Thursday, October 29, 1998
For Rainbows,
even practice
is getting ugly
The 'Bows need to put yesterday's
By Paul Arnett
fiasco behind them as they prepare
for Saturday's game against UTEP
Star-BulletinAll you had to do to feel the pain of Hawaii offensive coordinator Don Lindsey was attend yesterday's practice at Cooke Field.
Try as they might, the Rainbows couldn't put together a sustained drive against the top defense in an impromptu scrimmage called by UH head coach Fred vonAppen.
With quarterback Dan Robinson sidelined with a variety of aches and pains, Lindsey returned to the option phase of his playbook in hopes of finding some long-lost offensive punch for Saturday game at Texas-El Paso.
"It really doesn't matter how good or bad UTEP is," Lindsey said. "If we run our offense this weekend like we did today, we probably won't score a point.
"We haven't been able to run, so the fact that they're near the bottom of the league in that category (rushing defense) doesn't matter.
"Without Dan, I don't think we're going to be passing the football a lot. So it doesn't really matter that they're near the bottom of the league in that category (passing defense), either. We have to concern ourselves with ourselves first, and then try to go from there."
UTEP is last in the league and No. 106 in the nation in total defense, yielding a whopping 459.7 yards a game. Teams have rushed for 228.9 yards and passed for 230.8 en route to scoring 27.6 points a game.
The Miners' leading tacklers are middle linebacker Dale Kirby with 81 and defensive end Brian Young with 75. New Mexico scored the fewest points against UTEP with 19.
"I'm a little surprised they're giving up numbers like those because (UTEP head coach) Charlie Bailey has a sound defensive mind," Lindsey said. "I expect they'll come at us in the old Chicago Bears' 46 defense.
"You'll see them in double eagle, 4-3, 5-2 and even some 3-4. They line up a lot like us on defense. It won't be anything we haven't already seen.
"What it will come down to is our execution. And you saw what it was like out there today. It's mind-boggling to me. I've never seen or been around anything quite like it."
Don't tell that to UH defensive coordinator Tom Williams. He needs the offense to come up big and quick to give his injured troops a break.
The good news is, injured cornerback Quincy LeJay has recovered from a bruised shoulder and will start. But there are plenty of other injuries to go around, especially at linebacker.
"We've lost so many guys at that position, I've lost count," Williams said. "The newest is Joaquin Avila (ankle), which hurts us inside.
"We've already lost Jeff Ulbrich (knee) for the season and Stephen Gonzales (ankle) still isn't at full speed. So it's going to be tough, especially trying to stop their running game."
The Miners have a penchant for running the ball right at you. They line up in the traditional I formation where they not only run the toss sweep, but some isolation and belly plays inside the tackles as well.
UTEP enters the Western Athletic Conference game ranked 25th nationally in rushing, averaging 189.3 yards a game. The Miners' big horse is running back Paul Smith, who has gained 587 yards on the ground, but scored only one touchdown.
Should the running game falter, the Miners aren't all that bad through the air. Wide receiver Jimmy Carpenter has 29 catches for 332 yards, but has yet to score.
"They like to use him over the middle in short-yardage situations," Williams said. "They soften you up with the running game, then look for Carpenter sneaking in between the linebackers and the safeties.
"He's a competent receiver, but he's not really a deep threat. They like to mix the pass with the run and are pretty good at it. They scored 26 points off Oregon, so they aren't half bad."
UTEP uses two quarterbacks. John Rayborn will start, but don't be surprised if Rocky Perez sees some playing time. Rayborn has passed for 739 yards and four touchdowns and Perez has thrown for 405 yards and one touchdown. Perez also has 130 yards and one score on the ground.
"They aren't the best quarterbacks we've faced, but they're competent," Williams said. "They like to run more than pass, and I like that because it's easier to defend.
"If they let us, we'll try to put eight men in the box. This is another big challenge for us. We need to control them the best we can and hopefully our offense can score some points."
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