Friday, November 13, 1998
’Dogs hungry
for UH
The Fresno State football team
By Paul Arnett
remembers last year's
loss to Hawaii
Star-BulletinFRESNO, Calif. -- The only thing Fresno State head coach Pat Hill needs to do is show the film of last year's loss to Hawaii and his Bulldogs will be a huddle of Cujos.
Since that 28-16 Hawaii win, the Rainbows have reeled off 15 consecutive defeats to gain control of the nation's longest losing streak. They also have dropped 23 consecutive Western Athletic Conference road games with UH head coach Fred vonAppen at the helm in 11 of those losses.
After reviewing those numbers, that should be all the confidence the Bulldogs need, but don't tell that to Hill. He views it the other way around.
"We haven't played well enough to be a confident team," Hill said. "For us, after the way we played last week in San Diego where we were completely dominated, we need to work on our offense more.
"I know Hawaii has had a tough time, but the last time they won was against us. We have our work cut out for us because they should be the ones confident coming into this game."
That may be a bit of a stretch from where vonAppen sits as his injury-riddled group tries to shake off the effects of being one of the worst teams in America.
There have been some subtle signs of improvement this season. For one, the Rainbows are ranked nationally in punt and kickoff returns. Place-kicker Chad Shrout is finally getting comfortable kicking field goals, although his punting remains inconsistent.
The Rainbows also are running the ball better. They've almost gained as many yards on the ground in the last two games as they had in the previous seven.
Defense is where the real downfall has been over the last month. And that can be directly attributed to season-long injuries in the front seven.
Hawaii is yielding an average of 34.2 points in its last five games. The only defensive player to start every game in this stretch at the same position is cornerback Quincy LeJay.
Matt Paul has started all of those games as well, but he has switched back and forth between the two inside linebacker spots.
"It's not the best way to do business, but it's what we've had to do really since fall camp," UH defensive coordinator Tom Williams said. "I see a lot of the guys we had penciled in as starters, standing on the sidelines.
"And I see a lot of guys we thought about bringing along slowly, out there playing most of the game. We'll play four freshmen and seven sophomores on Saturday, so it's less than ideal."
Fortunately for Hawaii, Fresno State hasn't been an offensive juggernaut this season. The old Bulldogs of the Jim Sweeney era were known for speedy receivers and strong-armed quarterbacks.
But this 1998 version isn't all that acquainted with the airways. The key to stopping Fresno State is zeroing in on tailback Jamie Kimbrough. He not only leads the team in rushing with 812 yards and seven touchdowns, he's also the second-leading receiver with 32 catches for 346 yards.
"We've got to keep a close eye on him because he's the focal point of their offense," vonAppen said. "We like to figure out ways to get the ball in the hands of Charles Tharp. They like to do the same with Kimbrough."
For the Rainbows to have any chance, Tharp has to put together another 100-yard performance. The sophomore has rushed for 272 yards in his last two games. Last year against Fresno State, Tharp had 29 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
UH offensive coordinator Don Lindsey said the Rainbows will continue to highlight Tharp. Lindsey will start Dan Robinson at quarterback, but give Bronson Liana a hard look as well.
"We think having defenses prepare for two types of offenses is beneficial for us," Lindsey said. "Dan and Bronson do different things well, but neither is good enough to carry the team.
"We can't win with Bronson just running and we can't win with Dan just passing. I think we saw that in a couple of games this year with New Mexico and UTEP."
Robinson has completed 100 of 229 passes for 1,401 yards and nine touchdowns. Fresno State counters with Billy Volek, who has completed 131 of 229 passes for 1,706 yards and seven TDs.
"I look for this game to be low-scoring and close," vonAppen said. "If we can limit our mistakes, stop having foolish turnovers and bad punts, then we have a chance to get a win."
WAC football
Matchup: Hawaii (0-9, 0-7) vs. Fresno State (3-6, 3-3)
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
