Halloween Warrior News

Last Halloween-related post until next year, I promise. Chawan compiles tonight's news. Kanoa Leahey and Robert Kekaula talk to the players about Halloween and who the scariest player on the team is, and Liz Chun reports on ESPN picking up the Fresno game.

From the Blogs: Halloween Costumes, Wags

From today's Tsaiblog entry, a funny video from Leila Wai, who interviews several Warriors about their Halloween costumes.

And from the Daveblog, former UH head coach Bob Wagner weighs in on the BCS and the schedule.

Getting back to UH in hindsite it probably couldn’t have been set up any better for them. The extra bye(s) gives them a chance to get people healthy for their stretch run, they can polish up areas that they think need extra work, they can get the back ups some good work (help their depth), give the scout team players a chance to play (scrimmage) their own offense and defense (great for overall team morale), everyone can get a little more mentally refreshed, they can spend a little more time preparing for something that one of the remaining teams does that may be unique, and they can put in some new wrinkles in their O, D, and special teams that they may need to win a game down the stretch. They certainly have a wonderful opportunity.

Second Chances

Here's an AP article about the second chances June Jones has given to many of his players.

As payback to Jones and the school, Brennan withdrew from the 2007 NFL draft to return for his senior season. At his announcement, a tearful Brennan said: "I like the person I'm becoming in Hawaii. I want to give back to a school that gave back to me."

"I didn't come back for me," Brennan said in an interview. "If it was about me, I would've left. I came back to give Hawaii a great year and do something special."

Bess also came to Hawaii after being locked, as did St. Louis Rams linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who was one of Jones' first recruits.

Tinoisamoa, who spent four months in prison his senior year of high school in southern California, has said playing for Hawaii was the best decision in his life and kept him away from trouble.

"They made mistakes," Jones said. "If they repeated those mistakes, they wouldn't be here. But I knew they were good kids and they've all been good citizens, so I'm proud of them."

Speaking of second chances, if you registered yesterday to vote for Colt for the Davey O'Brien award, today is your "second chance" to vote for him, because you can vote every 24 hours. If you haven't registered yet, below is the link. That Mountain West guy is ahead of Colt again, so you know what to do!

Happy Halloween from cc

here's the colt-o-lantern my friend made...



oh yeah, and here's last night's news too.... (see, liz chun is making a scary face right there!)

Fresno on ESPN2, Secondary, Mario Cox, Detmer, Etc.

UPDATE: From the Star-Bulletin, WAC commissioner Karl Benson announced that the UH-Fresno State game will be on ESPN2.

UPDATE 2: Press release from the UH Athletics Department about it.

Ferd Lewis writes that ESPN is expected to announce today that the UH-Fresno game next Friday will be on the network.

While the game will be shown nationally by ESPN, it will be viewable in Hawai'i only through the existing KFVE/Oceanic Time Warner Cable pay-per-view package, parties involved have said.

When ESPN did not select the game in June as part of its contracted Western Athletic Conference package, KFVE included it in its pay-per-view offerings and a Fresno station secured the rights in its area. But when ESPN came back Monday and asked to pick up the game above the five allowable games from one school, UH and Fresno State agreed only if their local rights holders were protected.

The article also discusses the WAC and UH's relationship with ESPN and how generally games are not blacked out in local areas.

Even before this Fresno deal, UH was set to be on ESPN for the final three games of the season. Brian McInnis writes about how the Warriors have a chance to make a big impression with these games on national TV.

"I think this is a great, great opportunity for kids across the country, who're giving letters and who're interested in Hawaii, to get a peek at us firsthand," Bess said.

"Players would see how family-oriented we are and how we play together," added junior safety Erik Robinson, a Texan who had never seen Hawaii on national TV.

With the season-ending injury to Keao Monteilh, Stephen Tsai writes how the secondary might shake out during the days leading up to the Fresno game.

Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said Desmond Thomas will replace Monteilh as the free safety in the Warriors' base defense for the next game, Nov. 10 against Fresno State. Jacob Patek is the strong safety.

But after that, it gets murky. With a bye this weekend, the Warriors are using this week's practices to audition Dane Kealoha Porlas, Ryan Mouton, Erik Robinson and Spencer Smith as the third safety.

"They have a lot of good qualities," said Rich Miano, who coaches the secondary.

Stephen Tsai had a blog post regarding the importance Monteilh had as the "orchestrator of the defensive secondary". He'll definitely be missed.

Also from that post (and today's article) is news that Mario Cox has been dismissed from the team.

June Jones said it would be "accurate and fair" to report that Cox is no longer on the team, but that he will remain on scholarship as long as he is in good academic standing.
Jones acknowledged there is no chance Cox will return to the team this season.
Jones declined further comment.
But people familiar with the situation said Cox violated Jones' three-strike rule involving missed classes, meetings or assignments.

Sorry to hear that. He seemed like he was right on the cusp of making a big impact. Let's hope he'll be able to turn it around and get another chance.

Herman Frazier tells McInnis that the probe into allegations by Ian Sample has been completed, but still needs to be reviewed.

"I would say that the (review) committee (faculty athletic representative Peter Nicholson, vice chancellor on campus Ron Cambra, and compliance coordinator Bill Bryant) did a thorough job on looking at everything that was available to them," Frazier said. "So at this point we're going to have to wait and see how the chancellor (Virginia Hinshaw) feels about it, and have a statement after she's had a chance to review."

And finally, Ferd Lewis talks to career touchdown record-holder Ty Detmer about the charging Colt Brennan.

"I figured I'd be getting a call here real quick," Detmer laughed from Texas, where news that Brennan is but three touchdowns away from breaking the career mark of 121 touchdowns finds him regularly these days. "My friends, here, they like to keep those (reminders) coming. They tell me my records are falling left and right."

"It will be one of the last major ones to go," Detmer said. "Any of the career marks, especially, mean a lot. It shows what you've done over a long period of time. It shows that it wasn't just a one-year flash-in-the-pan type of thing."

Classy guy. I remember when he had nice things to say (and a recorded congratulations message) when Timmy Chang broke his yardage record.

Happy Halloween!

Picture and helmet-o-lantern courtesy of D44Boy

GO WARRIORS!!!!

Colt on College Football Live

Great interview with Colt Brennan on ESPN's College Football Live.



ESPN's John Saunders, Jesse Palmer and Joe Schad have great things to say about Colt and UH. Thanks to UHBows for uploading this.

Vote for Colt

The Davey O'Brien Award website is giving fans a chance to vote for the finalists and winner of their prestigious quarterback award. Sure, the fan vote only counts towards 5% of the final tally, but that's a big 5%, especially with how close the race will probably be. Currently, Todd Reesing of Kansas, Tim Tebow of Florida and Shaun Carney of Air Force (!) are ahead of Colt, with Graham Harrell of Texas Tech close behind. Below is a link to register and vote for Colt! You can vote once a day. Be there!



UPDATE: As of 3:49pm HST, Colt is now in third place, passing Air Force's Shaun Carney. It's a long climb to Tebow and Reesing, so keep it up Warrior Nation! Ask aunty and tutu to vote too!

UPDATE 2: Uh oh, tied up again. Seriously, you gonna let someone from the Mountain West Conference beat Colt?

NMSU Pictures

Orlando from UHWarriorfan.com has uploaded a whole bunch of pictures from the New Mexico State game to his 2007 gallery. New pics are towards the bottom. Some samples:


Colt scans the field...


There is no facemask.


Stephanie Lum and Vili

Sportshawaii.com has pictures from the NMSU game and tailgate in their image gallery.

And the Rainbows PBase site has photos from the game as well.

Keao Monteilh, The Board, Colt, Fresno on ESPN?

Stephen Tsai writes about Keao Monteilh's season-ending injury.

A CAT scan yesterday showed the fracture to the left scapula, or shoulder blade.

Monteilh said he was told he could not start a rehabilitation program until "the bone attaches."

Jason Kaneshiro talks to Monteilh, who remains positive.

"I'll still go out there and help and support the guys," Monteilh said yesterday after an examination confirmed he suffered a fracture in his left shoulder suffered in last Saturday's game against New Mexico State, ending his junior season.

"It won't be fun sitting out and just watching. But as long as I get a (WAC championship) ring and the boys get it done I'll be happy. And it's an opportunity for someone else to get in there."

Also from Kaneshiro's article are injury reports on Rustin Saole, who will miss three weeks, and Leon Wright-Jackson, who shouldn't miss any time. And Greg McMackin says that the defense got a perfect score against NMSU, according to the big board:

For 14 years, the UH defensive coordinator has displayed a list of nine goals for the defense. Until Saturday, no team had filled all nine items in a game.

"I had the Miami Hurricanes who were No. 1 in the country in total defense, passing defense and scoring defense, and there was always one or two that we didn't get done," McMackin said. "That was a special effort. I've had some really good teams and nobody's accomplished that."

Stephen Tsai has more details about the board.

While his Miami defenses were topping NCAA statistical charts, McMackin decided he wanted a more precise barometer. That's when he crafted a list in which the goals are: to win; hold opponents to no more than 17 points, 3.4 yards per rush, and 37-percent-conversion rate on third down; not allow a rush of more than 19 yards or a completed pass of more than 29 yards; not relinquish a touchdown after a UH turnover; force at least three turnovers, and score a defensive touchdown.

He said it was a better gauge to use rushing average instead of rushing total. It is noteworthy that none of the goals involve total yards.

"Turnovers are the big thing," said Adam Leonard, who has scored on two of his four interception returns this year. "We put a lot of focus on how we play on third down, and making those key stops."

Ferd Lewis has the scoop on negotiations between UH, Fresno, the WAC, and ESPN to have the game on national TV.

The main parties — UH, Fresno State, ESPN and the Western Athletic Conference — are scheduled to hold a conference call today to iron out details.

If ESPN does show the Nov. 10 game, the date and time (6:05 p.m.) would likely remain the same, but ESPN will be blacked out in Hawai'i and Fresno.

No matter what happens, UH officials said the game will only be available in Hawai'i via the KFVE/Oceanic pay-per-view package as originally scheduled. "Nothing changes for our fans," McNamara said.

Jason Kaneshiro writes about Colt Brennan's WAC Player of the Week Award, while Brennan gives credit to his teammates.

"As a QB that's kind of how it goes," Brennan said yesterday. "When you lose you get the finger pointed at you, when you win everybody gives you a lot of credit. If you watched the game, I had unbelievable play by my receivers, especially Ryan (Grice-Mullins), he had a tremendous day.

"Davone (Bess) had two touchdowns and another big game, Jason Rivers dominated on the outside in man coverage, the O-line did a great job of picking everything up," Brennan said. "It was a great day for the team and I feel like we got back on track and got back to our comfort level and it's a great first step in this last chapter of our season."

Here's an AP article covering Monday's press conference.

Brennan, one of the most accurate passers in NCAA history, struggled his first games back from the ankle injury, throwing a flurry of interceptions.

"Because I struggled early on, everybody's kind of written me off," Brennan said. "I don't think people realize that I'm really hungry and I'm about to have a run that I'm really excited about."

Ferd Lewis has a column about the lack of sellouts this year.

If all goes well, the Warriors could finish with three consecutive sellouts, which would be a school record. Altogether appropriate in this season of record setting. Overdue, too.

Indeed, the wonder is why it has taken so long. Yes, we know traffic can be tough, parking a hassle and pay-per-view invites staying home or wedging into a gathering. Tickets aren't as affordable as they once were. And the WAC's shifting membership hasn't made it easy identifying with opponents or building rivalries. But it sure seemed like we were past a lot of that last year when the Warriors went on that nine-game winning streak and sold out for Oregon State and worked over Arizona State.

And finally, Paul Arnett, the new Sidelines columnist (?), writes about taking it one game at a time.

Monday News, Injury Reports

Chawan compiles news reports from KHON's Kanoa Leahey, KHNL's time-travelin teenage Timmy Chang doppelganger Jason Tang, KGMB's Liz Chun, and KITV's Robert Kekaula.



Lots of great quotes from Colt Brennan from the Monday press conference, but there was also some bad news to report about injuries to Keao Monteilh and Rustin Saole. Stephen Tsai has some details on his blog:

Starting safety Keao Monteilh today confirmed that he will miss the rest of the regular season after being diagnosed with a fractured left scapula.
Rehab is six to eight weeks.
Desmond Thomas will replace Monteilh as the No. 1 left safety.

* * *

Rustin Saole, a senior linebacker and key member of the special teams, has a partially torn medial collateral ligament — not a torn anterior cruciate ligament, as feared — and will need three weeks to rehabilitate. With a bye this weekend and the Fresno State game the following week, there is a possibility he could return in time for the Nov. 16 road game against Nevada.

Boise Game Sold Out

And the Fresno and Washington tickets are going fast!

General-public tickets for the University of Hawai`i football team's game against Boise State on Friday, Nov. 23, at 4:05 p.m. at 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium are sold out. Less than 300 UH student tickets remain for the contest, which will be televised on ESPN 2.

Less than 11,000 general-public tickets remain for the Fresno State (Nov. 10) game and fewer than 8,000 remain for the Washington (Dec. 1) game.

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets online at HawaiiAthletics.com and print them on their home computers. Tickets can also be purchased at the locations listed above. For any questions please call the UH Ticket Office at (808) 956-4482.

Time is running out if you want to... Be there!

Colt is Davey O'Brien Semi-Finalist

Colt Brennan has been named one of 15 semi-finalists for the Davey O'Brien Award.

University of Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan is one of 15 semi-finalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the nation's top quarterback.

The list of finalists will be announced in November with the winner awarded in December. The 2007 season marks the first time in The O'Brien history that fans will have a say in the voting. The top three fan vote recipients will be added to the semifinalist list. During the finalist and winner rounds of voting the fan vote will count as 5%

Warriors on Yahoo

Just saw Colt on Yahoo's main page. It might not be there anymore, so here's a screen capture.



And here's the accompanying article about Hawaii's BCS chances, from Mike Huguenin of Rivals.com.

The top seven teams in the BCS standings remained the same, but an interloper, if you will, continues to move up the list.

Ohio State, Boston College and LSU remained first, second and third, but it's the team at No. 14 – Hawaii – that is notable. Despite being unranked by five of the six computers used in the standings, the Warriors moved up three spots this week because of their high standing in the media polls.

Hawaii, which mauled New Mexico State 50-13 on Saturday night, is 10th in the Harris Interactive poll and 11th in the USA Today coaches' poll.

Just gotta keep on interloping.

C&K Show, June Jones Show

The C&K Show was at the NMSU game, visiting various tailgates, interviewing people including Scott from Sportshawaii.com. Here's Part 1, wooooo!



And here's Part 2, which includes an interview with former UH player David Maeva and some highlights from the game.



Irse has the June Jones Show up in Windows Media format. This week's episode includes in-studio interviews with June and Colt Brennan.

And OBhawaii has it up on Youtube. Here's Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

As always, thanks to these great fans.

Colt POTW, UH D, Replay, 14th, ESPN? Keao

Colt Brennan is the WAC's offensive player of the week.

Brennan, a senior from Irvine, Calif. (Saddleback CC), completed 29-of-46 passes for 425 yards and six touchdowns in Hawai‘i’s 50-13 win over New Mexico State. He also rushed four times for 13 yards. It was the fourth time this season he has thrown for more than 400 yards. The six touchdown passes gives him 119 in his career, two shy of tying the NCAA record of 121 set by Brigham Young’s Ty Detmer.

Stephen Tsai writes that safety Keao Monteilh may be out for the season with a shoulder injury.

But Monteilh has been told he probably suffered a fracture in his left socket.

"If that's the case, I'm probably out for the season," he said.

Monteilh said the recovery period for a socket injury is "six to eight weeks."

McMackin said: "It's a shame. It's disappointing. He's had such a great year. He's sort of the quarterback of our secondary. He makes the calls. He gets everybody organized. He's real valuable. He plays the nickel. He plays the safety."

Let's hope for the best. And let's hope that NMSU QB Chase Holbrook's injury isn't too serious either. Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News writes that he may miss this week's game due to a head injury suffered during the UH game. Feinberg also has a game review by NMSU coach Hal Mumme, who talks about facing the UH defense.

Mumme said that Hawaii ran exotic blitz packages and even dropped defensive ends into coverage to curtail NMSU's penchant for throwing screen passes to its wide receivers. The Warriors came off a bye week prior to Saturday's game and Mumme said that the added time off was apparent in Hawaii's preparation for the Aggies.

"I thought they were better than they looked on film," Mumme said of the Warriors. "They did have 15 days to get well and we had four. They're definitely a great team and have great speed. Their front was a lot more physical than I gave them credit for. I don't know if some of that was because we played like we were asleep, but they still played well."

Dave Reardon writes about the UH defense's game plan and performance against NMSU.

The Warriors did exactly what they planned to do on defense: limit big plays and cause turnovers.

"Coach's scheme was to limit the drag routes and pressure the quarterback," said linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who was in on nine tackles and broke up two passes -- including a tip that turned into a Keao Monteilh interception. "We got a couple hits on him and it affected him. Everybody arrived at the ball.

"We felt we knew what they were going to do, and we adjusted properly."

Also from the article: coverage of the BCS rankings, Colt's AT&T award nomination, and this week's Warrior Replay. Here's #4, the "bloggers' choice":

4. Revving up the RGM

The Setup: Hawaii 16, New Mexico State 0, around 3:30 remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, first and 10 at New Mexico State 42.
The Play: Brennan swings a short pass to SB Ryan Grice-Mullins in the right flat. Grice-Mullins secures the ball and jets to the outside, down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown. WR C.J. Hawthorne enables the TD with a sustained block downfield.
The Impact: Grice-Mullins was open all night, but dropped three passes in the first half. He still ended up with a career outing, catching 13 passes for 195 yards and three TDs.
Grice-Mullins: "Once I'm on the field, I believe no one can guard me one-on-one. I know that is how all of our receivers are."

Ferd Lewis writes about Hawaii's new BCS ranking.

"All the attrition has helped Hawai'i tremendously," said Jerry Palm, whose Web site, www.CollegeBCS.com, closely parallels the BCS standings. "They are much higher in the (BCS standings) than they had any right to expect, even by the end of the season, let alone the end of October."

