Video: Pilares, Veikune, Kajiyama

Chawan Cut compiles news from KHON, KITV, KGMB and KFVE. Kealoha Pilares, David Veikune, Greg McMackin and Ron Lee talk about getting ready for Fresno. KFVE has a story about the reaction over Brian Kajiyama's E:60 profile.

Coach Mack Show, Na Koa Luncheon, Call the Coach (w/UPDATE)

After a short delay, this week's Coach Mack Show is now online at KGMB's website.

uhwarriors of SportsHawaii.com has posted his Na Koa Luncheon report up on the Na Koa website. Here's an excerpt:

The special teams played much better especially on the coverage teams. They opened up positions looking for five “crazies” last week. They were very enthusiastic and it was exciting to watch them play.

Coach Miano showed our first kickoff where Brashton Satele crashed into a wedge blocker knocking him onto his back. Spencer Smith did a good job of closing down on the play and made a good tackle.

Coach also showed another kickoff where the smallest guy on the field, Richard Torres was the first one down field taking on the wedge blockers.

And don't forget to listen to Call the Coach at the Willows, tonight at 6pm HST. Tune in to 1420 AM or listen online at ESPN1420AM.com.

UPDATE: Call the Coach is over, but I did post some notes from the show on SportsHawaii.com's front page.

UPDATE 2: uhwarrior23 has a great recap as well.

Warriors in the Pros: Colt Celebrates

Kailua Mom pointed out that Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley posted a newspaper photo of himself and Colt Brennan celebrating the Redskins win over the Cowboys on his blog.



This Washington Times article has a color version of the photo (need to click to picture 2 of 2).



Not really any news, but good to see Colt having fun.

UPDATE: Here's another photo posted by "Slaphands69" (hmmm) at SportsHawaii.com.

George Daily-Lyles Commits, Fresno News

Stephen Tsai writes that linebacker George Daily-Lyles shall become a Warrior.

The best defensive player from one of the top high school football teams in California has accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawai'i.

"Yes, I'm going to be a Warrior," said George Daily-Lyles, Long Beach Poly's middle linebacker.

Daily-Lyles is 5 feet 11, 220 pounds and runs 40 yards in 4.7 seconds. He turned down an offer from Arizona. He also received interest from UCLA, Colorado State and New Mexico. Scouts liken Daily-Lyles to former Warrior linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, now with the St. Louis Rams.

"He's a tenacious football player," Poly head coach Raul Lara said. "The way he takes control of the game — calling the signals and making plays — it's pretty neat to watch him."

Congrats to George and UH.

On the Warrior Beat, ST posts this highlight video of Daily-Lyles. Wow, he looks fast on the field. Nice.



======

Back to the article, ST talks to Inoke Funaki about some of the negativity being thrown his way.

"I'm harsh on myself, too," Funaki said. "I understand where they're coming from. There's nothing you can do about it. It's understandable. Fans will be fans. You can't be mad at them. They're fans. That's what they see. I can see it from their perspective, like, 'Dang, Inoke, you can't be doing that. You can't be turning the ball over. You have to be doing better.' I understand. You have to stay strong mentally, and try to do what you can."

Tsai also catches up with Brent Rausch and Greg Alexander, who may be getting more reps in practice, and has injury news on Kealoha Pilares and Malcolm Lane who are both expected to play against Fresno after suffering concussions on Saturday.

Rocky Savaiigaea talks to Jason Kaneshiro about re-injuring his tricep.

Savaiigaea had played extensively in his season debut and was lining up a shot on SJSU quarterback Kyle Reed when he extended his arms and "it popped on me."

"I wasn't 100 percent, but I was able to play," Savaiigaea said. "I was playing good and it was holding up on me and just that one motion just killed it for me.

Kaneshiro also has some notes about the personal foul penalties, injuries, the QBs, and turnovers:

Hawaii's 17-2 turnover deficit again dominated McMackin's comments after UH gave up six while taking away none against SJSU.

He said the Warriors defense will emphasize forcing takeaways in practice drills and the offense may remove certain plays from the game plan in an effort to reduce the losses.

The AP's Jaymes Song has an article about UH's season so far. Lots of quotes from Monday's press conference.

I think David Albee of the Marin Independent Journal breaks the record for aggravating "luau" and "poi" and other Hawaii-touristy jokes in his profile of UH QB coach Nick Rolovich.

Rolovich is right in the middle of this luau of (thus far) lousy quarterbacks.

"I'm sure people aren't really happy. I'm sure there's some doubters," he said. "This hurts me as much as anyone. I didn't lose when I was here (as a quarterback) and winning is something I want to keep going."

Rolovich is rolling with the punches and the poi. He received advice from Jones, who sent him text messages from SMU where he now coaches, and McMackin keeps encouraging his QB coach.

Aloha means good luck, brah.

Argh.

Dave Reardon writes about the personal foul penalties and the emphasis on discipline heading into the Fresno game.

It's no coincidence that the Warriors' most contentious game so far this season was its first against a WAC foe. UH picked up an image with some in the league over the years as a band of showboating bullies, and payback is an itch every team in the conference wants to scratch - starting with Fresno State on Saturday.

You know Pat Hill's nationally ranked team and the denizens of Bulldog Stadium are rabid in anticipation. Consecutive losses to the Warriors, including a 68-37 trouncing at their place in 2006, are far from forgotten.

Emotion wins football games. It loses them, too.

Ferd Lewis catches up with Fresno coach Pat Hill as he talks to Bulldog fans in a hardware store.

Never mind that UH is a 22-point underdog, Hill is preparing the Bulldogs and their fans as if for an invasion of the Huns. "This game against Hawai'i is going to be a tough game I promise you," Hill says. " I promise you right now Hawai'i will come in ready to play. Their backs are to the wall. They're in a must-win situation and they have a lot of pride. They are a tough, tough group of kids and they will play their heart out. It is gonna be a knock-down, drag-out football game."

Daniel Lyght of the Fresno Bee has a preview of the UH vs FSU game.

"They cause some real problems [for defenses] because they're not sure what they want to do yet," Hill said in his Monday morning news conference. "With [former coach June Jones] there, you pretty much knew what you were going to get every time you played against Hawaii. But with this team there are a lot of unknowns."

Lyght also has some "Know Your Foe" game notes.

And George Hostetter of the Fresno Bee's Sports Buzz blog is hoping for a sellout.

Video: SJSU Review

CC compiles tonight's news from KITV, KHON, KGMB and KFVE. Coach Mack talks about the QBs, the turnovers, the penalties, the punishment and the improvement.



And to double your pleasure , CC compiled last night's news from KITV, KFVE and KHON, which had highlights, quotes from the post-game press conference, etc.

Game Week: Fresno State -- Monday Pressers

Audio of coach Greg McMackin's teleconference is available on the WAC website.

HawaiiAthletics.com has excerpts from Mack's press conference with the local media. Here's an excerpt:

On the quarterback situation:
Inoke played a good first half. Notice we did different things with him. We sprinted him out and ran the option with him. We’re still going to run the run-and-shoot. He got a lot of good reps, but made a couple of bad decisions with the interception, which comes with experience. He needs to keep himself up the entire ballgame and be a leader because the players love him. We felt Tyler (Graunke’s) hand was ready by game time, and we put him in because we had slowed down and we wanted a spark because he plays good off the bench. I told them the day before the game who was going to play, but I told them both they were probably going to play.

Game Week: Fresno State - Monday News

Jason Kaneshiro writes that Inoke Funaki will be the starting quarterback against Fresno State.

Hawaii will stick with Inoke Funaki as its starting quarterback as the Warriors prepare for this week's game at No. 22 Fresno State, UH coach Greg McMackin said last night.

"We're going to go with Inoke and we'll have to figure out who our backup's going to be," McMackin said.

McMackin said Graunke's still-tender throwing hand factored into the decision and Funaki will get the first-team repetitions in practice this week. Graunke went 5-for-9 and also threw an interception, the last of UH's turnovers in the 20-17 loss to the Spartans.

