Morris a bright spot
for Hawaii

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

SAN DIEGO -- Wesley Morris was a big hit in a show that folded.

The Hawaii wide receiver caught eight passes for 146 yards, including a 52-yard scoring strike from quarterback Dan Robinson. But it was all for naught.

Despite not having any real answers for the senior from Compton, Calif., San Diego State still managed an easy 35-13 victory last night at Qualcomm Stadium to send Hawaii to an 0-5 start, the worst in school history.

''I was open all night, but Dan wasn't always able to find me,'' said Morris, who is the team's leading receiver with 27 catches for 375 yards. ''This game was frustrating because the offense finally got it going a little bit, but we lost anyway.

''I'm not the kind of guy to get down. I believe we're going to put it all together and win some football games before the year is through. We had our chances tonight, we just didn't take advantage of them enough of the time.''

Fellow wideout Dwight Carter got Hawaii off to a good start by hauling in a perfectly thrown pass from Robinson. The 20-yard touchdown catch gave Hawaii a 7-0 lead. It was only the second time the Rainbows have been in front this season.

''I was pretty well covered on the play,'' Carter said. ''I just went up and got it. Dan put it in there for me. It felt good to be in the lead. I just wish we could have held it.''

Robinson was dinged in the first half and wasn't always up to making the proper decisions. He still hit 18 of 30 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't throw an interception.

''We played better, but we still haven't had all 11 guys play well for four quarters,'' Robinson said. ''Our running game wasn't there and I made some bad reads. There was plenty of blame to go around.''

KICKING WOES: Chad Shrout is slowly improving his punting average, but his place-kicking still leaves something to be desired.

He not only had a 44-yard field-goal attempt partially blocked, he hit the left upright on an extra point as well. Shrout has connected on only two field goals this season and has missed his last four in a row.

''We make them in practice, but we can't get them through in a game,'' UH head coach Fred vonAppen said. ''It must be some kind of an NCAA record.''

On a brighter not, Shrout did average 41.7 yards on six punts, but one was returned 57 yards for a touchdown.

''The missed field goals are kind of a mental thing,'' Shrout said. ''I make them in practice and in warm-ups, but once I get in a game, something bad always seems to happen.''

INJURY UPDATE: Unlike San Diego State, Hawaii didn't suffer a major injury in last night's 11th consecutive loss dating back to last year.

Coming into the game, the Rainbows were missing several starters, including safety Phil Austin, running back Calvin Mims, and linebackers Stephen Gonzales and Rinda Brooks.

San Diego State lost wide receivers Lonny Mitchell (knee) and Jesus Reyes (knee). Aztecs head coach Ted Tollner said he was hopeful to get back Reyes, but conceded Mitchell's return this season was unlikely.

AFOA HAPPY: Former UH assistant Ulima Afoa was in good spirits after the Aztecs beat the Rainbows for a ninth consecutive time.

He is currently coaching special teams and tight ends for the Aztecs this season. He is in the second year of his second tour of duty with San Diego State. Afoa was a full-time assistant for the Aztecs from 1983-93 before joining the Rainbows in 1995.

''We're starting to get our running game going, but we still need work in the passing game,'' Afoa said. "I had some mixed emotions out there because I still know a lot of the players on Hawaii's team. But it still felt good to get a win and stay in contention in the league.''