Two weeks ago Palm estimated UH's chances of cracking the top 12 at "50/50" by season's end. Yesterday, he said, "Now, they have a pretty good chance of getting in, if they win out."

Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson said, "we have to be pretty pleased where they are at this point. If they continue to win and have convincing victories, they are going to get there (12th).

There's also a very very interesting note at the bottom of that article.

ESPN eyeing UH-FSU game
Advertiser Staff

The Western Athletic Conference said it expects ESPN to ask today to add the Nov. 10 Hawai'i-Fresno State football game to its cable schedule.
If agreed upon, it would mean all five of the unbeaten Warriors' final games, including postseason, will be televised nationally.

Lots of logistics I'm sure, with Oceanic and everything. Maybe they can compromise and have Jim Leahey call the game, awww yeah. That would be too cool.

Back to the BCS ranking, Ferd cautions not to pop the champagne just yet.

But it would be premature — not to mention practically kicking the shins of fate — to start planning that January trip to the Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl just yet.

While UH has rocketed up in the BCS standings, there remains much still to be negotiated. For one thing, while none of UH's victims currently is .500 or better, three of the final four are. And while the Warriors have benefitted hugely from teams above them getting knocked off, the danger from here on out comes from teams below suddenly leapfrogging them. Three from last week — Georgia, Michigan and Connecticut — did. A couple more, Texas and Alabama, are poised to do it this week while UH is idle. USC, Florida and Wisconsin also lurk, strength of schedule decidedly in their favor.

One game at a time...

Video: NMSU, BCS Coverage

Chawan Cut compiled the news, but there was so much, he had to split it into two. Lots of highlights from the NMSU game and sound bites from the post-game news conference, as well as some discussion of the new rankings.

KITV's Rob DeMello and KGMB's Mike Cherry:



KHNL's Stephen Florino and KHON's John Veneri:

Warriors in the Pros

Travis Laboy had a good game against the Raiders.

Culpepper completed just 15 of 32 passes for 167 yards and one pick under consistent pressure from a swarming Titans front four. Leading the way was defensive end Travis LaBoy, who posted two sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Ashley Lelie had 3 catches for 20 yards in another 49er loss.

Ashley Lelie had three catches for 20 yards while taking Jackson's spot in the starting lineup. Smith and Lelie seemed out of sync, with Smith's throws sailing over Lelie's head at least three times.

"We just need to get some big plays in a row to build our confidence," Lelie said. "Anything to get some kind of momentum rolling. Every time we get some momentum, we don't capitalize on it, or we shoot ourselves in the foot."

Lelie's teammate Isaac Sopoaga had 2 tackles.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had 4 tackles against the Browns.

In London, Reagan Mauia had one catch for no gain, and fumbled out of bounds.

Ikaika Alama-Francis was declared inactive again. But this article from a few days ago has some reasons for that, along with an update on Ikaika's progress, with quotes from coach Rod Marinelli.

Detroit Lions Daily Update, October 24: On DE Ikaika Alama-Francis' development: "He's coming along really good. I like where he's at. We're deep (at defensive end). We've got some depth right now. I think we've got a really, really good young player coming."

On if he's working with Alama-Francis on technique: "Oh yeah, especially if, like when we're playing the Bears and Tampa, it's our defense. So he can get great work. He's got a great attitude, a great motor and he's going to keep developing."

And tomorrow night, Jason Elam's Broncos play the Packers.

Hawaii #14 in BCS Rankings

According to CFN, Hawaii moves up three spots and is ranked #14 in this week's BCS Rankings.

Great news, especially since UH got zero points from the computers again. As long as these numbers are correct.

UPDATE: Looks like it's good. Woo hoo! Here's the BCS rankings from ESPN (and from Fox). Like last time, only one of the six computer polls gave us any points, but that one's automatically eliminated because only the middle four are taken into account. Just gotta keep winning...

Hawaii Ranked #11 in USA Today Coaches Poll (#12 in AP, #10 in Harris)

Bumped to add AP poll.

Bumped again with release of Harris Poll.

UH moves up three spots to #11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Great news! More polls to come.

UPDATE: UH moves up four spots to #12 in the AP Poll.

UPDATE 2: UH moves up four spots to #10 in the Harris Poll. Here's a PDF press release of the poll. Top 10, baby!

UH vs NMSU Wrap-Ups

The Advertiser has game stats and a scoring breakdown.

Stephen Tsai gets some players' reactions to going 8-0.

"It's an awesome feeling," said Brennan, a third-year Warrior who has watched the ascent from 5-7 in 2005.

"We've come a long way," Brennan added. "To think about my first year, to be 8-0 right now ... and, to be honest with you, I feel the season is just getting started."

"It feels great," said weakside linebacker Adam Leonard, who led the Warriors with 10 tackles, two backfield tackles and an interception. "We have to focus on our next game so we can be 1-0 against our next opponent."

Dave Reardon's wrap-up gets reaction from NMSU coach Hal Mumme.

"I think Hawaii is a really good team," NMSU coach Hal Mumme said after losing to UH for the third time in as many years.

"They're fast and they're a lot bigger than I thought they'd be. I thought they'd be a lot smaller without (Melila) Purcell and those other guys."

Jason Kaneshiro writes about the performance of the UH defense.

"We knew they were going to get passing yards, but the way we played tonight, I was just amazed," said safety Desmond Thomas. "We came with what our coach calls a 'kick-A' attitude."

NMSU's upset hopes were stifled early on as the UH defense's first six appearances resulted in two interceptions off tipped passes, two punts and two fourth-down stops, as they accomplished a few of their goals along the way.

"We wanted to get turnovers. We wanted to make them earn what they got, and play good on third- and fourth-down situations," UH defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said after watching the defense allow NMSU to convert on only five of 16 third-down chances and one of four fourth-down attempts.

Stacy Kaneshiro also writes about the UH defense.

Early in the second quarter, a UH punt pinned the Aggies to their 14. Defensive end Karl Noa dropped Holbrook for a 14-yard loss, causing a fumble that was recovered by another Aggie. On the next play, he helped box in Holbrook to allow Leonard to make a sack for a 2-yard loss, making it fourth-and-16 from the 7. That led to the Aggies punting from their end zone and Myron Newberry's 29-yard return to the NMSU 12 that set up Dan Kelly's 27-yard field goal for a 16-0 lead.

"I basically came in free because Adam (Leonard) did a good job of picking up two guys," Noa said of his sack.

Michael Tsai writes about Dan Kelly missing two PAT attempts after making 50 in a row.

"Tonight was a little out of character," Kelly said. "It's ironic (that the miss came against the Aggies) but it's not anything that anybody else is doing. It happens and it's all on me."

Kelly's 50 consecutive makes is a school record. Jason Elam is second with 46.

"I never plan to miss one and I don't plan to miss another one for the rest of my time here and, if I play professionally, for the rest of my career."

Also from that article, JoPierre Davis talks about his pick six, and KHNL anchor Stephanie Lum's Job Swap with Vili the Warrior is discussed. The Star-Bulletin's Extra Photo Coverage has a picture of her in full regalia. Chawan Cut, cue your machine!

Billy Hull writes about Ryan Grice-Mullins' big night.

Twice, he had drops on simple out routes where nobody was within 5 yards of him.

"It's something I don't do," Grice-Mullins said. "I was too anxious to get up field and start running. I've got to catch it first."

But it was basically the same route that Grice-Mullins scored his second touchdown on as he finally held onto the ball and found plenty of room in front of him to scamper down the sidelines for the 42-yard score.

That play was the perfect example of what distinguishes the junior standout from other receivers, according to Lee.

"He's so fast," Lee said. "That was just a 3-yard route and like that he took it all the way."

Nick Abramo gets reaction from some Aggies players as well more from Hal Mumme.

"Not doing anything with those turnovers was indicative of our whole night," NMSU coach Hal Mumme said. "We did not play together as a team at all. We'd have 10 guys out there playing and one who didn't want to play. Or we'd have somebody that didn't want to make a hit or a block or didn't want to catch the ball.

"We played offense a little. We played defense a little. And we got our asses kicked by a great football team. There's no excuses. It was bad coaching and bad playing."

The Star-Bulletin Notebook has the streaks and records being approached, tied or broken by Colt Brennan, Davone Bess and Jason Rivers. There's also injury reports on Keao Monteilh, Desmond Thomas and Jacob Patek.

Brian McInnis writes about superstitions, rituals and traditions some of the UH players have.

Michael Tsai writes about Colt Brennan's performance.

Despite his impressive stats, Brennan's performance was admittedly uneven — a fact that he attributes to a solid defensive scheme by the Aggies.

"The came out with different zone looks, they tried all-out blitzes and they did a really good job of disguising their defenses," he said.

"They were tough, but we did what we had to do and our defense came out and did a great job, too."

Said head coach June Jones: "Colt was not at his best tonight, but six touchdowns is still pretty good."

Paul Arnett writes about Colt Brennan, his ankle, and what he's looking forward to.

What Colt has done the past several weeks on a suspect right ankle keeps alive Hawaii's dreams of playing on a BCS stage. Having another bye week also allows that tender ankle to toughen for a difficult stretch drive that includes home games with Boise State and Washington.

"To be honest with you, it seems like we got the job done the first eight games and now the real season starts vs. Fresno," Brennan said. "My ankle still hurts, that's just the way it is. I got leg-whipped and stepped on, but hey, I played through it."

Ferd Lewis writes that the UH players feel they should improve even more going forward.

"We still haven't played our best game — not even close," Grice-Mullins said. "I don't think we've hit our stride yet," Brennan said. "We came closer today but you could see our defense gave us a ton of opportunities to score and we kind of messed up some of those opportunities."

To a man, the Warriors will tell you that in many cases the only people who have stopped them this season have been, well, themselves. That's not arrogance so much as an understanding of what they should be capable of and how lofty the bar has been set on their goals.

Pretty scary!

Going back to Reardon's article, here's a quote from Colt Brennan to wrap it up.

UH now has a bye before hosting Fresno State on Nov. 10. Brennan said the Warriors want to approach the final four regular-season games with a looser mind-set.

"Right now I think our throttle is in neutral," Brennan said. "Our mentality's about to switch to full-on attack. We've got nothing to lose. It's not about making mistakes, it's about kicking butts."

Awww yeah.

Colt Nominated

Colt Brennan is one of four players nominated for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week Award.

Four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award have been announced after the ninth week of college football action, and now it’s up to the fans to determine the winner. NC State wide receiver Donald Bowens, University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, University of Texas running back Jamaal Charles and University of Colorado corner back Terrence Wheatley have been selected by ESPN as this week’s top candidates based on their outstanding performances. Fans can determine the winner by sending the text message VOTE to 87654 from a wireless phone.

Hawaii 50, New Mexico State 13

Great win by the Warriors. Excellent performance by the UH defense, forcing turnovers and pressuring Chase Holbrook all night. The UH offense is starting to find its footing and turning it on as the tough final games loom on the horizon. But for now, another bye week! I'll post links to game wrap-ups as they come up...

UPDATES: Here's a post-game wrap-up from the Advertiser.

Fun stats of the night: Ryan Grice-Mullins ended up with 13 catches for 195 and 3 TDs, overcoming a case of the dropsies early on.

Here's a wrap-up from Sports Network, which has more stats:

Brennan has now thrown for 2,820 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season.

Here's an AP article from the ESPN site.

The Aggies used a no-huddle offense all game, but was stymied by the Warriors' blitzing defense. New Mexico State threatened to score in the first quarter, but Adam Leonard intercepted a pass at the Hawaii 16.

Hawaii's defense also held the Aggies on fourth-and-4 from the Hawaii 7 late in the game.

Holbrook had success moving New Mexico State but the offense sputtered in the red zone.

Fun stats of the night II: Time of possession battle -- New Mexico State 38:59, Hawaii 21:01

Ways to Follow the UH vs NMSU Game

Bumped. Gametime soon!

In Hawaii:

Buy tickets to the game. Here's some parking and bus info from the Advertiser. Also some free shuttle info for UH-Manoa students.

Watch it live on Oceanic PPV at home. K5 will repeat it the next morning.

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

Listen to 1420 on the AM dial.


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.

Streaming audio via ESPN 1420.

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

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services via the UH website. 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'll add to the list as gametime approaches. Thank you and....

GO WARRIORS!!!!

BCS Scoreboard: 10/27/07

Here are some results of games involving teams in the BCS rankings. The results in red indicate teams that have won, green for teams that have lost. I'll update the results and team records as the day goes on. Lots of teams ahead of UH lost, but lots of teams behind UH won. Very interesting!

BCS Rank	Team	Result
1	Ohio State (9-0)	WIN @ Penn State
2	Boston College (8-0)	WIN @ #8 Virginia Tech
3	LSU (7-1)	bye
4	Arizona State (8-0)	WIN vs #21 Cal
5	Oregon (7-1)	WIN vs #12 USC
6	Oklahoma (7-1)	bye
7	West Virginia (7-1)	WIN @ Rutgers
8	Virginia Tech (6-2)	LOSS vs #2 Boston College
9	Kansas (8-0)	WIN @ Texas A&M
10	South Florida (6-2)	LOSS @ #23 Connecticut
11	Florida(5-3)	LOSS vs #18 Georgia
12	USC (6-2)	LOSS at #5 Oregon
13	Missouri (7-1)	WIN vs Iowa State
14	Kentucky (6-3)	LOSS vs Mississippi St.
15	Virginia (7-2)	LOSS @ NC State
16	South Carolina (6-2)	LOSS @ Tennessee
17	HAWAII (8-0)	WIN vs NMSU
18	Georgia (6-2)	WIN vs #11 Florida
19	Texas (7-2)	WIN vs Nebraska
20	Michigan (7-2)	WIN vs Minnesota
21	California (5-3)	LOSS @ #4 Arizona State
22	Auburn (6-3)	WIN vs Ole Miss
23	Connecticut (7-1)	WIN vs #10 S. Florida
24	Alabama (6-2)	bye
25	Penn State (6-3)	LOSS vs #1 Ohio State

PreGame: UH vs NMSU

Orlando from UHWarriorFan.com has some uploaded pictures from this week's practices for your viewing pleasure.

Here's the UH Athletics Department's PDF press release for tonight's game. It has rosters, info, news, notes, stats, all kinds of stuff.

And Warriorshaka.com got a bunch of new posts.

Hugh Yoshida writes about the importance of ‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue.

Dan Robinson responds to a UH critic, and discusses the BCS.

June Jones' foreword from the imminent Hawaii Warrior Football book is excerpted in the Ask Coach section.

And here's a book excerpt about Nick Rolovich.

Bruddah Steve, if you have an excerpt from your book about making poi auntie style, I will post it here too.

GameDay: Hawaii vs New Mexico State

Air wars! Homecoming! Only game in a 28-day span!

Stephen Tsai's preview has offensive, defensive and special teams breakdowns and probable starting lineups. Here's an excerpt about Malcolm Lane returning kicks:

The unpredictable Dennis Mc-Knight, who co-coordinates kick returns, has this prediction: "I don't think guys will kick (Lane) the ball the rest of the year. I wouldn't kick it to him. I would kick it to somebody else." With seven returns in seven games, Lane does not meet the minimum of 1.2 per game to earn a listing in the NCAA statistics. Lane has two returns for touchdowns, and he is averaging 46.0 yards per runback — 9.9 more than the credited NCAA leader, Fresno State's A.J. Jefferson. On the five returns Lane did not take to the house, UH's average drive started on its 39.

Here's an interesting and related excerpt from this preview by Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News.

NMSU will have to iron out some wrinkles if they hope to give the Warriors a fight. The Aggies' special teams have been rocky, particularly on kickoff coverage. Idaho returned two kickoffs deep into NMSU territory last week, one which set up a touchdown. The Aggies can not afford to put the Warriors on a short field or the touchdowns will quickly pile up.

"Yeah, that was not good," Mumme said of the team's kicking performance following the Idaho game. "We're kind of pulling our hair out in terms of finding out how to do it right. We'll go back to the drawing board there."

Very interesting.

Dave Reardon's preview has lineups, stats, breakdowns, and this key matchup:

No need to worry about New Mexico State's running game, right?

Wrong.

"First down they run 50 percent of the time. Second down they run 50 percent of the time," Hawaii defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. "They keep you off balance."

Especially with star receiver Chris Williams out, the Aggies will mix in the run often to keep pressure off quarterback Chase Holbrook.

Tonny Glynn has emerged as one of the better running backs in the WAC. Last week against Idaho he rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Aggies won 45-31.

"They're running the ball and they've run well against everybody so far," UH coach June Jones said. "We have to limit their big plays. They make a lot of big plays."

Here's a preview from the AP's Jaymes Song, with more love from NMSU coach Hal Mumme:

``Maybe around the country we're not given credit for being 7-0, but I think that will change if we don't look ahead, play hard every play and ... keep winning,'' Hawaii coach June Jones said.

Aggies coach Hal Mumme said the Warriors don't get the recognition they deserve. He said Jones shouldn't be faulted for Hawaii's schedule that features two Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) teams.

``It's not his fault nobody wants to go to Hawaii to play,'' Mumme said. ``I think they ought to be a lot higher than they are and Colt Brennan should be in the Heisman Trophy race.''

Mumme said Brennan's interceptions shouldn't affect his Heisman chances, as some have suggested.

``How many teams throw 75 times a game? That's like three games for most people. If somebody threw four picks in three games, nobody would say a word,'' Mumme said. ``The bottom line is he's got his team 7-0 and how many other quarterbacks in the nation can say that?''

Stephen Tsai has an article pointing out some of the similarities between the teams.

"The facilities are a lot better," Holbrook said. "The locker room was redone. We've got new meeting rooms. We just got a JumboTron. Coach (Mumme) said if we start winning, it'll only improve."

Wait a minute, is today opposite day? Sorry, here's the correct excerpt:

One of the football opponents has a productive passing offense, is led by coaches with pro-football experience, has a student band that will play during tonight's homecoming game, and has earned a reputation for performing a pre-game haka.

The other team is Hawai'i.

New Mexico State and UH are mirror images in style and goals, although they are in different stages of development.

Because of injuries, NMSU hasn't exploded like some had expected this year, but they're oh so close. It'll be a great game tonight, and with Chase Holbrook back, a great test for the UH defense. GO WARRIORS!!!!

