Defense has Hawaii's offense certainly put up some staggering statistics in last Saturday's 59-34 victory against Nevada.
been money
UH's D-line has invested
Football Notebook
in its coach's philosophyBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comTouchdowns on the first seven drives. A school-record 674 total yards. Another program milestone of 42 points in one quarter.
But the Warrior defensive line has produced some equally mind-numbing numbers throughout the season, according to the unit's coach, Vantz Singletary; four defensive linemen have averaged 50 or more plays per game.
"I like to look at how many plays these guys have been in," Singletary said as Hawaii (4-2, 3-1 Western Athletic Conference) prepared to host Tulsa (0-6, 0-2) tomorrow at Aloha Stadium. "Those numbers are extremely high, unheard of, for six games."
Holding the line
Four UH D-linemen average more than 50 plays a game
Name Plays Per game Tackles for loss/sacks Lance Samuseva 326 54.3 24 1/0 Isaac Sopoaga 317 52.8 34 2/0 La'anui Correa 306 51.0 22 4/2 Houston Ala 301 50.2 25 7/4 Travis LaBoy 225 45.0* 21 5/1 Kevin Jackson 255 42.5 14 1/1 Abu Ma'afala 130 26.0* 7 1/.5
*LaBoy and Ma'afala have played in five games
Singletary said when a team uses the run-and-shoot offense, "You might as well throw most (defensive) stats out the window. We have to find other ways to measure success. Durability is an important one. It tallies up, all the contact, pursuit, tackling, getting chopped."Although the Warriors rotate seven primary players on what is usually a four-man front, they are in for more snaps than linemen on other teams because UH's defense is on the field for up to 110 plays per game. But after a broken ankle suffered by Lui Fuga early in the first game, Hawaii's defensive tackles and ends have rarely missed a down to injury.
"The D-line has been pretty solid," coach June Jones said. "We have to eliminate mental errors, but physically we have a chance to be pretty good. They've battled through pain. They suck it up and go."
Not that they haven't been banged around. Tackle Lance Samuseva continues to fight through a sore shoulder left over from last year, end Travis LaBoy has three or four old injuries he's dealing with, and Houston Ala (who has played well at tackle and end) sprained an ankle last Saturday.
Singletary said Ala, who didn't practice early in the week, might be limited tomorrow against Tulsa. LaBoy might start in his place, but Singletary said that would be a game-day decision. Ala practiced yesterday and seemed to be OK.
"It's sort of a trademark for us," Samuseva said. "To be on this team and to play football you learn to play with pain."
The Warriors have avoided serious injuries on the front line for several reasons, Singletary said.
"Being smart at practice and not going to the ground, being conscious of our contact. We try to use pads a lot in our drills and not let guys bang each other up physically. We'll have a dummy or a bag put between when they're bludgeoning," Singletary said. "We save the thump, thump stuff for game day."
Not that the Warriors don't work hard during the week.
"I tell them it's like a bank account," said Singletary, who has posted dollar signs along with a "Beware of Dogs" sign on his unit's meeting-room door. "You make your deposits Monday through Friday and make your withdrawals on Saturday. If you don't make that investment, you go bankrupt. I sing them that old O'Jays song, 'Money, Money, Money,' and I tell them every time you see a quarterback in the game, think of him as a cash register. Cha-ching, cha-ching."
Samuseva, Ala, LaBoy, ends La'anui Correa and Kevin Jackson, and tackles Isaac Sopoaga and Abu Ma'afala have helped the Warriors cash in four times in the win column.
"To be successful we have to have good line play to stop the run, and we have to create turnovers," defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "In the games that we've had good line play, we've won. They're making great strides and it's going to be important for them to play well this week."
When: Tomorrow, 6:05 p.m. Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Where: Aloha Stadium
Tickets: $21 sideline, $16 end zone, $12 students/seniors, UH students free (super rooter only). Available at Aloha Stadium, except for student tickets at Stan Sheriff Center. Also at Ticket Plus outlets or by calling (808) 526-4400.
TV: KFVE (Channel 5), delay at 10 p.m., with rebroadcast Sunday at 9 a.m. Also available live on Pay-Per-View. Call 625-8100 on Oahu or (866) 566-7784 on neighbor islands to subscribe.
Radio: 1420-AM
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