reardon writes that Herman Frazier has a couple of teams lined up for next year.

A I-AA team has agreed to play UH at Aloha Stadium on Sept. 6, between the Warriors’ opener at Florida and a Sept. 13 game at Oregon State. Frazier said he will announce the name of the opponent soon.

The Dec. 6 home opponent has been narrowed down to a choice of two teams from BCS conferences.

But what I want to know is, when will Herman make an announcement to announce that there will be an announcement regarding the schedule? And when will that announcement be delayed? I kid, I kid.

Dave Reardon also has a practice report from today. Here's an excerpt:

Colt Brennan, on crutches, is talking with WR Jason Rivers, who is also not practicing today (with a sore back). LB Blaze Soares is running around, but haven’t seen him take reps yet. DE Karl Noa, who played a fine game Saturday, is not with the No. 1’s — probably resting a shoulder ailment.

Also from that entry, Reardon writes that Tuika Tufaga, a 6'3" 285-pound defensive lineman, is walking on and will be eligible to play next year. Excellent.

Sportshawaii.com's uhwarriors has posted a great report of the Na Koa lunch where June Jones went over the UNLV game. You can also ask Coach Jones any question on your mind tonight on KKEA's Call the Coach.

The UH Athletic Department has a new article about this Saturday's Charleston Southern game, with some trivia and ways to follow the action. There's also a new press release linked on this page.

And the AP has a preview of the game.

Good News for Colt

Stephen Tsai writes that Colt Brennan's MRI showed no major damage to his ankle.

There's also another national profile of CB, this one from Andrew Bagnato of the AP.

And CFN's Pete Fiutak has Colt Brennan remaining at the top of his Brutally Honest Heisman Breakdown.

Corbin, Tape, Solomon, Etc

Stephen Tsai writes about Corbin Brown's commitment to the Warriors.

Brown said the Warriors have shown interest the longest. He also was recruited by Oregon State, Colorado State, Nevada and Princeton.

"I've become close to the (UH) coaches," Brown said. "I feel comfortable with Hawai'i's program. My playing style would fit in a lot better."

But Dave Reardon writes that it's not a completely done deal just yet.

— two sources close to the situation say there is no actual scholarship offer yet. Before there is one, a key person in this process needs to at least see tape of Brown, and he hasn’t yet.

Hopefully it's just formalities. The coaches may be trying to focus on another tape issue, as Tsai's article continues:

CSU sent three DVDs of its season-opening loss to The Citadel. None, according to UH sources, was useable.

The video of the special teams was shot from an angle making it difficult to identify the CSU players. The defensive video was not synchronized. And the video of the CSU offense was "not readable," according to people familiar with the situation.

Uh oh, shades of Michigan State. Also from the article:

• Colt Brennan practiced the new haka on crutches.


• Despite having 14 tackles and being named WAC POTW, Solomon Elimimian was disappointed in his performance.


• Blaze Soares, recovering from injury, participated in conditioning drills.

Jason Kaneshiro writes that if Colt can practice, Colt can play this weekend. Kaneshiro also writes about Solomon Elimimian's defensive performance against UNLV. Hey, at least Coach Jones liked it.

"He was everywhere," UH head coach June Jones said. "He made a lot of plays just flying around to the ball. We had three or four guys play well. I thought the overall scheme really settled and got going and I see an attitude starting to happen now."

Solomon also talks about playing in the 4-3:

Elimimian is thriving in the middle of UH's 4-3 alignment, which often funnels running backs to him. Adam Leonard has also adjusted to playing on the outside. He had 11 stops last week.

"You have to be a more sideline-to-sideline player, it's a lot more blitzing," Elimimian said of his role in the scheme compared to last year's 3-4 base defense. "You have to be in charge of the defense and make sure everybody is in the right place.

"I can make more plays and it just fits our personnel on defense."

Kalani Simpson writes about the Warriors' coming off the road trip as a stronger team.

The trip to Louisiana Tech was every bit as dangerous as anyone could have imagined (and most of us didn't). But Hawaii survived it. Despite being roughed up and taken to the brink by a vastly inferior opponent, it turned into a hugely positive thing.

Those are games you point to later down the line, and say everything started right there.

And finally, Rivals.com has their new power rankings out, with Colt Brennan as the #1 QB, and three Warrior receivers, Davone Bess, Jason Rivers and Ryan Grice-Mull(en)ins listed in the Top 25.

JJ on UNLV Game / Other Recent Articles

June Jones spoke to the media about the UNLV game today. The UH Athletic Department put out a (partial?) transcript. Here's an excerpt:

Jones on the improved defense
"I thought the overall scheme was settled and got going. I could see an attitude start to happen now. Hopefully we are going to start taking the ball away a little bit more. The only thing that we have fallen short, we have had a lot of chances and hands on the ball and we have not been coming down with them. The second we start coming down with then it will snowball. Greg has gotten to do what he wants them to do. We are playing hard, I thought Ryan Mouton did some good things, he will get on the field more, the linebackers were flying around too."

June also spoke to the WAC media in his weekly teleconference. You can listen to it, and peruse an archive of previous teleconferences, not just of June but all the coaches, at this here WAC Teleconferences page.

======

Warriorshaka.com released their Hawaii All Legend Team for the defense and special teams.

======

And here are a few pre-game and post-game articles from Las Vegas newspapers that I failed to link to earlier. Thanks to Garret from UH Warrior Quotes for finding these.

Before the game, Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal profiled Colt Brennan, recounting his history from Colorado to Saddleback to UH.

Ed Graney of the LVR-J had a really interesting article about UNLV defensive coordinator Vic Shealy breaking down the UH offense, marveling at Colt and the Warriors as he reviewed tape. Here's an excerpt:

Shealy pushes FORWARD on the tape. Then REVERSE. Then FORWARD. Then REVERSE. He's the movie theater employee with a hand-counter tallying patrons. He points a tiny red dot at the screen just as Brennan rolls toward the side where his running back lines up.

Shealy describes the play: FORWARD ... "They're not a true drop-back team." ... REVERSE ... "He throws behind the guard and tackle." ... FORWARD ... "His eyes initially go to the safety. See how fast he comes back to the other side?" ... REVERSE ... "That's what makes him so special." ... FORWARD ... "He looks at the No. 1 option. He's working No. 2 but doesn't have an advantage based on where the safety is." ... REVERSE ... "He scans back from the dig to the shallow to the delay." ... FORWARD ... "He finds the one-on-one matchup and exploits it." ... REVERSE ... "All of it took about two seconds."

After the game, Anderson had a wrap-up, while Graney wrote a column saying the UH win was pretty much pre-ordained.

This was men against boys before Hawaii won the opening coin toss and (gee, here's a fresh thought) proved head coach June Jones has more of a clue than a majority of his brethren by actually wanting the ball instead of deferring.

The Warriors were always going to win. The only uncertainties were the number of points they would score on the field and the number of arrests police would make among the Sam Boyd Stadium sellout.

And finally, here's a game wrap-up from The Rebel Yell.

UPDATE: Also had a couple videos. KGMB, with a redesigned site and all, had a first look at the Warriors' new haka (or ha'a). And KHON's John Veneri did a report with some highlights from the game.

Warriors in the Pros

For the 49ers, Isaac Sopoaga had two tackles and half a sack against the Rams, while Jeff Ulbrich had two tackles. Ashley Lelie did not play. Pisa Tinoisamoa was inactive.

Reagan Mauia and Samson Satele both played for the Dolphins, but Samson had a costly fumble.

Jason Elam kicked three field goals, including the game winner in OT.

Corbin Brown Commits

The Warrior Insider reports that safety Corbin Brown will become a Warrior.

Stephen Tsai has more.

Free safety Corbin Brown of Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas today accepted a football scholarship from the Warriors.
Brown attended UH's 49-14 victory over UNLV. "I committed today," Brown told The Advertiser.
Brown is a little taller than 6 feet. He weighs 170. He said he runs 40 yards in under 4.5 seconds.
In choosing UH, he turned down a scholarship offer from Wisconsin.
"There's no comparison between Hawai‘i and Wisconsin when it comes to asking: 'Where would I like like to live the next four years?'" Brown said.

Awww yeah. Congratulations to Corbin and UH.

Vids / Colt Watch

Irse has the new June Jones Show up.

And if Windows Media gives you problems, OBHawaii has posted The June Jones Show up on Youtube:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Someone named "KillShot32" (yikes!) has posted a video of the new and improved haka UH performed after the UNLV game:



Thanks again to the Warrior fans who post these videos.

======

And here are some articles ranking Colt against other players in the Heisman race.

ESPN ranks Colt at #4. UPDATE: Woops, the ESPN poll is from last week. It updates with this week's votes tomorrow.

SI.com's Gene Menez ranks Colt at #4 as well because Colt doesn't throw enough bombs for his taste.

SI.com's Adam Sweeney gives this week's Passing Pony Award to Colt McCoy because Colt Brennan was DQ'd on a technicality.

And though Brennan threw for 298 yards, we won't settle for anything less than 300 against UNLV. McCoy gets the win on a technicality, which puts the score going into Week 4: Brennan 2, McCoy 1.

Booooo!

CBS Sportsline ranks Colt at #2.

CFN ranks Colt at #1 in their Top Ten Player Rankings.

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

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

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

The Advertiser gets Solomon's reaction:

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

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

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

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

Stephen Tsai talks to Colt about his sprained ankle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Clincher

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

Houston Profiles, Pre-Game Articles

Here are some articles from Friday and Saturday.

Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes about the journeys of Colt Brennan and June Jones.

Wendell Barnhouse of the Star-Telegram profiles Colt.

Morrison credits Brennan's accuracy with allowing Hawaii to score touchdowns instead of field goals when the Warriors reach the red zone. For many spread offenses, getting six instead of three inside the 20-yard line is difficult.

"A lot of his throws [down there] are in tight quarters," Morrison said. "He can make unbelievably accurate throws that many quarterbacks can't. You can see his accuracy all over the field but particularly when we get close to the end zone.

"Colt can throw it exactly where he wants to."

Thayer Evans of the New York Times followed the Warriors as they practiced in Houston between road games.

“The road, it takes a toll on you,” Grice-Mullen said. “After a while, you’re like, ‘O.K. man, I wish I was back on the island.’ ”

Although many of his teammates would have preferred two trips, Brennan said he understood why the Warriors stayed in Houston.

“It’s the only way to do it where we have the least amount of distractions and adversities that we have to overcome,” Brennan said.

Dave Reardon wrote about the UH secondary's Texas ties.

"Football is king in Hawaii and football is king in Texas," said UH defensive coordinator Greg McMackin, who previously coached at Texas Tech. "They regard it the same way. Texans and Hawaiians have a fighting spirit and independent attitude. They're winners and competitors and fun to coach."

Reardon also wrote that safety B.J. Fruean is off the team.

UH coach June Jones had to administer some discipline himself yesterday. He said sophomore safety and special teams player B.J. Fruean is no longer a member of the team. Jones said he did not want to discuss the reasons, other than it is for repeatedly breaking team rules. Fruean also was suspended for the 2006 season due to academics.

Dave has more details in this UH Sports Extra blog entry. Stephen Tsai has additional details in this Warrior Beat entry.