Friday night news,,,,

game day tomorrow!!!

NMSU, Injuries, Cameron, Lelie

Chawan Cut compiled NMSU previews from KHON's Kanoa Leahey and KGMB's Liz Chun:



June Jones says that Ryan Mouton will play.

"He's going to play in the game," Jones said of Mouton, who missed the last two with a sprained knee. "We'll spot him."

Also from that Dave Reardon article, Colt Brennan talks about playing NMSU:

"As a quarterback, I don't know if I look forward to being in a situation where the other team has the potential to score a lot of points," Brennan said. "You just have to go in there trying to outplay them. From the offensive standpoint, they're talented and we're talented. You're probably going to see a lot of yards and a lot of points."

Brennan set passing records last season and was sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. But he still gets labeled by some as a quarterback who benefits from a passing system. So he has empathy for Holbrook, who suffers from the same stigma.

"Obviously he's a kid who is a lot better quarterback than he gets credit for," Brennan said.

Stephen Tsai writes that running backs Kealoha Pilares and Leon Wright-Jackson, who are nursing knee injuries, will play.

Pilares suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the Oct. 12 game against San Jose State. Wright-Jackson incurred a sore right knee when he was tackled by safety Erik Robinson during Wednesday's team drills.

Both vowed to play tomorrow.

Tsai also gives a preview of where Cameron Allen-Jones may be playing next year:

Indeed, that appears to be the future for Allen-Jones, who is expected to compete next year as the successor to Hercules Satele or Larry Sauafea, both senior offensive guards.

"I think he has all of the tools to play guard," offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said of the third-year sophomore from Aberdeen, Md.

"He has good athleticism," McKnight added. "He's quick. He's agile. He's strong. He'll be a good trapper."

There are also injury updates on Dane Porlas, Desmond Thomas, Camron Carmona and Daniel Otineru.

And finally, in NFL news, Ashley Lelie may start for the 49ers this weekend.

Book Out Soon

J. David Miller's new book, Hawaii Warrior Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption, is set to be released very soon, according to a new post by Michael LaBanca at Warriorshaka.com.

The much-anticipated release of Hawaii Warrior Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption is now imminent, the founder of publisher Bess Press confirmed today.

According to Benjamin “Buddy” Bess, owner and founder of Honolulu’s premier book publisher, the book will be arriving in stores by as early as next week, but are already “disappearing fast.” It was the largest “first-run” printing of any book by any publisher in Hawaii, and a “leap of faith,” Bess says, because he believes demand for the book will far exceed the supply by Christmas.

I hope "disappearing fast" means it's being shipped to those who pre-ordered the books. Anyway, the post has some blurbs about the book from Neil Everett, Larry Biel, Rudy, etc. as well as places you can order the book. Be there!

NMSU, Margin of Victory, Mouton, Kicking Game

Here's a preview of Saturday's game from Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News.

New Mexico State head football coach Hal Mumme has a unique philosophy on how to defend Hawaii: score points.

"Score a whole bunch," Mumme said. "You gotta really outscore them. You're not really gonna stop them. I've seen very few people hold them and actually stop them, hold them to a couple touchdowns even."

Ferd Lewis hopes for a lot of scoring as well, just not by New Mexico State.

Here come the Aggies and a matchup the Las Vegas oddsmakers tell us carries an over-under betting line of 79-80 points. But while the heart pleads for an arenaball offensive overload, the mind counsels "defense" first.

The ones that are topped by UH caps, anyway. The ones that keep sight of the bigger picture for which a Bowl Championship Series appearance is the prize.

In an 8-4 season it matters little in the national picture whether UH wins close or going away. But this season, as we have been reminded by the BCS rankings each of the last two weeks, the ground rules are different.

Colt Brennan thinks margin of victory is overrated.

"The only people who are saying that are people who are just complaining because we're doing well," Brennan said of the Warriors' victory margins. "The truth of the matter is, a win's a win, no matter what."

Brennan noted the Warriors' three losses in 2006 were by a combined 18 points.

"What does that say?" he said. "Does that mean the teams we lost to, just because they were close games, they shouldn't get credit? I think that's a stupid, stupid statement. It has some weight to some degree, but it's a very minute fact when you're comparing how good a team is."

Amen. I think this is a great time to point out that Kirk Herbstreit is a boto.

Dave Reardon writes about the injury status of Ryan Mouton, who has been cleared to play, but the coaches remain cautious.

"It's one of those situations you have to be careful with," UH defensive backs coach Rich Miano said. "Is he healthy enough to help you? Is he going to re-injure it? Is the bye week going to help? It's not my call, but it's nice to have him out here because he's a talent and he can help us down the stretch. We just don't know if the stretch starts Saturday or two weeks from now."

Mouton practiced yesterday and said he felt "comfortable" afterwards. Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said he looked "good," but he and head coach June Jones weren't expected to decide if Mouton will play Saturday until after today's practice, at the earliest.

And Reardon profiles the UH kicking unit.

Kelly -- a junior in his third year as UH's starting kicker -- has always been talented. But some problems with short kicks got him benched on PATs toward the end of last season. Now he's added consistency, and his chemistry with Grasso and Ingram has made the routine, well, routine.

"We just get along, good teammates, good friends," said Kelly, who is Grasso's roommate at home and on the road. "We hang out at Jake's (family house in Mililani). He has a pool.

"All three of us have the desire to be better than what we are. That alone is probably the best thing for our chemistry."

Both Reardon and Tsai have updates on the players whose families were affected by the fires in San Diego. All the best to them.

Mouton, cali players on fire situation & family & friends

Warriors in the Pros: Wednesday Edition

Cowboys punter Mat McBriar is getting some love from Dallas fans and writers, including Albert Breer of the Dallas Morning News.

TO81: Just how valuable is Mat McBriar to this team?

Albert Breer: TO, there's no overstating how big McBriar was yesterday. Three times, he pinned the Vikings inside the 10 and led to the Cowboys offense getting the ball back in prime position. Plus, he had a 50.5-yard net average. The special teams were huge and – apologies to Chris Canty and Patrick Watkins – McBriar was the star of that show.

Here's an article that Ronnie of the Tsaikos found several days ago, a profile of Samson Satele from Phins.com. Here's an excerpt:

It is the center’s responsibility to read the defensive front and make the appropriate line calls. It’s a massive responsibility, even for a seasoned veteran. To expect a green rookie to take on that job, given the complexity and clever deception of NFL defenses, borders on the unreasonable.

Crazy, actually.

Nevertheless, Satele has beaten the odds. It’s really something because the Dolphins didn’t have to start him. They could have taken the easy way out and kept Rex Hadnot at center and instead played Satele at guard.

But Dolphins coach Cam Cameron and line boss extraordinaire Hudson Houck became convinced early on that Satele was up to the job.

And Satele hasn’t disappointed them, despite his extreme baptism by fire.

Great article. Good luck to Samson and Reagan as they travel to London to play the Giants this weekend.

Vince Manuwai talks about the Jacksonville Jaguars' eroding fan base, with the team playing to less-than-capacity home crowds.

When Jaguars guard Vince Manuwai walks into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, he never really knows what to expect.
Will the stands be full? Or will there be patches of empty teal seats? Will the fans cheer for the Jaguars? Or will they turn on the home team?

Manuwai hopes for the best. But he's often disappointed, growing increasingly frustrated in his fifth season of playing for a small-market team that has struggled to maintain - let alone increase - its fan base.

"It stinks because you always want it to be sold out," Manuwai said. "You get more pumped up when the stadium is full, when it's loud. When you see a half-empty stadium, your energy's just not as high."

I'm going to resist making any Aloha Stadium jokes. Ziiiip!

And Timmy Chang got some playing time for the Hamilton Ticats this past weekend, going 7 of 12 for 50 yards in a loss.

UPDATE: From today's press conference with 49er coach Mike Nolan:

RE: What is Darrell Jackson’s injury?
“D-Jack’s got a quad strain.”

RE: Would Ashley Lelie start if Darrell Jackson could not play?
“Yes.”

RE: Was that why Ashley Lelie saw extended snaps with the main offense at the end of the game on Sunday?
“You know, I don’t know if that was the time. I don’t know when the strain occurred. I know we were trying to get him in, in the second half. He went in and played some more.”

RE: Did Ashley Lelie’s long reception inspire the decision to get him in the game more?
“Well, it certainly helped his cause, no question. He did some of that in pre-season as well. We’ve just had to take some steps to get that done.”

Wednesday Practice, Safest State

Dave Reardon writes that Ryan Mouton is practicing today. Dave's blog should have updates later on.

Stephen Tsai reports that Princess Leila reports that Mouton is practicing, and has injury updates on some other players:

• Safety Desmond Thomas (left hip flexor) is practicing.
• Wideout Greg Salas (sore ribs) is running routes.
• But Kealoha Dane Porlas (hyper-extended right knee) is not practicing.

How did these players get injured in the first place? I'm not completely sure, but I think it's safe to say -- as this Honolulu Advertiser "BREAKING NEWS" article urgently points out -- it probably wasn't from colliding with a deer.

Hawai'i has gained another special distinction.

It's the best place to avoid collision with a deer.

State Farm Insurance has released a new ranking that measures states according crashes involving deer on the highway.

State Farm's survey shows that West Virginia is the place where drivers are most likely to hit deer, with an estimated one in 57 chance of hitting one in the next 12 months. Michigan is next with a one in 86 chance.

Hawai'i ranks the safest, with a one in 16,624 chance of hitting a deer.

Man, those odds are still a little too low for comfort. Thanks for the article, Advertiser.

Veikune, Safeties, Kelly, BCS, Homecoming

Dave Reardon profiles defensive lineman David Veikune. Great opening lines:

You won't see the word "START" at all next to the name David Veikune on the Hawaii football participation chart.

But the junior defensive end has certainly done a good job of finishing.

Veikune leads the Warriors with five sacks. As a team, UH is seventh in the nation at getting to the quarterback with 3.57 dumps per game.

Reardon also writes about the injuries to the UH safeties.

Desmond Thomas was still out after tweaking a hamstring Monday and Dane Kealoha Porlas was banged up, too, putting both No. 2s out of commission. Another backup, Viliami Nauahi, was in a boot to protect a sprained ankle suffered in last week's Scout Bowl.

"It gives us a chance to look at Erik Robinson, and Spencer Smith has been doing some good things, too. We got some looks at them and let the other guys rest."

Stephen Tsai writes about Dan Kelly and the improved kicking game.

During spring practice in April, Kelly settled on a technique. Instead of a looping motion, he went with a compact swing. With his right knee over the football, he would use a downward motion.

"You always think you get underneath it more with a low swing," Kelly said. "This one you come down at the ball. When you swing down at the ball, it pops up higher. It's completely opposite of what you would think logically in your head."

Ferd Lewis writes about Hawaii's BCS chances, and the controversy over people saying there is no chance.

Billingsley said he apologized to UH and Western Athletic Conference officials yesterday after telling CBS' Dennis Dodd, "I don't think they deserve to be there (at No 12 at season's end). They absolutely are playing the worst schedule. I have them 119th out of 119."

Billingsley told The Advertiser he felt his comments were "very unfortunate and inappropriate" and "hated for the players, (coach) June Jones, the fans and everybody else" to read them.

Here's a link to that Dodd article. Ferd continues:

UH is currently 7-0 with five regular season games remaining. Whether UH finishes in the BCS' Top 12, "that is something that is still yet to be determined. That is going to depend upon what kind of season Washington continues to have and what kind of season Boise State continues to have," Billingsley said. "That's still unknown. By the end of their (UH's) season, their schedule is probably going to look a lot stronger than it does right now."

It's gonna come down to the computers, or at least it seems. But the important thing is -- still get chance!

Speaking of the weak schedule, Dave Reardon talks to Herman Frazier in an article about increased ticket sales for games with attractive opponents.

"This weekend is obviously homecoming," UH athletic director Herman Frazier said. "We made some 2-for-1s available to alums as an enticement to come out and see their team.

"Those sales are going brisk," Frazier added. "I think the Boise game has gone sooner because of the opponent and Boise has not lost a conference game since I've been here. Thanksgiving weekend people have family in town."

Kalani Takase writes about all the local players on the NMSU football team who may get to come home for UH's homecoming game. NMSU coach Mike Fanoga will also be recruiting.

"It's a great place to find football players," Fanoga said. "One of the best places in the country to recruit right now. Everybody in the West Coast — Pac-10, Mountain West, top caliber programs — they're all trying to get Hawai'i kids."

And in ex-UH player news, looks like Chad Owens got a tryout with the Denver Broncos.

Among the four wide receivers the Broncos worked out Tuesday was veteran Bethel Johnson, a 2003 second-round pick by New England. Known for his speed, Johnson had success as a receiver and a return man while with the Patriots. He was traded last year to New Orleans and cut by the Saints. He was later cut by Minnesota last season.
The Broncos also looked at receivers Taylor Jacobs, Chad Owens and Cliff Russell.

Here's hoping for the best.

NMSU Previews (w/UPDATE)

Here's a preview of the UH-NMSU game from the AP's Andrew the Journalist.

Brennan, playing in Jones' run-and-shoot offense, has gotten strong contributions from four receivers. Ryan Grice-Mullen, Davone Bess, Jason Rivers and C.J. Hawthorne all have at least 40 receptions, 500 yards and five touchdowns.

Grice-Mullen tied a school record with 14 catches for 175 yards against San Jose State. Bess added 12 catches for 140 yards and Rivers also had 12 for 138.

New Mexico State (3-4, 0-2), meanwhile, will be without star receiver Chris Williams for 6-to-8 weeks after he broke his right collarbone in a 45-31 win over Idaho last Saturday night.

Williams, who got hurt in the second quarter, went into the game ranked ninth nationally with an average of 106.5 receiving yards per game. Last season, he led the nation with a 117.9-yard average.

This press release from the UH Athletics Dept. has some game notes, info, trivia, etc.

Here's a preview with notes and info from the New Mexico State Athletics site.

And Chawan Cut compiles tonight's news, with practice reports and game previews from KHON's Kanoa Leahey, KGMB's Liz Chun, and KITV's Robert Kekaula.



UPDATE: Here's a UH vs NMSU preview from The Sports Network.

Vids from yesterday

talkin bout Mouton and also a short phone interview with NMSU's Hal Mumme.



Note from Tombo Ahi: I posted the vid right after CC posted the vid. I took mines one off but here's the description I had:

"Chawan Cut compiled last night's news, which includes an NMSU preview from KHON's John Veneri. He talks to NMSU coach Hal Mumme, who gives props to UH and Colt. There's also a report on Ryan Mouton from KITV's Robert Kekaula."

Mouton, Injuries, Receivers, RGM Profile, Photos

Stephen Tsai has an injury update on Ryan Mouton.

"I told him if he can go by Wednesday, he'll play," Jones said. "If he can't, he won't."

Two weeks ago, Mouton was fitted for a knee brace. Although he said the pain has subsided in the back of his right knee, the brace is "really for security purposes, to get my confidence, to let me know I can run," Mouton said. "It helps."

Also in the article is a short profile of Daniel Libre, who worked out as a first team running back yesterday. And Tsai has injury reports on Blaze Soares, Greg Salas, Aaron Bain, Joey Lipp and Desmond Thomas.

Jason Kaneshiro has an injury update on Mouton, and writes about the blocking skills of the UH receivers.

"Ryan and Davone, they both have a few pancake blocks and Jason is probably our most physical guy, so I think he's excellent at making blocks, especially downfield," Hawthorne said.

"We don't practice it much, but it's instinctive. We understand the more we help each other out the better it's going to be in the long run."

The long runs often come as a result of a solid block, whether it comes downfield on a pass play or simply getting in the way of a defender to provide a crease on a draw or shovel pass to the running back.

Speaking of the receivers, Ryan Grice-Mullen-Mullins is profiled in the San Bernardino Sun by J.P. Hoornstra.

Sheila Pinkney wouldn't miss a Warriors game in San Jose for the world, but she couldn't see her son from the front row. So Grice-Mullen's mom and her husband, Alvin, moved up about 20 rows.

"That whole game, I believed they (Hawaii) were going to win," Pinkney said. "My spirit was with him, willing him on. I stayed standing up the whole game, telling the crowd to stand up with me.

"You know how you feel you can make a difference? That's what I was feeling. Given the opportunity, he could make a difference."

Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman breaks out the fireworks for Boise QB Taylor Tharp.

Tharp jumped past Hawaii's Brennan, the Heisman Trophy candidate and 2006 national leader in pass efficiency, with a five-touchdown performance Saturday at Louisiana Tech.

Tharp ranks 11th in the nation with an efficiency rating of 157.3 (18 touchdowns, seven interceptions). Brennan is at 157.2 with 20 TDs and 10 picks.

That may not seem like much, but that is a hefty tenth of a point.



And after suffering through some computer issues, Orlando of UHWarriorFan.com has finished a new Scout Bowl photo gallery. Links are on the bottom of this page. He's switching over from Flash to HTML, so some people who were having issues viewing the photos can now view these new photos.

June Jones Show, BCS Hopes

Irse has this week's June Jones Show up in Windows Media format. It includes a preview of the New Mexico State game and a look ahead to the rest of the season, as well as profiles of running backs Kealoha Pilares and Leon Wright-Jackson.

OBhawaii has it up on Youtube. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

The Star-Bulletin has an AP article about the BCS rankings.

Speaking of which, Ferd Lewis writes about the importance of UH destroying New Mexico State to help the Warriors continue their ascent.

And Jim Donovan explains why the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl hasn't invited UH yet.

"We didn't invite them (yet), because we are very cognizant of the fact they have a shot at a BCS bowl game and we felt the most prudent thing to do is let it play out," Donovan said. "We don't want to do anything to bachi the Warriors."

I just hope that saying he hopes he doesn't bachi UH doesn't bachi UH! And I hope that the last sentence doesn't bachi UH as well. I'll just shut up.

Warriors in the Pros (w/UPDATE)

Jason Elam kicked a game-winning field goal for Denver as time expired to beat the Steelers 31 to 28.

