Jade Charles shows that dejected
feeling in the final seconds.
Photo by George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

Just when you think you know what to expect, they go out and do the unexpected.

In the season opener against Boston College, most folks counted on the Eagles of the Big East to bust Hawaii over the head with a two-by-four. After it didn't happen, everybody's expectation levels shot up.

So much so that when Ohio University came to town with the old spread option in tow, it wasn't so much of Hawaii winning the game, but by how much.

Well, the Rainbows didn't cover the spread in last Saturday's 21-10 loss to the Bobcats. The team everyone expected to see in the first game of the season showed up over the weekend.

A fairly good defensive effort was overshadowed by a blocked punt for a touchdown that set the tone, and an offensive showing that bordered on pathetic.

It's tough to employ the West Coast offense if you can't run and you can't catch. Hawaii dropped so many passes thrown by freshman Josh Skinner, who was pressed into duty after Glenn Freitas separated his right shoulder, it's a wonder the Rainbows scored 10 points.

Now coach Fred vonAppen has to rally the troops in time to travel to Laramie, Wyo., for their Western Athletic Conference opener with the University of Wyoming. As you would expect, vonAppen isn't sure which team will show up.

"We were woeful," vonAppen said. "I was bored with the first part of our game. I'm looking out there and thinking, 'We did practice this week. Is any of this recognizable?'

"It's so funny because everybody is asking me about the standing ovation at the end of the Boston College game. There was no standing ovation this week, just guys yelling, 'Get your ass out and recruit.'

"Now we're going against a team that's very prolific offensively, but has struggled defensively. I'm sure that their offensive staff is licking their lips today. And I'm sure their defensive staff is really licking their lips because they have a chance to stop somebody."

Last year, the Cowboys rode the Rainbows hard and put them up wet. They scored with reckless abandon en route to a 52-6 shellacking that many players say they haven't forgotten.

Unfortunately for Hawaii, Wyoming won its first two games of the season in dramatic fashion. First, the Cowboys rallied for a 40-38 win over Idaho at home. On Saturday, they came from behind again to beat Iowa State, 41-38, on the road in overtime.

There's no reason to think Wyoming won't be Rocky Mountain high in its first league game. If head coach Joe Tiller wants to make a run for the Pacific Division title, the Cowboys can ill-afford to fall off their horses now.

"It makes it tough for us because we have to prepare defensively for a completely different kind of team," UH defensive coordinator Don Lindsey said. "When you go from option one week to a high-powered passing attack the next at altitude, you don't know what to expect."

Expect quarterback Josh Wallwork to look for All-America wide receiver Marcus Harris. Last year against the Rainbows, Harris caught eight passes for 156 yards. Wallwork also threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns. And don't forget the running game. Len Sexton rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the 46-point rout.

As good as the Cowboys are offensively, they don't appear to be as formidable defensively. That's good news for UH offensive coordinator Guy Benjamin, who will spend the week tailoring the game plan for Skinner.

Freitas said yesterday he will do everything he can to get ready to play, but it would seem unlikely he'll be in the lineup. Skinner stepped in and performed well.

He hit 14 of 33 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. The Rainbows dropped another half-dozen, including the one tipped by Dillan Micus into the hands of Ohio defensive back Tevell Jones. That interception killed Hawaii's momentum.

"That dropped pass was a drive-killer and I can't blame anybody but myself," said Micus, who caught five passes for 82 yards. "I've got to build off this because those who forget the past are likely to repeat it."

The past is right behind the future. And the future is anything but bright if Hawaii keeps making the same mistakes. The Rainbows also must improve their ground game. They rushed for only 41 yards against the Bobcats and passed for a paltry 168.

Granted, there were a lot of dropped footballs, but the offensive line is the real culprit in Hawaii's first two losses. The Rainbows came in with the idea of running right over the Bobcats.

They put the tight end in the backfield on several plays to try to open some holes, but to no avail. The quicker Bobcats not only stuffed the running game, they also sacked Skinner and Freitas a staggering seven times.

"We've got to do a better job of pass protecting and punching some holes for our running game," Benjamin said. "We thought we could run against Ohio, but obviously, we were wrong. It makes it difficult to pass if you can't run."

And doubly difficult to lasso the Cowboys, who are expected to score early and often.

"We're not a good team yet," vonAppen said. "We're not even close. We responded well to one I suppose, but we lost. And we didn't respond very well to another, and we lost again.

"We thought we had a nice comfortable short list for this game. It wasn't short enough because we can't execute anything because of inexperience and perhaps, athleticism. But we can get better."