The article also has injury news about Kealoha Pilares, Malcolm Lane, Adam Leonard, Rocky Savaiigaea and Ryan Mouton.

Stephen Tsai writes that Savaiigaea may be out for the season.

The extent of Hawai'i defensive tackle Rocky Savaiigaea's triceps injury will not be known until after he undergoes an MRI tomorrow.

But Savaiigaea is braced for the reality that he will not play again this season.

"It's killing me," said Savaiigaea, a fourth-year junior.

And Mack will be sending video to the league office regarding the personal fouls.

The Warriors were whistled for five personal fouls against San Jose State.

"We've never had that all season," McMackin said. "We've been a disciplined team. There are going to be some of those (calls) sent to the league office ... and a majority that we think should have been called."

Dave Reardon takes a look at five key plays from the SJSU game in his Warrior Replay.

Ferd Lewis writes that booing the players is just wrong.

And, how was Funaki to distinguish which boos were directed his way and which were not? Are they, like dog whistles, to be discerned only by coaches?

Not that either Funaki or Kelly would lament displeasure, publicly at least. For that is just who they are: solid, proud players dedicated to the task who demand even more of themselves.

Beyond the feelings of Funaki and Kelly, you also wonder what the prospective recruits at the game thought of the whole episode. What message did they take home Saturday night? Hearing Funaki booed like that could hardly have been encouragement to stay home and follow in his footsteps in front of some of the same fans.

Reardon has a Further Review column discussing some of the injuries, penalties and problems on offense.

"We've been scrambling at quarterback ever since I got here," UH coach Greg McMackin said, probably not intending the double meaning. "Everybody's thinking we can't make a decision. But there's always a problem."

There's not enough space here to document the mess the four-man QB situation has devolved into from fall camp and there's no sign of it getting better as long as one guy can't grab the job and stay healthy and effective enough to keep it.

As for the receivers, Malcolm Lane looked like he was headed for a good game, and then got knocked out of it with a concussion. There went the Warriors' best deep threat.

"We don't have the guys to make a catch and score," McMackin said. "We're going to have to recruit to that, get some guys who are really fast."

Well, the best football player on the field Saturday was UH cornerback Ryan Mouton. Maybe it's time to get him a white practice jersey, as McMackin talked about doing in the summer. There's no reason not to try him at slot or wideout.

And Jason Kaneshiro looks ahead to the Fresno State game.

After one team exacted a measure of payback against Hawaii, another will be looking for more of the same this weekend.

Smarting from a turnover-plagued 20-17 loss to San Jose State - the Spartans' first victory in the series since 2000 - the Warriors next head to California to face a nationally ranked Fresno State team brimming with motivation for Hawaii's visit.

Hawaii has won the last two meetings, including a 68-37 blowout in 2006 in which the Warriors set a Bulldog Stadium record for points by a visiting team.

Awaiting the Warriors in Central California will be a 3-1 Bulldogs team looking to kick-start its run at a Western Athletic Conference title against the defending league champions.

Brian Kajiyama, UH Football Theater, Rego Profile (w/UPDATE)

Dave Reardon posted a link to the E:60 profile of former UH graduate assistant Brian Kajiyama. Very interesting.

UPDATE (10/1/08): The above link went dead, but UHBows has posted it up on Youtube. Here's Part 1 and Part 2.

UPDATE (9/30/08): For those who watched it or heard about it, Brian Kajiyama talked about the piece.

“I appreciate the piece that E:60 produced that shared my life story. However, I was disappointed in any instances which coach Greg McMackin and the University of Hawai‘i program were negatively portrayed. That was not my intention. I appreciate the opportunity that Coach McMackin has provided me to continue being a part of the Warrior ‘ohana. I will continue to remain loyal to the University of Hawai‘i and will do my best in my new capacity.”

He also had this to say in a SportsHawaii thread about it:

Hello,

I appreciate ALL of the thoughtful posts about the story on E:60.

You've all seen the statement issued by the University on my behalf. That speaks for itself.

You're also right in postulating that I won't say anything further until the time is right. ESPN did a wonderful job with the story and I am honored they chose to share my story with the world.

Please remember football is just ONE part of my life. There is so much more to my life than Warrior football. Though, I definitely appreciate being a small part in the lives of young men, who happen to be student-athletes.

I encourage you ALL to come together and support the players, Coach McMackin, and staff. We WILL be successful; just believe, as you did last season!

Sincerely,
Brian

======

Leila Wai went to Consolidated Theater's Ko'olau Stadium 10 to watch last night's game with some UH fans.

hesitant fans who were unsure if they were supposed to abide by typical theater etiquette.

A completion from Funaki to Malcolm Lane for the Warriors' first play of the game received cheers, and from then on the Warriors received appropriate applause or groans from the 134 gathered in the theater. Not surprisingly, Kealoha Pilares' two touchdown runs collected the largest reaction, including several fans throwing their arms upward to signify a touchdown.

The viewing arose out of Ko'olau general manager Art Downing's love of Warrior football.

"I work on Saturdays, and I'm always in a rush to get out of here," he said. "Now, I don't have to wait to see what the score is."

Garret found this profile of UH running back Jayson Rego from Robert Collias of the Maui News.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pounder never doubted Manoa was the right place for him after he was invited to walk on, even though much more playing time would have been available elsewhere.

''UH, yeah, I feel it is the right place for me,'' he said. ''At least it is finally. Everything is finally kind of falling into the right place. When the new coaches came in, they decided to give everybody a fair shot. The new coaching staff is more fair - they said from the beginning that they wanted the best guys to play. I'm getting a lot more looks than I would have under coach Jones.''

A lot of that exposure has come from Rego's dedication in the weight room. He can bench press 405 pounds and in fall camp he benched 225 pounds 27 times, a number that would be pretty good for an offensive lineman at the NFL combine. He also squats ''400 something'' pounds.

Warriors in the Pros: NFL Week 4

Pisa Tinoisamoa led the St. Louis defense with six solo tackles, but the Rams lost the Bills and fell to 0-4 on the season.

Ashley Lelie played but had no catches in the Raiders loss to the Chargers.

Travis LaBoy had one tackle in the Cardinals 56-35 loss to the Jets.

Isaac Sopoaga had two tackles in the 49ers loss to the Saints.

Jason Elam accounted for all nine of the Falcons' points in their 24-9 loss to the Panthers. Elam was 3 for 3 with a long of 44 yards.

Mat McBriar averaged 39 yards on 6 punts, with a long of 59 yards in the Cowboys' loss to the Redskins.

Other CFB Scores, Week 5

Chawan Cut has updated his Opponent Scores and Schedules spreadsheet. Here are some of those scores as well as others of note from Week 5 of the college football season.

Oregon State 27, #1 USC 21 -- Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 186 yards as the Beavers smothered the Trojans on Thursday night.

Tulane 34, SMU 27 -- SMU scored two late TDs, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 1-4 on the season.

Navy 24, #16 Wake Forest 17 -- Navy took a 17-0 lead into halftime and held on to upset #16 Wake Forest. Unfortunately, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada had to leave the game in the 2nd quarter after aggravating his hamstring injury.

#8 Alabama 41, #3 Georgia 30 -- The Crimson Tide absolutely dominated the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium, taking a 31-0 lead into halftime. Georgia valiantly tried to fight back, but in the end it was too much to overcome. Too bad, so sad.

#25 Fresno State 36, UCLA 31 -- UH's next opponent beat the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, led by Ryan Mathews 166 rushing yards.

Nevada 49, UNLV 27 -- Colin "The Cyborg Gazelle" Kaepernick passed for 176 yards and 2 TDs while rushing for 240 yards and 3 more TDs to lead the Wolf Pack to victory over the Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium.

UH vs SJSU Post-Game Fan Reactions

Some bright spots from the game:

1. The defense -- Ryan Mouton, Jameel Dowling, Adam Leonard and the rest.
2. Aaron Bain made some awesome catches in traffic.
3. The shovel passes were well-timed.

Here's a small sampling of some of the fan reactions to UH's 20-17 loss to SJSU.

