Thursday, September 3, 1998
[RAINBOW FOOTBALL PREVIEW]
[OFFENSE] [DEFENSE] [HIGH FIVE TO IMPROVING]
[1998 SCHEDULE]‘High 5’ to
improving the ’BowsThe offense has some basic tools, what they need now is to develop an identity and establish some consistency.
Don Lindsey wears a hard hat on some days and a deep, etched frown on others.Since learning in the early afternoons of 1998 that he would be attempting another by-God miracle, the newest in a long line of offensive coordinators for the Rainbows hasn't swayed under the burden he bares.
"Part of me has been chewed up inside, but that's what coaches have to live through," Lindsey said. "This has been difficult for me and a challenge for these players.
"I don't know if we're going to open in an option or come out throwing, I honestly couldn't tell you. Our offense lacks consistency because we have so much inexperience in the offensive line."
Lindsey has dabbed every color on the easel. Last spring, he opened with the Veer option out of the I-formation. He also split the backs, added the wishbone, lined up in a one-back, three-receiver set, threw in an offset I-configuration and even unveiled the shotgun.
"Since spring, we've tried a little bit of everything, I suppose, to see what we did best out of each of those formations," Lindsey said. "We even have double tight end, maximum protect and four wideout formations. We've got the toss sweep, the fullback dive and your basic off-tackle play. And we're not consistent in any of them."
Even the media couldn't whip up a good quarterback controversy because the rest of the offense is so unsettled. There are perhaps four proven players in the starting lineup. They are offensive lineman Kaulana Noa, wide receivers Eleu Kane and Wesley Morris, and tailback Charles Tharp.
You could make a case for junior quarterback Josh Skinner. After all, he started eight games in 1997. But since throwing that interception on the opening play of the loss to Notre Dame, Skinner has spent more time on the sideline than on the field.
He was injured in the Notre Dame game early in the first quarter. He spent most of spring out with a concussion. And fall camp came and went with Skinner rarely under center due to a hip pointer. He has not looked that good in practice, leaving Lindsey in a dilemma.
"Josh has not looked as good as he has needed to," Lindsey said. "I just don't understand that, it's difficult to put your finger on what is exactly wrong with him.
"And it will be difficult for Dan (Robinson) to run the option. Bronson (Liana) is the best athlete of the bunch, but he has no Division I experience. None. So what do you do?"
Probably punt early and often, leaving a heavy burden not only on the defense and special teams, but Lindsey as well.
The punt team has to protect Chad Shrout and use his skills as a weapon.
Be advised not to say the words "blocked kicks" whenever head coach Fred vonAppen is around.The other day, he heard a reporter utter those words as he was whisking through his own personal litany of mistakes the Rainbows can ill-afford to commit, or face the strong possibility of being buried alive by Arizona's Desert Swarm defense.
He finished his sentence with the words "blocked kicks" and then went into a delayed tirade reporters haven't heard in recent months. The vonAppen vent seemed to do the third-year head coach some good.
Fifteen minutes after saying he was going to bury his fist in the next person's face who uttered the words "blocked kicks," vonAppen came whistling down the walkway like a man without a care in the world.
But don't be fooled by this demeanor. Deep down inside, the words "blocked kicks" are branded in the head coach's brain. He spent all summer dusting off the designs he developed as special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers some 15 years ago.
He assigned close friend Don Dillon to handle punt protection and punt coverage, but in reality, the schemes Hawaii unveils tonight against Arizona to stop all those blocked kicks are vonAppen's.
So proceed with caution, those of you who may feel inclined to use the words "blocked kicks" in vonAppen's presence. He doesn't need reminding that Chad Shrout was the fifth-best punter in the nation in gross average, but one of the unluckiest guys around when it came to (quietly please) blocked kicks.
He had five punts blocked. Worse still, three of them were returned for touchdowns. Throw in Colorado State's two touchdown-producing punt returns of 60 and 80 yards, and BYU's 83-yard scoring scamper, and it's easy to understand how Hawaii yielded a staggering 639 yards for the season.
Something had to be done, but it wasn't easy. In the early days of fall camp, Shrout and vonAppen got into a shouting match concerning the concept of directional punts. For days, Shrout shanked more kicks than he cared to count. But he stuck with it, adjusted to the idea that a 40-yard hanger is better than a 60-yard bomb and appears prepared for the hasty boot in order to avoid those pesky (one last time with feeling) blocked kicks.
Veteran Kaulana Noa knocks people down. The rest of the offensive line is inexperienced, but should be old enough to take note.
The offensive linemen encircled Greg Olejack like Boy Scouts around a campfire.They had just finished one of the final practices of two-a-days, and were in need of some reassuring from their position coach.
"OK, men, we struggled some out there today, but lets get in the weight room and see if we can work off some of that frustration," Olejack said. "Don't get down, get better."
The o-line broke from the huddle and trundled off to the back reaches of the Stan Sheriff Center to get reacquainted with the iron. Tomorrow was another day to learn the new offense implemented by coordinator Don Lindsey. Tonight was the chance to get a little stronger in hopes of being a lot better on the practice field.
"We've heard what the coaches have been saying and we understand why they say it," junior tackle Kaulana Noa said. "They want us to be motivated and ready to play against a good team like Arizona."