Ashley Lelie actually played! And he actually caught a pass! Two passes actually, for 52 yards. Still, the 49ers' offense sputtered as they lost to the Giants, 33 to 15. Anyway, Lelie got some good reviews. Here are a couple--

Erik Larson of 49er Huddle:

The 49ers finally gave Ashley Lelie a shot in the second half, and to no one’s surprise except maybe the 49ers’ coaching staff, he was able to get open deep and Dilfer found him for a 47-yard completion, the 49ers’ longest pass play of the year. It’s still a huge mystery to me how the 49ers could not have been playing this guy.

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Player of the game: Lelie. Granted, he caught only two passes but one went for 47 yards and showed the utter stupidity of keeping him on the sideline all season to this point. As a wide receiver of another generation said famously, just throw him the damn ball.

UPDATE: Another review, this one from Craig Massei of SF Illustrated

Thumbs up: If Ashley Lelie can get open like that, it really makes you wonder why the 49ers were so stubborn in not using him earlier in the season while their offense was flat-lining. Lelie's 47-yard reception - when he blew down the right sideline past the New York defense - was San Francisco's longest offensive play of the season. It also was his first catch of the season. To be sure, something doesn't sound quite right about that last sentence.

Earlier today, the Advertiser had a McClatchy Newspapers article that may explain why the coaches weren't playing him. Right.

Lelie's teammate Isaac Sopoaga had one tackle in the game.

Ikaika Alama-Francis was inactive for today's Lions game.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had 3 tackles for the Rams.

Mat McBriar had a great game, punting 4 times for an average of 50.5 yards, pinning Minnesota back deep in their own territory several times.

UH at #17 in BCS Rankings

According to this PDF press release from FootballFoundation.com (via WSN), Hawaii moves up one spot to #17 in the BCS Rankings. Still waiting for the Fox site to update...

UPDATE: Fox updated their rankings.

Here's a permalink of the Week 2 BCS rankings from ESPN.

Here are articles about it from the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin.

Week 8 Rankings

UH moves up one spot to #16 in the AP poll.

And the Warriors jump two spots to #14 in the USA today Coaches' Poll.

UPDATE: Here's a PDF press release of the new Harris Poll, which has UH up two spots to #14.

...here's an html version of the Harris poll from the Advertiser.

Earvin Sione Commits

Stephen Tsai writes that McKinley QB/WR Earvin Sione will become a Warrior.

"I'm staying home," McKinley High's Earvin Sione said.

Sione, who is 6 feet 5 and 190 pounds, moved to quarterback this season after playing wideout last year.

"It doesn't matter where I play," Sione said, "as long as I'm playing for U of H."

"He's got great footwork," (McKinley football coach Bobby) Grey said of Sione's skills as a receiver. "He runs routes exactly the way they should be run. He understands leverage. He's a coach's dream when it comes to having a kid like that."

At the end of last season, Grey needed to find a successor at quarterback. Relying on an age-old theory, Grey asked Sione to move to quarterback.

"Unless you're a deep team like Kahuku, you usually put your best athlete at quarterback, and then surround him, and try to go from there," Grey said. "He's our best athlete."

Sounds like a great player. Congratulations to Earvin and UH!

Scout Bowl Photos

Courtesy of Orlando from UHWarriorFan.com. Click on the pics for bigger versions.


Adam Leonard and Jason Ferguson


Fale the Warrior


Keala Watson, Blaze Soares, Keao Monteilh, Fale Laeli, Rich Miano

P.S. Warrior Mojo took some awesome Scout Bowl pictures too.

Scout Bowl Coverage, Colt Article

Leila Wai has video highlights from the Scout Bowl, with some play-by-play by Jason Ferguson.

Chawan compiled reports from Kanoa Leahey and Robert Kekaula:



Stephen Tsai, who seems like he was having as much fun as the players, has another great article -- here's an excerpt:

Arriving during warmups in a golf cart, Brennan wore an "H" logo aloha shirt and lei, and carried a manila folder on which plays were scribbled.

"I was trying to be like coach Jones," Brennan said. "Then I realized we had to practice (before the game)."

He made a U-turn toward the locker room, where he changed into his uniform.

To simulate game conditions, defensive tackle Fale Laeli dressed as the Warrior mascot, complete with taped cardboard made to resemble a boar's bone.

Here's an excerpt from Jason Kaneshiro's article covering the game:

"It was a good break for us and it was good to see the young guys showcase their talents," said senior defensive lineman Mike Lafaele. "I was really excited for the defensive guys, especially the defensive linemen. I practice with them every day and I know how hard they work and they did a good job."

Although the mood was light, there was more to be gained than just bragging rights for those looking to grab the attention of the coaching staff.

"Hopefully the coaches can look at this game and see what I've got and see if I can get some playing time this year or next year," said Purcell, who was among the standouts for the Green defense with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

======

Tommy Hicks of the Press-Register in Alabama talks to Colt Brennan about accepting an invitation to the Senior Bowl. In the same article, Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale had more great things to say about Colt:

Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said seeing Brennan in person at last weekend's Hawaii at San Jose State game answered any questions he might have had.

"In that game, I really got an appreciation of some of the special skills he possesses," Hale said. "They were down 14 points with four minutes to play in bad (weather) conditions. ... He led his team by throwing for a touchdown and later running for a touchdown, and leading them to the win (42-35) in overtime.

"In that game, he showed how competitive he is, as well as the intangibles he has to offer other than his gift for throwing the football. When you watch him play and how his teammates respond to him, you realize pretty quick they believe that if he's in the game they have a great chance to win the game."

Basically, Colt has great stats, but the stats don't do him justice! Right on.

wednesday news

since tombo forgot about me again... i understand....

talks mainly about colt and the senior bowl. little bit about the scout bowl today.

Dennis McKnight Profile

Coach Dennis McKnight is profiled in an article by Daniel O'Leary of the Staten Island Advance.

"There's no special trick," said McKnight, whose squad has allowed Brennan to be sacked just 11 times in seven games (7-0, 4-0 WAC). "We don't have any unknown techniques (for pass blocking). We just emphasize it more. We do more drills for it and we prepare for it.

"He's outspoken, especially at the start of games. He gets us fired up," said sophomore center John Estes. "I can feel a difference in my play. I started at guard last year, before moving to center. But I think I was still playing like a guard. He's showed me the different techniques and different things I can do to get better. He's a technician and he demands for you to be technically sound every down."

Scout Bowl, The Draft, The D

The Star-Bulletin previews today's Scout Bowl.

Coaches will get a chance to check out some of the talent that's hiding under the radar at the bottom of the depth charts.

"There's a lot of guys waiting for their opportunity," Hawaii defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. "We try to evaluate talent every chance we get, so this will be a big evaluation of our guys and the talent of our guys."

Stephen Tsai has one of the funniest UH football articles ever with his coverage of yesterday's Scout Bowl draft. Here's an excerpt:

White's fifth pick was defensive end Antwan "Tua" Mahaley, a converted wide receiver. Mahaley wore a cap in which the word "Scout" was written on tape. In true post-draft fashion, he spoke in the third person. "Antwan Mahaley plays d-end and receiver," Mahaley said.

As the 56th — and final — selection, running back Alonzo Chopp, taken by the White, was declared Mr. Irrelevant. He was told he won a trip to Waipahu.

After the draft, in a move that broke tampering rules, Satele and Brennan grabbed Austin. In an Eli Manning-like tactic, Austin demanded a trade, insisting he would not report to the Green.

"I want to be traded," Austin said. "I didn't sign a contract."

Tsai also has a roster for both Green and White teams.

And Billy Hull writes about the UH defense's performance so far this year.

"It's to get the offense back on the field," McMackin said. "It's not about points or yards or any of that."

You do that by forcing turnovers and stopping opponents on third down. Hawaii has been exceptional at both, with 18 takeaways and a WAC-low 29.7 third-down-conversion-allowed percentage.

"Our goal on third down is 37 percent and we're below that," McMackin said. "The thing we weren't doing early is sudden change. We don't want to give up a touchdown on a sudden change. Field goals sometimes you're forced to live with."

CB to SB, Pilares, Herman on BCS, Etc.

So I was minding my own business, eating some mini-wheats while doing butt-clenching exercises like my hero Jean Claude Van Damme, when all of a sudden my old nemeses, the celestial billy goats, whisked me away to their enchanted land of bearded wonders. Oh it is a magical place, with goat wine fountains and castles made of potatoes, but I never get to enjoy myself when I'm there -- this time the goats made me wear tight shorts and play Dance Dance Revolution in front of them while they brayed away in delight. Unfortunately my shorts were tailored by one of goats, which meant it was made out of burlap and old newspapers. Anyway, after completing an uptempo booty-shaking song, in which I chafed what was left of my @#&$! I had the goats rolling and laughing so hard that I was able to make my escape. Frickin goats! I wonder what silly things they'll think of next. So that's where I've been.

Anyway, here are some articles from this morning's papers.

Colt Brennan has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Steve Hale, president and CEO of the Senior Bowl, attended the SJSU game. Here's what he had to say:

"Television and video don't do a quarterback justice, particularly Colt," Hale said. "He has a quick release. His passes have a lot of velocity. He has excellent accuracy. Seeing him in those conditions in San Jose was very impressive. He operated in very adverse conditions. It was as bad a condition as you could put a quarterback in, and he handled it well."

Stephen Tsai writes about the UH players getting excited about the upcoming Scout Bowl.

Yesterday, "coaches" began to create their draft boards. They had to scratch third-string quarterback Inoke Funaki, who was ruled ineligible for the game.

"Anybody I don't want in the game won't be in the game, like the guys who are going to be playing on Saturday nights," commissioner June Jones ruled.

"I'm going to appeal," Funaki said. "The past two years I got to play. I was looking forward to it."

Also from the article: injury updates on Blaze Soares and Le'Marcus Gibson, and news that Colt will blog about the UH receivers for the New York Times.

Brian McInnis writes about the running backs, and Kealoha Pilares in particular.

"We thought he was pretty talented coming out of high school," Suan said. "I think the thing that impressed me the most, that we really didn't know about, was just his people skills and his character. He's got a great work ethic, a passion for the game, he's an attention-to-detail guy. He generally pays really good attention to getting better."

Suan cited Pilares' continuous efforts in the weight and film rooms toward his steady contributions. In particular, he has studied ex-running back Nate Ilaoa's success in both blocking and exploding for huge gains. Granted, "Nasti Nate" weighed nearly twice as much.

Also from the article: Dan Kelly broke Jason Elam's school record for consecutive PATs in a season with 50 so far.

Jason Kaneshiro talks to Herman Frazier, who has a few things to say about Hawaii's BCS hopes.

Frazier was pleased with the Warriors' position in the season's initial rankings and said the first half of the team's schedule, which included two Division I-AA teams, hasn't been a detriment so far.

"I don't think it's holding us back at this point when we show up in the polls at No. 18 in the BCS," Frazier said. "What's helped us is we're 7-0, that's the bottom line."

UH (7-0, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference) is ranked 16th in both of the polls used in the rankings, but 25th by the computer rankings, which factor in strength of schedule.

"I think (No. 18 is) an excellent place to start for us," Frazier said.

"If you look at teams five through 12, they're going to start playing each other and it's going to have a huge effect on our numbers if we're successful in playing one game at a time."

Barring too much leapfrogging of course.

Frazier also wants it known that he was talking to Nebraska about a future game, but with the firing of the athletic director (Nebraska's), that may be in jeopardy.

The UH-SJSU game was seen in 1.3 million households last Friday.

In perhaps a related matter, SJSU is reseeding their football/soccer field.

Ferd Lewis writes about the rarity of a college football team staying undefeated for a whole season.

last night's news

since tombo is a busy boy today, here's the tv news from yesterday.

Fale Laeli, Special Teams, Questions

Jason Kaneshiro profiles defensive lineman Fale Laeli, who's been playing great while fighting through tendinitis in his knees.

The Saint Louis graduate has started all seven games this season, despite playing through a case of tendinitis that makes each snap feel "like somebody's stabbing me in the knee."

"Every game I go out there I have to dig deep, because I know my knees are messed up," he said after the Warriors' conditioning session yesterday morning. "I just have to fight through the pain. ... Every play is just brutal."

"He has tremendous strength in his lower body and his hands," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "He gets an edge of you and he's hard to deny inside because he is so strong and can push through a small crack. He's learned as a pass rusher to use the tools that God gave him."

Also from that article:

• Injury reports on Blaze Soares and Michael Lafaele


• Lafaele actually forced the fumble against SJSU, not Blaze (but Blaze still wen crush em)


• June Jones explains why Leon Wright-Jackson was held out of the SJSU game. LWJ will play vs NMSU.

Michael Tsai talks to coach Jeff Reinebold about the special teams, specifically the punt return for TD the punt coverage team gave up to SJSU.

"They couldn't move the ball as long as their arm but we gave them an opportunity to feel like they had a chance," Reinebold said.

The unit will get the chance to address its deficiencies as the team takes its first bye week.

"We've got to play better," said head coach June Jones. "Our special teams (have) got to improve."

Reinebold said the team as a whole needs to sharpen its execution as it prepares for the toughest part of its schedule.

Also from the article:

• June responds to critics of the team: "I don't think they know what they're talking about," he said. "They must never have put on a jock."


• There are only 4000 tickets left for the Boise State game!


• Blaze Soares will sit out a couple practices to let his shoulder recover.

Paul Arnett asks a bunch of questions.

And uhwarriors has this week's Na Koa lunch report up at Sportshawaii.com.

JJ Monday SJSU Press Conferences

Chawan compiles the news coverage of June Jones' Monday press conference, Hawaii's BCS chances, etc. with reports from KHON's Kanoa Leahey, KGMB's Liz Chun, KITV's Robert Kekaula, and KHNL's uncanny Timmy Chang doppelganger, Jason Tang.



Here's a partial transcript of the press conference from the UH Athletics Dept.

Check out the WAC Teleconference page for Windows Media Audio archives of the weekly coaches' teleconferences, including June Jones' Monday (10/15) phone call in which he criticizes San Jose's pig slop football field. Read coverage of those comments in the San Jose Mercury News. Also read Jon Wilner and his readers get futless about it.

SJSU Vids

Irse has posted this week's June Jones Show in Windows Media format.

OBHawaii has posted it in four parts on Youtube. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

This week's episode includes post-game interviews with Colt, RGM, Adam Leonard and Blaze Soares, along with JJ and RGM in the studio. Also, some cool footage from inside the post-game huddle.

As Chawan reminded me, he's posted news compilations from the past couple days. See, now I'm the slacker.

The always awesome UHBows got some ESPN highlights.

binciong posted a cool video of UH performing the ha'a after the SJSU game.

And here's a video from ilovegyoza, which captures the post-game ha'a from another angle, where you get a good view of Isaac Sopoaga and his gigantic H logo waving a towel during the performance.

UPDATE: Here's a view of the same haʻa from the other side of the stadium, posted by franksabunch. Check out all the UH fans in San Jose!

And as always, big thanks to the Warrior Nation for posting these videos.

old news is old news

but its still good news, as we won... actually, its not that old, just sunday's news talking about the bcs rankings.

UH and the BCS

Now that the first BCS rankings of the season have come out with UH at #18, here's what people are saying about Hawaii's chances to make a BCS bowl.

From a Ferd Lewis column, Karl Benson and Jerry Palm:

"I'm not even worried about it," said Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference commissioner. "No apprehension at all. If they win out, they get picked."

It is not, however, a universal opinion. Jerry Palm of CollegeBCS.com gives the Warriors a "50/50" chance of reaching No. 12 if they win out because "Hawai'i's schedule is so bad they might not crack the Top 15 in the computers, even at 12-0."

From another Ferd Lewis article, more from Jerry Palm:

Palm said "there are three things that would really help Hawai'i":

• "A few more upsets (of top teams) to help clear the way up the polls.


• "One of the BCS conferences ends up with a stinker of a champion so that Hawai'i doesn't have to get as high as No. 12 in the BCS.


• "Quit letting bad teams take them to (overtime)."

From Deadspin:

Please don't suggest unbeaten Hawaii. Just don't. (Even the initial BCS rankings have them at No. 18, a distant six spots from a guaranteed BCS bowl spot.)

From "Mr. College Football":

Hawaii does not deserve a BCS bid: Fun team to watch. I like June Jones. Quarterback Colt Brennan will be a pretty good pro. But the Warriors play a ridiculously easy schedule and have trouble every time they come to the mainland. The BCS rules were relaxed in order to give deserving teams (like Boise State in 2006) access to the big bowls. But if a team like Hawaii gets in and gets embarrassed, then it will undermine the intent of the rule.

From The Arbiter (Boise student paper):

And what about Hawaii? They have played absolutely no one of importance to the BCS and they have now barely squeaked out wins in overtime against Louisiana Tech (44-43) and San Jose State (42-35). If they go undefeated do they deserve a BCS bowl bid?

I think not, but I know the BCS will believe otherwise.

From LSUFan (on a Fox Sports blog):

Can anyone really say this schedule is any worse then OSU or BC? If Hawaii wins out, will they not get a BCS bid like BSU did last year? And if not, why not? What is the difference b/w the 2?

So that's a sample of what's out there, take from it what you will.

And finally, in this Spartan Daily wrap-up of Hawaii's win over SJSU is probably the funniest picture I've ever seen.



The caption underneath says, "An SJSU fan looks on following a UH touchdown."

Colt Brennan on "Jim Rome is Burning"

Colt Brennan was a guest correspondent on this past Friday's "Jim Rome is Burning." He takes the camera crew to practice and Aloha Stadium. There's highlights from the Utah State game as well as cameos from Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins and Adam Leonard.

4OT in Boise

Just got through watching Boise pull out a ridiculous 4 overtime victory against Nevada on the Smurf Turf. Final score? Boise 69, Nevada 67. WOW. Both teams played great, offense-wise, and they both look like tough opponents for UH in the final stretch of the season. Geez Louise!

UPDATE: Here's the box score, with a link to the recap when it's posted.

Week 1 BCS Rankings: Hawaii at #18

Just announced on Fox, Hawaii is ranked #18 in the first BCS rankings of the season. Not bad! I'll link to the rankings when it's posted online.

UPDATE: Here's the complete BCS rankings, with points breakdowns, from the Fox Sports site. UH actually got a smidgen of recognition from the computers. A smidgen!