Da Punchbowl Kid:

First and foremost, get Tyler healthy. He would not have the kind of night he had with a healthy hand and wrist. When he’s healthy, that missing component, the offense, will show up big time. With a little more consistency, Inoke can do the job too, but I think our world turns on a 100% healthy Graunke. IMHO.

xer21:

this may be the worst set of digits ive seen in my life.

That is 17 FREAKING TURNOVERS TO 2, WHICH CAME AGAINST WEBER STATE! WE HAVE 4 PASSING TD'S TO 11 INT'S! WHEN DID WE BECOME TURNOVER U?!?!?!?

poidog:

from http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa062003a.htm

Quote:
The Circle is the most common and universal signs, found in all cultures. It is the symbol of the sun in its limitless or boundless aspect. It has no beginning or end, and no divisions, making it the perfect symbol of completeness, eternity, and the soul.

When Koa Anuenue decided to desecrate the sacred circle and take away the inner circle parking from the public, they threw off the spiritual balance of the football team that plays within the circle. the empty areas in the parking lot keep the circle from being complete, and what was once a thing without beginning or end becomes but a line.

Check out SportsHawaii, WSN and the Warrior Beat comments for a lot more.

UPDATE: Check out this thread on UH Sports Extra for some great comments.

UH vs San Jose State Wrap-Ups

HawaiiAthletics.com has a game summary, with links to a box score, post-game notes and quotes.

Jason Kaneshiro has stats and scoring summaries in his game wrap-up, titled Picks and pans.

More from Kaneshiro in his article focusing on all the turnovers.

"You can't win a ballgame when you turn the ball over six times," Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin said, the frustration ringing clear in his voice following the Warriors' 20-17 loss to San Jose State last night at Aloha Stadium.

He repeated the phrase, or a variation, several more times after the Warriors' inability to hang on to the ball proved telling as they saw a 17-7 halftime lead evaporate in a hail of giveaways.

Here are some quotes from Stephen Tsai's wrap-up, titled Self-destruction:

"We kept putting our defense in bad positions," Estes said. "Our defense played (its) ass off. They (the Spartans) had the ball at the 20-yard line, the 30-yard line, the 10-yard line."

UH linebacker Solomon Elimimian said: "We have no excuses. That's our motto. We love the challenge."

"I couldn't get it done," Graunke said. "I got put in a situation to get it done, to win the game, and I didn't. My hand had nothing to do with it. I felt fine."

Funaki, who was sitting next to Graunke in the locker room, said: "I take responsibility for it. The ball slipped out of my hand (on the fumble). The picks, so many. It doesn't matter who you play, you turn the ball over that many times, and then you give your defense no rest ... it was a tough loss."

Brian McInnis has more from Graunke and Funaki.

"I had to read every throw and made a couple bad ones, a couple good ones, but ... we were in field-goal range, then I took a sack, and that kind of messed us up," Graunke said. "I'll take the fall for that because half the linemen heard the wrong call and that's my fault for not speaking up in the huddle."

"I feel like a big part of it was me, all the turnovers," Funaki said. "Our defense did all that, our defense came out firing. We turned the ball over, too many turnovers in that second half. ... You turn the ball over that many times ... you can't win."

Michael Tsai has an injury report from the game.

Junior defensive lineman Rocky Savaiigaea reinjured his left triceps in the second half and was put in a sling.

"They said I tore it again," he said. "I won't know anything until I get it looked at tomorrow, but I heard it pop."

Wide receiver and kick returner Malcolm Lane left the game in the first half with a concussion. Linebacker Adam Leonard and running back Kealoha Pilares, who scored both of the Warriors touchdowns on rushes in the first half, both left the game with undisclosed injuries.

Quarterback Tyler Graunke and defensive back Ryan Mouton were nursing sore ribs on their right sides after the game.

Also from the article, Colt Brennan's parents talk about attending the game and cheering on UH.

The Star-Bulletin's Warriors Football Notebook highlights UH sniffing out a fake punt, the offense's 3rd down conversion rate, Malcolm Lane's concussion, etc.

Michael Tsai writes about the re-emergence of the UH defense.

"I think we finally woke up to the fact that we play a big role in this team's success," said left tackle Keala Watson. "You play how you practice, and we've been practicing with a lot of emotion and intensity these last couple of weeks. That's what we brought out there on the field."

"Our defense has got to lead this team, and that's what we're going to do," Elimimian said. "Tonight, the team fed off of us. The crowd had our back the whole night. It's fun playing with love for each other. This team grew as a team tonight. We might not have won in the stats, but we earned a lot of victories in other areas tonight."

In his Further Review column, Dave Reardon takes a look at the defense's performance, the role the turnovers, penalties and special teams had in UH's defeat, and what needs to be done going forward.

But regardless of how well the defense plays at Fresno State next week, another performance like this from the offense will result in something like the 70-14 hurting the Bulldogs put on the Warriors in 2004.

It's my job to point that out, but the coaches and players can't even think it. Their first task is to not allow the team to fall apart from within; that can happen when one part has to try to carry another part and is unsuccessful.

Leonard and Elimimian got a start on the bonding right after the game.

"No pointing fingers. Unless you played a perfect game, don't dare look at anyone else's performance," the captains told the team. "We've all got to evaluate ourselves."

Kalani Takase talks to Spartans coaches and players about their victory.

It was the most forced turnovers for a Tomey-coached SJSU team.

"We have a good defense and we have some guys that can make plays," Tomey said. "We have some secondary guys who have some good instincts and we have a real disciplined team."

Ferd Lewis writes that Dick Tomey's mantras rang true in SJSU's victory.

And Billy Hull writes about SJSU kicker Jared Strubeck's big game.

San Jose State 20, Hawaii 17

Turnovers, penalties, turnovers, penalties, etc, etc. That was painful.

News links to follow.

UPDATE: Here's Stephen Tsai's post-game wrap-up.

For the Warriors (1-3 overall, 0-1 WAC), it all unraveled by their own hands — six turnovers, including five in the second half.

Three of them were parlayed into points — Jeff Clark's touchdown, and Strubeck's two field goals.

Strubeck had struggled this season, entering with five misses in eight attempts.

He missed his first attempt of the night, from 47 yards.

But he converted from 50 yards to tie it with 9:32 to play, then won it with a 47-yarder in the final two minutes.

UPDATE 2: Here's a press release game wrap-up from SJSUSpartans.com.

The defense turned up the pressure first on Hawaii starting quarterback Inoke Funaki who was effective in the first half mixing crafty footwork with timely pass completions for a 17-7 halftime lead. Funaki was 14-of-20 in the first half, but was just 2-of-7 for 15 yards befoer Tyler Graunke came in for the final two Hawaii possessions. Graunke was 5-of-9 and was sacked twice, once by Justin Cole and once by Jarron Gilbert.

And here's an AP wrap-up, via ESPN.

That's all the updates for tonight. What a tough loss. Six turnovers for UH. None for SJSU. Multiple personal foul penalties. And through it all, the defense kept us in the game. SJSU was held to 236 yards of offense and converted on only 4 of 17 third downs. This was just given away.

Ways to Follow the Hawaii vs San Jose St. Game

UPDATE: Bumped, with some changes.

Being There:

Buy tickets through HawaiiAthletics.com, or at Aloha Stadium.

HawaiiAthletics.com has info on fan promotions and ticket discounts.

The Aloha Stadium website has parking and shuttle bus info.

The Honolulu Advertiser has alternate parking info. Note: Ford Island will not be available for parking.

The Advertiser has info about free shuttles for UH-Manoa students.


Television:

In Hawaii, via Oceanic pay-per-view, channel 255. The KKEA audio broadcast can be heard on channel 884.

Oceanic has a list of some of the bars and restaurants that carry PPV this season.

It'll also be shown at the Ko'olau Stadium 10 Theatre in Kane'ohe.

ESPN GAMEPLAN UPDATE: Even though it's still listed on the ESPN weekly schedule, it looks like the game won't be on Gameplan after all. See related update about ESPN 360...


