Doug Rosevold heads upfield with a fumble recovery.
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

Guys like Glenn Freitas, Doe Henderson, Carlos Shaw, Gerald Lacey and Carlton Oswalt are helping lay the foundation for better things to come, but they'll be long gone before the Rainbows ever become the eighth wonder of the world.

"Those guys have to find some satisfaction in the fact that they are part of the building process," UH head coach Fred vonAppen said yesterday afternoon.

Iosefa Pua'auli is
disappointed with
another loss.
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

Fortunately for vonAppen, that hasn't kept Freitas from leaving everything he has on the field.

In the quiet UH locker room following Saturday's 28-16 loss to Colorado State, Freitas' bum right shoulder was hanging a little low and he had an abrasion over his left eye.

But ask him if he plans to miss any of the final six games of the season, and you get a cold, hard stare for answer.

"For the seniors, this year is it," a frustrated Freitas said after Hawaii fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Western Athletic Conference.

"One part of me feels lucky to be a part of this change," he said. "But I just wish I could be around for more of the victories because losing like this is tough."

As the Rainbows enter the second half of vonAppen's first season, there appear to be no sure things on the schedule.

It begins this weekend with a trip to San Diego State and ends at home against Wisconsin. The Rainbows haven't knocked off the Aztecs this decade, and they haven't faced a Big Ten team since Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.

Even though that's only four seasons ago, the Rainbows are light years away from returning to Jack Murphy Stadium with that kind of talent.

"I'm looking at the film of San Diego State and wondering how we're going to stop them," UH defensive coordinator Don Lindsey said yesterday.

"They have the fifth-best passing team in America and the best passer. They have the top receiver, I mean, what don't they have?

"And then you look at the rest of our games and Air Force has the top rushing offense in the country, BYU has the third-rated passer nationally and Wisconsin scored 20 points against a top five team like Penn State.

"Mercy, when does it end?"

For now, vonAppen and his coaching staff can only be content in the knowledge that there should be better days ahead once the system is firmly in place.

Hawaii's Glenn Freitas fires a pass out to Johnny Macon during Saturday night's loss to Colorado State. By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

Granted, the Rams shut down the Rainbows in the second half, limiting Hawaii's offense to zero points and 150 yards. But once again, the Rainbows were their own worst enemy.

A couple of dropped passes on a pair of third downs by Shaw and Paul Purdy, a 51-yard field-goal attempt by Oswalt that tumbled just short and a fumble by Russell Grant conspired to keep the Rainbows from their first conference win in 11 months.

As vonAppen put it, "The little things are keeping us from getting the big victories. The little things in a football game usually make a big difference."

Keeping the big plays to a minimum will be crucial for Hawaii Friday night against the Aztecs. They didn't play last Saturday against Air Force because of a schedule conflict with the San Diego Padres.

Despite the Padres' elimination from the playoffs, the game with Hawaii won't be moved back to Saturday. It gives the Rainbows only four days to prepare, while San Diego State will have had two weeks.

"It's these kinds of handicaps this season that have made a tough situation that much more difficult," vonAppen said. "San Diego State clearly has some of the best talent in the conference.

"They've had plenty of time to prepare for us and we're over here scrambling around trying to cram everything into four days. It doesn't seem quite fair."

Fair or not, Hawaii has to be careful that another Wyoming debacle isn't waiting to happen. Even without suspended running back George Jones, the Aztecs are loaded with big-play potential.

Quarterback Billy Blanton is first in the country in passing efficiency with a rating of 182.8, and wide receiver Az Hakim is No. 1 in receiving yards per game with an average of 144.7.

Those kinds of numbers put even more pressure on the offense to stay on the field and score as much as possible. Obviously, Hawaii can't get into a shootout. The Rainbows have scored only one touchdown in their last 19 league quarters on the road.

"One of my goals this season was to beat San Diego State because my class has never done it," Henderson said. "In a season like this, a win up there would be really sweet."

Teams: Hawaii Rainbows at San DiegoState.
When: Friday, 4 p.m. HST, Jack Murphy Stadium
Weekend update: San Diego State was idle last week.
Behind the scenes:Air Force and San Diego State were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but the game was preempted because of the St. Louis-San Diego baseball playoff game at Jack Murphy Stadium. The AFA-SDSU game was rescheduled for Thanksgiving day, a decision which left Aztecs coach Ted Tollner steaming because his team will have only five days to prepare for that game.