THE bad thing about watching the football Rainbows on television -- as opposed to live at Aloha Stadium -- is the temptation to reach for the remote and channel-surf when they're getting their butts kicked. Now UH needs a crash
course in Defense 101That was the case last night as the free fall continued for the downtrodden Rainbows, 35-13 victims to the Aztecs of San Diego State at the sacrificial altar formerly known as Jack Murphy Stadium.
Nobody expected the Rainbows to win. But nobody expected them to play as poorly as they did, especially defensively.
In brushing up on Offense 101, the 'Bows forgot the first basic rule of Defense 101: tackle the ball carrier.
Time and again Aztec running backs Larry Ned and Jonas Lewis broke tackles for long gains after being bottled up at the line of scrimmage. They each ran for 100-plus yards as the UH defenders made them look like the second coming of Marshall Faulk.
Sure, the 'Bows scored the first and last touchdowns of the game on passes from Dan Robinson to Dwight Carter and Wesley Morris, respectively. But boy, was it painful in between.
THE eye-opening 7-0 lead roused Rainbow fans everywhere. After all, it was UH's first touchdown in three games. But the euphoria dissipated as quickly as the lead.
The 'Bows eventually had to punt, and you know that only bad things happen when they do. Sure enough, Damon Gourdine returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown and there was no stopping the Aztecs after that.
San Diego State broke open the game by scoring on four consecutive possessions to take a 35-7 lead.
I was more than ready to reach for the remote, especially after the Rainbows went three-and-out twice while the Aztecs were hardly molested in marching up and down the field.
But hey, UH is the only team we have. So it deserves our support to the bitter end. But the viewing was painful as the beat continued for the bumbling 'Bows:
If nothing else, the last item provides some comfort. Maybe it's just as well that UH doesn't play San Diego State anymore. The series has been more of a mismatch than UH vs. Brigham Young.Twenty-two consecutive Western Athletic Conference losses on the road.
OF course, KFVE-TV, the home-team station, is billing next Saturday's Hawaii-BYU game as "The Final Chapter" since it will be the last scheduled meeting between the teams now that they're going their separate ways.
The way the Rainbows are playing, it doesn't matter who's on their schedule. They would have a tough time against anyone.
At the moment, they're staring down the barrel of an 0-12 season, a scary prospect indeed.
Since UH played its first game in 1909, no Rainbow team has ever had a winless season. The closest call came in 1965, when the 'Bows, under Clark Shaughnessy, went 1-8-1. Then there was coach Fred vonAppen's first season, when the Rainbows went 2-10 in 1996.
I know vonAppen, like all other coaches, will tell you that one game does not a season make.
Knowing Rainbow fans, just beating BYU would make UH's season, no matter what happens the rest of the year.
Give BYU a tape of last night's game while you're at it. It would surely lull the Cougars into a false sense of security.