Streaming Video:

ESPN360.COM UPDATE: Even though it's still listed on ESPN's schedule page, and SJSU had a press release about it earlier this week, the game is not listed on the ESPN360.com player and may not be streamed tonight.

Oceanic Cable will be streaming it live via their new UH sports web video service. The game is priced at $12.56 on their schedule. There are some restrictions:

If you live in the state of Hawaii, you need to be a Road Runner customer to subscribe to the video streaming service. Individuals on the mainland or anywhere else in the world, do not need to be Road Runner customers.

Ordering is only available 1 hour leading up to the scheduled event.

Sorry to hear that a lot of people had problems either ordering or getting the Oceanic video to load during the Weber State broadcast. Let's hope Oceanic has fixed whatever caused these problems. From the Weber State thread, "McLovin" offers some advice, just in case:

I live on the mainland and initially had problems with order processing. I would fill out all my info and credit card info and it did not process. Tried for half an hour and it didn't process. Then what I did was actually click on the agreement button where you could read the agreement policy. Then after checking on the box that you agree to their policy it processed my order.

Hawaii IPTV should also be streaming it live. To use this service, you cannot be a resident of Hawaii. You'll need broadband internet access, and you need to either buy a box to view it on your television, or use their new webplayer to view it on your computer. The box costs $125 with a $25 setup fee. For either option, you need to purchase a subscription of $21.50 a month or $180 a year.


Radio:

On Oahu, KKEA AM 1420. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KPUA in Hilo, KMWB in Kona. KKEA can also be heard on Oceanic Digital Cable Channel 884.

In San Jose, KLIV AM 1590.


Streaming Audio:

Via ESPN1420AM.com.

Also available on a subscription basis on www.sjsuspartans.com and Yahoo!


Live Stats:

SideArmStats.com, via HawaiiAthletics.com

ESPN Scoreboard

Yahoo! Sports

Sites like CBS Sportsline, Fox Sports, etc should have stats as well.


Note: Please comment with any corrections, additions, changes, etc. Thanks!

Video: SJSU Previews, BYU vs UH

Chawan's compilation from last night. KITV, KHON, KGMB and KFVE have news about the renewed series between UH and BYU, along with previews of today's game.

GameDay: UH vs SJSU

Stephen Tsai's gameday preview breaks down the offense, defense and specialists for both teams.

Jason Kaneshiro's gameday preview has stats and probable starting lineups, breakdowns of both teams' offense, defense and special teams, and highlights this key matchup:

Hawaii tackles vs. San Jose State defensive ends
Holding the edge at the line of scrimmage could be the key to the Warriors maintaining their streak against the Spartans.

Hawaii's top three tackles have worked through various injuries lately and will be tested by SJSU ends Carl Ihenacho and Jeff Schweiger.

"They're fast, they're athletic, they've been playing with this group for the last two years and they added a transfer from USC (Schweiger), so they're better up front than they were last year," UH offensive line coach Brian Smith said.

Kaneshiro writes that several streaks are on the line tonight, but Coach Mack is not focusing on such streaks.

"All we're thinking about is doing everything we can as a team to beat San Jose State," Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin said. "All the rest of it doesn't matter. When you start thinking about all that stuff, it all gets bogged down. All we want to do is win one game a week."

Tsai writes about UH starting the defense of their WAC title.

"It's very important," cornerback Ryan Mouton said. "We have to come out and play like we're WAC champs. We'd better defend (the title) because everybody wants it."

He also writes about Tyler Graunke's hand, the return of Rocky Savaiigaea and David Farmer, and new starters on special teams.

Ferd Lewis writes about the gamesmanship between Dick Tomey and Greg McMackin, and how important this game is to both teams.

Laurence Miedema of the Mercury News writes about San Jose State's struggles on the road.

SJSU has established one of the biggest home-field advantages in the Western Athletic Conference since Dick Tomey arrived four years ago and has won 14 of its past 16 games at Spartan Stadium. But the Spartans are just 3-17 on the road — including 0-2 this season — heading into tonight's conference opener at Hawaii.

"You have to learn to win on the road to be a champion,'' Tomey said. "Whether it's a matter of confidence or being tough enough to make a trip and break through, we're not (that far away).''

"We're a team that plays with a lot of emotion, and playing at home brings a lot more positive emotions out,'' defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert said. "We have to learn how to let our emotion help us instead of hurt us on the road.''

Miedema has some game notes as well.

Matchups to watch: SJSU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo vs. UH defensive coordinator Cal Lee. Arroyo's play-calling came under fire after SJSU's second-half meltdown at Stanford (minus-24 yards in the fourth quarter). He'll look to revive the offense against Lee's veteran defense, which was provided a blueprint to stop the Spartans by Stanford and had two weeks to prepare for SJSU because of a bye last week.

And Dave Reardon looks back at his preseason optimism, the reality of the season so far, and how special teams misses Guyton Galdeira.

"We have a lot of the same guys, but losing Guyton hurt," senior long snapper Jake Ingram said. "He inspired people, and he hit people."

And he did it while listed at 5-feet-7 and 155 pounds. He may have been 155, but the 5-7 was Bill Gates generous.

The Warriors have a player now, Richard Torres, whom they call "Little Guyton," for his ferocity on kickoff coverage and attention to detail. Torres is listed at 5-7 and 170, so the term "little" is figurative here in comparison to the gargantuan Galdeira, who left a void much larger than his physical presence.

Warriors in the Pros: Colt, Bess, RGM

Matt Terl of the Redskins blog writes about receiving a card and a box of macadamia nuts from Mazie Hirono, and asking Colt Brennan about it.

So what’s with the macadamia nuts?

I don’t know. That’s a good question. I don’t know the history behind it, but I know that they’re prevalent all over Hawai’i. I don’t know if it’s only the chocolate covered macadamia nuts that have become famous, or the nuts themselves.

Thanks to LizKauai for finding that article.

Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel has an on-camera interview with Davone Bess. He talks about making the team, how his time at UH helped him on the field, and how the fans from Hawaii have supported him.

And Ryan Grice-Mullen is featured in this Vancouver Sun article by Mike Beamish.

Ryan Grice-Mullen, a former University of Hawaii Warrior, is a shadow warrior with the B.C. Lions, though he may be ready to step out of obscurity.

Despite the fact that few Lions fans have heard of him, the 22-year-old receiver who was added to the team's expanded practice roster earlier this month is turning some heads in practice, most notably head coach Wally Buono, director of player personnel Roy Shivers and receivers coach Jacques Chapdelaine.

"We like what we've seen so far," Buono said Thursday. "Obviously, we'd like to extend the process. A lot will depend on what happens after this game [Saturday night against Hamilton at BC Place]."

"He's a very skilled player," Chapdelaine adds. "I hope at some point we get a chance to see him in a game."

"I don't think I've seen him drop one ball since he's been here," Shivers chimes in.

UH vs BYU!

Starting in 2012.

The University of Hawai‘i and Brigham Young University have agreed to a home-and-home football series beginning 2012, UH Athletics Director Jim Donovan and BYU Athletics Director Tom Holmoe announced today. The Warriors and Cougars were former Western Athletic Conference rivals and have not played in football since 2002.

The teams will meet on Sept. 8, 2012 in Provo, Utah, and again on Sept. 14, 2013 at Aloha Stadium.

“Playing BYU has always been a thrill for our fans as well as our coaches and players,” Donovan said. “I’m very pleased we were able to work out an agreement and continue this friendly rivalry.”

“It’s great to rekindle the rivalry with Hawai‘i,” Holmoe said. “Over the years the tradition has included fantastic players, coaches, teams and games. Add in terrific fans and stadiums and you have the ingredients of an excellent match up.”

Nice. The UH press release also shows that the final game of the current UNLV series will be played on September 22, 2012.

...and next year's Wisconsin game is listed for Dec. 4/5 rather than November 28th, which it had been previously set for.

Game Week: SJSU - Friday News

Coach Greg McMackin talks about the QB situation.

"Tyler's really coming along," McMackin said after the team's final full practice prior to the game. "He's had three practices throwing the ball and it's going to be a game-time decision. Inoke's practiced well and (Graunke) gets better every day. I'm going to wait to the last day."