Stephen Tsai wrote a profile of defensive lineman David Veikune.

And Tsai wrote an article about how the UH coaches prepare for a game.

UH at UNLV Wrap-Ups

Here's the AP's article covering the game.

The UH Athletics Department has a recap and a box score.

The Honolulu Advertiser has a scoring breakdown.

Colt Brennan passed for two touchdowns and ran for three in Hawaii's 49-14 victory over UNLV, all on a badly sprained ankle. Stephen Tsai writes:

"I was having fun," Brennan recalled. "When I jumped up to try and catch a football, my ankle gave out, and I heard a loud pop. Within a couple of minutes, it just swelled up."

Brennan limped across the field, where he was met by athletic trainers Eric Okasaki and Brian Wong. Brennan was taken to the training room, where he was treated with ice packs.

"I knew right away something wasn't right," Brennan said. "(The trainers) attacked (the injury) all night and all morning and all afternoon. They did a great job to make sure I could play."

"I told everyone I wanted to have my best career game," Brennan said. "Statistically it wasn't but emotionally it was."

As his ankle was being treated, several offensive linemen entered the room to check on Brennan.

"As you can see," Brennan told a reporter, "they give the love. I love these guys more than anything, man. And our defense, you can't ask for a better performance. It's great being on this team."

Dave Reardon writes about how the UH defense adjusted after UNLV drove down the field for a touchdown on their first possession.

"They gave us a lot of trouble on the first drive," said linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who led UH with 14 tackles. "We had to slow down and calm down and do our responsibilities. They use multiple formations and try to make the defense make mistakes. They spread us out."

One adjustment UH made was often using a three-man front and five defensive backs to counter UNLV's quickness on offense and penchant for the perimeter. Outside linebacker Adam Leonard was in on 11 tackles and Desmond Thomas, the fifth DB, participated in six stops.

Ferd Lewis talked to Mike Lafaele about the defensive performance.

The difference was "this time we were confident we could stop 'em," said defensive tackle Michael Lafaele. "We took some punches in the beginning but we bounced back."

Ferd also gets the opportunity to write about the toughness of Colt once again.

"I was pushing it," Brennan acknowledged. "And the truth is I can't feel my leg.Tomorrow, my ankle is fat, black and blue then, then the next couple of days will be rough days. I knew if I shot it up and hobbled around on one foot and made plays then it would do a lot for the team and the crowd. And, that's what I wanted to do."

In those situations, Brennan was as good as we've seen him in his UH stay. Which leads to the question: What more can Brennan do to amaze us?

Stay tuned. An answer shouldn't be long in coming.

Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register covered the game and profiles Colt.

He doesn't make it look easy; he makes it look predetermined, as if Hawaii reaching the end zone is as inevitable as the game clock reaching 00:00. He throws darts more than he throws passes and is as precise as a decimal point.

He missed on his first attempt, then completed 13 in a row, hitting fingertips and chests and coolly filleting the Rebels, practically separating them from their tattoos. During his best stretch, he went 26 minutes, 34 seconds between incompletions.

Dave Reardon writes about the Warriors rushing the ball more in this game.

UH ran the ball on six of the 11 plays of its first scoring drive and three of the five plays on its go-ahead drive.

"We know we have to run the ball to control the pass rush," Jones said. "Screens are good for that, too. At one point we had seven straight screens."

Since bringing the run-and-shoot offense to Hawaii, Jones has maintained that if the running back position produces 100 yards on the ground, that's all he needs to be successful. The Warriors fell only 4 yards shy of that mark last night. They gained only 37 yards in the season-opening win over Northern Colorado and 45 vs. Louisiana Tech in the Western Athletic Conference opener.

And in his Sports Notebook, Reardon writes about the Warriors' unveiling the new haka for the UH fans in Vegas.

The new chant/dance is Hawaiian as opposed to the original UH haka, which is Maori.

"For us, I think it's a lot more fitting," senior defensive end Karl Noa said. "There's been a lot of controversy with the old one. This gives us an identity for this year. It's special because it's made by guys on the team."

It looked awesome. Also from the Notebook:

• Colt broke another NCAA record.


• Mike Lafaele talks about the unsportsmanlike conduct of some of the Rebels.


• John Fonoti had a tackle for loss in the game.

Video Highlights: UH at UNLV

UHBows, as always, on it. Here's ESPN highlights of the game:



And a slightly different version:



Visit UHBows Youtube profile page for more, including some pre-game prognostications by Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. Oh well, here's one of them:



And Leila Wai has posted links to video highlights on this Warrior Beat post.

UH Ranked #18 in Coaches Poll, #19 in AP

The Warriors are ranked #18 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and #19 in the AP Poll. Here's the AP poll, taken from the Advertiser.

Record Pts Pvs

1. Southern Cal (46) 2-0 1,605 1

2. LSU (19) 3-0 1,577 2

3. Florida 3-0 1,437 5

4. Oklahoma 3-0 1,434 3

5. West Virginia 3-0 1,388 4

6. California 3-0 1,232 8

7. Texas 3-0 1,169 6

8. Ohio St. 3-0 1,142 10

9. Wisconsin 3-0 1,111 7

10. Penn St. 3-0 1,041 12

11. Rutgers 3-0 956 13

12. South Carolina 3-0 814 17

13. Oregon 3-0 810 19

14. Boston College 3-0 792 21

15. Clemson 3-0 615 20

16. Alabama 3-0 516 —

17. Virginia Tech 2-1 458 18

18. Louisville 2-1 367 9

19. Hawai'i 3-0 343 24

20. Texas A&M 3-0 342 25

21. Kentucky 3-0 338 —

22. Georgia 2-1 333 23

23. South Florida 2-0 285 —

24. Nebraska 2-1 277 14

25. Missouri 3-0 228 —

Others receiving votes: Arkansas 179, Georgia Tech 128, Arizona St. 69, Cincinnati 53, UCLA 41, Texas Tech 16, Air Force 8, Purdue 6, Appalachian St. 5, Florida St. 5, Washington 2, Kansas 1, Michigan St. 1, Tulsa 1.

And here's the Coaches' poll, also taken from the Advertiser.

Record Pts Pvs

1. Southern Cal (44) 2-0 1478 1

2. LSU (8) 3-0 1438 2

3. Florida (7) 3-0 1368 3

4. Oklahoma (1) 3-0 1308 5

5. West Virginia 3-0 1244 4

6. Texas 3-0 1103 6

7. Wisconsin 3-0 1098 7

8. California 3-0 1093 8

9. Ohio State 3-0 1062 10

10. Penn State 3-0 942 12

11. Rutgers 3-0 863 13

12. Boston College 3-0 754 19

13. Oregon 3-0 702 21

14. South Carolina 3-0 595 23

14. Clemson 3-0 595 20

16. Texas A&M 3-0 530 18

17. Virginia Tech 2-1 485 17

18. Hawai'i 3-0 404 22

19. Louisville 2-1 383 9

20. Alabama 3-0 345 —

21. Georgia 2-1 271 25

22. Nebraska 2-1 228 14

23. Kentucky 3-0 168 —

24. South Florida 2-0 165 —

25. Missouri 3-0 145 —

Others receiving votes: Arkansas 143, Georgia Tech 143, Texas Tech 142, UCLA 122, Arizona State 67, Purdue 40, Michigan State 21, Cincinnati 20, Boise State 14, Florida State 7, Air Force 6, Tennessee 4, Washington 4.

Quick Note

Sorry I wasn't able to blog at all when I was in Vegas. I'm finally back, and I'll be going through the news and working backwards, recapping today, Saturday, and Friday. Thanks again to those who commented and tried to help out with other ways to follow the game.

Ways to Follow the UH at UNLV Game

I'm gonna be in Vegas this weekend to watch the Warriors take on the Rebels, awww yeah. But that means I might not get to blog as much as I would like, awww damn. But I will try. I have one of those portable devices that can connect to the internet, but it doesn't really have a keyboard, and I'm not sure how to select links and text just yet... So in case you don't hear from me, there's always The Warrior Beat, UH Sports Extra, Sportshawaii.com, Warrior Sports Network, The Warrior Insider, UH Warrior Quotes, and more in the sidebar links for your UH football news fix. I should be back Sunday night or Monday morning with wrap-ups of the articles I missed. Below are ways to follow the game.


In Hawaii:

Watch it live on Oceanic PPV. KFVE is also re-airing the game on a delayed basis.

This list from the Honolulu Advertiser has a run-down of some of the bars and establishments showing the game live.

1420 AM on the radio.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Live online stats from ESPN's Scoreboard, which should have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.


Outside of Hawaii:

Watch it live on the MTN. I still don't know anyone who has this channel.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Live online stats from ESPN's Scoreboard, which should have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.

If you happen to find any other way of following the UH-UNLV game, please post it in the comments for the benefit of your fellow UH fan. Thanks! And...

GO WARRIORS!!!!

From Louisiana to Vegas

Ferd Lewis has a great column on the toughness of Colt Brennan.

It is then we often see Brennan at his best. Not just threading throws and firing touchdown passes but in just getting up, dusting himself off and standing in against the rush all over again without losing an ounce of resolve or yielding a millimeter to intimidation. For all the yards he piled up and records Brennan compiled at Ruston, La., this is where we're seeing the real measure of the Warriors' leader.

Even his opponents, the ones bidding to knock his block off, will give him that. "I can tell you I love the guy for his competitiveness," Dooley said. "I always respect great competitors. We hit Colt as much as I think he's been hit and it didn't even faze him. That's what great competitors do. He would stay in there, take the hit and make the throws. And he did it the whole game.

Stephen Tsai writes that nothing will stop the Warriors from performing the haka, penalties or not.

Jones and WAC commissioner Karl Benson discussed the matter in a telephone conversation Monday.

"I told Karl we'll try to abide by the rule," Jones said. "But we're going to do it. ... We'll wait the proper amount of time. If a team is going to stay out there, we'll do what we have to do."

"The sad thing is, if the coaches are that scared and that intimidated, then turn around and don't watch," Brennan said. "You don't have to cry to the refs or cry to officials to try and penalize us for not doing anything wrong. ... We did it last year with no penalties. It's completely wrong for them to penalize us. But if they're gonna, they're gonna."

Right on. Tsai also writes about how some players were punished for being late to practice.

As punishment, each had to run eight gassers. One gasser is the equivalent of four 50-yard sprints.

"That's 1,600 yards," AhSoon said, noting that was in addition to running the mandatory three 70-yard sprints. "I'm never going to be late again."

As the road Warriors continue their 11-day journey, Jason Kaneshiro writes about the backups and scout team players who remain in Hawaii, training and cheering on their teammates.

"We were biting our fingernails, for sure," said freshman quarterback Shane Austin, who was among a bunch of players sweating out the final moments of Hawaii's overtime win at Louisiana Tech last Saturday at a packed Eastside Grill

"A lot of us that are left behind, we play an important role on the team just making the team better," said junior running back Camron Carmona, a transfer from Fullerton Community College. "If we're doing a good job we could actually earn a position and that's what some of us came here to do. It's a lot of guys who just want to work hard and not only want to make the team better, but themselves."

Dave Reardon profiles UH linebacker from Vegas, Joshua Rice.

