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QB sneak
a surprise to Chang

WARRIOR FOOTBALL

UNIVERSITY of Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang didn't even know there was a sneak in the run-and-shoot until the play was called from the sidelines.

There isn't an edict for Chang not to rush the football, but unlike his Southern Methodist counterpart David Page, who scrambled madly to avoid the Warrior pass rush, the former St. Louis School star prefers to stand in the pocket and deliver.

So after sophomore linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa set up Hawaii near the goal line by forcing Page to fumble after a blindside hit, Chang took it in himself for the first rushing touchdown of his life.

"When coach called it, I was like, 'I never did get a call.' We usually give it to our fullbacks," Chang said.

Senior running back James Fenderson came over to inquire about it afterward, causing Chang to feel a little guilty.

"Fendo came over to me and said he was waiting for that belly call," Chang said. "I was like, 'Oh Fendo, I feel bad.' You know? We throw the ball so much, here. The running backs want to play, too. I should have called an audible on that because I really didn't want to. But it was all right."

Fenderson did get his first Division I touchdown on a 6-yard run in the first quarter. He finished with 52 yards on 13 carries and also managed eight catches for 35 yards.

Injury update

All jokes aside, the Hawaii defense is in need of repair. No one who played in Saturday's 30-15 victory over SMU is expected to miss this weekend, but all of the defensive linemen are playing in pain.

"It got so bad late in the game, we just went to our Oklahoma package where we have three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs," UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "We're so banged up right now, it's scary. I don't know what we're going to do this week."

Lempa is hopeful defensive end Joe Correia (sprained foot) and safety Dee Miller (hamstring) will return this week, but neither suited up Saturday night. Defensive linemen Mike Iosua (shoulder), Lui Fuga (shoulder), Chris Brown (shoulder), Doug Sims (knee) and Miles Garner (ankle) are hurting. So is middle linebacker Rinda Brooks, who was sidelined in the second half with a recurring hamstring pull.

"At one point, we had to move (freshman end) Houston Ala inside to tackle because we had nobody else," UH defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said. "Tonight, my guys were warriors out there."

Drop this

For the second consecutive game, wideout Ashley Lelie broke free for a potential touchdown, only to have the ball bounce off his hands.

June Jones came right back to him with a quick screen that Lelie turned into a nice gain.

"We try to get a player involved right away, who drops a pass like that," Jones said. "We're going to keep throwing to Ashley because he gets open deep."

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By Paul Arnett, Star-Bulletin