Victory in Provo
would be oh so sweet

'Bows looking to end drought
at BYU and on road in WAC

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

PROVO, Utah -- The last time the University of Hawaii won two consecutive Western Athletic Conference games, Bob Wagner was the head coach and the West Coast offense was a distant dream.

It has been five years since the Rainbows went to the west Texas town of El Paso and beat UTEP on Halloween. They came back the following weekend to knock off Earle Bruce's Colorado State Rams en route to their only WAC championship.

The victory over the Miners was the last UH league road win. Knocking off Brigham Young University tomorrow at Cougar Stadium would be sweet. Shaking UH's 18-game WAC road losing streak would be sweeter.

"Everywhere you go and nearly every reporter you talk to, they always bring that up," senior safety Eddie Klaneski said. "We finally won another WAC game, now we want to snap this losing streak so we don't have to talk about it anymore. I can't think of a better place to end it than Provo, Utah."

A victory would end another streak of sorts. Hawaii hasn't won in Provo in six tries, dating back to 1951. The Rainbows have played three of those six games since 1991. One of the most agonizing losses in UH history was at Cougar Stadium in 1993, two games and seven months after the Rainbows won the Holiday Bowl over Illinois.

The day before the game, former quarterback Michael Carter said the Rainbows could prove how far they had come by defeating the Cougars at BYU. Hawaii came as close as the left upright.

Freshman kicker Carlton Oswalt tattooed the goal post like a golfer nailing the pin with a flier from the rough. Instead of ricocheting to the right, it went left. The UH program hasn't been the same since.

"This is a chance for our team to take the next step up and prove we're turning this thing around," senior linebacker Doug Rosevold said. "We got a good win over Fresno State. Now it's time to get a good win against BYU.

"The thing is, we just can't talk about that happening. We have to do something about it. We have to get off to a good start, we can't make mistakes and we have to play through the fatigue. It's never easy to win on the road. You have to overcome a lot of things."

BYU is tough to beat at Provo. Head coach LaVell Edwards doesn't need any of his toes to count the number of league losses at Cougar Stadium. Since its expansion to 65,000 seats in 1982, BYU is 51-9 vs. league opponents.

"The fans there are very knowledgeable about their football," said UH offensive coordinator Wally English, who served as Edwards' offensive coordinator in 1978-79. "You're at an altitude with 65,000 fans screaming down at you. It's a tough place to play well and win."

To have a shot, the Rainbows must come out fast and take advantage of any mistake BYU might make. At UNLV, the Rebels fumbled on the opening kickoff, but Hawaii failed to score. A fumble by tailback Quincy Jacobs, who has since quit the team, set the tone early.

At Colorado State, the Rams scored on their first possession and rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead. The Cougars could do the same if Hawaii doesn't establish a ground game to set up sophomore quarterback Josh Skinner's play-action and rollout passes.

Conversely, the UH defense can't allow BYU to establish its ground game. Cougars quarterback Paul Shoemaker isn't exactly brimming with confidence. Like Skinner, he needs the ground game working to be effective in the short passing game.

"I don't care who you are, you have to have the threat of the run in order to be successful," Hawaii defensive coordinator Don Lindsey said. "It's important for us to keep out of second-and-short. We need to put their quarterback in obvious passing situations and then try to put pressure on him.

"The risk you run against BYU if you blitz, is their big, old offensive line will be able to protect long enough for somebody to break free against our man coverages. We were able to pressure Fresno State's quarterback and we need to try to do the same thing this weekend."

Special teams should also be crucial. The Rainbows' punt team has given up three touchdowns in its last two games, and kicker Eric Hannum has struggled, failing to make a field goal in a month.

Injuries are also a problem for Hawaii. Charles Tharp won't be 100 percent due to a shoulder bruise. He leads the team in rushing with 358 yards. And Rosevold, whose 49 tackles leads the team, has a sprained knee and won't be at full strength, either

Strong safety Chris Shinnick suffered a concussion against Fresno State and will be evaluated up to game time. Defensive linemen Bob Pigott (knee) and Matt Elam (neck), who have started eight games between them, didn't make the trip.

"You can't worry about who you don't have," UH head coach Fred vonAppen said. "You have to play as well as you can with the players available to you. This is a big test for us. We need to play well for four quarters and see where it takes us."

Starting Lineups

Hawaii Offense

No. -- Name -- Pos.
28 -- Eleu Kane -- WR
63 -- Adrian Klemm -- LT
78 -- Conrad Paulo -- LG
65 -- Shane Oliveira -- C
75 -- Gary Krug -- RG
71 -- Kaulana Noa -- RT
22 -- Lonn Kalama -- TE
16 -- Josh Skinner -- QB
25 -- Charles Tharp -- TB
24 -- Calvin Mims -- FB
12 -- Wesley Morris -- WR

Hawaii Defense

No. -- Name -- Pos.
79 -- Ben Bright -- LT
92 -- Tony Tuioti -- NG
83 -- Ellie Kapihe -- RE
53 -- Brian Chapman -- LB
34 -- Doug Rosevold -- LB
94 -- Kekoa Kilcoyne -- LB
51 -- Kamuela Cobb-Adams -- LB
27 -- Al Hunter -- DB
7 -- Chris Shinnick -- DB
21 -- Eddie Klaneski -- DB
23 -- Donnell Williams -- DB

Brigham Young Offense

No. -- Name -- Pos.
86 -- Ben Cahoon -- WR
73 -- Eric Bateman -- RT
76 -- Matt Cox -- RG
79 -- Jason Andersen -- C
70 -- Hauoli Wong -- LG
75 -- John Tait -- LT
84 -- John Moala -- TE
19 -- Paul Shoemaker -- QB
32 -- Dustin Johnson -- FB
20 -- Brian McKenzie -- FB
17 -- Aaron Roderick -- WR

Brigham Young Defense

No. -- Name -- Pos.
56 -- Ed Kehl -- LE
97 -- Daren Yancey -- LT
98 -- Issiah Magalei -- RT
93 -- Byron Frisch -- RE
41 -- Spencer Reid -- LB
44 -- Rob Morris -- LB
10 -- Brad Martin -- LB
1 -- Omar Morgan -- DB
2 -- Jason Walker -- DB
18 -- Derick Bates -- DB
30 -- Ben Cook -- DB

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