He's hoping to get into the game at Sam Boyd Stadium, especially since "tons of high school friends" and family will be at the UH-UNLV contest.

"I pretty much know every special team, and I played kickoff and kickoff return in the first game. Hopefully I'll get into this one," he said.

Matt Maxson of The Rebel Yell has a UH-UNLV game preview.

“I don’t think you’re going to stop [Hawaii] or control them,” UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said Tuesday. “I think you’ve got to slow them down.”

Hawaii has averaged, so far this season, 54 points a game.

Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the pro scouts who will be on hand to see Colt may also be impressed by UNLV linebacker Beau Bell.

And the Las Vegas Sun has a rundown of the five things UNLV learned in their tough loss to Wisconsin, which they can use against their opponents. Here's #3:

3. Stingy defense

The Rebels' defense will face the ultimate test Saturday night when it faces Heisman Trophy contender Colt Brennan of Hawaii, but it more than held its own against the Badgers. Led by linebackers Beau Bell and Starr Fuimaono, UNLV held Wisconsin to 149 yards in the second half.

"I think our defense is playing with a purpose and playing with some confidence," Sanford said. "That's something we've got to keep building because ... this week, every play , you've got to have great concentration."

Gonna be a great game.

UH and the BCS, Brogan, LaBoy, Etc.

Here are a couple of stories discussing how UH is one of the last remaining non-BCS teams that still has a shot to break into a BCS game, just two weeks into the season.

From ESPN's Adam Rittenberg:

Scheduling is the greatest puzzle for non-BCS teams, including the troop's new kingpin, Hawaii. Many question whether the Warriors' nonconference slate -- Northern Colorado, UNLV, Charleston Southern and Washington -- is strong enough to merit BCS selection even if the team goes undefeated.

Benson notes that Hawaii tried to schedule bigger-name opponents and was wiling to leave paradise to play.

"Hawaii was willing to open the season at Michigan," Benson said. "They talked to Nebraska, they talked to Southern Cal, West Virginia, Indiana. Hawaii was willing to go on the mainland to open the season against a high-profile opponent but didn't get any takers."

From USA Today's Steve Wieberg:

It almost certainly will take an unbeaten regular season for Hawaii to secure the No. 12 ranking needed for automatic entry in the Bowl Championship Series (or No. 16 if the Warriors finish higher than the champ of a BCS anchor conference: Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern).

"Those things are out of our control," Jones says. "I tell our team all the time you can't worry about things you can't control. … We'll let all of that stuff take care of itself."

And here are some odds and ends:

Mark Saxon of the Yuma Sun profiles former UH quarterback Will Brogan, who is now with Arizona Western.

Dave Albee of the Marin Independent Journal profiles former UH defensive lineman and current Tennessee Titan Travis Laboy.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News writes that last weekend, for the most part, was a bad one for the WAC, so this weekend is important.

And finally, another look back at the LaTech game, in this great highlight video put together by julzcsar.

From the Blogs: Brian K, Deyon, Rain

Dave Reardon writes that UH grad assistant Brian Kajiyama is the first nominee for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.

Kajiyama, 30, is in his first season as a graduate assistant with the Warriors. A longtime Hawaii football fan, Kajiyama was born with cerebral palsy, but has accomplished more with the disability than many without the disability accomplish in a lifetime.

Congratulations to Brian!

The Warrior Insider profiles cornerback Deyon McElroy, who recently accepted a scholarship with UH.

“Honestly the fact that the football team has a very good program, send players to the NFL, and who in there right mind would pass up an offer from Hawaii!” said McElroy about why he committed to Hawaii.

Deyon McElroy is a corner with great size and the ability to make big plays. Last year at Chaffey College Deyon had 6 interceptions and 20 passes broken up and was All-Foothill Conference First Team.

And Stephen Tsai writes that it's raining today in Houston. And also some team awards for the LaTech game were given out:

Last night, June Jones said slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins (offense), defensive end David Veikune (defense) and kicker Dan Kelly (special teams) were named the Players of the Game against Louisiana Tech.
Each will receive a special decal.

On to UNLV

Stephen Tsai has a funny article about how the Warriors are trying to kill time in their down time in Houston.

Sequestered two time zones from Las Vegas, site of Saturday's game against UNLV, and under the watch of security director Manny Rezentes, the Warriors had to find amusement in limited time and spaces.

And that was why safety Viliami Nauahi was aiming a mango-shaped decorative piece at a propped-up menu 25 feet away in the hotel's third-floor lobby.

"Nothing to it," said Nauahi, who rolled a strike.

Also from the article:

• Myron Newberry and Ryan Mouton argue over air basketball.


• Players try to impersonate Keith AhSoon.


• Some details about Texas beef jerky.


• Greg McMackin praises the play of defensive lineman Fale Laeli.


• John Fonoti made it out to Houston.

Speaking of John Fonoti making it out to Houston, Dave Reardon gives us the details.

Fonoti was told last Wednesday (the day of the trip) that he would not be going to the Louisiana Tech game because he needed to make up some summer school work. He was replaced on the 64-player roster by sophomore safety B.J. Fruean.

"I was short of credits and had to go back and get it done, an incomplete for a summer school class," Fonoti said. "It was easy, I just had to get it done."

The road roster limit for Western Athletic Conference games is 64. There is no limit for interconference games, so no player needs to be dropped to make room for Fonoti.

Also from the article:

• WAC commish says the haka rules will be in place for the UNLV game.


• Davone Bess will try to return his first punt of the season at UNLV.

Ferd Lewis writes about the many UH fans who will be packing in Sam Boyd Stadium.

Early estimates expect 10,000 to 12,000 Hawai'i fans — those journeying from the Islands and those transplanted to Nevada — to be in attendance. They could make up from 30 to 50 percent of a crowd expected to reach 20,000 to 30,000.

And, to hear UNLV coach Mike Sanford tell it, that's just hunky and dory. "We love that; we think that's just awesome," he said, even welcoming the haka. A school spokesman said they'd "rather have a stadium half full of (Hawai'i) fans than play in a stadium that's half empty."

"Welcoming the haka," ehhh? Back to Dave's article:

UNLV coach Mike Sanford asked for clarification regarding the haka. UH was penalized 15 yards for performing the pregame ritual while LaTech was still on the field for warmups last week.

Hmmmm, very interesting. Nah, I don't think a head coach would try to get a cheap penalty or anything like that.

Ferd Lewis also writes about talks to extend the UH-UNLV series. Also from the article, June Jones thanks Rice University for letting UH practice there.

"The Rice people have been very hospitable to us," Jones said. "They've gone out of their way for us."

Below are more UH-UNLV articles:

• A preview from the AP.


• A preview from Coach Ken at Sportshawaii.com.


• A preview from the Sports Network (via Kansascity.com)


• Game info from the UH Athletics Department, which includes ways to follow the action and a link the the PDF press release for the game.


• UPDATE: Las Vegas Sun's Ron Kantowski profiles June Jones.

The Heat

Chawan Cut has uploaded some stories from tonight's news, including this report filed by Liz Chun from Houston about how the Warriors are dealing with the heat down there. She also mentions that it's forecasted be in the high 90s in Vegas.



And here are a few national articles mentioning Colt Brennan and the Heisman chase.

From SI's Gene Menez, who has Colt at #2.

From CFN's Pete Fiutak, who has Colt at #1.

From TransWorldNews (?)

Respect, Haka, LWJ

Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley talks about respect and sensitivity when discussing why the Warriors got penalized for performing the haka at his stadium. But when it comes to dealing with opposing players, Derek Dooley is like a school on a Sunday -- no class!

Adding fuel to what is becoming a heated rivalry, Hawai'i football players said slotback Davone Bess was the target of curse-peppered remarks made by Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley during the Warriors' 45-44 overtime victory Saturday night.

Bess said the incident happened after "I caught the ball and ended up on that side. He pretty much said a couple of words at me, man. Whatever. I let it go.

"All I said was, 'Don't disrespect me like that.' I didn't curse back at him or nothing. I respect him. He's a head coach. It doesn't bother me. But at the same time, I feel offended, you know. Somebody of his stature ... to disrespect me like that, it was unnecessary."

Man, I wish I knew what he said. Anyway, despite his potty-mouth, Dooley seems like a good coach, a crafty coach, and maybe he was just trying to fluster Bess or cause some sort of retaliation. It seems like Ferd Lewis wouldn't put it past him.

Dooley knew, for example, officials have been instructed to enforce the NCAA prohibition against taunting and understood the Warriors would do the haka on the road, flying in the face of a "directive" from the WAC office encouraging teams to keep it for home consumption.

Suspicion is Dooley timed getting the Bulldogs off the field so that the officials would be forced to call the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Something Frank White, the Hawai'i-based head of the crew, couldn't very well refuse to do under the letter of the rulebook or with a WAC associate commissioner in attendance.

Dave Reardon talks to Colt Brennan about the haka controversy, and here's what he had to say:

"I'm very disappointed and sad our conference would try not to allow it," Brennan said. "That tears at what college football is all about. We're representing a culture that is very unique. If it intimidates and scares a coach, that's his problem."

Awww damn, gotta love it.

Brennan said if UH can't perform the haka in front of the other team, then other schools should have to abide by the same standard when it comes to their traditions.

"Alabama swinging their arms (like elephant trunks), everything like that. If we have to stop, every school should have to stop," Brennan said. "But that's not what college football is all about."

Come on, WAC! Play UP!

Dave Reardon writes about Leon Wright-Jackson's sixth sense on the playing field.

How does anyone avoid tacklers in the open field when you can't even see them? How do you know danger lurks?

"I kind of got it built into me when I was little," Wright-Jackson said. "I had a coach who told me to keep my head on a swivel.

"I don't know, but I knew if I went to the right, there'd be no one on the right."

Running backs coach Wes Suan said no one taught that to Wright-Jackson.

"No, that's God-given, natural instincts," Suan said. "He's been in situations where people are chasing him, but he knows to take away the angle. The thing is he's got the speed that he probably would've made it anyway. But that's the sense that quality backs have. He knew that the guy had the speed and the angle that might catch him."

What guy?

"Some runners just know," said UH linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones, who played running back in high school. "They sense it."

Yeah, baby!

News You Can Use

Here's an AP article about the haka penalty controversy.

The Warrior Insider has an update on some QBs the Warriors may be recruiting.

Colt Brennan wins SI's Passing Pony Award over Colt McCoy for the second straight week. But we must thank McCoy for beating TCU.

If you have a subscription to Jim Rome's website, you can listen to his interview with Colt Brennan from his show earlier today.

Irse has uploaded the latest June Jones Show for your viewing pleasure.

Chawan Cut has uploaded tonight's news stories as well. Below is one filed from Houston by Liz Chun.

Warriors in the Pros

I watched most of the game, but it looked like Ashley Lelie didn't play at all against the Cardinals tonight. 49ers teammate Isaac Sopoaga had two tackles.

Travis Laboy had a sack.

Ikaika Alama-Francis was inactive for the game against the Raiders.

Reagan Mauia didn't have any carries for the Dolphins as he continues to recover from wrist surgery.

Samson Satele became only the second rookie ever to start at center for the Dolphins.

For his second straight start, Timmy Chang had a bad game for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had 3 tackles, but is questionable for next Sunday due to an ankle injury.

And Jason Elam had a crazy game-winning field goal against the Bills.

WAC Player of the Week Awards

Congratulations to Colt Brennan and Dan "Clutch" Kelly.

University of Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan and placekicker Dan Kelly were named this week's Western Athletic Conference Players of the Week following the Warriors' 45-44 come-from-behind overtime victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

In addition, Brennan was named the Rivals.com WAC Player of the Week award.

Stephen Tsai gets some reaction from Kelly:

"I'm honored, but I'm still kind of embarrassed by my performance. Look at my stats. I was 33 percent on field goals. That's not where I want to be ever."
But teammates and coaches praised Kelly for hitting the pressure-filled field goal.
"I'm honored to be given that award," Kelly said. "It's something to hang on the wall and forget about now."

Also from that post, reaction from Colt, LaTech coach Derek Dooley talks about the haka penalty, and more.

Pre-Game Haka Penalty, Warriors Replay

Stephen Tsai talks to coaches and players about the pre-game haka that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Warriors.

"The rule hasn't changed since last year, and we were allowed to do it," Jones said. "For someone to micro-manage outside the NCAA rules, that's not right."

The WAC will not offer a public response until it receives a report from the officiating crew.

"I checked," Jones said of the guidelines. "We didn't do it on the field. We did it 75 yards away from the field. ... It's not (unsportsmanlike). It's a cultural, spiritual thing. It's unfortunate. There's no unsportsmanlike issue in the book covering this."

Safety Keao Monteilh said: "We got penalized for something we do before every game. There's no sense in that. We were looking over the field. We didn't make any gestures to (the Louisiana Tech players). We were pointing to our fans."

Jones said it appears the Warriors are being singled out. He said other college programs have pre-game rituals.

I still say the WAC should just ban mascots and loud fans, just in case people are offended by that too. The WAC should also ban:

• "Fight songs" because they could be mistaken as a call to violence.


• Black uniforms because black is the absence of light, which is therefore evil.


• Synchronized jumping jacks during warm-ups because of its implicit endorsement of communism.

In case the WAC can't see the light, Ferd Lewis offers a solution.

The WAC maintains the haka isn't being targeted and UH isn't under special scrutiny. Though amid reports of complaints by Tech last year, you have to wonder.

But, just as some teams come in for closer inspection on holding or pass interference calls or certain rules are given stronger emphasis in enforcement, teams learn to adjust. For UH, this doesn't mean doing away with the haka at all. Just making sure the opponent is tucked away in the locker room before it starts.

Back to Tsai's article, which also has news about:

• The dehydration and cramping some of the Warriors suffered during the game.


• RGM not worrying about the drop in rankings


• Korey Reynolds suffering a slightly dislocated shoulder during the game.

Dave Reardon talks to the coaches and players about what they learned from the LaTech game.

"That is how it's going to be every game, every play," said receiver Ryan Grice-Mullins, who caught nine passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. "We are a big target."

"We're good, but bad things can happen. We have to be more consistent," Lafaele said between dinner and study hall last night. "We needed a wake-up call like that."

"It's a big mental thing to try to get through," McMackin said. "We talked about what happened two years ago before the game. This time they didn't give up, they refused to lose. They faced adversity and didn't quit."

The bottom of that page has Dave Reardon's "Warriors Replay", recapping and reviewing five big plays from the game. Here's #2:

2. Breaking the ice

The Setup: LaTech 14, Hawaii 0; 1:43 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 9 at LaTech 47.
The Play: RB Leon Wright-Jackson takes a handoff from QB Colt Brennan and bursts through the middle of the line. He breaks through to the second level of the defense and beyond. Sensing pursuit, he veers right and beats the pack to the end zone.
The Impact: Hawaii's longest run from scrimmage since Nate Ilaoa's 53-yarder in 2005 spurs the offense. Brennan leads a 99-yard drive on the next series, capping it with a 3-yard rushing TD of his own to tie the score at 14.
Jones: "I scripted some plays for Leon. That's just a little bit of what he can do. He'll get better and better."

He's an exciting player. Can't wait to see what he does as the season goes on.

More LaTech Videos

The videos, they never stop! Here's a sampling of clips uploaded by members of the Warrior Nation. I'd like to post everything, but that would mean 50 videos on the front page, which might cause problems. Anyway, visit their Youtube profiles for a whole lot more.

From Chawan Cut, here's a great report of the game by KHON's John Veneri:



From UHBows, here's the College Football Final team analyzing the "Big Play" that was the final play of yesterday's game:



And from Hawkaida, here's video of the Warriors' post-game haka, as recorded by JWarrior from the stands.



I'm sure all the fans really appreciate their efforts. Big thanks to them all!

P.S. Also check out the profiles of braddahneil and WACfanatic for other videos.

AP Poll out, Hawaii falls to 24

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/appoll.htm

I guess it didn't help we struggled. Also, Oregon and South Carolina jumped waay up there with their wins. And it also didn't help that some of those top guys lost or didn't play well and dropped down, but not out of the polls, so we were the one to get jockey'd around. At least we're still in it.

Key one to note, Boise is not even in the "Others receiving votes", while Washington is at 29.

Hawaii at #22 in Coaches Poll (Again)

Despite the big victory on the road and several teams ranked ahead of them losing, Hawaii remains stuck at #22 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. They were leapfrogged by #18 Texas A&M, #19 Boston College, #20 Clemson and #21 Oregon. Neverthless, it's very close in the point totals, with just 17 points (325 vs 308) separating #18 from #22. So it could've gone many different ways. We'll see how it shakes out as the season goes on.

UH at LaTech Wrap-Ups

The Advertiser has game stats and a scoring breakdown.

Stephen Tsai talks to June Jones about how the Warriors came back to win the crazy game.

"These guys have so much character," Jones said. "I wouldn't want to win it any other way. We won it on the road and by coming from behind. It's a big statement, and it says a lot about each of the players. I am so proud of them. They had that attitude they were not going to lose the game."

In the same article, Tsai takes a look at Greg McMackin's final play call:

McMackin's strategy was to blitz Kalilimoku and safety Jacob Patek into the right side of the Bulldogs' backfield and, presumably, into the anticipated path of Champion. The scheme calls for a rotation, with Lewis defending the right wideout.

"I thought Mac was really trying to roll 7s," said Rich Miano, who coaches the UH defensive backs. "It was a big-time gutsy call for him to call what he called. We were rolling to that side. If they go the other way, we're not as strong."

Champion noticed the shift as the ball was snapped — a nanosecond too late to call a timeout.

Dave Reardon's wrap-up discusses Gerard Lewis knocking down that final 2-point attempt to save the day.

"Just doing my job," Lewis said matter-of-factly, like he did last season to set up the Purdue victory with an interception, like he did last week with a fumble recovery to set the tone in the season opener.

"He's a baller," Jones said, when asked about Lewis' penchant for making the key play.

But this was much bigger than his previous exploits. This play saved the game, and the Warriors' long-term hopes.

"This could be the turning point of our season," receiver Davone Bess said.

Another turning point could be Dan Kelly's clutch game-tying field goal. Ferd Lewis talks to Kelly about how he felt leading up to it.

"When I step on the field and go kick I just go blank," Kelly said. " I don't feel anything, I really mean it. God gave me the ability to shut off my emotions when I go out to kick. From the time I step on the field until the time I kick the ball, I really don't feel anything. At least I don't remember anything."

"Of course if you want to ask me what my stomach felt like before I went out to kick, it was in a ball. I felt like my stomach was up to my throat," Kelly said. "I was nervous. But, for some reason as soon as I hit that field, it quit."

Ferd hopes that UH will learn from this game.

We finally saw the Warriors approach their best only when pushed to it. And pushed hard in the 87-degree heat. Maybe from now on in this 12-game regular season, the stark reminders of how close their season of portent was to turning to disappointment, in their minds, we'll see what the Warriors are capable of earlier rather than later.

Perhaps now they fully grasp that being the 20th-ranked team in the country comes with a mighty burden of proof. They need to have more than a nodding realization that they are going to get everybody's best shot every night out. They should understand that the longer you let an underdog linger, the more they become emboldened and inspired. Shaking Tech was like, well, getting a Bulldog off your pants leg.

In a story discussing Jason Rivers' big night, Dooley going for two, the UH defense, and Dan Kelly's kick, Dave Reardon notes why UH was penalized 15 yards on the opening kickoff.

Hawaii was warned before the game by WAC officials not to do the haka, but the Warriors did it anyway in front of the LaTech football team and was penalized 15 yards before the game even started for unsportsmanlike conduct. Hawaii had to kick off from its own 15-yard line.

Geez, give me a break. The WAC should ban mascots and loud fans while they're at it.

Ferd Lewis writes that LaTech coach Derek Dooley was happy with the way his defense played.

"It's not every day a guy throws for 500 yards against you and you feel like you did a pretty good job against him," Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley said marveling at the irony of his own statement.

Brennan had a hand in all three UH turnovers — a fumble, a fumbled handoff exchange and an interception — that Tech capitalized on to score 21 points.

Despite the stats, it wasn't the best game for Colt. Nevertheless, he's once again nominated for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award. Vote for Colt!

UH at LaTech SportsCenter Highlights

Posted by the always awesome UHBows.



Gotta love Neil Everett throwing in the lau lau reference. The game (and Davone Bess' juggling catch) also made the Top 10 plays.



UPDATE: Here are some highlights from College Football Final.

Games of Note - 9/8/07

First off, just wanted to give big props to LaTech. I hope they're as good the rest of the year as they were tonight against UH. As for the Warriors, this is definitely a game that will bring them together and make them stronger. To get through all that, the turnovers, the mistakes, the great play by the Bulldogs, and still come out with a victory on the road says a lot about the team.

Anyway, here are some games of note from around college football today.

South Carolina beat #11 Georgia 16-12.

South Florida beat #17 Auburn 26-23.

#7 Texas beat #19 TCU 34-13.

Washington beat #22 Boise State 24-10.

Fresno State almost pulled off the upset against #23 Texas A&M in College Station, finally losing 47-45 in triple OT!

How all this affects Hawaii in the polls will be interesting. The teams that lost will drop, but the teams who pulled off the upsets, including Oregon, which destroyed Michigan in Ann Arbor, will be hot on the heels of UH, and there may be some leapfrogging going on. We'll see how it goes.

Final Score: Hawaii 45, Louisiana Tech 44

I can't even talk right now. BIG SIGH OF RELIEF! What a crazy crazy game. I'll post the post-game wrap-ups later on. Right now I'm gonna go lie down.

UPDATE: Okay I'm back. Crazy game.

Some unofficial stats:

Colt Brennan was 43 of 61 for 548 yards (70.5% completion percentage), 4 TDs and 1 INT. He also ran for a touchdown.

Jason Rivers caught 14 passes for 175 yards and 1 TD

Ryan Grice-Mullins caught 9 passes for 166 yards and 2 TDs

Davone Bess caught 11 passes for 138 yards and 1 TD

Here's the Advertiser's post-game wrap-up.

Here's the Star-Bulletin's post-game wrap-up.

Here's the AP wrap-up.

Going Into Overtime: LaTech 38, Hawaii 38

Holy crap. Gotta give it up to Dan Kelly. He missed two early field goals, but came through CLUTCH to tie it up. Okay, here we go into overtime...

At the Half: Latech 21, Hawaii 14

It's been a surprising game so far. Some stats at the half:

Colt Brennan is 18 of 26 for 202 yards. He also has 4 rushes for 12 yards and a score.

Jason Rivers has 8 catches for 132 yards.

Leon Wright-Jackson has 5 rushes for 53 yards and a touchdown.

I got a feeling the UH coaches will make some great adjustments at halftime.

Nice tackle by Dan Kelly, possibly saving a touchdown, after his kick got blocked at the end of the half.

GO WARRIORS!!!!

Ways to Follow the UH at LaTech Game

UPDATE: Bumped. I won't be near a computer to give updates (maybe during halftime). Here's a post I posted last night which lists ways to follow the game. GO WARRIORS!!!!


In Hawaii:

Watch it on Oceanic PPV.

Watch it on the Altitude Channel on Direct TV.

This list from the Honolulu Advertiser has a run-down of some of the bars and establishments showing the game live.

1420 AM on the radio.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Streaming video from LaTechTV.com. It costs $10 for the game. I've never tried it.

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services.

UPDATE: The ICS link is stuck on Northern Colorado. Check out ESPN's Scoreboard, which might have a "Gamecast" link during the game. Or try CBS Sportsline's scoreboard for a "Gamecenter" link.


Outside of Hawaii:

Watch it on the Altitude Channel on Direct TV (and other providers).

Watch it on ESPN Gameplan, if your cable or satellite provider has it.

Streaming video from ESPN360.com, if your ISP supports it.

Streaming video from LaTechTV.com, if you have $10 to spare.

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services. See update above.


Let me know if I've missed any other ways of catching the game.

GOOOOOO WARRIORS!!!!

GameDay: Hawaii at Louisiana Tech

Stephen Tsai has a gameday preview, with breakdowns of both teams' offenses, defense and special teams. Here's an excerpt about the Warriors' defense.

"I know they're going to come out with fire," said Lafaele, who has played with a fracture in his right hand. "We have to control the line of scrimmage and be aggressive, like a dog on a bone."

Laeli has been bothered by tendinitis in his left knee. He has split reps with Watson this week.

The key in defending Patrick Jackson, the Warriors have been told, is to remain disciplined. Don't try to reach — he's too strong to arm tackle — and focus on the lower part of his jersey number because his head fakes are not covered by chiropractor insurance.

Dave Reardon has a gameday preview, with breakdowns and probable starters, and some good news regarding John Estes.

The good news from practice in Houston yesterday and Thursday is that center John Estes had no problem going through the paces despite an infected cut that kept him on the sideline Wednesday. Estes is the key to the UH line, in the mental sense of reading defenses and making the proper blocking calls, and in the physical sense of efficiently snapping the ball to Colt Brennan and making the correct blocks himself.

T. Scott Boatright of The News Star has a preview, which includes some keys to the game.

KEYS TO THE GAME: Tech’s aerial attack
Tech’s defense looks to have improved, but the Warriors are going to score. That means the Bulldogs have to move the balls and will have to thow in order to do so. Tech turned in an anemic 71 passing yards last week against Central Arkansas, relying mostly on the legs of running backs Patrick Jackson and Daniel Porter, who combined for 173 rushing yards with two touchdowns.

You know Hawaii is going to stack the box, meaning Tech quarterback Zac Champion will have to increase on the 12-of-23 passing performance for 71 yards and a score that he showed against UCA.

Jimmy Watson of The Shreveport Times has a preview as well.

Some college coaches are fond of saying that a football team's greatest improvement occurs from week one to week two.

That should give the Louisiana Tech faithful hope after seeing their team win just 28-7 last week over a Southland Conference team, Central Arkansas.

...

"I hope that doesn't apply to Hawaii," Tech coach Derek Dooley said. "Hawaii doesn't need to improve."

Stephen Tsai has a quote from Dooley, who talks about preparing to face the UH offense.

"It starts with the quarterback," Dooley said, referring to Colt Brennan, the UH-trumpeted Heisman Trophy candidate. "It's very difficult to simulate the reads and the throws and how quick he gets rid of it and how accurate his throws are. Compound that with some fast veteran receivers who can run and go up and get it. It's really impossible to simulate. That's the biggest challenge in facing a team like this."

Ferd Lewis writes about the brewing rivalry between the two schools.

That the WAC Office this year issued a directive — the so-called "Haka Rule" — ordering schools that perform the war dance and chant to do it when the visiting team has left the field is seen as a followup to last year when, we're told, Louisiana Tech took objection to UH's performance at Aloha Stadium preceding a 61-17 blowout.

LaTech also wasn't happy with what happened in Ruston in 2003.

Tech players said they took exception to UH "dancing" on their midfield "L" and complained that players "disrespected" their Bulldog statue. So much offense was taken that Tech coaches reminded their players about it during UH's return in 2005 and the Bulldogs cited payback in 46-14 blowout win.

Of course not about to leave a score unsettled, UH touted the retribution angle after scoring 52 unanswered points en route to last year's 61-17 win at Aloha Stadium.

That being said, the Warriors are focused. Here's what Karl Noa says in Dave Reardon's preview of today's preview.

"This isn't really about revenge, but we know they're tough and aggressive on the offensive line, and we have to be ready to play," Noa said.

It should be a great game, and a good test for the UH run defense. I'm hoping June Jones doesn't have to bust out any of the new offensive schemes, because that'll mean UH will be destroying the Bulldogs. But if he has to, that will be exciting as well. Big Boned Wishbone, anybody?

GO WARRIORS!!!!

LaTech Preview Vids

Some news stories previewing the LaTech game, compiled by Chawan Cut.

Colt on PTI

The pundits at Pardon The Interruption discuss Colt Brennan, giving him lots of praise. Thanks again to UHBows for posting the video.

On the Road: Houston

Stephen Tsai talks to Colt Brennan about winning the fan award.

"Right now, we played a Division I-AA," Brennan conceded. "For me, it's nothing to pride myself on or have bragging rights to. Let's move on. I'd rather win that award Thanksgiving weekend."

That is when the Warriors will face Boise State.

Excellent. Tsai also talks to the players and coaches about practicing in Houston, and drops some tantalizing hints about the offense.

But practicing at Rice University allowed the Warriors to unveil several surprise schemes away from Louisiana Tech's spies. Rice also allowed the Warriors full use of the facilities and athletic-training staff.

I bet one of the schemes is the Big Boned Wishbone, awww yeah. Also from the article:

• Colt Brennan spent some extra time with CJ Hawthorne, giving tips on running a corner fade route.


• John Estes was able to work out yesterday as he recovers from his infected knee.


• Timo Paepule declared himself ready to go after recovering from an injured right arch.


• Mario Cox says not to worry about his hamstring.

Dave Reardon talks to Jason Rivers, who was on the team the last time the Warriors beat LaTech in Ruston.

What does it take to go into a hostile environment and come out with the victory?

"The key is being unified as a team and everybody doing their job. All the slack is picked up and there are no gaps," Rivers said. "We have a lot to play for."

Also from the article:

• B.J. Fruean talks about being a late addition to the travel roster.


• True freshmen Le'Marcus Gibson and Korey Reynolds also made the trip.


• Tyler Graunke, recovering from an injury to his left hand, threw well in practice.

Kalani Simpson talks to Solomon Elimimian about what's motivating him for tomorrow's game.

But of course I'm not Elimimian, who is still remembering 46-14, Oct. 8, 2005.

"They whipped our butt," he said.

"They just whipped our butt. That team won. They whipped our butt."

I'm sensing a theme here.

"That game just left a bad taste in our mouth," the Hawaii linebacker said. "I'm glad we get to go over there to Ruston."

The Ruston Chamber of Commerce should be all over a quote you don't hear too often. But Elimimian meant it in a different way.

Good one. Simpson also has a nice anecdote about the late, great Tommy Kaulukukui.

And finally, Ferd Lewis writes about Louisiana Tech building for the future.

"You hate to say they are a sleeping giant, because it is an overused term, but that's really what they are," said Jeff Reinebold, a UH assistant coach who spent a year at Tech. "There is so much talent within a 200-mile radius of that campus that if they get it going they could be real tough."

Play UP!

Lelie, Paul Johnson, LaTech, Vids

I've been trying to keep my posts neat by keeping topics together, but sometimes the news doesn't work that way. This post is all over the place:

Craig Massei of San Francisco Illustrated profiles Ashley Lelie, and asks if he's the 49ers "secret weapon."

Lelie also proved he can go over the middle and get the ball in traffic, something the 49ers wanted to see during the preseason. Lelie made a convincing statement with his play not only to make the team, but also to gain a significant role in San Francisco’s passing game. “Everybody kind of thinks I can’t go across the middle, I can’t run short routes,” Lelie said. “And I think they just kind of made me do that just to see if I can do it. They didn’t let me go deep or anything in the preseason. “Earlier in my career, I was more of a decoy, trying to scare teams out of certain coverages. The way they used me in the preseason, I barely went deep at all, so I think they’re going to use me a lot more in several ways. I think they’re going to call on me a little bit more earlier in the season.”

======

Do you remember a time when UH was one of the top rushing teams in the nation? Here's a great profile by Alex Delanian of The Star-Ledger of former UH offensive coordinator and current Navy head coach Paul Johnson, triple-option extraordinaire. It includes quotes from his former star UH QB Michael Carter, current UH coach George Lumpkin, and Navy QB and Kapolei grad Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Go Navy! Beat Rutgers!

======

Here's a new article from T. Scott Boatright of The News Star looking ahead to Saturday's Louisiana Tech game.

In 2005’s 46-14 loss at Joe Aillet Stadium, Brennan was held to only 236 yards and one touchdown through the air as he hit on 23-of-33 attempts with one interception.

“I remember that one — I remember them beating us and the way that crowd heckled us,”Brennan said via teleconference.
“Last year we wanted to make a statement against them after that tough loss the year before. But a bunch of us still remember that game two years ago in Ruston, so we’ll be ready.”

======

And finally, Chawan Cut keeps putting together the local news compilations like a champ. Here's a video with stories about the polls, Louisiana Tech, Colt's Hawaiian Islands hair, etc.



Visit CC's Youtube profile page for a whole lot more.

In Houston / Colt With the Vote

Stephen Tsai has a Warrior practice report from Houston.

• As June Jones pointed out earlier, with a limited travel roster, the top offenses and defenses are practicing against each other. Still, Colt Brennan is completing pass after pass. Tyler Graunke, who is no longer wearing a protective wrap on his left hand, also is getting work against the No. 1 defense.
• That last cheer was the first breeze of the evening. It's 8:30 p.m. and the humidity is in the 90-plus-percent range.

Tsai also runs into a familiar face.

While waiting for the elevator, a gigantic man — maybe a recruit? — walks with video coordinator Michael Brewster. I reach for the notepad when . . . oh, shucks, it's Brandon Eaton, the former UH lineman. Great to see Brandon, disappointed he wasn't a recruit. Brandon has five words to say: "I'm gonna kill Ian Sample." I guess the book is very popular.

Dave Reardon, also in Houston, also talked to Eaton.

