VonAppen gets official word on his contract

University of Hawaii head coach Fred vonAppen appeared at a press conference this morning with school president Kenneth Mortimer and athletic director Hugh Yoshida to officially announce his contract extension.

"We're going to show a united front and hopefully we can remain that way in the future," vonAppen said yesterday afternoon. "We still need to get a firm plan in place so we can keep this thing going for a while.

"But we also have to iron out several major contract issues, including pay and retirement plans for our coaches, cost-of-living increases, that sort of thing. We need a firm commitment from the governor on down."

Mortimer approved a recommendation by Yoshida to add two years to vonAppen's current contract. Added to the year left from his original contract, vonAppen will be under contract for three more seasons. The Board of Regents gave its approval Nov. 13.

"We've made some progress this year," vonAppen said. "I know we're a better team than we were a year ago, even if our won-loss record doesn't reflect it. But we've still got a long way to go."

CENTURY CITY: The Rainbows had a wide receiver and a running back crack the century mark for the first time in one game. Freshman tailback Charles Tharp carried the football 26 times for 107 yards, while receiver Wesley Morris pulled down three passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.

"That's a good accomplishment for us, but it doesn't mean as much because we lost," said Morris, who had a 59-yard scoring catch. That play was Hawaii's longest play from scrimmage this season.

For Tharp, it was the third time he has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game. The other two were in the wins over Northridge and Fresno State.

Tharp made another case for being the WAC newcomer of the year in the Pacific Division. He not only rushed for 107 yards, but had four receptions for 32 yards and averaged 32 yards on two pooch kicks. Tharp leads Hawaii in rushing with 682 yards and in receiving with 37 for 395 yards.

TURNOVER COUNTRY: Through the first four games of the season, Hawaii was ranked first in the WAC and No. 13 in the country in turnover margin with a plus 1.5 average per game.

Hawaii had 13 takeaways and only seven turnovers, but my how things have changed. Over the last six games, Hawaii has 23 turnovers and only nine takeaways, including three in Saturday night's loss.

Most of Hawaii's turnovers are on interceptions. The Rainbows are second to Nevada-Las Vegas for the season with 21 in that category. Quarterback Josh Skinner has thrown 12, including 10 in his last four games, and senior Tim Carey has tossed nine.

GETS THE BOOT: Punter Chad Shrout took a back seat to the opposition's kicker for the first time this season. Northeast Louisiana punter averaged 45.6 yards on nine kicks, while Shrout averaged 41 on five.

Shrout fell to sixth in the nation, averaging 46.13 yards a kick. The Rainbows continue to struggle on net punting. They had another blocked kick that led to a crucial field goal and yielded three returns for 34 yards.

On a brighter note, Eric Hannum is quietly having a good season. The sophomore hit two of three field goals in Saturday's loss to Northeast Louisiana, including a 22-yarder in overtime that briefly gave the Rainbows the lead. He is 12 for 21 on field goals and has connected on all 17 of his PATs.

KEEPING HIM OUT: Talented Northeast Louisiana defensive end Steve Foley came into the UH game with 17.5 quarterback sacks and 24.5 tackles for losses. He wasn't much of a factor, despite coming at the Rainbows from all points on the field.

He finished with only one sack and that occurred late in the fourth quarter. Foley still managed seven tackles, including two for losses.

"He is built like a tackle, but he has great quickness," offensive left tackle Adrian Klemm said. "He lined up all over the field. They definitely feature him. For the most part, I thought we kept him out pretty well."

INJURY UPDATE: Klemm reinjured a sprained ankle, but is probable. Hawaii suffered no other major injuries. -- By Paul Arnett

---

http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu