These Grinches didn't really steal Christmas. The Tulane Green Wave merely grabbed what they knew belonged to them, no matter what anybody else said ... bookmakers, media, any so-called expert. It's sort of the same attitude the football team that normally wears green at Aloha Stadium likes to project. 
The Warriors can't ride the
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Green Wave to a Hawaii Bowl win
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» Wave played like home team
» Last game biggest for CorreaDave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe Green Wave wasn't a shriveled up old creature in a Santa costume. It was an overpowering force, and at least for one day, a better football team than the Hawaii Warriors.
Tulane came into the ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl as 12-point underdogs. It left a 36-28 winner, its defense's sack full of eight sacks, and the only team other than Alabama to beat UH here this year. Tulane finished at 8-5, Hawaii ended its longest season at 10-4.
"They're kind of like us," Hawaii right guard Vince Manuwai said after his last game as a Warrior. "A lot of teams underdog them, like they do us. Cincinnati, TCU, Southern Miss didn't give them the benefit of a doubt. Same thing for us against Fresno State and Alabama. But you tell someone they're an underdog and it makes them fight harder."
Tulane's mettle was tested as Hawaii took a 14-0 lead, but the Green Wave battled back to take a 26-14 advantage and hold off a late Warriors rally.
"During the course of the game, there are four or five plays that make a difference and we were able to make some of them," said Tulane coach Chris Scelfo, whose opportunistic team once again won the turnover battle, this time 3-1.
Hawaii didn't dwell on it, but some will wonder if any of the several sidelined Warriors might have made a difference. For most or all of the game, quarterback Tim Chang had a towel on his head and his thumb in a wrap. Starting center Lui Fuata wore sunglasses and a limp. Starting left tackle Wayne Hunter sat on the bench with a sore back. All-WAC safety Hyrum Peters led an inspirational pregame dance, but his wrenched knee kept him off the field when it counted. Running back Mike Bass sat this one out, also with a bum knee. Special teams dynamo Chad Kapanui was ejected early in the second half.
If the absence of Chang, who re-injured the thumb on his throwing hand in the first half, didn't hurt the most, Fuata and Hunter being out did. The eight sacks -- half a season's worth for a healthy Warriors offensive line -- certainly helped do in Hawaii.
DENNIS ODA DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Senior QB Shawn Withy-Allen collapsed to the turf after Hawaii lost to Tulane in the Hawaii Bowl yesterday. Withy-Allen passed for 239 yards.
The injuries disrupted three O-line positions, since starting right tackle Uriah Moenoa was moved to left tackle, freshman Derek Faavi started his third game at center, and Ryan Santos started his first game at right tackle.
But offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh blamed poor execution.
"When you get beat, you get beat because of technique," he said. "We got beat individually."
Hawaii coach June Jones said Tulane won as a team.
"We're physically better, but when you come together as one, that makes a big difference," Jones said. "They've got good kids and they play good football. I don't think (the injuries) affected us. I still think if we had made some plays to stop them we would've won and we didn't do that. We kept putting our defense in a hole. When they get 20 straight points ... it's a team game."
Tulane cornerback and kick returner Lynaris Elpheage's 60-yard punt return gave the Green Wave their first touchdown. That was quickly followed by his 56-yard jaunt the next time UH's Mat McBriar kicked, giving Tulane the ball at Hawaii's 17. It set up quarterback J.P. Losman's 2-yard TD run that gave the Green Wave their first lead and one they would keep despite two fourth-quarter scoring passes from Shawn Withy-Allen to Justin Colbert.
On this underdog day afternoon, Elpheage and Colbert -- two of the smallest players on the field -- took home the MVP trophies. Colbert had 158 yards on nine catches in his final UH game.
The Green Wave showed a hint they might be the hungrier team earlier in the week, narrowly winning a steak-eating contest. But the Warriors displayed the desire early. They led 14-6 at halftime on the strength of defense and accurate passing early in the game by Chang.
A case could have been made for senior defensive end La'anui Correa as Hawaii's MVP. He had four tackles for loss, including a 15-yard sack, among his eight stops. Fellow defensive end Travis LaBoy, cornerback Abraham Elimimian and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa also had eight tackles.
The Green Wave had only two Seth Marler field goals to show for seven first-half incursions into Hawaii territory.
"We did some good things in the first half," Hawaii defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "But that running back, he's a good one."
That would be Mewelde Moore, who managed 116 yards on 30 carries -- after he was limited to 22 rushing yards on 12 first-half carries, and Losman left the game for a play after LaBoy blindsided him for a 9-yard loss early in the second quarter.
But Losman -- and the Wave -- came back and kept pounding.
"We just had to believe in ourselves," said Losman, who finished with 240 yards on 20 completions in 39 attempts. "We took their best shot, and that's what we talked about at halftime. All week everything was about Hawaii defending its team. We knew all along we had to come back from some adversity so it wasn't anything new. Just play as hard as you can."
Chang, who completed 14 of 21 passes, directed first-half touchdown drives of 64 and 65 yards before re-injuring the thumb.
"The doctors say it's not broken, but it's a re-injury and I couldn't grip the ball right," Chang said. "It's a stupid thing, but when one guy goes down another steps up."
Withy-Allen completed 18 of 31 passes for 239 yards and the two touchdowns, but he was also intercepted by Sean Lucas and sacked five times.
Lucas led Tulane with eight tackles and also had a sack.
Hawaii was to receive to start the game, but Marler tapped the ball 13 yards in front of himself and recovered the onside kick. But the Green Wave were halted at the Warriors' 36, and Marler's 53-yard field-goal attempt went wide left.
Seven plays later, Thero Mitchell's 11th touchdown of the season, a 1-yard run, capped Hawaii's first possession. The big play was a screen pass to Colbert that went for a 39-yard gain after Colbert cut through and past Tulane's defense.
Tulane got on the board at 5:01 before halftime on Marler's 22-yard field goal. He added a 37-yarder with 2:28 left.
After Elphiage's explosions, Moore scored on a 25-yard run after Terrance Tarver recovered Withy-Allen's fumble at the Hawaii 40, and the Green Wave led 26-14 with 2:16 left in the third quarter.
After the first of two blocked field goals by Elimimian, UH went for it on fourth-and-one at its own 43. But instead of just going for the first down, Withy-Allen hit Colbert on a 17-yard out pattern, and Colbert was home free after beating a late safety. Hawaii was back in the game at 26-21.
Hawaii still had a chance after a second TD run by Losman (3 yards) and Colbert's second scoring pass from Withy-Allen. It was 34-28, with Tulane driving with four minutes left.
On third-and-six at UH's 34 (thanks to a failed onside kick by Hawaii), Losman rolled right and threw into the end zone for Tristan Smith. But Leonard Peters and David Gilmore broke up the play.
Marler's punt was downed at the 1 by Joey Dawson, and the Warriors took over with 3:17 left. Three plays later, Withy-Allen was sacked by Roxie Shelvin, and the ball went out of the back of the end zone for a safety, icing the victory for Tulane.
"We did a lot of stupid things," Jones said.
Tulane won the special teams battle decisively yesterday, and the kicking game coup de grace came when Joey Dawson downed Seth Marler's 33-yard punt at the Hawaii 1-yard line with 3 minutes and 17 seconds left and the Green Wave leading by six. [ TURNING POINT ]
Great punt coverage
put Hawaii in holeThree plays later, UH quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen was hit hard by Roxie Shelvin and Withy-Allen fumbled out of his end zone for a safety.
"Our biggest error was not having a guy back on the punt. They put us on the 1 and that killed us," said Jones, who went without a deep return man as a precaution against a fake. "Sometimes you get away with that, sometimes you don't."
Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin
[ COMING UP ]
Akron kicks off Hawaii's 2003 schedule
Hawaii begins its 2003 season against Akron at Aloha Stadium on Aug. 30.The Zips went 4-8 and 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference. Akron completed its season with a 48-10 victory over rival Kent, as sophomore quarterback Charlie Frye completed 15 of 21 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on a 3-yard run.
After Akron, UH's schedule continues with games at USC (Sept. 13) and UNLV (Sept. 20).
The Warriors open Western Athletic Conference play hosting Rice (Sept. 27). They alternate road and home games throughout the WAC schedule: at Tulsa (Oct. 4), Fresno State (Oct. 11), at Louisiana Tech (Oct. 18), Texas-El Paso (Oct. 25), at San Jose State (Nov. 1), Boise State (Nov. 8) and at Nevada (Nov. 15).
Hawaii finishes with home nonconference games against Army (Nov. 22) and Alabama (Nov. 29).
Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin
UH Athletics