Eaton also says he’s not very happy with Ian Sample’s book, “And yeah, you can write that. I might have to go to Japan.”

Yowza.

Reardon also has a cool anecdote involving Lee Corso.

UH media relations director Derek Inouchi and quarterback Colt Brennan have a new best friend: ESPN analyst Lee Corso. Corso called Inouchi’s office on Wednesday, requesting Brennan updates each week so he can hype him for the Heisman.

Inouchi: “Certainly. I’ll email them to you.”

Corso: “Not so fast my friend. I don’t check email. Fax it to me.”

If Corso's hyping someone from Hawaii, then maybe there's hope for humanity after all.

Speaking of Colt, he just won himself an award. Dave has details...

College football fans across the nation voted Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan the season’s first recipient of the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award, the only major college football award chosen exclusively by fans.

Brennan received 45 percent of the votes to beat out Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards (37 percent), UCLA quarterback Ben Olson (10 percent) and Rutgers wide receiver Tiquan Underwood (8 percent).

...and Colt's response:

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized among that group of guys,” Brennan said. “But I realize it’s the beginning of the season and what really matters is the success of the team over individual accomplishments.”

Right on.

Warriors' Haka, The Warrior Insider (w/ UPDATE)

Warriorshaka.com, which has been quiet for a while, has two new articles. Author J. David Miller writes an article naming the UH All-Legends Offensive Team.

Amidst the excitement of the 2007 season already underway, Warriors’ Haka asked you to vote for your favorite Hawaii Warriors. We recorded 1,531 votes from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea & Australia … and the votes are in! Tune in next week for the All-Legends defensive team and head coach ... you might be surprised!

Dan Robinson has a new "Passing Time" entry.

Prior to the Northern Colorado game, my wife and I were in Hawaii and had the chance to watch a few practices. UH prepared for Northern Colorado like they were playing Ohio State. There wasn’t any goofing around. There were no dropped balls in practice. They were taking care of business.

My wife’s first comment was that no one is dropping any balls. So my hat off to the UH receivers for impressing my wife. Hawaii practices are NFL-style, that’s for sure, and that’s something June has emphasized since he got here.

UPDATE: Rolo has a new article as well.

In my humble opinion, the 2007 Warriors are the most exciting football team in the world! Have you ever seen so much speed everywhere – on offense, defense, and special teams? The return guys were amazing …and I couldn’t believe the way Michael Washington caught up with Malcolm Lane on that kickoff return – he was so effortless, it looked like he was ice-skating!

======

And there's a new UH football blog to check out and add to your bookmarks. It's called The Warrior Insider. It just started a few days ago, but it already has a ton of great inside information on UH recruiting. Looks like it'll be a great resource for Warrior football fans, and I'll definitely be reading every day. Be there!

Road Warriors, Special Teams, Estes

Stephen Tsai writes about life on the road for the Warriors. June Jones talking about having to practice without the scout team.

"Because you don't have the two scout teams on the road, you may only have an hour of practice because you have to break up the teams," Jones said. "It's more like a pro practice. It's a little bit hard. But you get a better look because the starters are running the scout team. (Starting slotbacks) Davone (Bess) and Ryan (Grice-Mullins) will be running the routes instead of scout receivers. The defense will get better looks."

Jones also discusses an advantage of always having open practices.

Jones said he expects between 40 and 50 "NFL people" to attend the Warriors' practices in Houston, most focusing on Brennan. Jones said the attention should not be a distraction.

"That's the reason my practices are open," Jones said, noting that crowds "are the norm around here. We've had HBO, ESPN, everybody at our practice. Marvin Hagler, Rudy, they've been at practice. If you had closed practices all of the time and then (the scouts) attended on the road, it could be a distraction. It won't be a distraction to this team. They deal with it everyday."

Dave Reardon and Brian McInnis write that UH hopes not to repeat the 2003 road trip.

In 2003, UH left Hawaii 1-0 for games at USC and UNLV. They returned to the islands 1-2. The Warriors bounced back to finish 9-5, but they were a disappointing 5-3 and fourth in the Western Athletic Conference.

Jason Kaneshiro has a great article on the play of the kick return teams.

"On special teams, some guys only get on the field maybe five or six plays a game, so it's 110 percent every single time," said junior defensive back Guyton Galdeira. "Coach (Dennis) McKnight talks about being junkyard dogs and just the willingness to play the play longer than your opponent."

And Dave Reardon writes in the Star-Bulletin's Sports Notebook that John Estes sat out practice due to an infection, but should be okay.

Estes has an infection for an ingrown hair in a cut on his right leg.

"I didn't take care of it the way I should've," Estes said. "I drained it after the game and cleaned it out and I'm taking antibiotics."

In his stead, Larry Sauafea delivered the snaps at center. Also from the Notebook:

• Lafu Tuioiti-Mariner and Cameron Allen-Jones worked out at right guard.


• The weather forecast in Ruston shows a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms with a high in the upper 80s on Saturday.


• John Fonoti did not make the trip for the LaTech game because of his heel injuries, but he should make it to the UNLV game. BJ Freuan took his place on the roster for this Saturday's game.

LaTech Previews / Colt Articles

Here's a preview of the Louisiana Tech game from The Sports Network.

The LaTech defense came out rather flat in the opening moments of the first quarter last Saturday, allowing Central Arkansas to march 80 yards on just five plays, taking a mere 2:25 off the clock, to score the first touchdown of the game. But from there the Bulldogs tightened up and clamped down, holding the visitors scoreless the rest of the way. However, the fact remains that Central Arkansas still produced 386 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs, which is not exactly going to scare off a team like Hawaii and Brennan.

Here's an article from Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times, focusing on Colt Brennan.

Brennan will bring his Heisman trophy-candidate credentials to Tech's Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday for a 6 p.m. meeting with the Bulldogs (1-0). Several NFL scouts, a Davey O'Brien Award representative and several bowl scouts are expected to be in attendance to see Brennan and his Warrior teammates perform.

They'll see a guy who has passed for at least 400 yards for seven consecutive games, including contests against Purdue, Arizona State and Oregon State at the end of last season.

Here's an article from the AP, focusing on the amount of travel the Warriors will log on this trip, and this season.

"Hawaii has had a history of losing on the road and we want to break that," receiver Davone Bess said.

Located more than five hours by air from the West Coast, every away game is a major trip for Hawaii.

While many teams complain about how difficult it is to travel to the islands, Jones said traveling east is "way worse."

"They should try it. We sleep on the plane all night and try to get ready to play a football game," he said. "It's (traveling west) not even the same ballpark going east."

======

And below is a sampling of the onslaught of articles from the past few days discussing Colt Brennan.

• In their weekly best-player-in-college-football top ten list, CFN has Colt ranked at #1.


• ESPN's College Gameday Final praises Colt's performance against UNC, asks fans to stay up late to watch the home games, and has a sidebar mentioning Michigan turning down a game with UH this year.


• John Murphy of Yahoo Sports discusses Colt's NFL prospects.


• In a battle of Colts, Brennan and McCoy, CB wins the Passing Pony Award, at least for this week.


• ESPN's Tim Keown thinks June Jones showed good sportsmanship in sitting Colt after the first half.


• Norman Chad has some really good things to say about Colt.

When he's praised, Colt is good about deflecting that praise back to his teammates and coaches. But a lot of fans and media are more than happy to heap it back onto him. If you're sick of the Colt Brennan stories, I'm afraid there's gonna be tons more from here on out. In any case, I think a light on Colt is also a light on the team, the school and the state. Right on.

P.S. Thanks to Mike and Legios for some of the links.

LaTech, Keenan Jones, Frazier

Here's a link to some info the UH Athletics Department has released for the Louisiana Tech game, which includes ways to follow the game. That page also has a link to a PDF of the press release, which has rosters, stats, fun facts, etc.

T. Scott Boatright of The News Star in Monroe, Louisiana has an article about LaTech's improved defense, and what the players and coaches feel they need to do to win this Saturday.

"It's very difficult to slow him down — we'll have to effect him," Dooley said of the Heisman candidate. "The defensive line is key, but it isn't always that pressure that's important.

"Can we play physical on the receivers and keep them from getting balls? Can we push the pocket so we make (Brennan) move around and have trouble finding the passing lanes? Can we make him move and keep him off-balance? Those things can make a big difference too."

Ferd Lewis also writes about the improved Bulldog defense.

Dooley, the son of Hall of Fame Georgia coach Vince Dooley, has preached defense, calling it the "starting point" for what the Bulldogs have to do. "Anytime you have the season we had last year, you have to go back to the basics and fundamentals," Dooley said.

After a 28-7 victory over Division I-AA Central Arkansas sparked by cornerback Tony Moss' three interceptions, the Bulldogs attempt to prove that defense is alive and thriving in Ruston.

Gonna be a good game!

Dave Reardon writes a great article on the redemption of cornerback Keenan Jones.

"When you're a star in high school and JC people give you a lot of leeway," Jones said. "I did what I wanted to do instead of what I was supposed to do. Missing meetings, showing up late, childish things. That was a wake-up call when (coach June Jones) told me he wasn't going to sign me for this year. He gave me the choice of being a walk-on or going on my way. That's when the light went on."

Jones decided to accept the challenge. He said working his way up from the bottom has made him more responsible.

Great to hear. Looks like he'll be a major contributor this year.

Stephen Tsai has details about Blaze Soares not being able to make the road trip.

"This will heal up," McMackin said. "We thought it was. He was feeling good. He has to get stronger.

"We need to get him well the next two weeks, and let him help us down the stretch," McMackin added. "He's a great athlete, a great person, and he's one of our better players, and one of our starters."

Get better Blaze! Also from the article:

• Coaches praise Keith AhSoon for his play on the field and work in the classroom.


• Injury updates on Tyler Graunke, Fale Laeli and Timo Paepule.

Brian McInnis writes about the ongoing probe sparked by Ian Sample's deleted chapters, and interviews Herman Frazier, who talks about not wanting to talk about a possible BCS Bowl in the Warriors' future.

"You don't try to jinx yourself in that regard," he said. "I've had friends from two BCS bowls call me last Friday ... they said, 'It would be wonderful to have you guys in one of our games.' And I say, 'Guys, get off the phone, I don't even want to talk about it. Don't even go there.' "

He pointed out that Boise State had to pull off a 23-20 comeback win at San Jose State on the way to its 13-0 BCS-busting season.

"Boise's take was about $4.5 million for playing in the Fiesta Bowl ... but I don't even want to think about it."

Ferd Lewis talks to Frazier about Michigan, as well as Appalachian State, turning down a chance to play Hawaii this year.

Frazier said both the Wolverines and Mountaineers turned down offers to play UH this season, helping set in motion one of the biggest upsets in college football history Saturday, Appalachian State's 34-32 upset of then-No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Frazier said he believed a loss to UH, "would have been accepted by their (Michigan's) fans losing to a 23rd-ranked team easier than it would have been to a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) Appalachian State in the long run."

Oh wells!

And Herman leaves us with this reassurance regarding future schedules.

Meanwhile, Frazier said he has offers out to several I-AA teams to play a Sept. 6, 2008 game sandwiched between road games at Florida (Aug. 30) and Oregon State (Sept. 13) and is talking to Syracuse about a Dec. 6, 2008 regular season finale to complete the 13-game schedule.