Here's the full list Top 25 teams.

1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Arizona State
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon
11. Virginia Tech
12. California
13. Kansas
14. USC
15. Florida
16. Missouri
17. Auburn
18. Hawaii
19. Virginia
20. Georgia
21. Tennessee
22. Texas
23. Cincinnati
24. Texas Tech
25. Michigan

Receivers, SJSU, BCS, Warrior Fans

Dave Reardon writes about the awesomeness of the UH receivers. As Ryan Grice-Mullins says:

"What can they do? You've got four receivers who can all make big plays," Grice-Mullins said. "We all made 'em, all throughout the game. Every one of us had a big play, a big moment, everyone had a touchdown. Everyone had that little catch that might have seemed little, but it was on third down. No matter who they try to move around on us it's not going to work. We proved that once again.

"All in all, we fought back and refused to lose. Refuse to lose and win all, that's our motto," Grice-Mullins added. "Make a mistake? Let it go. One snap and clear. Like Coach Jones preaches. Once you get guys believing, confidence is a beauty."

At the end of that page is this week's edition of Dave's Warriors Replay.

Stephen Tsai writes about what the coaches have planned for the bye.

McMackin said the coaches are gathering information to create tentative game plans for the next five opponents. They also will "self-scout," reviewing the first seven games to determine which areas need improvement.

From the same article, June Jones talks about the horrible conditions at San Jose.

"The conditions were the worst I'd ever been a part of," Jones said. "I felt bad for Colt. I kept trying to tell him if he doesn't get a grip on the ball, don't throw it down the field. He kept getting muddy balls. I said, 'You've got to take one of the short (patterns), and we'll take our chances (on deep routes) when you've got a good grip.' He couldn't get his footing, and he said he had no grip on the ball."

Ferd Lewis writes about the Warriors' improved play on the road.

Hard to believe that when head coach June Jones walked through the doors at Manoa in 1999 UH had lost a staggering 24 consecutive Western Athletic Conference road games. Not a lot of them close, either.

Over parts of seven years through 1998, UH was everybody's favorite opponent for special occasions. Homecomings, parents day, agriculture day, you name it and UH rarely disappointed the hosts.

Now, UH is routinely a betting favorite on the road, sometimes almost obscenely so.

Ferd Lewis then writes that Hawaii's weak schedule will hurt when the BCS rankings are released a little later today.

"They may move up or down a spot in the (coaches and media polls) but my guess is that the computers will push them to 18 or 20 in the BCS rankings remembering that the computers are one third of the rankings," said Karl Benson, commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference.

An ESPN mock up had the Warriors No. 20 entering the week. None of the computer polls has UH above No. 30 and the main reason was strength of schedule, where UH ranged from 119 to 218.

Paul Arnett writes the close SJSU game may be a factor in the rankings.

But an unbiased voter who tuned in Friday night saw a prohibitive favorite fiddling around on a muddy track, before finding a way to pull out the win. Was it an entertaining ballgame? You bet. Did it keep Hawaii in the upper tier of the only poll that matters? We'll see soon enough.

And finally, Brian McInnis and Dave Reardon talk to some UH fans who were at the SJSU game, and write about the expanding Warrior Nation.

Retired UH basketball coach Riley Wallace now works as a host for Boyd Gaming, and he coordinated events in conjunction with the Warriors' game at UNLV last month. He also senses a sea change in the Warrior fan base and its willingness to travel.

"I think it's definitely grown. This is one of the good places here. And (former UH athletic director) Hugh Yoshida started that group down in Southern California. It's very important for the future of the programs, especially football. They're going to make the trek, to the Fiesta Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, whatever. The fact is fans following the team is part of big-time sports now."

Hawaii 16th in Coaches Poll, 17th in AP (w/UPDATE)

UH remains at #16 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, while dropping one spot to #17 in the AP poll.

UPDATE: Hawaii remains at #16 in the Harris Interactive Poll. Here's a PDF press release of the poll.

...here's an Advertiser article with the poll.

More Highlights from UH vs SJSU

Chawan Cut compiled coverage and highlights from last night's news, including reports from KHON's John Veneri and KGMB's Liz Chun.



And here are reports from KITV's Rob DeMello (who has some great analysis of the game) and KHNL's Jason Tang.



The Warrior Beat also has links to Leila Wai's video highlights from the game.

UH at SJSU Wrap-Ups

Here's a scoring breakdown and game stats from The Advertiser. Fun stats of the game: Colt Brennan broke school records with 44 completions on 75 attempts.

Michael Tsai writes about the emotional ups-and-downs of fans watching the game at Eastside Grill. A quote from a fan who thought the game was lost with UH down 14 points in the 4th quarter:

"The Heisman and the BCS bowl are out the window," he said. "They're just not going to happen now. They had a chance, but it's not going to happen and there's not going to be a second chance."

Still, Souza couldn't stay outside long, not while time remained on the clock and hope, however slim, still existed. With a sigh, he returned to the bar.

Stephen Tsai writes about the players keeping the faith:

In the UH huddle, Bess implored Brennan to listen to another mantra.

"I told Colt: 'Poise, poise, poise,' " Bess recalled. "He repeated that phrase. He was getting frustrated, but I told him: 'We're here for you.' "

Brennan said: "Obviously after four, five, however many interceptions I threw, I was flustered. I was frustrated. But that's why it's a team game. The team believed in me. They never, like, looked at me and said, 'Oh, he's screwing up.' They just said, 'We got you, Colt. We got you.' They said, 'Keep believing, Colt.' "

From Dave Reardon:

In one of the most stirring comebacks in University of Hawaii football history, the Warriors overcame bad weather, the road and a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat San Jose State 42-35 in overtime last night at Spartan Stadium.

A crowd of 20,473 -- around 7,500 in green rooting for Hawaii -- and a national TV audience saw the Warriors battle back to score on two Colt Brennan touchdown passes in the final 3 minutes and 53 seconds.

Brian McInnis has a quote from Colt.

"We kept saying, 'Believe. Just believe,' " Brennan said. "It's amazing, the character of this team. All of a sudden, a fumble, we got a chance to tie it up, and we knew once it got into overtime it'd be over.

"Obviously you want to clean up the interceptions and a lot of the negative stuff," he added, "but to overcome those adversities and come out with a win says a lot about this team."

Back to Dave, with what the fans were chanting.

But it wasn't long before the Spartans' student section had good reason to chant "Overrated, Overrated" as UH fell behind by two touchdowns in the second half for the first time this season.

When it was over, though, ti leaves, conch shells and the ha'a prevailed, and the chants were "BCS, BCS" after No. 16 Hawaii's 42-35 overtime victory.

The article has a great quote from Blaze Soares, talking about his game-turning forced fumble.

"I saw the fullback, he's looking directly at me," Soares said. "I knew he was coming my way, so I already knew. I went with all my power and all my might and I went crush him. I heard him when I hit him, I heard him -- he felt it. Nice square hit."

And a quote from Ryan Grice-Mullins, in case any BCS bowl rep is reading this, ahem.

"And the fans," he added. "It's amazing how they follow us. It was like UNLV again. We need them and they help us."

Ferd Lewis writes about Blaze Soares' coming back from injuries to make the big play.

"That was the game," Brennan said. "That gave us our shot for overtime."

And, what a shot it was.

"This football team has played almost seven games and that's the first fumble we had this year," lamented San Jose State coach Dick Tomey. "We were the only team in the nation without a fumble."

Damin Esper writes about the great play of SJSU's defensive backs.

Reardon and McInnis have some game notes, including news about the UH receivers' performances, Adam Leonard's fumble recovery off of Blaze's big hit, and Blaze re-injuring his shoulder during the game, but saying he'll be ready for NMSU in two weeks.

Ferd Lewis writes about Ryan Grice-Mullins' great game, UH performing both the haka and the ha'a after the game, and according to Karl Benson, Fiesta Bowl reps being impressed with Hawaii's come-from-behind win.

And here's a video taken from the stands of UH fans' reactions to Myron Newberry's game-ending interception. Woot woot!

Highlights from the UH-SJSU Game

Four minutes of high(and low, but mostly high)lights from ESPN, posted by braddahneil.

Hawaii 42, SJSU 35 (OT)

HOLY CRAP! What a crazy crazy CRAZY come-from-behind, gut-wrenching, soul-stirring, head-spinning, jumping-up-and-down, screaming-your-guts-out game! All I gotta say is WOW, but I can't say anything because I lost my voice SCREAMING. This team knows how to win. They know how to battle. They know how to overcome their own mistakes, right the ship, and take care of business. This was an amazing win!

GO WARRIORS!!!!

UPDATE: Here's a post-game wrap-up from the Star-Bulletin:

Colt Brennan’s injured right ankle was healthy enough to lead a thrilling comeback that resuscitated any hopes Hawaii might have had at a Bowl Championship Series bid.

Brennan rallied Hawaii from 14 points down in the final 4 minutes by scoring the tying touchdown on a 2-yard run with 31 seconds left in regulation, then threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Jason Rivers on the first possession of overtime to give the Warriors a 42-35 victory over San Jose State on Friday night.

Here's a wrap-up from the Advertiser:

Colt Brennan completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jason Rivers in overtime to give No. 16 Hawai'i a 42-35 overtime victory over San Jose State today in a Western Athletic Conference football game at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif.

In San Jose State's overtime possession, Myron Newberry intercepted a Adam Tafralis pass in the end zone to end it.

Here's an article from Laurence Miedema of the San Jose Mercury News.

On the verge of the biggest victory of the Dick Tomey era, the San Jose State football team was left heartbroken Friday night at Spartan Stadium.
SJSU, a 17-point underdog against No. 16 Hawaii, watched a 14-point lead evaporate in the final four minutes of regulation to force overtime, and then the Spartans failed to score in the extra session of a 42-35 defeat.

And here's a game summary from Josh Dubow of the AP (longer version of Star-Bulletin article):

With representatives from the Fiesta Bowl on hand, Brennan orchestrated a 97-yard drive capped by an 11-yard TD pass to Davone Best with 3:53 to go.

The Spartans tried to run the clock out, but James T. Callier fumbled on the second play of the drive and Adam Leonard recovered on the San Jose State 45. It was the Spartans'first lost fumble of the season and couldn't have come at a worse time.

Brennan calmly moved the Warriors down the field before running it in on an option keeper to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Ways to Follow the Hawaii at San Jose State Game

BUMPED! Trying to sneak out of work...


In Hawaii:

Watch it on ESPN!

Listen to 1420 on your AM dial. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui and KPUA in Hilo (from this UH Athletics Dept. press release)

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Streaming audio and game stats via Yahoo Sports' GameChannel (click on the "San Jose St." 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.


Outside of Hawaii:

Watch it on ESPN.

If you're in the San Jose area, this SJSU Athletics press release has radio stations carrying the game.

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

Streaming audio via 1420 AM online.

Streaming audio and game stats via Yahoo Sports' GameChannel (click on the "San Jose St." 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.


And please feel free to comment if you find other ways of following the action. I'll post it up in the bump before the game.

GO WARRIORS!!!!

GameDay: Hawaii at San Jose State

It's game day! Excitement mounts!

From Stephen Tsai's article:

"It's our first opportunity to go up against a team that is tied with us for No. 1 in the WAC," Spartan quarterback Adam Tafralis said. "We'll treat this like a championship game, just like we're going to treat every game from here on out."

UH quarterback Colt Brennan, who appears to have recovered from a sprained right ankle that limited him to five series last week, said: "They're undefeated and we're undefeated, and there's a lot on the line. That's fine with us. Trust me, if there's one game we've been most excited about up until this point, it's this game. Friday night on ESPN is one thing. Not just that, but we've kind of played the easier part of our schedule, and now we're playing an opponent that's good enough for us to get excited for."

In his gameday preview, Dave Reardon takes a look at offense, defense and special teams for SJSU and UH, and highlights this key matchup:

Brennan's precision vs. San Jose State's DBs

Take away the one-game aberration of five interceptions against Idaho two weeks ago, and Colt Brennan is among the best at making sure the football doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Heck, leave that game in the accounting, and Brennan still averages exactly one interception per outing for his 31-game career.

That's quite an achievement considering he's thrown 1,281 passes.

But Brennan goes up against a San Jose State team that has 11 interceptions in its six games this season, good for fifth in the nation.

In his gameday preview, Stephen Tsai breaks down the offense, defense and specialists for both teams, which includes this bit about Kealoha Pilares and the shovel pass.

When Brennan is the quarterback, Pilares is averaging 11.6 post-catch yards on shovel passes. During the offseason, Pilares said he watched cut-up videos of Brennan shoveling passes to Nate Ilaoa, last year's running back.

"Colt and Nate were doing some crazy stuff," Pilares said. "I tried to learn from that. When I take my steps, I know Colt's going to get me the ball."

Like a baseball pitcher who uses the same motion to throw different pitches, Pilares has learned that the best way to sell the shovel pass — or any draw play, for that matter — is to make the defense believe he is a backfield blocker on every play. "(Running back) coach (Wes) Suan pushes us to make it consistent," Pilares said.

Ferd Lewis has a bunch of game notes, including a UH vs SJSU rivalry amongst Colt Brennan's family members and a list of a few people who will be on the sidelines today.

Former UH players Isaac Sopoaga, Jeff Ulbrich and Ashley Lelie of the San Francisco 49ers are expected to be on the Warriors' sideline today.

Also, former UH men's basketball coach Riley Wallace and sportscaster Larry Beil are scheduled to be on hand.

Speaking of Lelie, here's another article about him being set to get more playing time for the 49ers.

And finally here's a Ferd Lewis article about the the WAC's hopes for a better contract with ESPN.

When the WAC Board of Directors turned down a contract extension that came with what has been described as a "significant" increase in rights fees this summer, the presidents and chancellors of the nine institutions gambled they could do better in future talks.

With Boise State coming off its 13-0 breakthrough season and Fiesta Bowl finish of 2006 and UH figuring it could make its own Bowl Championship Series run in 2007, the WAC calculated it could come out of this season with more bargaining leverage for the next round of negotiations.

more previews...

see, i haven't been slacking. tombo just doesn't want to post my stuff, heh.

anyways, here's last night's news. and looks like khnl's got themselves a new sportscaster. kinda looks like a young timmy, dontcha think?

John Estes Profile, More SJSU Previews

UH center John Estes is profiled in The Stockton Record by Lori Gilbert.

"The first couple games I was so worried about the calls, worried about the snap that I wasn't thinking about the guy I had to block. Now it all comes natural," Estes said.

"I wouldn't say (the transition) was really difficult," Estes said. "At St . Mary's we were in the (shot)gun a lot. And, I learned from the best center in the nation last year."

That was Samson Satele, who spent three years playing guard for Hawaii, moved to center last season and now is snapping the ball for the Miami Dolphins.

Delivering a crisp shotgun pass was no problem for Estes. It was everything else that came with the job.

"I have to make all the (assignment) calls," Estes said. "When you're watching game tape of the other team, you look at tendencies and remember them during the game and make the best call you can."

Josh Dubow of the AP has a preview of tomorrow's game.

With the initial Bowl Championship Series standings set to be released Sunday, the 16th-ranked Warriors are looking to make a good impression Friday night at San Jose State.

"We're definitely excited to get out there and showcase what we really are," quarterback Colt Brennan said. "We get a chance for everyone to watch us more and make a statement. It's obviously a great opportunity for us and it's a team we can get excited about playing. It can get tough preparing for opponents that everyone says you're supposed to beat by a large margin."

"We know because of who we are, one slip-up at any moment ends it," Jones said. "We're not like one of those teams like Florida who can lose a game and go from first to fourth or fifth. If we have one slip-up, we go to 50th."

And Laurence Miedema, who's written a bunch of articles this week previewing tomorrow's game, has another one.

SJSU got a taste of how explosive the Warriors (6-0, 3-0) can be last season in Honolulu. The Spartans trailed 27-17 late in the third quarter, but the Warriors needed barely 10 minutes to score 27 unanswered points to put the game away.

"You will not see the same team that we were last year in Hawaii," SJSU cornerback Christopher Owens said.

Hawaii, even with Brennan hobbled the past month by a sprained ankle (he missed one game and came out early in two others), continues to be a defensive coordinator's worst nightmare. The Warriors are averaging more than 50 points and 500 yards per game and haven't scored fewer than 45 points.

The Spartans counter with a defense that hasn't allowed 300 yards in three games and has intercepted eight passes during that stretch.

Can't wait for the game. Just hope I can escape from work to watch it!

The Run and Shoot

Colt Brennan and June Jones discuss the run and shoot offense in this two-minute clip from CSTV.


Via Sportshawaii.com.

Warriors in the Pros: Thursday Edition

Good news for some former UH players in the NFL over the past couple days.

Samson Satele was back at practice after suffering a pinched nerve in his neck on Sunday.

Rookie center Samson Satele was back on the practice field Thursday, and appeared to be going full speed for the first time since injuring his neck in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Texans.

Satele, who has started every game of his rookie season, seems on track to play Sunday against the Browns.

After a few weeks of questions from writers and fans, and rounds of meetings between 49ers coaches and players, San Francisco seems to be retooling their offense, which includes plans to actually play Ashley Lelie.

Receiver Ashley Lelie will get more playing time when the 49ers return from the bye week to face the Giants on Oct. 21, coach Mike Nolan said Thursday.

"The important thing is that the plan is to utilize him a little more," Nolan said.

Through the first five games, Lelie has been on the field for just 10 offensive snaps. Yet, Lelie was 49ers' receiver that the Ravens feared the most when the team met on Sunday.

Nolan spoke after the game with Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who told him that he planned to double-team Lelie when he was on the field. Lelie played just one snap. The Ravens did not double-team any of the 49ers' other receivers, thus they could devote more defenders to stopping Frank Gore.

"Sort of gets your attention, doesn't it?" Nolan asked. "There were some things after this game I knew clear-cut we had to do better. There wasn't a lot of gray area on some of things. It didn't surprise me."

That's just amazing. Here's more from Nolan regarding what Rex Ryan said:

RE: Don’t you feel you missed an opportunity when you hear things like that?
“No, because that’s what I do for a living too, so I know that’s how he is. I just need to be more actively involved. It didn’t surprise me. That’s only one dimension. There are other things we were trying to do in that game that I thought we would get more out of that we didn’t.”