Yeah, that's part of it. But there's also some cause for concern. An ankle injury to Noa left the Big Island boy hobbled on the sidelines for almost a week of fall camp. While away, his leadership was missed. Upon returning, his timing was off.
"We needed Kaulana practicing every day so he could be an anchor in there," Lindsey said. "Not only did his injury hurt his own progress, but it also hurt the progress of the team. We couldn't do much with him on the sidelines."
Nobody was happier to see Noa back on the field than Olejack. But the problem was obvious. Was it too late to do any good, especially in the nonconference matchup with Arizona? Noa pancaked all doubters just by saying no.
"I feel good, 100 percent," Noa said. "I just rolled up on my ankle a little bit. I'm fine. Our line will be fine, once we all get back in there. Coach has been hard on us, but it's because he wants us to be better."
Noa is nothing but better since starting the last 24 games up front for the Rainbows. The Honokaa High graduate redshirted in 1995 during Bob Wagner's final year, and has been a staple up front since vonAppen came on board.
"Noa will be a key for us this season, no doubt about it," vonAppen said. "We missed him during two-a-days. You could definitely tell the difference when he wasn't in there. Every coach will tell you that it all starts up front, especially on offense. If you can't block, you certainly can't move the football."
On defense, the front seven is solid. The secondary needs to look no further than to Daniel Ho-Ching for inspiration.
Two-time All-WAC free safety Eddie Klaneski believes in the heir apparent to his position.Now a student-assistant, Klaneski watches former teammate Daniel Ho-Ching every day at practice. He likes what he sees. A hamstring pull has slowed the junior from Long Beach, Calif., but Ho-Ching still brings a heavy load to unsuspecting receivers on crossing routes.
"Daniel can bring the wood," Klaneski said. "He can hit and once he gets used to playing back there full time, he can cover. I don't know if he has quite the same closing speed, but I believe in Daniel Ho-Ching."
How could you not? This is a kid, who intercepted a pass in Hawaii's 58-30 victory over Nevada-Las Vegas in September, 1995. It was the Rainbows' last win on the road and the final game Ho-Ching would play for three years.
While the war raged on that saw the end of Wagner's reign and the beginning of vonAppen's, Ho-Ching went through a battle of his own. He was diagnosed with lymphoma, and given about a 3-in-4 chance to live. Fortunately, those were good enough odds for Ho-Ching, who defeated cancer and is now preparing for his junior season.
"I never stopped believing that I would play again," said Ho-Ching, whose highlight last year was a blocked punt against Notre Dame. "I recovered thanks to the help and prayers of so many people."
Ho-Ching had an impressive spring. He knocked out quarterback Josh Skinner with a hit for the ages. It prompted UH assistant coach Don Lindsey to say, "We're going to have to hang a skull and crossbones around your neck."
An appropriate remark in more ways than one for a man who stared down death. He has the respect of his teammates and of Klaneski, who concedes that Ho-Ching must provide the leadership to help this inexperienced secondary be successful.
"You gotta admire the guy," Klaneski said. "He battled back from a lot of adversity."
That he did. Now, he has to overcome the down time. Granted, he played some last year, but it was mostly on special teams or as a fifth defensive back. As the starting free safety, the former high school quarterback is now the signal-caller on defense.
"I'm excited about being back and being one of the guys the team is counting on," Ho-Ching said. "We're a young secondary, but we've got some talent back here. We're a family. And a family counts on one another to get through."
Fred vonAppen's players believe in him. It's time for the coach to get them to take the next big step.
Fred vonAppen is a tricky man to pin down. While most of his players firmly believe in his outspoken ways, the third-year head coach for Hawaii displays mercurial mood swings with adults.You're never quite sure if vonAppen is going to slap you on the back or give you a backhand remark. It's part of his wit, his character, his very soul.
At times, it's best to look at him straight on and not pay too much attention to the sideshows that seem to go with him. He's well aware that it's time to put up or shut up. He will either turn around a program that flirts freely with failure, or be carried off, shoulder high, by his boys, who so steadfastly believed in him.
Sure, he's gruff. And ready to rumble with anyone who challenges his beliefs. But there's a sense of fairness about him. You play his way, and he'll run through the wall with you. Otherwise, there's the highway. And don't stumble on your way down it.
The question is: Can this direct approach work in Hawaii where people seem to prefer coming around back as opposed to straight ahead? That's the three-year gamble tossed down the dice table by UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida and approved by president Kenneth Mortimer.
Despite a shaky start, one in which the Rainbows won five and dropped 19, vonAppen was awarded a contract extension; partly because he turned around an abysmal academic performance in the classroom, and partly because he simply needed more time.
In a perfect world, UH football fans should expect a return on their dollar very soon. After all, this is vonAppen's third year. Shouldn't they be turning some kind of a corner by now?
Well, the Rainbows may do just that, but there's no way to tell how many wins and losses they'll find around that corner. There's little question this is a better football team than the one vonAppen fielded two years ago.
And yet, are they up to the rigors of a schedule that not only opens tonight against nationally ranked Arizona, but closes with defending national champion Michigan? That's a big leap of faith, but one vonAppen's players and assistants are willing to take.
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