"I also have teams talking to me about 2009 (and) there are a couple I could probably sign tomorrow if I wanted, but I want to get everything in place for 2008 first," Frazier said.

You know how that goes. Anyway, hopefully next year's schedule can be finalized soon.

Ready for the Road

Leila Wai has a video where she interviews Keith AhSoon, John Estes, Brad Kalilimoku, Jacob Patek and Davone Bess about what they're taking on the 12-day road trip, and asks them what makes a good or bad roommate.

Despite a foot injury, linebacker Timo Paepule will make the trip. However, Blaze Soares aggravated his hamstring injury in practice today, and will not make it.

Here an article by Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times about the Warriors staying on Hawaii time during the road trip.

======

Some quick Miami Dolphins updates:

Tala Esera was signed to Miami's practice squad today after clearing waivers.

And here are a couple articles on Reagan Mauia being the only fullback on the Dolphins' roster. This one from Realfootball365 discusses the advantages of keeping Mauia over veteran Cory Schlesinger. This profile from the Miami Herald discusses his role on the team.

ESPN Coverage of UH

Some recent clips from ESPN compiled by UHBows, who's been completely on it!

The first clip has Colt and the Warriors coming in at #10 in the Top 10 Plays of the Week:



This next one I think is from College Football Live. They talk about Colt being "Off the Radar" in the Heisman race. Thankfully ESPN is helping to put him back on the radar.



And finally, I forget the name of the show, but a couple of pundits discuss Colt and wonder if his numbers are legitimate. Just know that Tony Kornheiser is very misinformed, but maybe on purpose for argument's sake.

Hawaii #20 in AP Poll

More great news. UH moves up three spots to #20 in the Associated Press poll. TCU is one spot ahead at #19, while Boise State is #22. Michigan also dropped out of this poll.

Hawaii #22 in Coaches Poll

Great news for the Warriors! UH moves up two spots to #22 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Georgia Tech leapfrogged us from being unranked to #21 after beating Notre Dame. Boise State moved up to #20, while TCU moved up to #19. Michigan dropped completely out to the "others receiving votes" category. AP poll will be released later today.

From NoCo to LaTech

Orlando from UHWarriorFan.com has a bunch of great photos from the Northern Colorado game up on his 2007 Season photo gallery. Be there!

Kalani Simpson applauds the fans who applauded the Bears.

As the Northern Colorado Bears trudged to their locker room, beaten and bruised, the Hawaii fans in the end zone above their tunnel stood and saluted them. They stood and they clapped and they cheered. They did it for a long time, until all of the UNC players had come off the field. They thanked them for coming. They thanked them for playing this game.

It was classy. It was perfect.

The Star-Bulletin has some thoughts from June Jones about the game.

"I was really happy with how the offensive and defensive lines played," Jones said. "Very intense, and I thought they were the difference in the game."

He added he was impressed with the play of linebacker Brad Kalilimoku, who moved into a starting role in place of injured Blaze Soares, and collected nine tackles.

The Advertiser's Bruce Asato has video of yesterday's press conference with Coach.

Stephen Tsai has a lot of news, including word about Michael Lafaele, who's been playing with a broken bone in his hand.

Because of a small fracture in the metacarpal of his right hand, Lafaele wears a cast on the days he practices. The injury, located between the index finger and thumb, means he has to hold a pen with his middle and ring fingers.

For games, padding is placed on his hand, then wrapped with athletic tape.

"It's nothing serious," Lafaele said. "It doesn't hurt that bad. It's not a problem."

He's tough! Turtle tough! Also from the article:

• Injury updates on Timo Paepule, Fale Laeli and David Farmer. None appear to be major injuries.


• Paperwork update on Erik Robinson, who sat for the NoCo game and may sit for the road trip.


• Blaze Soares says he'll try to test his injured hamstring and shoulder in practice today.


• Daniel Lofton, a transfer receiver from California, talks about coming to UH.

The Star-Bulletin Notebook has some pretty funny quotes from Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley as he discusses playing the Warriors.

"They need to petition to the commissioner to see if we can play with 12, it might help us a little bit," Dooley joked on the Western Athletic Conference coaches' weekly teleconference.

"You gotta play real good in the red zone," Dooley said. "If you can try to keep 'em out of the end zone, and make 'em kick field goals, that will have a lot to do with slowing 'em down. Now ... how you do it, if you got any answers on that, let me know."

The article also has injury updates, and Inoke Funaki talks about learning to go through progressions which led to Saturday's touchdown pass.

"I was happy I made it all the way back (to Salas); normally I go, 'One, two ... uh-oh' and just kind of take off," Funaki said, grinning. "So I was happy I was able to hang in there and it just kind of shows how far I've come along and how much Colt and Tyler have helped me."

Right on. He looked really good out there.

And finally Ferd Lewis writes how UH will have a target on their backs against Louisiana Tech, as well as other teams down the road.

This time the Warriors arrive with a target on their backs bigger than a town house. Their No. 23 national ranking marks them for any team looking to make a splash. Their Heisman Trophy candidate of a quarterback and endless ESPN love make them a ripe target. It is a role the Warriors will take with them everywhere they go this year.

couple more news vids

from the weekend. news & highlights.

June Jones Show / Northern Colorado Highlights (w/ UPDATE)

Irse posted last night's June Jones Show, which recaps the Northern Colorado game, previews the Louisiana Tech game, and has a great profile of receivers Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mull(en)ins.

And Couz96797 has posted video highlights of the Northern Colorado game.



I know I've been posting a lot of Youtube videos lately. Please let me know if having all these videos on the main page is giving anyone problems with their browser.

Thanks again to the Warrior Nation videophiles for sharing with the fans!

UPDATE: Chawan Cut compiled some news coverage of the UH victory, which is posted below.

Colt POW / Inspiration / Graunke / Aloha

Colt Brennan is the WAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Dave Reardon writes that the UH players were motivated by the Appalachian State-Michigan game.

"That was pretty much the talk of the (pregame) locker room," said slotback Davone Bess about the huge upset at No. 5 Michigan by ASU. "Coach McKnight (assistant Dennis) talked to us about it."

The Wolverines booked the Division I-AA two-time national champions instead of hosting the Warriors, and now, Michigan's hopes for a national championship are over after one game.

"Big ups to Appalachian State. That's a good example of how you can't take anyone lightly," UH captain and defensive tackle Mike Lafaele said.

Reardon also writes about Tyler Graunke's hand injury.

Backup quarterback Tyler Graunke injured his left (non-throwing) hand Saturday, but said he doesn't expect to miss any practice. Graunke hurt his throwing hand in spring practice.

"It's full of liquid and there's lacerations and swelling, but it's already going down. Nothing's broken," Graunke said.

Thank goodness it's not serious. The same link has Dave Reardon's reprisal of "Warrior Replay" which breaks down five key plays from the game.

Stephen Tsai writes that Colt Brennan, who went 34 of 40 for 416 yards with 6 touchdowns in the first half, doesn't feel he was completely on it during the Northern Colorado game.

Still, Brennan said, "I threw some bad balls. The football wasn't coming out clean. I probably did a good job of getting to the right reads. But for some reason, they didn't come out clean. I don't know why."

Quarterback coach Dan Morrison said: "Even he knows he could do better. He made some good throws, but he wasn't razor sharp.

Sheesh. He's gonna complete 90% of his passes this year. Tsai also talks to Graunke about how he got his injury.

Graunke suffered the injury when he was tackled at the end of his first play, a third-quarter scramble. He played the next three series.

"It happened the first play, then it (was hit) three different times," Graunke said. The swelling and pain "got worse and worse. By the last time, my knuckle and my hand really popped up, like two inches. I told coach (June Jones) I couldn't even go. I couldn't even take a snap."

Also from the article:

• Colt Brennan praises Inoke Funaki.


• June Jones addresses why some players were in street clothes for the second half.


• Greg McMackin talks about the dilemma of having so many good linebackers.

Ferd Lewis has a great column about Jo Ann Fukao, who writes about her experience as a flight attendant on UH football road trips.

They compelled Fukao to write: "I have had the pleasure of being on a few of our UH Warriors' charter flights to the Mainland. And from this former non-football fan of any team, I — and many of my co-workers — are now reading the sports page and looking up articles of any kind about 'our boys.'

Can't really excerpt it, gotta read the whole thing. By the way, Tsai writes that it's Ferd Lewis' birthday. Woot woot!

Warriors in the Pros

Some good and bad news in recent transactions involving former UH players.

First the bad news. Nate Ilaoa, Dane Uperesa, Melila Purcell and Tala Esera were all cut by their respective NFL teams.

Better news - Dane Uperesa got signed to the Bengals practice squad after clearing waivers. UPDATE: Mel Purcell was signed to the Browns practice squad.

Great news - Samson Satele will be starting center and Reagan Mauia will be starting fullback for the Miami Dolphins. Ikaika Alama-Francis made the Lions. Isaac Sopoaga, who is profiled here, Ashley Lelie and Jeff Ulbrich all made it through the final cuts to the 49ers roster.

Timmy Chang makes his first start for the Hamilton Ticats today as they meet the Toronto Argonauts. He's profiled here by Rick Matsumoto of the Toronto Star, who writes that Timmy will be the first person of Asian heritage to start a game at the pro level.

"I'm not in control of all that stuff that goes on," he said. "But I do feel I carry the state of Hawaii on my shoulders.

"I believe I also carry my ... Asian descent on my shoulders. But when I'm on the field for those three hours during a game ... I'm not thinking of those things.

"But definitely in the off-season when I'm training I have those things on my mind. I feel I don't want to let people down.

"When I'm training and working hard in the off-season and I'm definitely thinking about it and pushing to get better for the Chinese and Asian people."

Right on. Hope he has a great game. You should be able to follow the action via streaming audio from AM900 CHML (link at top left of that page), streaming video outside of Canada from CBC International ($9.95 for the live game, $3.95 archived), or live stats from the CFL. I can't vouch for the video, but I've followed previous games via CHML and the live stats, and it's been pretty good. Have a great game Timmy! And good luck to the rest of the Warriors in the pros, and let's hope those that were cut get picked up on practice squads or can continue their careers elsewhere.

GO WARRIORS!!!!

UPDATE: Chang had a rough outing.

UH Fight Song, Co-Ed.

Been trying to get everyone to learn the song, Co-Ed. What is needed in a true college football environment?? The crowd, the students, and yes, the fight song. Sure we all can recognize USC, Notre Dame, and Michigan's, but why does no one know ours? Hawaii 5-0 is one of them, but the true official one that is played after every UH score is Co-Ed.

Here's a video I found that will help you learn the lyrics to the song.

Northern Colorado Highlights

UH's Colt Brennan for Heisman site has highlights from last night's game up. You need to click on the "View Highlight" button in the top right corner to launch a pop-up Flash player. It was stuttering for me, but hopefully that was just my connection.

UH vs UNC Wrap-Ups

Here's the Star-Bulletin's summary of the game. UPDATE: This link has been updated with Dave Reardon's full article since I first posted it.

Here's the Advertiser's scoring breakdown along with some game stats.

Here's Stephen Tsai's summary of the game, which has a great quote from Michael Washington.

