Linebacker Ulbrich gets
his kicks at practice

Inside linebacker Jeff Ulbrich took part in the field-goal phase of yesterday's practice.

He and punter Chad Shrout took turns kicking field goals from different points and distances on the field. Top place-kicker Eric Hannum also took part in the makeshift competition that UH head coach Fred vonAppen said was part fun, part serious. Ulbrich was a place-kicker last year at Gavilan (Calif.) College.

"I never really practiced kicking in junior college," Ulbrich said. "I just went in and kicked field goals and extra points during the games. It was fun kicking out here. If I practiced it every day, I think I could kick competitively."

So does vonAppen, who is always looking for an edge, especially on the road when a coach can take only 60 players. For now, Hannum is the man. But if he continues to struggle as he did in the Arizona game, don't be surprised if vonAppen makes a move.

"Eric is on scholarship, he's supposed to make those kicks," vonAppen said. "Jeff was pretty good from the right hash mark and middle of the field. But from the left side he struggled. We'll see. This was kind of for fun, but Jeff did show he can get it done from 40 yards and in."

RATINGS GAME: Arizona and Hawaii didn't exactly rake them in.

The Nielsen ratings released by ESPN for last Thursday's football game between the Rainbows and the Wildcats was .45 with a 1 share. That translates to about 300,000 households nationwide out of a possible 60.4 million.

By comparison, last January's Hula Bowl had a 1.83 rating with a 3 share. The Aloha Bowl was even higher at 5.3 with a 14 share.

KHNL-TV (Channel 5) announcer Jim Leahey said his station didn't do a ratings book on the delayed broadcast. The nonconference game was rebroadcast locally on ESPN2 (Channel 23) as well.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hawaii didn't many spots in the top 50 of the major statistical categories released by the NCAA.

But one that caught the eye of offensive coordinator Don Lindsey was the turnover margin. Hawaii didn't commit any and forced one to finish tied for No. 19 in that category.

"And that's a very important category for any team," Lindsey said. "I was proud of our guys for not turning over the football against a Wildcats defense that prides itself with its aggression and ability to force turnovers.

"You can't really teach that, but you can remind the guys to take care of the football on running plays and after making a catch. I was also proud of (UH quarterback) Dan (Robinson). He didn't force anything. He took a sack rather than run the risk of making a mistake."

Lindsey conceded that the Rainbows played it close to the vest. He heard the boos in the early going of the game, but as the defensive coordinator last year, he remembered too many times his unit trying to stop the opponent from 30 yards out.

"We wanted Arizona to earn their touchdowns," Lindsey said. "And one way to do that is to protect the football and not take any unnecessary chances. We did an excellent job of that. I just hope we're still in the top 20 of that category at the end of the season."

WAC TAKES HIT: Capitalizing on its improved bargaining position over the broken-up Western Athletic Conference, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has approved a revised financial agreement that slashes its guarantee in the football championship game from $1 million to $250,000, it was reported yesterday in the Las Vegas Sun.

"We understand their (LVCVA's) position on it," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said after the unanimous vote.

He said he has known about the details of the new agreement for six weeks, but had no leverage when eight schools bolted from the 16-team conference in May.

The LVCVA and the WAC were in the process of renegotiating the third year of an existing deal in January following the poorly attended 1997 WAC football championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium in December. Benson said the 1998 basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, won by UNLV, swung the momentum back to the WAC and the LVCVA was looking to lock up that event through 2000.

Then came the news of the breakup when eight core schools, including UNLV, announced plans to form their own conference after several institutions complained that the unwieldy 16-team WAC was discouraging several geographical rivalries.

"We've provided Las Vegas with four events in two years," Benson said. "We had a home run in the first football game (in which crowd favorite Brigham Young played) and the 1997 basketball tournament had moderate success. We've admitted that the 1997 football game was a disaster. But that's two home runs, one double and one strikeout. If you evaluate all four events, I'd say both the WAC and Las Vegas benefited."

SECONDARY LOOK: With so many defensive backs down and out, UH coaches took a hard look the past two days at Phil Austin as a possible cornerback.

The junior college transfer played safety against the Wildcats and likely will remain there.

"But we wanted to see him out there because we just weren't aggressive enough on the corners," UH secondary coach Mickey Pruitt said. "We want to give him a chance because he's a big hitter and we need that out there on the perimeter."

HOSPITAL VISIT: The team will take off part of tomorrow to visit Shriners Hospital for Children, vonAppen said last night.

"So many people give to us, this is a chance for us to give something back to the community," vonAppen said. "I believe the players enjoy doing this and I know the children get a kick out of seeing our guys."

VonAppen said the team will bring posters and autographed footballs. They will then take a team picture and hold a brief practice afterward.

"We're kind of beat up right now and a little listless," vonAppen said. "We will probably take Sunday off and hold a light workout Saturday morning."

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By Paul Arnett