Sidelines
Is UH ready to leave
Boise feeling blue?BEFORE football season even started, I had this week's game marked as a probable loss for the University of Hawaii.
With everything clicking at the end of the year I thought this year's bunch just might beat mighty Alabama. But going over the schedule in the middle of summer, I saw defeat for them this Saturday in the cold, dark night of Boise, Idaho.
Now? Now I don't know.
Boise State doesn't lose on the blue. Jeff Rhode's brother has the Bronco offense hopping.
June Jones said this will be the best team Hawaii has played. He's right. Jones said that UH will have to play its best game to win. He's right about that, too.
This is a tough, tough football game.
And it'll be cold, and dark, and far, far away.
IT'S EXCITING, ISN'T it? Big game. Very big game. And there's just enough uncertainty in the air to make you tingle. This is why they play these games.
This is why we watch.
Hawaii is just starting to get tuned up. You can see how close it is to turning that corner. This is what happened last year. But are they there yet? Are they ready for this?
With a win, UH could put itself in the driver's seat in the WAC title race.
Hawaii could do it. Hawaii could play its best game, on the road, under the lights.
Hawaii needs to solidify itself on offense. Signs point to UH getting close, but this is no time for close. This team has regressed on offense in its previous mainland trips. To win, Hawaii will need to take another step forward here.
To win, Timmy Chang must play a solid, confident game. He doesn't have to be spectacular, and an interception won't kill him. He doesn't need to have any big breakthrough. But he has to be determined, undaunted. He needs to play in the moment, the way he once did, forgetting everything but the rhythm of the game.
He needs to be the quarterback.
And I think Hawaii will need one ground-hugging, move-the-chains, run-the-clock, play-action, rollout, running-quarterback drive from Shawn Withy-Allen sometime in the game.
(I love Hawaii's offense with Withy-Allen. Readers know how I feel about Chang, and I still feel that way. Chang is the best passer and he's going to be a great one. But I love the offense when Withy-Allen is in there, the game plan, the package, the play-calling. Give the coach credit for being flexible, but Jones' long-range vision is Nick Rolovich against BYU, straight run-and-shoot, nonstop scoring, and that means Chang. Withy-Allen is a Dick Tomey quarterback, grind it out and get it done. That might explain why the fans have fallen for him.)
Hawaii's defense is dominating, but last Saturday's effort was so overwhelming it almost creates doubts. Were they really that good? Did that really happen?
Can they do it again?
You can see that every defender understands his place in Kevin Lempa's scheme. They've bought into it, it's working. You can see them setting each other up. You can see it happening, just the way it was drawn up.
Isaac Sopoaga did the impossible against SMU -- he lived up to the hype. Next to him, Lance Samuseva didn't get his name called as often, but may have had a better game. Samuseva played the kind of game that makes offensive linemen retire. At halftime.
If these two defensive tackles play like this against the rest of the WAC, look out.
But Boise State is not SMU.
And this game is a little bigger than that one, on the road, on the blue turf. This line is better. This safety brings the hammer. This quarterback can throw.
Kenny Patton's honeymoon is over.
Tough game. Big game. Very big game.
This is what happened last year, the week of Fresno State. You can see how close UH is to turning that corner.
But are they there yet? Are they ready for this?
Saturday, we find out.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com