Stephen Tsai writes that Malcolm Lane will get a chance to return kickoffs.

Last season, Malcolm Lane finished 10th nationally in kick returns, averaging 29.2 yards. He had two returns for touchdowns.

But he was not used on kick returns in the first three games this season. Lane, now the starting right wideout, was being saved for offense.

But with the Warriors' renewed belief that the first offensive play is the kick return, Lane has been reinstated as one of the kick returners. His roommate, Ryan Mouton, is the other returner.

Ikaika Malloe, who coordinates UH's special teams, said the return schemes were altered to fit Lane's running style.

"Malcolm is really a downhill runner," Malloe said. "For the type of scheme we're doing, he's one of the better ones for it because he takes a little weave step and then he hits it down."

Tsai also has injury news on Blaze Soares and Daniel Libre and other notes.

Star-Bulletin reporter Donica Kaneshiro joins fellow Star-Bulletin reporter Jason Kaneshiro and Honolulu Advertiser reporter Stacy Kaneshiro in a select group of Kaneshiros that write about UH sports, a group that can only be called... "The Writin' Kaneshiros." Oh yes. Donica has a Warriors Football Notebook, writing about Greg McMackin's history with SJSU, along with some injury news.

Jason of the Writin' Kaneshiros profiles SJSU running back Yonus Davis.

So far in his comeback season, the 5-foot-8 Davis is the Spartans' leading rusher with 293 yards, and his career average of 5.9 yards per carry ranks fifth in the nation among active players.

"They missed Yonus last year," Hawaii linebacker Adam Leonard said. "He's a real good scatback who makes people miss, and if he gets a corner he can take it all the way to the house."

Davis was a teammate of former Hawaii receiver Davone Bess at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., and continues to keep in contact with Bess, now the Miami Dolphins' primary kick returner.

"I've talked to him some; he's doing real well over there," Davis said.

Davis said it had been a little while since he touched base with Bess, but "he'll probably call me some time this week.

Davis is also featured in this SJSUSpartans.com article.

And back in November 2006, Davis was featured in a prank by Mike Washington.

UH's Bess and San Jose State running back Yonus Davis were high school teammates in Oakland, and they spoke to each other Friday night. Each expressed his goal for the game. Davis said he wanted to rush for 200 yards, a prediction that Bess relayed to the UH defense.

On Friday night, Leonard received several text messages in which Davis said the inside linebackers "were trash."

"He had no respect for us," UH inside linebacker Solomon Elimimian said. "He kept text messaging Adam."

As it turned out, it was UH slotback Michael Washington, pretending to be Davis, who sent the text messages.

"It was Mike playing around," Leonard said, laughing. "He got us going. Mike made us almost want to kill the man."

I'm sure Davis harbors at least a little resentment over that. As he said after the 54-17 loss to UH in 2006, where he was held to 29 yards on the ground:

Asked if UH hit harder than other teams, Davis said, "They're not hard hitters at all."

Awww damn.

Video: SJSU Previews

CC compiles the news from KITV and KGMB as they preview Saturday's game.

From the Blogs: Thursday Practice Reports

Dave Reardon writes that Blaze Soares suffered a sprained ankle:

OLB Blaze Soares comeback from a torn calf was delayed a bit by a sprained ankle suffered while running. Coach Greg McMackin said Soares will be back in a couple of weeks, and he is not considering a medical redshirt for the third-year junior.

Reardon has other injury news on Solomon Elimimian and Daniel Libre and notes about special teams.

Stephen Tsai has some interesting QB news in his Thursday report:

Greg McMackin said he expects quarterbacks Tyler Graunke and Inoke Funaki to both play against San Jose State. He said announcing the starter will be a “game-time decision.”

Tsai also writes that Rocky Savaiigaea and Fale Laeli are expected to play on Saturday.

Game Week: SJSU - Thursday News

Stephen Tsai has a great article about the UH special teams. Here's an excerpt about the "head-hunters" on the kickoff unit, Richard Torres and Spencer Smith:

Smith and Torres are the bookends on the kickoff unit. They play the positions known as the head-hunters. Their primary role is to seek out the kick returner.

Smith is 5 feet 11 and 200 pounds. Torres is 5-7 and 165. Both have to blast through man-made wedges of blockers.

"I don't know if they love what they do or if they're completely insane," kicker Dan Kelly said. "I like to think they're insane. I've never seen people hit a wedge like they do."

Smith said: "I don't think I'm crazy. I'll take 'hard-worker' over crazy. I try my hardest every time. That's why I get labeled 'crazy' by Dan."

Jason Kaneshiro writes about the possible extension of the UH-UNLV series and takes a look at the blocking duties of the UH running backs.

"First and foremost you've got to know who you have. Second, is just being tough," Farmer said. "It's positioning and a lot of strategy and knowing where to make contact and hit the guy.

"Anyone can go out there and hit, but that'll only get you so far. A good defensive end will swim you or make moves. You've got to be smarter and adjust to it and use more technique rather than sheer force."

Matthew Kimel of The Spartan Daily has a game preview.

Hawaii will be putting numerous streaks on the line in this week's game.

The team has won 15 consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular season games, nine straight games at home and has not lost back-to-back games since 2005.

UH announced that Ford Island will not be open for parking for this Saturday's game.

"After evaluating the cost for the use of Ford Island for the Weber State game, we have decided that it is not economically feasible to use it as an alternate parking site unless the attendance warrants it," University of Hawai'i Athletic Director Jim Donovan said. "It cost the department close to $18,000 to park approximately 650 vehicles and shuttle those passengers. We are not ruling out the use for the entire season. We will determine use on a game-by-game basis depending on the ticket sales on Mondays of game week. We anticipate an attendance of approximately 37,000 for this week's game against San Jose State."

Ferd Lewis laments the anticipated attendance.

If that crowd estimate holds up — and you hope there might be sufficient walk-up sales to boost it to a respectable 40,000 — it would, indeed, be sad.

Here the Warriors would be just two games into their 2008 home schedule and but four games removed from the Sugar Bowl appearance and attendance would be flirting with 35,000? How huge a step back from 2007 would that be?

In happier news, the work on Cooke/Ching field has been cleared to proceed.

The contract of $862,381 was awarded by UH on Aug. 13 to RMY Construction, Inc., the lowest bidder, to install a new synthetic playing surface. A few days later CO-HA Builders Inc., and Ching's Nursery filed protests.

Prior to the protests, construction was to begin in August and be completed by Oct. 31.

UPDATE: Errr, not so fast.

Ching's Nursery Inc. is weighing whether to appeal a decision dismissing its protest of a contract awarded to resurface the former Cooke Field at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Hearing officer Sheryl Nagata dismissed the protest Tuesday because Ching's Nursery, doing business as Service Contracting, did not submit its protest within five working days of the contract award.

"I think the university is still in violation of various contract laws, so we're looking into it to see if it's worth pursuing," said Gifford Chang, a vice president of Hoonai Subcontracting, a company that would assist Ching's Nursery with installing the synthetic playing surface. Chang represented Ching's Nursery, the fourth-lowest bidder, at the hearing.

Video: QBs, SJSU Preview

Chawan compiles the news from KITV and KHON. Mack says the starting QB may be a gametime decision and Inoke Funaki has improved a lot in his throws. Brashton Satele and Keao Monteilh are also interviewed.

Future Warriors Update

The Varsity Times Insider, an LA Times blog, has a nice write-up of UH commit Corey Nielsen.

Nielsen, who committed to Hawaii before the start of the season, is 5 feet 11 and 190 pounds with an NFL-quality arm. He has led Gahr’s no-huddle spread offense since his freshman season and has helped guide the Gladiators to a 2-1 start this season.

In Gahr’s 63-0 victory over crosstown rival Cerritos last Friday, Nielsen excited a near-full house at Rants Stadium with a six-touchdown effort, all in the first half.