"We didn't want to come out and be like Michigan," said Washington, referring to the fifth-ranked team's loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State earlier in the day. "We wanted to make a statement. We wanted to come out and blow them out."

The UH Athletics website has a list of the five school records Colt Brennan broke or tied last night.

• New record: Completions in a quarter (19), old record 15 by three players, last by Timmy Chang (2003 vs. Fresno State)


• Tied record: Touchdowns (4) in a quarter, tied with Nick Rolovich (2001 vs. BYU) and Timmy Chang (2004 vs. Idaho)


• New record: Completions in a half (34), old record 29 by Timmy Chang (2003 vs. Fresno State)


• New record: Yards in a half (416), old record 389 by Colt Brennan (2006 vs. Arizona State)


• Tied record: TD passes in a half (6), tied with Nick Rolovich (2001 vs. BYU)

But Colt was modest about it.

"To be honest, I didn't really feel like I was throwing the ball all that well," Brennan said. "But I just knew if I read my reads right and put the ball in the right area, I was going to be all right."

And despite the numbers, Colt and the team remain focused.

"The numbers are just numbers," Brennan said. "We are taking a business-like approach to this season."

The teams will get tougher and there is still much to be done, but the numbers will continue to escalate.

"It's crazy if you let yourself think about it," Grice-Mullins said.

Brad Kalilimoku, who led the team with nine tackles (all in the first half), talks about the hunger of the defense.

"Our whole team was ready to whack somebody," Kalilimoku said. "We've been working so hard, first team, second team, third team, everybody was busting their butts.

"We know how hard everybody works on the team and it's good to see everybody get out on the field and play."

Here's what Greg McMackin had to say:

"We wanted to set our starting point at a high limit," defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. "I was happy with the guys that they came out and they played intense, they kept it up and we got to play a lot of players. They kept the intensity right to the end."

"I was happy with their intensity, but we can get a lot better," McMackin said.

Right on.

Kealoha Pilares talks about playing in front of his hometown fans.

"Hell yeah, it feels good to be home," he said. "Just seeing all the fans was enough for me."

The Star-Bulletin's Sports Notebook has these bits of news:

• Dennis McKnight said the offensive line played well, but will look at game film for a full assessment.


• Kealoha Pilares talked about his first score as a Warrior.


• Inoke Funaki talked about his first TD pass as a Warrior.


• And more.

Northern Colorado coaches and players said they were glad for the learning experience.

"This (loss) is not going to do anything but help us," junior cornerback Myles Hayes said. "I wish the outcome was a little different. We got to test our skills against two Fred Biletnikoff (Award) candidates (Davone Bess and Jason Rivers) and a Heisman Trophy candidate. He (Warriors quarterback Colt Brennan) is worth all the hype. He's real smart and his receivers are on the same page. Real precise. They run a smooth offense and it was a great experience to play them."

Check out HawaiiWarriorBeat.com's video page for footage of last night's press conference (and a whole lot more.)

Kalani Simpson writes about how it all went according to plan.

Ferd Lewis writes about the UH ROTC, which did push-ups after each UH score last night.

As Brennan wrote five more entries into the school record book, the ROTC panted alongside the Bears. While the UH cruised to a 42-0 halftime lead and defensive tackle Michael Lafaele said, "Man, I wasn't even tired," the Warrior Battalion did 147 pushups.

Finally, after Greg Salas' 24-yard touchdown pass from Inoke Funaki in the fourth quarter and 266 total pushups, they rested. "Good practice for next week's (Army) physical fitness tests," said Army Sgt. Antonio Rico.

"Hopefully," Brennan said, "we'll help make them pretty strong this year."

This article about tailgaiting at Aloha Stadium made me extremely jealous.

Spicy tuna, nori and rice -- not the typical recipe for football tailgating cuisine. But season openers aren't just typical days for Keola Taniguchi and friends.

That's why instead of settling for tossing steaks on a grill or bringing buckets of chicken, they had a chef with a full sushi bar serving about a dozen families in the Aloha Stadium parking lot.

Dayummm!

And finally, Colt is nominated for the AT&T Player of the Week award.

Warrior's "Haka" at the game

Not sure what they call their new "haka" but it seemed a lot like last year's one. I couldn't hear what they were yelling, as they were closer to the other sideline. Also, my friend called just as it started, so you'll hear me a bit. And I don't have the steadfast-iest of hands, so it shakes a little.

Maybe they weren't ready to do the new one. Or it is new, with new words. We'll probably hear what they did in the newspaper or something soon.

Enjoy!

Hawaii 63, Northern Colorado 6

UH made it look too easy.

Here are Colt Brennan's game statistics:

34 of 40 (85% completion percentage) for 416 yards, 6 touchdowns and NO interceptions. He also led the team in rushing, carrying the ball 3 times for 23 yards.

All of this was accomplished in the first half.

UH went into halftime with a 42-0 lead. Colt, Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess (maybe more) came out for the second half dressed in street clothes.

At least many of the backups got a lot of playing time.

Mike Washington had an 80-yard punt return for a TD.

Malcolm Lane had a 94-yard kickoff return for a TD.

The UH defense held Northern Colorado to 34 yards rushing and 182 yards overall, while Hawaii racked up 577 yards on offense.

A great win by the Warriors to open the season. Looks like this will give UH a lot of confidence and momentum going into the upcoming two-game road trip to Louisiana Tech and UNLV.

GO WARRIORS!!!!


UPDATE: Here's Stephen Tsai's postgame wrap-up.

The opener answered several concerns for the Warriors.

The offensive line, which featured new starters at four positions, did not allow a sack when Brennan was in the game.

Brennan was pressured just twice. Once, he pirouetted away for a 4-yard scramble. A second time, Pilares, who was aligned on his left, scooted over to the right to block a blitzer.

Pilares and Wright-Jackson also fulfilled their high expectations. Both had big runs, and they showed they were more than adequate backfield blockers.

And here's The Star-Bulletin's postgame wrap-up.

“I was pleased," UH coach June Jones said. "The guys came ready to play. I knew they were ready to go. It's fun to do all phases, kick return, punt return, offense, defense. It got a little ragged with the new guys went in but I'm glad they got to play.”

Ways to Follow the Northern Colorado Game

UPDATE: Bumped. I won't be around a computer to give updates. Below are some ways to follow the game that I posted earlier. GO WARRIORS!!!!

In Hawaii:

Go to the game.

Check out this list from the Honolulu Advertiser, which has a run-down of bars and establishments showing the game live.

Oceanic PPV at home.


In and Outside of Hawaii:

Streaming video via HTSportsnet.com. You'll need Windows Media Player. It costs $9.95 for the game, $39.95 for five UH home games (NoCo, Charleston Southern, Utah State, NMSU and Fresno) or $69.95 for the whole slate, which includes UH football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball and soccer.

Streaming audio via ESPN 1420, with Bobby Curran and Robert Kekaula calling the action.

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services. Got the link from the UH Athletics football page.

UH vs NoCo Pre-Game Videos

As you anxiously wait for the UH-Northern Colorado game to start, you can kill some time by checking out these videos.

Below is a compilation of some news from yesterday, uploaded by Chawan Cut.



Visit CC's Youtube profile page for a lot more videos. I don't post them all here.

And here's a link to KGMB's "A Season of Great Expectations" UH football preview, which broadcast last night, an was taped, uploaded and hosted by Irse. Thanks to him, CC and all the videophile UH football fans for keeping everyone in the loop!

Appalachian State is HOT HOT HOT

Sorry to turn this away from UH football for a moment, but it's actually somewhat related. When Herman Frazier was trying to line up out-of-conference opponents for UH to play this year, he was very close to securing a game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, but Michigan coach Lloyd Carr nixed the idea. Instead, Michigan signed up to play a game against I-AA (FCS) Appalachian State.

Well today, Appalachian State beat Michigan 34 to 32. Ouch! If only the Wolverines had signed up to play Hawaii instead...the loss would've been less embarrassing. Oh wells, hindsight is 20-20.

So in honor of Appalachian State and all the Davids playing Goliaths this season (except those playing Hawaii) here's a video for your enjoyment.

GameDay: Hawaii vs Northern Colorado

Oh yes. The day is finally here. It's been a long offseason, and the players and coaches are ready to play.

"I'm ready to get going," Brennan said of tonight's season opener against Division I-AA Northern Colorado. "I'm tired of waiting."

Right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins said the Warriors are ready to put aside the side shows of the offseason.

"The whole summer, the talk was about the schedule and all kinds of stuff," Grice-Mullins said. "All of that was out of our hands. What we do on the field is the only thing we can control. What we do in this game is in our hands."

Stephen Tsai has a gameday preview, with probable starting lineups and breakdowns. Here's an excerpt about the goals of McMackin's MONSTER.

McMackin crafted 10 goals that he posted in each of the defensive meeting rooms. At the top of the list is "to score."

"We want to be one of the top-scoring defenses, or we want to set up our offense to score," McMackin said.

McMackin starts each practice with interception drills, in which cornerbacks run pass routes. There are specific drills on scooping fumbles and where to set up blocks on interception or fumble returns.

Dave Reardon has a gameday preview as well. Here's an excerpt about Northern Colorado's offense:

"We run a lot of different offenses. I've learned a lot of different checks. I think we'll get to trying a little bit of everything," Breazeale said. "The challenge (going against UH's defense) is mostly their speed on the field and they're very physical. The biggest challenge is to match up with their speed."

UH defensive tackle Mike Lafaele said the Warriors respect the Bears, who average right around 300 pounds across the offensive front.

"They look like big, tough guys," Lafaele said. "I know it will be a tough game for us. Their front line is a bunch of big guys."

As another self-imposed Herman Frazier deadline passes (this time for the 2008 schedule), Ferd Lewis laments the opponent we'll be playing tonight.

You'd like an opponent the players could be fired up about facing. Not one they say they play because it is what the school settled for. But, when you've dawdled in scheduling, falling hopelessly behind, trying to fill a September slot in March, you take what you can get. Which, in this case, is a union of convenience: UNC's availability and UH's cash. And this is what the Warriors ended up with.

Eh, I've come to accept that we sometimes need to play a I-AA (FCS) team early on, like how a lot of the powerhouses do. I think everyone is more pissed about the second I-AA (FCS) team on UH's schedule this year. I'm sure Ferd will say as much when that game rolls around.

And Kalani Simpson relives the sweetness that was last year's Hawaii Bowl victory over Arizona State, and compares it to the impending slaughter that is tonight's game.

Now Hawaii is facing a I-AA team coming off 1-10.

This won't feel like that Hawaii Bowl night, tonight's Northern Colorado game.

Sure, this will be like David and Goliath. If David had reached down for his sling and suddenly remembered he'd forgotten his rock back at home. If David's corner refused to throw in the towel and the ref made it go all 15 rounds.

This will be the kind of fight that made Howard Cosell quit.

I'm just glad the Warriors aren't overlooking the Bears. Even if the game isn't competitive, that will give a lot of players a chance to get on the field. I'm looking forward to watching the running backs go crazy, CJ Hawthorne catching a few long bombs, the offensive line working together for the first time, and the new defense blowing up a few unsuspecting fools. Should be a great game regardless of the score. It's the first game of what promises to be an amazing season, and I can't wait.

GO WARRIORS!!!!!