That's great, the head coach is getting more involved with his team.

One 49er who has seen a lot of playing time and has impressed in the process is Isaac Sopoaga.

It’s also been great to see how well Isaac Sopoaga has played this year. It’s as if a light bulb finally went off in his head.

There were a few plays against Seattle when he played defensive end where it was as if a man were playing against a bunch of boys. I mean he absolutely crushed Sean Locklear, a 320 pound offensive lineman, six yard into the backfield. It looked almost unfair. They have weight limits and size limits in Pop Warner football for a reason. If you get someone that’s that much bigger and more developed than everyone else, it really is unfair and that’s what it has looked like in a few situations this year with Isaac Sopoaga.

That's awesome to hear. Sopoaga talks about playing in the 3-4 this year.

“Playing in the 3-4 is a lot of fun,” Sopoaga said. “You have more time to put pressure on the offense.”

Playing only two years at the University of Hawaii, he was considered to be raw with a lot of potential. At 6-3, 330 pounds, he is the biggest member of the defensive line. As a matter of fact, Sopoaga is one of only five 49ers who works out with a 200 pound dumbbell and has been called a “True Warrior” by former coaches. His size and athleticism make him an ideal fit for a 3-4 system.

“The reason Isaac is having success is because of his work ethic,” Tomsula said. “He is earning everything he is getting.”

Also getting praise is Titans defensive end Travis Laboy. Here's what head coach Jeff Fisher had to say:

What has Travis LaBoy shown so far this season?

Fisher: “Travis and Antwan (Odom) are playing very well. They are healthy, they’re explosive and they rush the passer well. They’re striking tight ends and tackles well on the run game. Our whole defensive line is playing well right now.

Ankle, Tomey, Kelly, SJSU Previews

Bill Hull has good news regarding Colt's ankle.

On the first play of team drills, Brennan took the snap and darted left around his offensive line. Once around the edge, he planted on his left foot and cut back into the middle. Feeling greedy, Brennan made one last cut, this time planting on his right, and made his way down the sideline.

There was no limp to his step and no hitch in his throw. All signs point toward Brennan being as close to 100 percent as he has been in nearly a month.

Great to hear. Dave Reardon interviews SJSU coach Dick Tomey about a wide range of subjects in this Star-Bulletin article. Here's an excerpt, but the whole thing is good.

Q: Some people in Hawaii were upset with you last year because you left the Warriors out of one of your coaches' polls near the end of the season. What are your thoughts on that?

A: I don't think that's anybody's business. I think I left Hawaii out once after they lost and Houston won. I just vote who I think is the best. I don't vote along conference lines, I just vote what I think.

We spend a lot of time thinking about it and we try to be honest about it.

So if there was a week where I left Hawaii out it was because I thought they should be left out. But they were in my Top 25 in my last poll after the bowl game.

Stephen Tsai profiles kicker Dan Kelly.

Kelly has emerged as an offensive option for the Warriors this season. He has converted five of seven field-goal attempts, and is perfect on 44 point-after kicks. Those are significant numbers for a four-wide passing offense that has attempted to pass or run 10 times on fourth down.

In such a system, Kelly is summoned in what-the-heck situations.

Also from the article, Michael Lafaele is good to go, and Amani Purcell talks about playing nose in the Oky package.

Josh Weaver of the Spartan Daily has a preview, and discusses what SJSU needs to do to win.

If I were 60 pounds heavier and not as slow as molasses, I would throw on some shoulder pads.

This is a statement game for the Spartans.

They have a chance to prove they belong in prime time. They have a chance to prove to the SJSU community that last year wasn't a fluke. They have the chance to completely erase their disastrous start.

I know I'm pumped. Are you?

Awww yeah.

Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman has a preview and discusses the importance of the game.

"They're the only team that we played last year that physically dominated us," Tomey said. "We hope it's different (this year), but we'll have to prove it on the field. … We've got a chance to be in the conference race, to be in the conversation in the conference, and we intend to do everything we can to make that come true."

UH at San Jose State Previews

Here's a preview of Friday's game from Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"We realize we haven't proven anything yet," said Brennan, a senior. "It's the rest of the season that will matter. No matter how I did early in this season, no one cared what I did in the first six games."

Four of Hawaii"s final six games are on national TV, and they are against tougher opponents - San Jose State, Nevada, Boise State and Washington - than Hawaii has faced so far.

The Warriors' performance on TV also will affect the pollsters, who will be the biggest factor in determining whether Hawaii lands in the top 12 of the final BCS standings, which is what the Warriors need to get an automatic spot in one of the five BCS games.

A preview from Andrew Giornalista of the AP. I believe his name translates to "Andy the Journalist," though I may just be making that up.

"There is a lot left over for us from last year's game," said Tafralis, who was sacked six times in that matchup. "Not for them, because they did what they wanted to do against us. It has built up for us."

San Jose State, meanwhile, has been strong on defense during its winning streak, holding opponents to less than 300 yards of offense in each game. Spartans safety Jonathan Harris has intercepted a pass in three consecutive contests.

And here's a preview from Gregg Xenakes of The Sports Network.

Hawaii has often been exposed defensively, mainly because the unit has to spend so much time on the field after the quick- strike offense does its job, and yet this season the squad is actually second in the WAC in run defense (116.8 ypg), total defense (320.8 ypg) and scoring defense (21.8 ppg) after six outings. The squad is first in the conference in both sacks (3.8) per game and tackles for loss (8.8), placing sixth and seventh, respectively, on a national scale.

And finally, here are reports on Colt's ankle along with some previews from KHON's Kanoa Leahey, KGMB's Liz Chun and KITV's Rob DeMello in another CC compilation.

NorCal Warriors, Roberts, Fiesta, Etc.

Dave Reardon writes about the Warriors with Northern California ties making the trip to San Jose.

"San Jose's the closest road game to Hawaii, so a lot of the (local) guys' families are flying over," said junior receiver Davone Bess, who is from Oakland. "I've got about 50 or so people coming and I've only got 10 tickets."

J.P. Davis is from San Francisco. His mother bought 20 tickets for the sophomore cornerback's friends and relatives.

"I'm ready," Davis said. "There'll be a bunch of little scatter rats out there."

In addition to Bess and Davis, sophomore running back Mario Cox, senior defensive end Francis Maka and junior cornerback Calvin Roberts are from the Bay Area and making the trip. The homes of sophomore center John Estes (Stockton) and junior running back David Farmer (Santa Cruz) are also within easy driving distance.

Also from the article:

• Greg McMackin says the first-team defense performed pretty good against Utah State.


• San Jose State QB Adam Tafralis says he's not sick of hearing about Colt Brennan.


• Tyson Kafetnzis is also on the travel roster.


• And more!

Stephen Tsai profiles cornerback Calvin Roberts, who is making the trip and will get to see his baby daughter for the first time since August.

"It was pretty hard for me to leave, but I knew it would be a better future for her and a better future for me to finish my education," Roberts said. "It's in our best interest."

Also from the article:

• Mech Warrior Blaze Soares practiced with the first team and says he's fully recovered from his injuries. I feel sorry for all the unsuspecting fools he encounters.


• Jacob Patek talks about being a gunner on punt coverage


• Dick Tomey stands in the way of another UH school record held by... Dick Tomey.

Ferd Lewis writes that representatives from the Fiesta Bowl will be scouting Hawaii at Friday's game.

Team scout Steve Horrell said he will attend the UH-San Jose State game and meet with school and Western Athletic Conference officials tomorrow and Friday. "They are undefeated, we have to make sure we take a look at them," Horrell said of the 6-0, 16th-ranked Warriors. "That's what we do."

UH fans in San Jose, make some noise!

Regarding the Heisman, Ferd Lewis writes Colt Brennan still get chance.

And some would even tell you his chances of winning the statue haven't been totally extinguished, either. "I think he's got a great opportunity the second half of the year here to enhance his candidacy and, I think, he is still a viable candidate to not only get to New York but to win the thing," said ESPN's Sean McDonough, who will do play-by-play of the San Jose State game.

"I don't think anybody is way ahead of anybody else right now," McDonough said.

And finally, Laurence Miedema of the Vallejo Times Herald compares SJSU QB Adam Tafralis with Colt Brennan, and writes that both have a great opportunity to showcase their skills on Friday night.

"We're definitely excited to get out there and really show people what we are," Brennan said. "We haven't proven anything yet. The next six games will define us as a team and how we'll leave our mark."

Tafralis, on the other hand, can introduce himself to a TV audience that almost certainly has no idea that he ranked 11th in the nation in pass efficiency last season (he's at No. 18 this season) and is 14-7 as a starter since the end of the 2005 season.

"The biggest thing about Friday is that it's another chance to win," Tafralis said. "If I'm doing my job, then everybody is going to have to notice that our offense is something special and it's going in the right direction.

'If people really want to pay attention, they'll notice."

Gonna be a great game!

From the Blogs, and Dick Tomey

From UH Sports Extra, Dave Reardon writes that Colt Brennan and Adam Leonard did well in practice today. Colt had no noticeable sign of an injury.

From The Warrior Beat, Stephen Tsai writes that Calvin Roberts will replace Keenan Jones, who is sick, on the travel roster. Also, Samson Satele is suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck, according to his agent Leo Goeas.

And The Warrior Insider has a bunch of profiles of possible Warrior recruits. Lots of good stuff.

And finally, Dick Tomey had some good things to say about UH in his weekly press conference. Here's an excerpt:

Question: Will your defense change depending on who is quarterbacking?

No. The ball comes out of Colt’s hands a little quicker, but Tyler has been in the system for four years and he knows it very well. It doesn’t matter who is playing, the problem is the same. They are both terrific players.

This may be shocking, but the first thing we have to do is stop the run and the shovel pass. If they can run the ball at will on you and throw the shovel pass on you, then in the fourth quarter, if you are trying to win, like Louisiana Tech was, it is impossible to call defenses. If you can stop the run then you have a better chance.

Injuries, Profiles, SJSU, Cincy, Samson

Lots of news today!

Stephen Tsai reports that Colt Brennan is good to go for Friday.

Showing no adverse effects of a sprained right ankle, Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan yesterday practiced and then reiterated his pledge to start in Friday's nationally televised road game against San Jose State.

"I'm determined," Brennan said, noting the Warriors have a bye the following weekend. That will give Brennan 15 days to prepare for the Oct. 27 game against New Mexico State. "It's just one week and then I can rest it up. It's all out this week."

Right on. Also from the article:

• Michael Lafaele is also good to go, but Ryan Mouton will sit out again.


• Dane Porlas practiced at first-team left safety in the nickel package.


• Solomon Elimimian talks about sustaining a mild concussion in the 3rd quarter.


• Details of Keala Watson giving a speech from "Rudy" to his teammates while balancing on a chair

Dave Reardon writes that Solomon was not entirely satisfied with his 20-tackle performance.

But Elimimian said he played far from a perfect game Saturday. He said he missed three or four tackles, and he also dropped a possible interception that he could have run all the way back for a score.

"I was thinking about the plays I should've made all morning Sunday," he said. "The thing about football is you can always get better."

Dave also talks to Dane Porlas about playing for the Warriors.

Porlas grew up in San Diego, but his father, Thad, is Hawaiian and the family roots are in Kalihi. Dane spent time as a youngster visiting relatives in the islands and developing an affection for UH football.

"It's always been kind of a dream, to play for Hawaii," he said. "I was a fan of two schools, the other school ... Notre Dame."

Porlas laughed again when it was pointed out the Fighting Irish aren't enjoying much success this season.

"That's not nice," Porlas said. "I still like them."

Jeff Faraudo of Inside Bay Area writes a great, in-depth profile on Davone Bess. Here are the opening paragraphs:

Moments after quarterback Colt Brennan takes the snap in the University of Hawaii's pass-happy run-and-shoot offense, slot receiver Davone Bess finds himself manuevering through a human traffic jam in the opponent's secondary.

It's a delicate process run at warp speed, with Bess trying to avoid three teammates executing their own pass routes along with seven or eight defenders waiting to exact a painful toll.

But the junior from Oakland is well-equipped for the assignment, starting with "unbelievably gifted hands," to use coach June Jones' words. He also has acceleration, strength, leaping ability, focused concentration.

Laurence Miedema of the San Jose Mercury News has a preview of Friday's game, discussing Colt's ankle, as well as injuries to the Spartans.

• Tomey said that tailback Yonus Davis aggravated his sprained ankle during the victory over Idaho on Saturday and is expected to miss at least the next two games. Davis failed to gain a yard on either of his two carries.

"We've just got to see if he can get well," Tomey said.

• Linebacker Ryno Gonzalez likely is out for the season because of a foot injury he suffered against Idaho, but safety Duke Ihenacho is expected back in the lineup after missing last week with a leg injury.

Too bad Yonus Davis can't play. I remember him and Davone participating in some friendly smack-talk last year, which somehow turned into motivation for the UH defense, haha.

Paul Arnett has another column about the big test that the second half of the season brings to the Warriors, and how UH needs to improve to continue winning.

Ferd Lewis writes that Hawaii's first nationally televised game of the season is a big opportunity to show the nation and the naysayers what UH is all about.

UPDATE: Here's an article from Jon Wilner of the Mercury News on how this is a big game for SJSU.

Josh Katzowitz of the Cincinnati Post writes about next year's UH vs Cincinnati matchup, in which Big East officials will be used, and looks back at the ugliness of the 2002 matchup. But as Herman Frazier says at the end of the article, it's all about looking forward.

If that's the case, UC - which will receive a $400,000 guaranteed payday from Hawaii - and its fans can enjoy the trip, and the Warriors will enjoy having the Bearcats. Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier wants to forget that little bit of history.

"I'm sorry the fans are upset, but the fact is you never want to look back on things of that nature," said Frazier, who added that in the past six years, his football team, because of TV contracts, has been featured on ESPN or ESPN2 during that last weekend of games.

"The NCAA talks about sportsmanship, and we're looking forward to a good college football game."

And finally, good news for Samson Satele.

Coach Cam Cameron didn't update the condition of starting rookie center Samson Satele, who missed the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss with a neck injury. However, Satele's agent, Leo Goeas confirmed that an MRI was negative and "it's no big deal."

Goeas said he didn't know the timetable for Satele's return to practice.

Pre-Game Haʻa

I just chanced upon this - UHmercury72 has posted video of the Warriors performing the haʻa before the Utah State game.

SJSU Press Releases, 10-08-07 News

Here's the press release for the upcoming Hawaii at San Jose State game from the UH Athletics Department. It lists the ESPN announcers working the game:

Television: Live nationally on ESPN with Sean Mcdonough (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (color), and Rob Stone (sideline).

Awww, no Craig James.

Here's a press release from the SJSU Athletics Department.

And finally, Chawan Cut got off it and put together a compilation of tonight's news, with reports from Liz Chun, Robert Kekaula and John Veneri. Topics discussed include Solomon Elimimian's 20-tackle performance and the upcoming game this Friday at San Jose State.

Warriors in the Pros

Some news from the NFL this past weekend:

Travis Laboy deflected a pass which lead to an interception. He also had two tackles for the Titans.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had six tackles for the Rams.

Samson Satele had to be carted off the field after suffering a neck injury. Thankfully, the injury wasn't serious. He may be doubtful for this week's game however.

Jason Elam scored the only points for Denver in a blowout loss to the Chargers.

Despite the offensive collapse of the 49ers, Ashley Lelie still isn't playing. Writers and fans are beginning to wonder why not. Teammate Isaac Sopoaga had one tackle.

JJ Show, Photos and Videos - UH vs USU

Irse has this week's June Jones Show up in Windows Media format.

OBHawaii has it up in four parts on Youtube. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

And Chawan Cut's been slacking again, but the news stations have been putting more and more of their own videos up. Here's a report about the Utah State game and the national rankings by KHNL's Stephen Florino (video link on top right of the page). And here's a couple of reports from KGMB's Mike Cherry -- a Saturday night recap, and a Sunday report about the game and the polls.

Photos from the game are up at Irse's site and the rainbows pbase site. Later on, Orlando at UHWarriorfan.com should have some up as well. Big ups to them once again!

Brennan Doing Better, 2nd Half, Sol

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

After the game, Brennan's right ankle ballooned.

"Even the trainer thought it would be really bad in the morning," Brennan said.

But when he woke up yesterday morning, the swelling on the ankle had subsided.

"When I went to get treatment, they were like, 'I can't believe how much the swelling went down. What did you do?' " Brennan recalled. "I don't know, but for some reason, the swelling went down."

That's definitely good to hear. Also from the article, Michael Lafaele should be ready to go against SJSU after sitting out the Utah State game with a strained hamstring, but Ryan Mouton will most likely be out again with a sprained knee.

Dave Reardon analyzes how the first half the schedule affects UH's national ranking, and looks ahead to the second half.

It's clear though, that the tough half of the marathon is the second one.

The tests become sterner this week, as the Warriors play at San Jose State on Friday, a date former UH coach Dick Tomey has certainly had circled since the WAC released its schedule.

Then it's New Mexico State, Fresno State, at Nevada, Boise State and Washington. One loss, at least up to the Boise State game, and the Warriors can kiss the Top 25 goodbye.

Also on that page is this week's Warriors Replay. Here's #4:

4. Over the shoulder

The Setup: Hawaii 31, Utah State 20, 52 seconds remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, first and 10 at Utah State 40.
The Play: WR C.J. Hawthorne has a half step on his defender as he nears the end zone on a post route. Graunke leads Hawthorne with a pass that Hawthorne eyes over his left shoulder before diving forward to catch beyond the goal line.
The Impact: A tremendous display of precision and athleticism is also a big factor on the scoreboard, as Hawaii keeps the pressure on with a quick-strike, two-play drive to answer Utah State's 12-play march.
Hawthorne: "Tyler didn't skip a beat; he was amazing. He put a smile on everyone's face."

Ferd Lewis looks at the history between UH and its former coach Dick Tomey and what he brings to this Friday's game. Ferd also discusses the second half of the schedule.