Nielsen, the reigning state passing leader, finished 12 of 15 passing for 375 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 18 yards and a score. For the season, Nielsen has completed 43 of 79 passes for 886 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

"The biggest drawback on Nielsen is his lack of height,” said Robert Brazille, a former personal quarterback coach who scouts for a national high school recruiting service. “But if you watch him play, he doesn’t play small. Nielsen has a great command of what’s happening on the field and shows great leadership skills.”

Corey's teammate and fellow UH commit Deondre Powell is also mentioned in the post.

And receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann is featured in a Star-Bulletin article about first-year Saint Louis head coach John Hao and the Crusaders' 4-0 start.

Mindful of Stutzmann's speed, opposing defenses have keyed on stopping him this season.

"Everybody knows about Billy, and that opens up everything else," said Hao. "A lot of times, (defenses) take him away and when they finally go 1-on-1 with him, it's 'See ya.' "

Stutzmann put his breakaway ability on display with an 85-yard touchdown reception against Punahou, the highlight of a five-catch, 139-yard effort.

On Friday, he came up big again with the two clutch second-half scoring catches against Kamehameha.

Still, it can't be easy being Billy Ray Stutzmann.

After all, the eyes of the Crusader nation have been upon him since he was playing youth football for the Kapahulu Raiders, and he grew up watching his brother Craig star at Saint Louis and UH.

"There's a little pressure, but it's mainly motivation, because you want to do good for (the fans and alumni)," Stutzmann said. "It motivates you to be your best."

From the Blogs: Wed. Practice Reports

Stephen Tsai has some notes from today's practice. Here are a few of them:

• Tyler Graunke competed in team drills for the first time since suffering the hand injury. He has more zip on his passes, but still isn’t 100 percent. Although he now estimates he is up to 90 percent.
• The offensive line looks like this: LT Aaron Kia, LG Brysen Ginlack, C John Estes, RG Clarence Tuioti-Mariner, RT Keoni Steinhoff.
OL coach Brian Smith said LT Laupepa Letuli and LG Raphael Ieru will play a lot this weekend.

Dave Reardon has a few notes as well.

RB Daniel Libre may rejoin the rotation tomorrow, Greg McMackin told Jason Kaneshiro today after practice.

Warriors in the Pros: Samson, Colt

A video of Samson Satele talking to the Miami media can be found on this page. Click on "Samson Satele Media Availability" under "Videos" for a pop-up window.

Over at WSN, 4uhfan finds another good review of Samson's play against the Patriots.

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork was a complete non-factor, as Miami center Samson Satele controlled the point of attack. The second-year player is definitely an intriguing talent for a team that is searching for difference-makers.

Wilfork's struggles were symptomatic of a team-wide inability to attack the line of scrimmage.

Earlier this month, Satele said that Wilfork was the toughest nose tackle he faced last season.

And ESPN.com's Patrick Hruby talks to several Washington Redskins, including Colt Brennan, in his article about blind-side hits on the QB, as he prepares to get voluntarily blindsided.

As previously mentioned, a blindside hit encompasses two collisions, and the second can be worse than the first. At least according to Redskins rookie quarterback Colt Brennan. During his first collegiate game, he recalls, a defender clobbered him from behind, lifted him off the ground, twisted him in midair and drove him into the turf. Brennan's parting gift? A separated shoulder.

Brennan wraps up his story – painful-looking pantomime included – and then tells me not to worry.

"Actually, a lot of blindside hits look really bad when you see them," he says, "but when you take them, they're not as painful."

Really?

"Really. They come as a surprise, and before you know it, you're just looking up from the ground and wondering what happened. Sometimes [you feel] more shock than actual hurt."

I'm not sure I believe this.

"Don't clench up," Brennan advises. "Just sit there and meditate. Let the hit take you."

Right. Meditate. Be the hit. Very "Caddyshack." Got it.

Game Week: SJSU - Wednesday News

Greg McMackin talks about closing practices this week.

As the Warriors prepare for their Western Athletic Conference opener, their remaining practices this week will be closed to the public. UH last closed its on-campus practices during its Sugar Bowl preparations last December.

"I don't normally do this, but I think it's just a very important ballgame," McMackin said.

Stephen Tsai writes about the decline in yards-after-catch among the UH receivers.

Stutzmann said the more experience a receiver attains, the easier it will be to get a "feel" for the defense, and where the openings will be after catches.

"It's a matter of getting comfortable with making plays, and not being (hesitant) to catch a ball and be creative with it," Stutzmann said. "You can coach guys to catch the ball. You can coach guys to run routes. You can emphasize runs after the catch, but, really, that's where your athleticism takes over."

Tsai also writes about Tyler Graunke's hand, Keoni Steinhoff's finger, and a "reunion" Calvin Roberts will have with SJSU.

Bay Area writer Jon Wilner doesn't think much of the Warriors.

Hawaii is one of the worst teams in major college football. It’ll be tougher on the Island than the Mainland, sure, but SJSU is better.

Jason Kaneshiro profiles Brashton Satele.

Having not played an every-down role in a while, Satele said acclimating to game speed has been the toughest part of the job so far. But being flanked by two veterans has aided in the adjustment.

"(In UH's loss at Oregon State) I didn't make as many plays as I wanted to, but it's getting better, I'm getting more confidence with the plays," Satele said. "At first I was kind of like hesitating, but now I'm playing full speed.

"Solly and Adam (Leonard) help me out a lot. ... (Elimimian) telling me how to play the gaps, how to play the pass, I'm learning a lot from him. He's like a coach out there for me."

Brian McInnis has a Sports Notebook, writing about the mutual admiration between Tyler Graunke and Dick Tomey, Dan Kelly hitting field goals in practice, Fale Laeli working his way back from an ankle injury, and Ryan Mouton and Rykin Enos making two interceptions apiece in team drills. Who is Rykin Enos? Here's his HawaiiAthletics.com profile.

Via the Idaho Statesman, here's a UH vs SJSU game preview from the Sports Network.

With Reed constantly under pressure, it should come as little surprise that the Spartans have allowed an average of 4.25 sacks per game already which is, not only last in the Western Athletic Conference, but also the worst number among all 119 of the Football Bowl Subdivision members. Yet even with the pressure, Reed is completing a ridiculous 79.4 percent of his pass attempts and leads the program with his four rushing scores. Running back Yonus Davis, who is averaging close to seven yards per carry, needs to get into the end zone more often (one TD) in order to take some of the weight off Reed's shoulders.

Midweek's Bob Hogue is all atwitter about the crazy "bloggers" ranting about the UH football team on the WSN message board. I do not think it means what he thinks it means.

Similarly, Midweek's Steve Murray says those crazy UH football fans should just "chill".

Video: Regrouping, Healing, Bess in Miami

CC compiles news from KHON, KITV, KGMB and KFVE. Stories include interviews with Adam Leonard, Tyler Graunke, Greg McMackin, Rocky Savaiigaea and Mike Washington. KGMB has an interview with Davone Bess.

From the Blogs: Graunke, Practices Closed, WAC vs MWC?

ST has an update on Tyler Graunke.

Tyler Graunke threw during 7-on-7 drills today, but was held out of team drills to rest his sore right hand.
Head coach Greg McMackin said he does not want to rush back Graunke, but that he is on a suitable timetable in preparation for Saturday’s game against San Jose State.
Graunke said his wrist still is tender when he throws. But he said he expects to play “all four quarters” against the Spartans.

Tsai also writes that Keoni Steinhoff and David Farmer practiced today.

Dave Reardon reports that practices will be closed the rest of the week. Also, Solomon Elimimian was out with a "sore quad" but should be able to play.

And over on the Bleacher Report, Ken Braun has an interesting idea, proposing a game between WAC and Mountain West champs, with the winner getting a BCS bid.

I don't propose a merger, as each conference would retain their full independence from one another. But for BCS purposes, these two conferences would be considered one BCS conference, with all the rules of membership, most particularly the money and the automatic BCS bowl game for the joint conference championship game winner.

Game Week: SJSU - Tuesday News

Here's a Chawan Cut compilation of news from KHON, KITV, KGMB and KFVE. The first three have news about Tyler Graunke and Rocky Savaiigaea returning from injury. Jason Tang has a report on Ko'olau Theatres showing this week's game.



