Dickerson’s time is here

LAS CRUCES, N.M. » Ross Dickerson wore a Marine Corps shirt and a Detroit Tigers cap after Hawaii's 49-30 victory at New Mexico State last night.

Fitting, since Dickerson is a tough guy who seemingly came out of nowhere.

Dickerson has spent most of his career in the shadow of receivers like Chad Owens, Jason Rivers, Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins. Last night, he led the Warriors with six catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns and four kickoff returns for 158 yards.

Dickerson also caught 10 passes for 115 yards at Fresno State last week.

"Ross has played outstanding football the last couple weeks," UH coach June Jones said. "Kickoff returns, making big plays, run after the catch."

The 5-foot-10, 198-pound senior didn't shy away from contact last night, as he went right after Aggies defenders if it meant extra yards or reaching the goal line.

"That's the weightroom, getting in the weightroom, getting stronger," he said. "Some guys want to take me on, I'll take 'em."

Rivers has known Dickerson since eighth grade, when both were at Saint Louis School.

"He's tough. He's a hard runner. He has a passion for the game and he shows it every time he's on the field," Rivers said. "He's always aggressive. He used to play running back."

The breaks: The Warriors had two big calls go their way with the game close.

In the second quarter, with UH leading 21-17, Bess fumbled after catching a pass and NMSU recovered, but an inadvertent whistle gave Hawaii the ball back.

Then, late in the third quarter, with Hawaii nursing a 28-24 lead, an apparent fumble by Ian Sample and recovery by the Aggies' Derrick Richardson was ruled an incomplete pass.

Minor hurts: The Warriors suffered some injuries that knocked players out of the game, but only briefly.

Dickerson and defensive end Mel Purcell both had the wind knocked out of them. Defensive end Renolds Fruean and defensive tackle Mike Lafaele were in and out and in again.

Defensive end Keala Watson appeared to hurt his knee late in the game, but re-entered two plays later and said afterward he was OK.

Jones said he didn't expect any of the ailments to affect the Warriors next week against Idaho.

Lights-out performance: The field lights shut down right after the game, and a fireworks display commenced.

In the eerie semi-darkness, the Warriors did a postgame haka for about 200 fans.

Don't Mess With ...: UH's two new starting cornerbacks, Myron Newberry and Gerard Lewis, were in on 10 and eight tackles, respectively, and each intercepted a pass (although Newberry's was called back because of a penalty).

And safety Jake Patek saved a touchdown by knocking a ball out of Nick Cleaver's hands in the end zone, preventing NMSU from a game-tying score in the second quarter.

"We got called for blocking the quarterback on the interception," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said. "It would've been fun to have three Texas kids this close to Texas making three plays. God bless Texas."