WARRIOR FOOTBALL
Milne hopes to accommodate family at Alabama game
Hawaii's punter is from Georgia, and many close to him will be just a 3-hour drive away
Kurt Milne is looking for more tickets to Hawaii's football game at Alabama on Sept. 2, and he has a much better chance of getting them than most people.
The Warriors' senior punter already has 12. Each player making the trip to the game is allotted four tickets, and snapper Jake Ingram and running back Reagan Mauia told Milne he can have theirs.
(By NCAA rules, players are not allowed to sell their tickets.)
"I can probably use a few more, but I'm not sure how many yet," Milne said after Saturday's practice, UH's second of fall camp.
Milne wants them because he has lots of family and friends who can make it to the game. He is from Roswell, Ga., which is near Atlanta and less than a 3-hour drive to Tuscaloosa and Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Alabama hosts Hawaii.
As a freshman in 2003, Milne played a key role in UH's 37-29 victory over the Crimson Tide at Aloha Stadium. Six of his eight punts resulted in Alabama starting behind its own 20, and four behind its own 10-yard line and not scoring.
» Inside linebackers coach Cal Lee didn't get to see his returning starters, Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard, for most of the summer.
They were at Leonard's home in Seattle, working out together with former NFL star Eric Metcalf. Lee said both came back in better shape than they left Hawaii in after spring camp.
"They're responsible people," Lee said. "They knew what they had to do and they did it. We knew they would be in top shape."
» Senior running back Nate Ilaoa's brother, Aaron, will be at the Alabama game. He's a Marine stationed in North Carolina.
"He's come to a lot of my games over the years, but that will probably be the only one this year," Ilaoa said. "He's getting sent out pretty soon, to Afghanistan again, I think.
Aaron has already served one tour each in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, Nate and Aaron's father, Filipo, is a retired Marine who was the highest-ranking enlisted man at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe. As Aaron prepares for another deployment, Nate said it makes him more aware of the sacrifices his brother, father and others have made.
"I was kind of young when my dad was out in Desert Storm and I didn't pay attention like I do now," Ilaoa said. "I have a lot more respect for that now. I think a lot about what my brother's doing, and about my dad being in Somalia and Desert Storm. Especially on this island you run into a lot of military people. Sometimes they recognize my dad. My hat's off to them."
Ilaoa was UH's leading rusher last season with 643 yards after moving from slotback. He received an additional season of eligibility from the NCAA because of injuries that caused him to miss nearly two full seasons.
» This week's schedule: The Warriors don shoulder pads for the first time in camp this afternoon. Practice is 4 to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow. They practice in the morning from 8:30 to 11:30 from Wednesday through Saturday, with walk-throughs in the afternoons from 3:30 to 5 p.m.