The Spartans are just 3-3 with a win column that parallels some of UH's (Utah State, Idaho and UC Davis) and a loss column (Arizona State, Stanford and Kansas State) tougher than what UH has faced this year. What San Jose State, even with its early-season disappointments, adds up to is, for the first time in weeks, an opponent capable of beating the Warriors if they don't show up or take their time in warming to the task.

Incrementally, beginning with San Jose State, the schedule gains in degree of difficulty with Fresno State, Nevada, Boise State and Washington coming in short order. The pinata parade is about to end. The meat of the season looms and the Spartans are a good reminder.

Solomon Elimimian, who is 3rd in the nation in tackles per game, is this week's WAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Elimimian, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw HS), made a WAC season-high 20 tackles in 16th-ranked Hawai‘i’s win over Utah State on Saturday night. He also had a half a sack, one tackle for a loss and broke up a pass in the game. The 20 tackles were three shy of tying the school record.

Hawaii 16th in AP and Coaches Poll (w/UPDATE)

Bumped. Harris poll just released.

Despite going 6-0 with a victory over Utah State, and several teams ahead of them losing, UH drops one spot to #16 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll with other teams leapfrogging ahead of them. UH remains at #16 in the AP Poll. Strength of schedule is starting to play a larger factor. Hopefully with victories over stronger teams in the next few weeks, UH can resume their ascent in the polls.

UPDATE: And it's #16 all around. The Warriors remain at #16 in the Harris Interactive Poll. Here's a link to the PDF press release.

...and here's an HTML version of the poll.

UH vs Utah State Wrap-Ups

Here are game stats and a scoring breakdown from the Advertiser. Cool stat of the night: Solomon Elimimian had 20 tackles. Here are video clips from the post-game press conference from Leila Wai.

In his wrap-up, Stephen Tsai reports on Colt Brennan's ankle injury.

While throwing to wideout C.J. Hawthorne, Brennan was hit on the right knee and fell in a painful heap.

"My (right) ankle got caught when I got tackled, and I sprained it again," Brennan said. "There's a sharp pain in a specific spot on my ankle. It's sore, but it's part of football."

"They put a brace on me (at halftime) and tightened up the tape, but that just made it more aggravated," Brennan said. "I got the brace off, and we let Tyler go in, and he did a good job. We knew we'd be fine."

Tsai writes about Tyler Graunke's performance filling in for Colt.

"I know he had a rough outing the last time he was here," Brennan said. "To come back in front of the fans, to do what he did, shows a lot. It reminds me of the Tyler we remember from last year. It's great confidence for this year, and even more for next year."

Graunke said: "If I get (the fans') support, that's awesome. But I've got more to prove, trust me. I didn't start off strong the last time. I wanted to prove a point to everybody I could do it. I wanted to show myself, most of all."

And a great quote from David Farmer about scoring a 20-yard TD on a shovel pass.

"I was kind of shocked to hear the call myself," Farmer said. "They blitzed the corner, and so that's what you hope for. It was just wide open. I've been telling people I've been getting faster. I'm glad it's finally on film."

In his wrap-up, Dave Reardon writes that the Warriors were not satisfied with their performance.

Senior receiver Jason Rivers was one of several players who said the Warriors did not perform to their capability.

"Probably not," said Rivers, who caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. "There's always room for improvement. I'm sure everybody feels the same way. We kind of came out slow on offense."

But even when the Warriors aren't in the zone, they're good enough to win. That might not be true in the coming weeks, as the schedule gets tougher.

Reardon also has a great quote from June Jones, praising Graunke.

"I've always known, believed he can play," Jones said of Graunke, two weeks after the backup was booed by some fans during a blowout of Charleston Southern. "He proved tonight he's a pretty good quarterback. I'm proud of him and happy he had the success."

Stacy Kaneshiro also has an article about Graunke, who talks about his rushing TD.

Graunke apparently wanted to demonstrate he was his own man. After his long completion to Bess to the USU 1, Brennan suggested from the bench that he run the option. But Graunke had other ideas.

"I told him, 'gimme the ball, gimme the QB sneak, I can get the ball in,' " Graunke said. "And, uh, didn't work. So we ended up running the option he wanted to run."

And more praise from Graunke, this time from Ferd Lewis.

Why did UH head coach June Jones stay with Graunke through the struggles against Charleston Southern? How come Jones permitted the long leash two weeks ago when the more vocal but unknowing segment demanded Brennan's return?

Because he knew there would come a game like last night when the Warriors would need Graunke. And they'd need him to pull them through when Brennan wasn't an option.

And in a journalistic case of wearing the same dress to the party, the Star-Bulletin's Jason Kaneshiro writes an article entitled Life in the fast Lane, while the Advertiser's Michael Tsai writes one entitled Warriors loving life in the fast Lane. But what may be an awkward situation for them is all good for Malcolm Lane. From Tsai:

Sophomore receiver and kickoff returner Malcolm Lane touched the football just twice last night, but, oh, did he make an impression.

With the Warriors struggling to find a rhythm against a surprisingly game Utah State squad, it was Lane who delivered, both in quick fashion, two of the game's key plays.

From Kaneshiro:

Lane's score came moments after Utah State had taken a 13-10 lead early in the second quarter as Aggie kicker Chris Ulinski bounced it downfield, through Satele's legs and into Lane's grasp.

"As soon as I picked it up everybody from their team just broke down too far away from the ball," Lane said. "So I just took it to the middle, made a little move and I saw a crease out of the corner of my eye and just hit it."

At the end of Kaneshiro's article, Dan Kelly talks about getting into a tussle.

Kelly even got a bit of contact, getting tangled up with Utah State's Aaron Lesue in a brief scuffle at the end of a kickoff.

"I'm a football player, I'll get hit when I need to get hit, but there's a difference between getting blocked and getting tackled," Kelly said. "You can't let that stuff get to you. If I had let it get to me I might have missed my field goal. I'm a football player and I'll get hit. I'm not going to shy away from it."

I love seeing Kelly dishing out hits during returns. I think he's saved a couple of touchdowns this year too.

Michael Tsai has another article about Kelly's booming 54-yard field goal.

Kelly nailed the field goal to tie the game 10-all, and in the process earned himself the No. 5 spot on UH's list of longest field goals. His previous high was a 52-yarder against Purdue in 2005.

Jason Elam and Justin Ayat share the record of 56 yards; they also share the next spot with respective 55-yarders.

Kelly said his off-season regimen of weights and daily kicking have slowly and surely increased his leg strength, enabling him to increase the distance of his attempts.

There should've been competing articles titled "Kickin field goals and kickin ass!" Awww yeah.

Brian McInnis highlights the play of defensive lineman Josh Leonard.

Leonard, not related to starting linebacker Adam Leonard, came up big when he quelled a Utah State drive by falling on an Amani Purcell-induced fumble on Aggie running back Derrvin Speight at the Hawaii 32 with 3:30 left in the half. To that point, the Warriors' success containing quarterback Leon Jackson III was spotty at best, as USU nailed two first-half field goals to remain within 24-13.

Nick Abramo writes about USU's Kevin Robinson.

"We told the coaches that we should be throwing the ball more," Robinson said. "Let's throw the ball and let's go deep, we told them. They believed in us and let us do it.

"We knew they (the Warriors) were going to score a lot. Our motto was that we gotta score a lot, too. We reached our goal of scoring 30 points, but we didn't hold them."

And the Star-Bulletin's Notebook discusses the return of Jason Rivers from injury, Solomon Elimimian's big night, Jacob Patek's sack, and why USU's offense was able to move the ball on the Warriors.

UPDATE: Here's a column from the Star-Bulletin's Paul Arnett about how the Warriors' BCS hopes hinge on the health of Colt.

Hawaii 52, Utah State 37

Colt Brennan sat out most of the second half after he appeared to aggravate his ankle injury when he got hit low towards the end of the first half. Let's hope it's nothing more serious than that. Tyler Graunke made some amazing plays filling in, and Inoke Funaki looked good running the ball on QB draws in the 4th quarter. Here are some QB stats from the game:

Brennan - 19 of 25 for 219 yards, 1 TD

Graunke - 9 of 11 for 246 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Funaki - 4 rushes for 20 yards


Here's Stephen Tsai's postgame wrap-up.

Here's Jaymes Song's AP wrap-up.

Ways to Follow the UH vs Utah State Game

Bumped. I added a link to Yahoo audio and live stats. GO WARRIORS!!!!

In Hawaii:

Buy tickets and go to the game. Here's some parking and shuttle info from the Advertiser. Also some free shuttle info for UH-Manoa students.

Watch it live on Oceanic PPV at home. K5 will repeat it the next morning.

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

Listen to 1420 on the AM dial.


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.

Streaming audio via ESPN 1420.

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

Live online stats from Internet Consulting Services via the UH website. 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'll add to the list as gametime approaches. Thank you and....

GO WARRIORS!!!!

UH vs Utah State: PreGame

Orlando has more great photos from this week's practice (as well as previous weeks) over at UHWarriorFan.com. Be there!



Chawan Cut has last night's game preview from KHON's John Veneri posted up.



And here's a link to the UH Athletic Department's football press releases, including one for tonight's game.

GO WARRIORS!!!!!

GameDay: Hawaii vs Utah State

Dave Reardon's gameday preview has probable starting lineups, stats, a look at offense, defense and special teams for both UH and USU, some sneaky accompanying-photo editorializing, as well as this key matchup:

June Jones' offense vs. Brent Guy's defense
Brent Guy's résumé includes stints as defensive coordinator at Boise State and Arizona State, and he is one of the WAC's better tacticians. Last year Guy decided to go after Colt Brennan and try to disrupt the Warriors' passing game before the ball got out of the quarterback's hand.

"They had a bye before us and they did a lot of homework," UH coach June Jones said. "During the game they had some keys that we have and they were the first team to identify them."

Stephen Tsai's gameday preview has breakdowns of both teams' offense, defense and special teams, as well as details about the fire drill.

A fire drill is a discipline in which the defense practices interception returns. It is a choreographed response to a chaotic situation, with the defensive linemen blocking one way, a defensive back targeting a receiver, and the returner running a planned route.

"We work on that every day," Newberry said. "That's why we get a lot of touchdowns on defense just from that drill."

This season, the Warriors have four interception returns for touchdowns, including two in last week's 48-20 victory over Idaho. They are averaging 28.7 yards per interception return.

He said he implemented the fire drills when he was defensive coordinator at Miami. It came from the realization that offenses suffer a quick emotional letdown after being intercepted.

"We felt offenses were a little relaxed at that point, and they were upset with themselves," McMackin said. "It was a mental point."

Cool. Tsai also has a pregame injury report.

The Warriors enter with improved health on offense. Left wideout Jason Rivers, who missed the last six quarters because of lower-back tightness, is expected to start.

Brennan, who is recovering from a sprained right ankle, is running without a limp.

Defensive right tackle Michael Lafaele has a sore right knee caused by a strained hamstring. Although he was held out of the last three practices, Lafaele vowed to play.

"It's not that bad," he said.

Jay Hinton of the Deseret Morning News has a preview.

"A year ago when we played them (in Week 9), he had not thrown an interception when he got to us," Guy said. "This year he's already thrown six of them and five of them were last game, so that's something we'll have to try to build on and use as motivation for our kids in that we've got to get the ball turned over."

Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that the Aggies hope to pull off the upset.

To pull off a monumental upset, Utah State must somehow contain Brennan, who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 30 straight games. As a team, Hawaii has scored 40 points or more in 19 of Brennan's 30 career starters.

"He has a very quick release and a strong arm, so it's very hard to get to him," said Utah State coach Brent Guy. "Even if you get a guy free, he can get rid of the ball. And what makes him deadly is he knows where to get rid of it. Some guys have quick releases and can get rid of the ball. But they can't complete it."

Here's a preview from the AP.

No. 16 Hawaii (5-0, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference) has its highest ranking in school history and probably needs to stay perfect to be the next BCS busters.

"Hopefully our guys realize what's at stake. We can't have one slip up," Hawaii coach June Jones said.

And finally, Ferd Lewis has a few words for Herman Frazier now that the 2008 schedule is complete.

Now, that wasn't really so hard, was it?

A completed 2008 University of Hawai'i football schedule and 10 months before the kickoff of the season opener, too. What a concept.

But the final chapter on the 2007 schedule debacle remains to be written. The looming question to be answered is whether the lollygagging on this season schedule ultimately hurts the Warriors or curiously ends up helping them.

If UH should manage to go through the regular season 12-0 and find itself in a lucrative Bowl Championship Series game, then Frazier's folly will actually have paid off for the Warriors, having eased their way. But, should they go undefeated and get passed over by the BCS then there will be no doubt who dropped the ball.

Let's hope we can all look back on this whole 2007 schedule drama in a few months and have a good laugh. And we can watch as A.D. Herman makes like Pee-Wee Herman and says:


"I meant to do that!"

'08 Schedule, Solomon, Previews

Dave Reardon has an article about the completion of next year's schedule.

Backup quarterback Tyler Graunke -- first in line as Colt Brennan's successor -- knows next season will be a challenge for the Warriors, as well as a huge opportunity.

"All eyes will be on us if we continue to play well and go undefeated this year," said Graunke, as 16th-ranked UH (5-0, 2-0 WAC) prepared for its game tomorrow against Utah State (0-5, 0-1) at Aloha Stadium. "We could have a pretty good ranking going into next season and a lot of games on national TV. We'll have to step it up and continue the tradition."

Reardon also writes that Michael Lafaele sat out practice to rest his strained hamstring.

Stephen Tsai talks to Herman Frazier about the schedule.

Frazier said he wanted UH to play a Division I-AA opponent in the week between the Florida and Oregon State road games. He expressed concern that if there were a bye Sept. 6, that would leave open the possibility the WAC would fill it with a league game.

"I insisted on having a game in there so that couldn't happen," Frazier said.

Further down, Tsai profiles linebacker Solomon Elimimian.

"I'm really mellow before a game," he said. "I'm not the person who goes 'hoo-rah' or 'let's go' and is all fired up. That's not me."

McKnight noticed that when Elimimian steps "between the lines on game day, he turns on the switch, and he's a different person."

Elimimian conceded: "I think I have a little mean side when I get into the zone. Once I'm in that zone playing football, it comes down to me and an opponent. It starts to get personal."

In particular, he is annoyed with offensive linemen.

"They're just mean and nasty, and they try and stop you from making plays," Elimimian said.

And finally, The Utah Statesman, Utah State's student newspaper, has a preview of tomorrow's game.

"What scares me more than anything is their offense," Guy said. "Obviously, they're scoring over 60 points both times they've been home on the island and over 40 in games off the island. That's the thing that scares me the most about going and playing this football game, is the potential that their offense has."

"We've got to get back to what we do best on special teams," Guy said. "That is to get ourselves field position and make them play a long field and not a short field like Utah was able to do in the second quarter when they got all those points."

UPDATE: Chawan Cut points out another preview, this one by Shawn Harrison of The Herald Journal in Utah.

Previews, News, Contests

Here's a preview of the UH vs Utah State game by Andrew Giornalista of the AP.

And here's a preview from the Sports Network.

CFN's Pete Fiutak gives props to UH several times as he answers fan's questions in this week's Ask CFN.

Here's a compilation of tonight's news, put together by the man, the myth, the legend in his own mind, Chawan Cut. Tonight, Kanoa Leahey, Robert Kekaula and Liz Chun report on the just completed 2008 schedule. Chun also has a good profile of the Warriors defensive line.



And the blogs got contests! Guess how many points UH will score against Utah State over at Dave Reardon's blog for a prize. And guess the final score over at Stephen Tsai's blog for prizes as well. I shall abstain from entering either, only because I'm thinking of starting my own contest with my own sweet prize. Nothing's been finalized yet, but... you just might get a chance to win an Egg McMuffin. Awww yeah.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention the The Warrior Insider is having a contest too -- think of a nickname for Aloha Stadium.

Cincinnati and Weber State Complete 2008 Schedule

From the UH Athletics Department:

UH will play non-conference road games against Florida (SEC) Aug. 30 and Oregon State (Pac-10) Sept. 13. The Warriors host Weber State (Big Sky) Sept. 6, Washington State (Pac-10) Nov. 29, and Cincinnati (Big East) Dec. 6 at Aloha Stadium.

"This is a competitive non-conference schedule against teams from quality conferences," Frazier said. "Now that we have achieved unprecedented national acclaim, we need to maintain that momentum by having success against quality non-conference foes and competing for the WAC championship on a consistent basis."

"I'm thrilled that we'll be able to compete against teams from five different conferences," June Jones, UH head coach, said. "We're facing teams from the southeast, midwest, and west coast and that will provide our program valuable exposure in key parts of the country. This is a demanding schedule but we are excited about the opportunities and challenges it presents."

With road games at Florida, Oregon State, Fresno State and Boise, along with home games against Cincinnati and Washington State, there's lots of tough yet great games to look forward to in '08!

UPDATE: Doh, didn't see Chawan had already posted the news. Thanks CC!

Last 2008 opponents announced, Fo' Real this time

(scooping tombo right now, as he's not around, but he can edit more later)

Weber State and Cincinnati.

No joke. Wonder why HF didn't announce it himself. Seems like this was his pride and joy effort.

From the UH website.

2008 schedule

2008 Non-Conference Schedule
Aug. 30 at Florida
Sept. 6 WEBER STATE
Sept. 13 at Oregon State
Nov. 29 WASHINGTON STATE
Dec. 6 CINCINNATI

(WAC game dates aren't set till sometime next year)
WAC Home Games
Idaho
Louisiana Tech
Nevada
San Jose State

WAC Road Games
Boise State
Fresno State
New Mexico State
Utah State

Bess, K. Jones, BCS, Etc.

Stephen Tsai writes that despite a somewhat rough start, Davone Bess will retain his job as the punt returner.

Of the 26 punts in which he was the returner, 12 were downed and three landed out of bounds. Bess has four fair catches. Of his seven returns, two were muffed for an aggregate 1-yard gain.

"I'm thankful (Jones has) been with me," Bess said. "It's been rough. I'm going to get it done."

With kick returners Ryan Mouton (sprained knee) and Malcolm Lane (jammed thumb) nursing injuries, Keenan Jones and Michael Washington will be returning kicks this Saturday.

June Jones said Keenan Jones is deserving of a chance.

