Bobbitt will miss
first two games

Celnell Bobbitt could only ride the stationary bike and think about what might have been.

The top left cornerback coming out of spring football will probably miss the first two games of the season with a stress fracture to the fibula that he suffered at last Wednesday's practice.

At first, the senior from Killeen, Texas, thought it was a bruise, but X-rays determined otherwise. All he can do is rest and rehabilitate it for the next few weeks.

"It's not as bad as it could have been," Bobbitt said. "It's only for two games. At first, I hated the way the schedule was set up (two games in 16 days), but now, it worked out to my favor."

Junior college transfer Quincy LeJay moved into the starting lineup. The former Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) College standout believes he's up to the task.

"It was very unexpected, but I'll be able to step up and play," the Chino Hills, Calif., resident said. "It's unfortunate Celnell's out and I'm sure he'll be back to contribute. And I'll be happy for him.

"I'm kind of excited about starting. I'm sure the team will be ready and I'll be ready. I know some of Arizona's receivers and some of their defensive players, so I have a good idea about them."

UH secondary coach Mickey Pruitt believes LeJay has a good enough feel not to be a liability, even if Arizona has two talented receivers with big-play capabilities.

"He has to step up really quickly," Pruitt said. "He has been doing a really good job. It was pretty much up for grabs on that side and he was one of the guys competing for it.

"It's not scary, but the thing is, I really don't know how Quincy is going to react in a game. We're going to throw him in with the wolves and see if he makes it out."

PIGG MAKES MOVE: Stanford transfer Jauron Pigg was moved from wide receiver to running back yesterday by UH head coach Fred vonAppen.

He will be at tailback behind Charles Tharp, Robert Grant and Fred Lau.

"We're going to try him back there and see how he works out," UH running backs coach Don Dillon said. "He has a lot of speed and we don't have much depth at that spot on the field.

"Robert has a lot of speed, but he's just a freshman. Jauron is not that high up on the depth chart for receivers, so we thought we would give him a look."

Pigg was a track star at Stanford, who transferred here last summer. He joined former Cardinal players Quincy Jacobs and Tim Carey. He still has two years of eligibility remaining.

"We want to get Jauron on the field and utilize his speed," vonAppen said. "I'm not saying he's going over there for good. We just want to give him a look and see if he can make it work."

INJURY REPORT: Quarterback Josh Skinner, linebacker Rinda Brooks and left tackle Kaulana Noa returned to practice yesterday after long leaves of absence.

Skinner missed a week of contact with a hip pointer he suffered during two-a-days. Brooks was sidelined for all of fall camp with a nasty hamstring pull and Noa returned after missing three days with an ankle sprain.

Daniel Ho-Ching is still nursing a bad hamstring pull and left guard Andy Phillips was held out of contact with a bad left shoulder.

Brooks and Ho-Ching are expected to play in the season opener against Arizona, but not be at full speed. Phillips is listed as day-to-day, but hopes to be in the starting lineup.

"I want to play, but I don't want to come back too soon and then be hurt all season," Phillips said.

PRESIDENT PAYS VISIT: UH president Kenneth Mortimer stopped by to pay a visit to the team during yesterday's practice.

He spoke briefly with the troops, told him the university was behind the team all the way, then had them surround him to break the huddle.

"It was nice of him to take time out of his busy day and pay us a visit," vonAppen said. "We gave him a new T-shirt and hat, so he could feel like he was part of the team, which obviously, he is."

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By Paul Arnett