Jason Kaneshiro catches up with Warriors trying to come back from injuries, including Tyler Graunke, Rocky Savaiigaea, Blaze Soares, David Farmer, Leon Wright-Jackson and Daniel Libre.

Wright-Jackson was also back after resting his sore foot during the bye week. He hurt the foot against Weber State, then aggravated the injury on the first play against Oregon State.

"It's a minor setback, it's over," he said.

But Daniel Libre's sprained ankle still hasn't recovered enough for the senior to resume practicing. Libre suited up for practice and thought he might be able to practice yesterday until he tried running and his ankle "told me otherwise."

Stephen Tsai writes about injuries to Bryce Kalau'oka'a'ea, Fale Laeli, Laupepa Letuli, Keoni Steinhoff, etc.

Laeli did not play against OSU because of a "tweaked" right ankle. He also has been troubled by tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.

"Yes, I will play this week," Laeli declared.

"I haven't gone one year without (an injury)," said Letuli, who appears to have recovered from a slight tear in his left shoulder. "Hopefully, this is it. I want to be healthy the rest of the season, and progress."

Yesterday, the first-team tackles were Aaron Kia on the left and Adrian Thomas on the right. The usual No. 1 right tackle, Keoni Steinhoff, has a broken finger. He will resume practicing today.

Kaneshiro writes about the injuries plaguing both UH and SJSU.

Ferd Lewis marvels at the accuracy of San Jose State QB Kyle Reed.

The Spartans' Kyle Reed, an intriguing combination of inexperience and raw talent, is completing 79.4 percent of his passes, the best mark in the NCAA.

It's an amazing number, one made even more impressive as a fourth-year junior who hadn't tossed so much as a wounded duck in a college game until midway through the 2008 opener.

"Kyle Reed is just ... I mean, I've never seen a guy ... he's completing almost 80 percent of his passes," marveled the Spartans' Dick Tomey, a 28-year head coaching veteran, groping for words.

Ferd writes about Dick Tomey's feelings for Hawaii, and returning home.

And Dave Reardon profiles Tomey.

I thought he'd be retired by now.

Instead, and to the benefit of college football, Tomey returned to the helm of a Division I team - now in his fourth year at San Jose State, he's 70 and going strong.

The Tomey trademarks of three decades ago remain: his voice of crisp, clear authority; his insistence on respect for the traditional standards of winning football, including a hard-hitting defense, aggressive special teams and ball-control offense.

Tomey, SJSU, Injuries

SJSUSpartans.com has a transcript from San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey's weekly press conference. Here's an excerpt:

On changes in offensive line after allowing so many sacks against Stanford:
“We don’t have a lot of options. The sacks were a result of Stanford showing us things we have never seen from them before, for which we did not react very well. Our line is, virtually, all sophomores; while Stanford’s defensive front is full of fifth-year seniors. Although we played them before, there is a significant experience gap.
We will have to play through that.

Over at SportsHawaii.com, CoachKen has a detailed UH vs SJSU preview.

What will be their game plan?

1. Attack our QB. If they succeed the game is over.
2. They will play man under secondary coverage with two deep safeties as a base hoping they get to the QB first. We will have to take advantage of stretching the safeties and the open spots it will create.
3. They will try to confuse our blocking by fake blitzes and off the edge hard rush. Look for the defensive ends to be positioned wide and an occasional blitz by a safety or outside backer.

The twelfth man for Hawaii? All of us. If we start to boo our team or abandon them early, you are no Warrior, just a fair weather fan.

And Tsai updated today's Warrior Beat post with pics and news.

Quarterback Tyler Graunke threw passes during warmups, but did not participate in 7-on-7 drills.
He said there was some tenderness in his right thumb, especially when he pulls it away from the right index finger. But he said he will undergo “triple treatment” today, and will practice tomorrow.

Quarterback/running back Bryce Kalau‘oka‘a‘ea will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. He suffered the injury during the Scout Bowl. He will be back for spring practice.

UPDATE: KGMB interviewed Tyler Graunke and Rocky Savaiigaea about coming back from their respective injuries.

Coach Mack Show, WAC Teleconference

This week's Coach Mack Show is now online at KGMB's website.

And the WAC has this morning's coaches teleconferences up on their website.

Game Week: San Jose State - Monday News

Here are press releases with game notes, info, storylines, etc. from HawaiiAthletics.com and SJSUSpartans.com. Both releases have links to more detailed PDFs.

Stephen Tsai has a few injury updates.

The word on the street is the Daniel Libre and David Farmer will practice today. Not so sure about Leon Wright-Jackson, who was wearing a protective shoe on his left foot last week. But, for sure, Wright-Jackson will play against San Jose State,

And over at SportsHawaii.com, CoachKen posted his thoughts on where the Warriors stand right now, and how important the San Jose State game is.

There are crossroads in life where an event changed the course of destiny for an individual or a team. San Jose State is one of those "defining moments." How we play will in a very real sense determine the momentum of the season. If we were to lose this game and be 1-3 we would have six more "must games" to win. We could only lose three and be bowl eligible which I think is extremely important for this team. If we are instead 2-2 after San Jose State we could take momentum into a very tough road stretch.

Warriors in the Pros: NFL Week 3

Isaac Sopoaga had 3 tackles and Jeff Ulbrich had one in the 49ers 31-13 win over the Lions. Afterwards, 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz asked Sopoaga to do a haka for the team.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz took the game ball awarded to him after Sunday's 31-13 flattening of his former team and he yelled for defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga. Martz threw him the ball and Sopoaga went into his New Zealand warrior dance known as the Haka. The locker room exploded in cheers and celebration.
"I don't know the Haka," cornerback Walt Harris said, "but I have a feeling I'm going to have to learn it. This is going to be a week-in-and-week-out thing."

Left tackle Joe Staley said he thinks the Candlestick crowd will get into it eventually with the Haka yells as the team responds with the warrior dance.

Davone Bess had 1 catch for 4 yards, returned a punt for 10 yards, and returned 3 kicks for an average of 15 yards in the Dolphins 38-13 win over the Patriots. Bess' teammate Samson Satele had a good game.

The formation certainly paid off for Miami. But it wasn't the only reason the Dolphins won the game. Center Samson Satele, left guard Justin Smiley and left tackle Jake Long were dominant all game long against New England's 3-4 front.

In a Miami Herald article, Bess talked about modeling his game after Wes Welker.

''They said I had ability in the open zone -- and that I caught the ball well,'' said Bess, who plays the No. 3 role just as Welker did in Miami. ``I was quick with cut routes, too.''

Bess, realizing he is a similar type of slot receiver, has been watching highlights of Welker since his junior year of college. Those studies have only intensified since he joined the NFL.

''I idolize him in a way,'' Bess said. ``Almost every day now, I go into the film room and I'm watching him. I look at his highlights, and I watch how he runs routes and gets open.

``I'm trying to take as much from his game as possible and apply it to my game.''

Travis LaBoy had five solo tackles for the Cardinals in a loss to the Redskins.

Ashley Lelie had one catch for 23 yards as the Raiders lost in the final seconds to the Bills, 24-23.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had a pass break-up against the Seahawks, but the Rams fell to 0-3. Pisa had this to say afterwards.

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said the Rams need to regain an edge that has slipped away in recent weeks.

"It's tough to know exactly what the problems are," the sixth-year St. Louis veteran said. "Clearly there is an attitude thing going on. There is an attitude adjustment that is needed. Some might call it confidence. I call it attitude. I think the attitude has to be there and right now it isn't."

Other CFB Scores, Week 4

CC has updated his Opponent Scores and Schedules spreadsheet. Here are some of those scores as well as others of note from Week 4 of the college football season.

Boise State 37, Oregon 32 -- A WAC team beats an Oregon-based PAC-10 team on their home turf. I'm so jealous. Nice win by the Broncos.

Fresno State 55, Toledo 54 -- Crazy double-overtime win by the Bulldogs.

Utah State 42, Idaho 17 -- The Aggies win their first game of the season in a battle of WAC powers.

Georgia Tech 38, Mississippi St. 7 -- Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets win big and are now 3-1.

Navy 23, Rutgers 21 -- Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada played his first full game coming back from a hamstring injury to lead the Midshipmen over Rutgers.

TCU 48, SMU 7 -- The Mustangs fall to 1-3.

30th Year in the WAC, Injuries, Etc.

Ferd Lewis looks back at UH's history in the WAC, and asks how competitive can the Warriors be when they open their 30th season of WAC play against San Jose State.

Jason Kaneshiro writes about Tyler Graunke getting cleared to practice tomorrow, and has other injury news.

Defensive tackle Rocky Savaiigaea and linebacker Blaze Soares, both sidelined since the early stages of fall camp, are expected to soon rejoin the Warriors in practice as well. Savaiigaea's triceps healed enough for him to participate in individual drills last week. Soares is working back from a calf injury and McMackin said he'll find out the junior's status tomorrow.

Recent UH commit Marcus Malepeai was involved in a crazy play in the Kalaheo-Radford game.

Moments later, a zany play gave Radford another scoring opportunity. Defensive end Marcus Malepeai stole the handoff away from Phil Tauai and rambled 29 yards to the Kalaheo 25-yard line, where the Mustangs stripped the ball from his grasp. In the ensuing melee, Radford's Kerry Patton recovered the loose football at the Kalaheo 9-yard line.

Gahr teammates and UH commits Corey Nielsen and Deondre Powell had great games in their 63-0 victory over Cerritos.

QB Corey Nielsen had a huge game at the expense of the winless Dons (0-3), hitting on 12 of 15 passes for 375 yards and five TDs for the Gladiators (2-1).

Aaron Bradley had 125 yards receiving, Deondre Powell added 83 and both scored TDs.

And finally, not really related to UH football, but Dave Reardon has a great column catching up with some Hawaii guys working for ESPN.

Video: Graunke Cleared, Bye Week

Great news as KGMB reports that Tyler Graunke has been medically cleared to play when practice resumes Monday. And from KITV, Greg McMackin talks about the bye week leading to an important week of preparation for San Jose State.

UH Football: At the Movies!

Via the Advertiser, a more cinematic way to watch UH football games.

Starting with the Sept. 27 game against San Jose State, Koolau Stadium 10 Theatre will air University of Hawaii football games.

The games will be shown in high definition on one of the theatre's 134-seat, 18-feet by 32-feet big screens.

The cost will be $10 per person. A Warrior Pass will also be offered for families and groups and will include four tickets for $35.

UPDATE: More details in this reader-submitted Advertiser article.

"We want to create an environment where families can watch the game together, without facing the hassle of parking, crowded bars, or braving the elements," said Rachel Gibson, Consolidated Theatres' promotions and events manager.

The theatre's concession stand will continue to offer favorites such as hotdogs and ice-cold soft drinks, and is also looking to expanding their selection to add new items.

Both articles state the game will be shown in high definition. Does this mean UH games will be shot in HD now?

Warriors in the Pros: Ice, Brick, LaBoy, Ash

Isaac Sopoaga led his 49ers teammates in a haka after Friday's practice.

The 49ers finished practice Friday with defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga leading the players in the haka, a New Zealand warrior chant. Sopoaga, who grew up in American Samoa, said it's been a couple of years since the players did the chant, but he asked Nolan if he could revive it and the coach consented.

From the same article, Jeff Ulbrich will continue to share playing time at the "ted" linebacker position with Takeo Spikes.

Travis LaBoy is questionable for this Sunday's game against the Redskins due to a sprained ankle.

Ashley Lelie, who leads Raiders wide receivers with four receptions, talks about the receivers making the most of their limited opportunities.

Lelie said a shortage of opportunities hasn't been an issue and the Raiders must take advantage of single coverage while Miller draws more attention. The Raiders haven't passed often, gaining just 212 yards combined in the first two games.

"The times we did pass we didn't connect," Lelie said. "Quarterbacks and receivers have to get on the same page."

Scout Bowl Wrap-Ups

CC compiles Scout Bowl news from KHON, KGMB and KITV. Stories include interviews with Greg McMackin, John Estes, Jake Santos, Shane Austin, Adam Leonard, Keala Watson and Solomon Elimimian.



The Star-Bulletin's Craig T. Kojima has a nice photo of Royce Pollard's diving TD catch in this wrap-up by Jason Kaneshiro.

On third and goal from the 6, Santos looked for Pollard again. The throw was to the outside, forcing Pollard to twist around and make the catch just before hitting the ground.

"It's exciting," Pollard said. "It's a moment everybody looks for, a chance to make a big play."

"The pass really wasn't that great," said Santos, the first pick in Wednesday's draft. "The passes were kind of all over the place today, but it doesn't matter, as long as we got the W."

From Leila Wai's article, QB Shane Austin calls out his coach.

"First of all, I don't know why we're calling a play like that back in our own end zone," said Leonard-Watson quarterback Shane Austin. "That was Adam's only call, so I let him take it, but I don't know, we were trying to throw the ball away if nothing was there, but I wasn't sure. I couldn't see from my angle if he was letting it out. I don't know what happened, so I'm going to stay neutral on that play.

"It was still a questionable call on the option pass on our 2-yard line. I love (Leonard), so it doesn't matter."

Controversy!

And Jason Kaneshiro's Sports Notebook has news about Marcus Malepeai committing to the Warriors, Rocky Savaiigaea's imminent return and Blaze Soares walking without a protective boot but not sure when he'll be back.

Scout Bowl Reports

Leila Wai has an article about today's Scout Bowl.

The team led by linebacker Solomon Elimimian and center John Estes won by two touchdowns, blanking the team coached by linebacker Adam Leonard and defensive tackle Keala Watson.

"They got two touchdowns on us, but one call was very disputable, and it caused all the chaos," Leonard said. "It was an option pass and our guy with the forward arm motion released the ball and it went on the ground. They recovered it and they called it a touchdown. I wish we could go to review, but unfortunately we don't have that."

Stephen Tsai has some photos.

Dave Reardon and Jason Kaneshiro have some details.

Jake Santos hit Royce Pollard with a 6-yard touchdown pass for the only score of today’s Scout Bowl, on the last play of the scrimmage for non-starters. The drive was fueled by a 34-yard Santos-Pollard hookup, and 16 yards from Santos to Miah Ostrowski. … Richard Torres caused a fumble. … Blaze Soares was at practice today, sans walking boot. But the OLB said he doesn’t know yet if he’ll play against San Jose State next week.

Marcus Malepeai Commits, Scout Bowl, Kickers

Stephen Tsai writes that Radford defensive end Marcus Malepeai will become a Warrior.

An athletic defensive end from Radford High has accepted a football scholarship from the University of Hawai'i.

"I wanted to stay home," said Malepeai, who is 6 feet 2 and 245 pounds.

At Radford, he has been used on the perimeter as a defensive end and outside linebacker.

He also received interest from Washington, Arizona, California and Brigham Young.

Congrats to Marcus!

Tsai also has a hilarious article about the Scout Bowl draft.

The childhood taunt is indeed true.

You snooze, you lose.

"They were sleeping, so we get the first pick," Hawai'i linebacker Solomon Elimimian declared.

Several minutes later, linebacker Adam Leonard showed up, protesting that he was tardy because he was in class. And, besides, he was not told of the location.

"Too bad," Elimimian said. "We're picking first."

And with that, Elimimian and center John Estes selected quarterback Jake Santos No. 1 in the Scout Bowl draft.

Jason Kaneshiro has some news and notes about Aaron Kia and Po'okela Ahmad, and catches up with kicker Dan Kelly and punter Tim Grasso.

Grasso averaged just under 40 yards per kick last season even though the injury restricted his leg swing.

He took the spring semester off to return to Utah, where he saw a specialist who kneaded the muscle to work out the scar tissue that had built up during the season.

"When I'd be in pain I'd be like, 'This is going to be worth it,' " Grasso said of the rehab. "It's most definitely one of the most painful things, but it worked for sure."