"He's practiced really hard, and he's athletic as heck," June Jones said.

Keenan Jones said: "I'm ready for whatever coach has in store for me."

And Michael Lafaele had an MRI that cleared him from any major injury to his knee, but he was diagnosed with a strained right hamstring.

"I'm all right," said Lafaele, who has not missed a game despite a fracture in his right hand. "It's nothing serious."

Dave Reardon writes about Lafaele's injury, and profiles Utah State receiver Kevin Robinson.

"Right now, he's our big-play guy, for both offense and special teams," Guy said. "We're trying to get him as many touches as we can because he can break the game open for us."

"They're finding different ways to get me the ball," he said.

"I get some reverses and short passes and we do a good job spreading people out."

Reardon also writes about Colt's hair, and has an ankle injury update.

"It's good, it's coming along," Brennan said of the ankle. "Practicing and playing on it doesn't help. The bye week (after next week's San Jose State game) will be a really good thing for me."

Here's a preview of the Utah State game from Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Warriors intercepted five passes in last week's 48-20 win at Idaho, and Jones said first-year defensive coordinator Greg McMackin's schemes are becoming more effective as his players get more familiar with them.
That's bad news for the Aggies, who haven't scored more than 20 points or gained more than 280 yards in any of their first five games.
"They are very athletic," said Utah State coach Brent Guy.

Ferd Lewis looks ahead to the possibility that UH just may end up in a BCS bowl.

Let us count the ways. At the same point last year en route to the Fiesta Bowl appearance against Oklahoma, Boise State was 20th in the Associated Press media poll, 21st in the USA Today coaches poll and 22nd in the Harris Poll. UH is 16, 15 and 16. The USA Today and Harris polls being the key ones since they are components of the BCS standings, which also include computer rankings.

"Historically," Benson notes, "the computers have actually treated WAC teams better than the polls. Whether that will continue, we don't know."

Here are some unofficial BCS standings as tabulated by BCSguru.com. Hawaii is at #18 in the Guru's standings. As Ferd writes, the official standings debut a week from Sunday.

Wednesday's News

Another Chawan Cut Compilation. Reports from Kanoa, Robert and Liz. Colt Brennan is taking his five picks in stride, but the big news: no more islands on the head.

Warriorshaka.com Update

Just a quick note -- for those who pre-ordered the upcoming J. David Miller UH football book through WarriorsHaka.com and wasn't able to enter the promo code, I got word that if you use the same e-mail address you pre-ordered the book with, then you'll get your book. You can also try e-mailing them back, asking for confirmation. Hope that made sense. I just put in my order.

Anyway, after another stretch of silence, the WarriorsHaka.com site suddenly has three new articles up. June Jones has a new Ask Coach Q&A. Here's an excerpt:

Connor F. from New Jersey asked: How much of your offense do you see incorporated into other Top 20 and NFL teams?

Connor, every season it seems there are more and more teams using some or parts of what we do – watching New England this week, for example, they use a lot of what we do … if you look at every college team, they are using some form of a spread-look, but a lot of the colleges are into more running with their QB's than I would do, or especially, what an NFL team would do.

Dan Robinson has a great column up. Here's a passage about being a QB in June Jones' offense.

I think the most important thing for a quarterback, especially coming off a game like that, is to not dwell too much on the picks you’re throwing. Go back to your basic reads. Go back to your basic routes. Quit worrying about the interceptions – don’t even think about them. Back in ’98, before June got there, I was terrified to throw the football, because all the coaches would tell us is: Don’t throw a pick. Don’t throw a pick. Whatever you do, don’t throw a pick.

With June, if you throw ten picks, he’s going to run his offense and not change anything.

Why? A quarterback simply can’t play the game if he worries about picks. The quarterback can’t go out on the field thinking about what might go wrong; rather, you’ve got to visualize what’s about to go right. Tell yourself, ‘Don’t throw a pick,’ and that’s the first thing you’ll do.

And finally, author J. David Miller has another funny article about being a UH football fan in Florida. This week, he deals with South Florida fans.

With everyone abuzz over USF, the very next night after their victory, I sat fuming while I watched perhaps the most talented team in Hawaii history pound the spud out of Idaho in an airplane hangar. I could only surmise the unmitigated joy USF must currently feel over just having had the opportunity to “prove it” against top competition. Me? I was sitting in my local sports bar inflicting Hawaii on the crowd -- watching the Idaho video feed on my laptop, which was three seconds behind the Hawaii audio feed with Bobby Curran and Robert Kekaula, whose commentary I had cranked to the rafters.

“Turn that crap off,” yelled my compatriots, not the least of whom was the local ABC weatherman, who, for the record, was looking partly cloudy, with rising temperatures. “Who cares about Hawaii beating up on ‘lil, ol’ Idaho? They couldn’t beat USF!”

The crowd roared.

Sonuva … are you kidding me?

Mouton, Davis, Soares, Pilares

Stephen Tsai writes about Ryan Mouton's knee injury.

While maintaining his status was "day to day," Mouton, in fact, was told he will miss at least Saturday's game against Utah State and, most likely, next week's nationally televised road game against San Jose State.

"I'm disappointed for him," head coach June Jones said. "He's been playing so well."

Mouton said he suffered the injury during a blitz when "I planted on it wrong, I guess."

Tsai also profiles cornerback JoPierre Davis, who ascends to #2 left corner due to Mouton's injury. He has a lot of great things to say about becoming a better player and teammate in his time at UH.

"I came in as a big talker," said Davis, a third-year sophomore from Oakland. "I talked because I felt confident in my ability to make plays. I always felt like that. In high school, you can talk because you can perform every week without having to train hard and watch films.

"Here, you're not going to get that opportunity unless you prepare. I'm learning how to practice. I'm learning how to play in a game. I'm learning what you need to do in practice to succeed in a game."

Davis said he was inspired by occupying a locker close to several seniors, including tackle Michael Lafaele, the defensive captain.

"You get the feeling you don't want to let them down," Davis said.

Also from the article, Jason Rivers says his back is at 95% while Michael Lafaele vows to play despite a sore knee.

"I tweaked (the knee) a little bit," said Lafaele, who practiced yesterday and vowed to play against Utah State. "Every game, people try to chop me."

Brian McInnis and Dave Reardon write about Jason Rivers, JoPierre Davis, Ryan Mouton and has the scoops on Colt's new hairdo. They also talk to Blaze Soares about getting back into gear.

"I didn't do much," said Soares, a projected starter who didn't play until now because of hamstring and shoulder injuries. "I played real crappy. I practiced bad today, too. I'm very disappointed. I feel off, sloppy, not myself."

McMackin said Soares is just suffering from rust.

"He'll be fine. We'll continue to roll him in. He just needs to get the reps and he'll be faster," McMackin said. "We were just in (shells). He's not going to be happy until he makes some plays, and he'll get that chance (today) in full pads."

Also from the article, freshman defensive lineman Vaughn Meatoga will likely redshirt this season.

And Ferd Lewis writes about the development of Kealoha Pilares at running back.

Week by week, there has been major progress with little regression. Lately, it has been like watching a symbolic light over his head go on each game as he grasps the intricacies of what the Warriors are attempting to do. Pilares' growing understanding of the offense and mounting confidence are becoming increasingly apparent.

Once he and LWJ get into full gear, watch out!

2008 Schedule Update

Dave Reardon reports that Herman Frazier says the 2008 schedule is done.

The final regular-season game will be Dec. 6 at Aloha Stadium against a school from a BCS conference, following a Nov. 29 home game against Washington State, the AD said.

Frazier also said he has come to agreement with a Division I-AA team to play at Aloha Stadium on Sept. 6, in between road games at Florida and Oregon State.

This is great news! However...

He declined to name the teams.

"I know who the teams are and I've released all the other teams that I was talking to. We expect to do the announcement soon," Frazier said.

Another announcement to announce an announcement? Ugh, bad memories flooding back! I feel like Sloth in The Goonies!

Mama: "Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top, when the bough breaks the cradle will fall."

Sloth: "Break?!!? Fall?!?!"

Mama: "No no, I only dropped you once!"

Sloth: "Aaaaagghh!!!"

Mama: "Well, maybe twice. No Sloth! Put me down!"

Speaking of all that, Frazier responds to critics of this year's schedule.

The criticism includes signs at home games calling for his firing.

"I don't pay attention to that. I don't know they're there, I don't look at them," Frazier said. "I've been in collegiate athletics 29 years. There's always going to be critics no matter what you do."

Yes yes, away with you, rapscallions. I dismiss you with a wave of the hand! La la la la la!

Here's more from Michael Tsai:

When?

"Soon," Frazier said. "We know who the teams are. They've accepted, but we still have some things to clear up."

Frazier was roundly criticized this year for missing self-imposed deadlines for the 2007 schedule and for scheduling 12 games instead of 13.

"We already know what happened this past year, but bygones are bygones — it's over," Frazier said.

Let's hope so...

Tonight's News: 10-2-07

Chawan has a news compilation with reports from Kanoa Leahey, Robert Kekaula and Liz Chun, who report on Ryan Mouton's injury, Jason Rivers' recovery, the Warrior defense, and Leonard Peters signing to the Bears' practice squad.

Quick Notes

If you pre-ordered Hawaii Warriors Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption from Warriorshaka.com, check your e-mail. It has instructions for paying for your pre-order. If you haven't pre-ordered the book, you can still go order-order the book at the same link.

Also, the June Jones Show will be on tonight at its new time of 6:30pm HST. Listen to it at 1420 on your AM dial, or go here to listen to the streaming audio.

In the meantime, uhwarriors has another awesome Na Koa Lunch Report up at Sportshawaii.com.

Behind the Scenes

I steal this from The Warrior Insider, which is a great site for UH recruiting news if you haven't checked it out yet. Anyway, here's a short "making of" video of Colt Brennan's photo shoot for ESPN The Magazine.

Mouton, Practice, Leonard Peters

Stephen Tsai reports that Ryan Mouton will be out 2-4 weeks.

Cornerback/kick returner Ryan Mouton will miss between two and four weeks because of a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He will not need surgery.

Using a cheer from that same post -- get well soon MOOOOOOOO!!!! -- which reminds me of that interrupting cow joke.

Dave Reardon has a practice report from today:

WR Jason Rivers makes a nice one-handed grab in individual drills with the receivers … maybe his back is better.

LB Tyson Kafentzis is back after his suspension for a fighting incident during practice two weeks ago.

And some great news for Leonard Peters:

Agent Joe Palumbo said former UH safety Leonard Peters is set to join the Chicago Bears practice squad.

“He has a physical in the (Wednesday) morning, but we don’t anticipate any problems,” Palumbo said. “The Bears were one of the teams interested in Leonard around the time of the draft. They’ve had a rash of injuries so the situation is right for them and Leonard.”

Aww man, LP on the Bears' D would be a great sight to see.

UPDATE: Here's a Stephen Tsai article about Peters signing.

Former University of Hawai'i football star safety Leonard Peters signed a contract with the Chicago Bears today.
Peters said he will be added to the Bears practice roster.

Peters, who has been training in Utah, said he is en route to Chicago.

In signing with the Bears, Peters said he is passing on offers from the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens.

Newberry, Defense, Injuries, Opposing QBs

Jason Kaneshiro highlights Myron Newberry's performance against Idaho.

"I just went out there and did my job, did what I had to do and made plays," said Newberry, who last reached the end zone during his sophomore season at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.

"I watched extra film all week so I was familiar with the plays, and when the plays came to me I just made them."

It appeared Newberry knew what was coming when he twice jumped in front of Vandal receivers to come up with his first interceptions of the season. Those were part of a defensive effort that netted five turnovers.

Kaneshiro also writes that Ryan Mouton sat out practice while waiting the results of an MRI on his right knee. Jason Rivers did practice and June Jones says he should be good to go for the Utah State game.

Michael Tsai writes about Myron Newberry and the improvement of the UH defense, and has injury reports on Ryan Mouton, Colt Brennan, David Veikune and Dan Kelly.

And Ferd Lewis writes a warning to opposing QBs.

Being the opposing quarterback has not been an enviable assignment the last three weeks to be sure. Statistically, they are more likely to have one of their passes intercepted and returned for a touchdown than throw for a touchdown against the Warriors' defense. In the last three games, opposing quarterbacks have launched 126 passes. While three have gone for touchdowns, four have been been run back for scores.

Moreover, quarterbacks in those three games have completed less than 50 percent of their passes and taken a beating for even trying. UH has 12 sacks and nine interceptions in that span.

"We want them to watch that film and say, 'We gotta get ready for these guys?' " defensive lineman Michael Lafaele said. "We want them to see what has happened to other quarterbacks."

Intimidation? Call it fair warning. Colt Brennan does. "We (UH quarterbacks) go against them every day in practice so we know what they can do," Brennan said.

The rise of THE MONSTER!

June Jones Idaho/Utah State Press Conference

UPDATE: Edited to include Chawan Cut's compilation of tonight's news, which includes reports from Kanoa Leahey, Robert Kekaula and Liz Chun.


Jaymes Song has an article about June Jones' Monday press conference.

Contrary to popular belief, Jones said the 16th-ranked Warriors (5-0, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference) was the best defensive team in his nine seasons at Hawaii.

“I have believed forever, that if you can take the ball away on defense and run our offense, you're going to win a lot of games,” he said.

Being sidelined for several practices affected Brennan's performance, Jones said.

“I don't care what you say, when you don't practice as much, it does affect your play” he said.

The UH Athletics department has more excerpts.

On who stood out defensively at Idaho
"The defensive line and linebackers hit hard and were very physical. Michael Lafaele really played a good game inside as well as all of the DBs. Adam Leonard had his best game of the season."

Are you frustrated somewhat that the offense is not as efficient as you want it?
"We're still pretty good. It is all technique kind of stuff. The receivers are young like Malcolm (Lane) who was unable to make three catches because he had his feet wrong when he came off a cut. That's bothersome, but it is also a young kid who is in there for the first time. If that was Jason Rivers, that's three catches and then you aren't feeling inefficient. I think in the long run, playing Malcolm this past week is good for him and good for us down the road."

And on UH Sports Extra, Jason Kaneshiro has some highlights from the presser, along with a report from today's practice.

This morning’s ankle-watch update. Colt Brennan looked fine running with the rest of the team in the Warriors’ regular Monday conditioning session, held in a light Manoa drizzle. Receivers Ryan Grice-Mullins (knee) and Jason Rivers (back) also participated. Cornerback Ryan Mouton didn’t and was limping around on the sideline as he awaits word on his second MRI in as many weeks. He had his bruised left knee checked out last week, and hurt the right side on Saturday at Idaho. John Fonoti said his ribs are OK, just got the wind knocked out of him during the game.

Myron Newberry is POTW, JJ Show, Vids

Congratulations to Myron Newberry, who is the WAC's Defensive Player of the Week.

Newberry, a senior from Denton, Texas (Trinity College), made six tackles (5 solo) and intercepted two passes in a 48-20 victory at Idaho Saturday.

The two interceptions came on consecutive possessions in the second quarter.

He returned the first interception 22 yards. After UH quarterback Colt Brennan threw an interception, Newberry then returned the second 76 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 38-7 lead

Irse has this week's June Jones Show up in Windows Media format. And OBhawaii has it up on Youtube. Here's Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Big thanks once again to both of them.

And Chawan Cut wasn't able to post last night's news, but the actual news stations are getting good at posting videos up. Here's last night's report from KGMB, and here's a report from KHNL.

Rankings, Colt's Ankle, A. Leonard

Dave Reardon writes about the significance in school history of the national rankings released yesterday.

UH achieved its highest rankings ever in the USA Today/Coaches (15th), Associated Press (16th) and Harris Interactive (16th) polls.

The Warriors improved to 5-0 and 2-0 in the WAC with Saturday's 48-20 victory at Idaho. They were ranked 16th in the UPI poll (coaches) and 17th in the AP rankings in 1981.

Here's RGM's reaction to it:

"That's a great honor. I'm not going to lie and say it's not. It's definitely cool and all that," he said. "But we've still gotta work. It's only five games and our journey's not over yet.

"We're definitely not going to take any team lightly. From the first week of college football to yesterday, five top teams losing, you can see anything goes," he added. "Now people will really be gunning for us."

At the bottom of that page is Reardon's Warriors Replay, which breaks down five key plays fromt he game. Here's #2:

2. Broken Colt

The Setup: Hawaii 7, Idaho 7, around 6:00 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 10 at Hawaii 39.
The Play: DT Siua Musika sacks Brennan for a 5-yard loss, hurting Brennan's previously sprained right ankle.
The Impact: CB Breyon Williams intercepts Brennan on the next play. It is the first of five interceptions thrown by Brennan in the game. He had never had more than two in a game before. Two are on long passes where Brennan can't get enough push off the hurt ankle.
Brennan: "I tweaked it in the first quarter on the sack. Adrenaline subdued the pain for today."

Speaking of the ankle, Dave has an update on it.

Hawaii football coach June Jones said there are no plans to rest starting quarterback Colt Brennan and the most famous sprained ankle in the state this Saturday against Utah State at Aloha Stadium.

So barring a major setback, Brennan starts?

"Exactly," Jones answered.

Ferd Lewis profiles Adam Leonard, who's been playing great despite his continued recovery from knee surgery and criticism from, and I wish they weren't so vague, a "Web site" (not this one!)

As he worked his way back into playing shape from the June arthroscopic surgery he had to contend with public criticism of his performance from a slow start. One local Web site particularly dogged Leonard. Questions about his fitness and effort stung him and riled those who knew what he was going through, though he wouldn't say much about it publicly.

"The knee isn't yet 100 percent. I feel it every day," Leonard said. "I continue to push myself to work and get to 100 percent and I'm getting more comfortable with (the knee) every week."

Leonard says even when there is pain, "it isn't while I'm playing football. When I'm out there, I feel good."

And finally, instead of making a new "Warriors in the Pros" post, it's all here in this Advertiser article, including updates on Ikaika Alama-Francis, Jason Elam, Isaac Sopoaga, Mat McBriar, Reagan Mauia and Pisa Tinoisamoa. One thing the article doesn't mention is that Ashley Lelie did not catch any passes again this week, despite the 49ers increasingly horrible offense.