Uncertainty could
hurt UH recruiting

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

It would seem prudent for University of Hawaii president Kenneth Mortimer and athletic director Hugh Yoshida to reach a decision as soon as possible concerning the future of Rainbows head coach Fred vonAppen.

Next week, colleges will start paying visits to high schools and junior colleges of potential recruits through the month of November. Home visits begin in December.

Competing colleges will use Hawaii's uncertain status against it in the recruiting wars. It's tough to recruit if the coaching staff doesn't know how long it will still be around.

At this point, the earliest possible meeting Mortimer can have with the Board of Regents to present his ideas to a committee is Nov. 13-14 on Maui. VonAppen said yesterday he didn't want to discuss it.

"I don't want anything to take away from my job on the field and that's to win football games," vonAppen said. "There's nothing new to report."

Mortimer continued his high visibility campaign after the game. He went into the Rainbows' locker room and shook hands with several players, telling them they had nothing to be ashamed of in the 10-3 loss to San Diego State.

HE WAS THERE: For those who thought Charles Tharp was open on the fourth-and-goal play from the three, you were right.

The freshman running back was open for an instant, but quarterback Josh Skinner failed to deliver the football. San Diego State defensive back Jason Moore closed quickly on Tharp to force Skinner to scramble. He was eventually tackled on the 15.

"If he throws it right away, we might have a touchdown," vonAppen said. "Who knows? He didn't, so we move on. But the thing is, he should have thrown it, no matter what. There was no way he could get to the edge. You have to throw it in the end zone to give yourself a chance to score."

Tharp thought he was open initially, but Moore was on him a split-second later.

"Josh didn't see me until it was too late," Tharp said. "We tried to flood the zone with three receivers, but nobody was open."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: WAC leading punter Chad Shrout only had two kicks for an average of 40.5 yards in the loss to San Diego State. There wasn't a return on either punt. For the season, Shrout still has a league-best average of 47.04 yards on 50 punts. He is third in the nation.

The only other individual Rainbow with national numbers is running back Charles Tharp. He is No. 46 nationally in all-purpose yards, averaging 122.50 a game.

On a team basis, the UH defense continued its slow climb to respectability. The Rainbows are No. 30 in the nation in total defense, yielding 321.3 yards a game, No. 31 in pass defense with an efficiency rating of 107.53 and No. 45 in rushing defense, giving up 134.1 yards a game.

The only other national number for Rainbows is on kickoff returns, where Hawaii is tied for No. 30 with the Air Force Academy, averaging 22.5 yards a return.

THARP EARNS HIS PAY: Tharp earned his scholarship in Saturday's league game. He had 28 carries for 92 yards and nine receptions for 115. Unfortunately for the Rainbows, it wasn't enough.

"We moved the chains, but we didn't score any touchdowns again," Tharp said. "That's happened too many times this year."

Tharp remains the leading rusher for Hawaii with 503 yards on 112 carries and two touchdowns. He's also first in receptions with 26 for 285 yards and one score.

INJURY UPDATE: Senior cornerback Blase Austin sprained his knee in the first half and is probably out for the season.

"That's a big loss for us," UH defensive coordinator Don Lindsey said. "Sometimes Blase scared you to death, but he tried hard. He was aggressive out there. We're going to miss him."

Fellow defensive backs Al Hunter (ankle sprain) and Ron Wood (concussion) are questionable. So is senior quarterback Tim Carey (shoulder). The Rainbows have several other players banged up, including offensive tackle Adrian Klemm (knee), defensive nose tackle Bob Piggot (knee) and linebacker Doug Rosevold (knee). They are probable for this weekend's Western Athletic Conference game with Air Force.

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