WARRIOR FOOTBALL
Warrior Replay
Five big plays from Hawaii's 61-17 win over LaTech
Chosen and described by the
Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon
1. Early stand
The Setup: Louisiana Tech 0, Hawaii 0; less than 13:30 remaining, first quarter, Louisiana Tech ball, third and goal at Hawaii 13.
The Play: Louisiana Tech quarterback Zac Champion tries to find tight end Dennis Morris in the end zone, but his throw is off-target and Morris is well-covered by Gerard Lewis.
The Impact: Louisiana Tech took the opening kickoff and covered 70 yards on the first three plays, but pressure from Tyson Kafentzis, Ikaika Alama-Francis and Melila Purcell forces Champion into incomplete passes before the one on third down. Louisiana Tech settles for a 30-yard field goal by Danny Horwedel.
Hawaii coach June Jones: "The way they started off, I thought it might go again (like last year's 46-14 Louisiana Tech win). They took the ball right down the field and I'm glad we held them to a field goal."
2. Moving the line
The Setup: Louisiana Tech 3, Hawaii 0; 10:30 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, third and goal at Louisiana Tech 1.
The Play: Reagan Mauia, playing for injured Nate Ilaoa, takes a handoff from Colt Brennan and heads for the line. He's met there by linebacker Anthony Crosby. Mauia's 290 pounds is enough to win the battle against Crosby's 227, and Hawaii gets its first touchdown and first lead of the night.
The Impact: Ilaoa is Hawaii's most versatile offensive weapon, but Mauia brings his own set of skills to the game. In addition to providing dominant pass blocking, Mauia rushes six times for 52 yards and two touchdowns and catches one pass for 4 yards.
Mauia: "When the opportunity's given you have to take it and run. ... It's been a while since I smelled the end zone. (Jones) was like, 'Don't worry, you'll get another one tonight.' "
3. Big hit
The Setup: Hawaii 9, Louisiana Tech 3; 1:20 remaining, first quarter, Louisiana Tech ball, first and 10 at Louisiana Tech 47.
The Play: Running back Daniel Porter cuts back through a nice hole and gets into the Hawaii secondary. Myron Newberry gets low and knocks him off balance, and then Leonard Peters finishes Porter with a flattening high-velocity body slam.
The Impact: Although Louisiana Tech scored two plays later on a 43-yard pass, Peters' hit set the tone for Hawaii's defense for the rest of the game and it did not allow another score until the final 17 seconds. Peters played despite missing practice with a wobbly knee during the week.
Peters: "We're having a lot of fun, smiling and yelling. It's not like we're even playing a real game, it's more like we're playing on the beach or something. That's the way the game should be, it should be fun."
4. Back-side read
The Setup: Louisiana Tech 10, Hawaii 9; less than 14:00 remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 9 at Louisiana Tech 18.
The Play: Brennan's first two options to the right don't look very good, so he checks back to his left. Ross Dickerson is open, but the safety is heading toward him. That leaves Chad Mock open running a post in the back of the end zone. Mock makes the catch for his second touchdown of the season.
The Impact: Brennan gets his first of four touchdown passes after Hawaii fails to score on a pass in the first quarter for the first time since its loss at Boise State seven games ago. But it doesn't matter, as this was the first of eight scores in a row that would give Hawaii a 61-10 lead.
Brennan: "I just threw it in the area I thought he would be in and Chad went up and got the ball and made the play."
5. Pick and grin
The Setup: Hawaii 33, Louisiana Tech 10; 11:15 remaining, third quarter, Louisiana Tech ball, third and 5 at own 40.
The Play: Champion throws a pass and Lewis steps in front of the intended receiver, catches the ball and returns it 33 yards to the Louisiana Tech 19.
The Impact: On the next play, Brennan dumps off a short pass to Davone Bess on the left. He cuts back to the right and follows Dickerson's block into the end zone for his first of two touchdown catches. Later, Hawaii turns a Newberry interception into a touchdown.
Lewis: "I had the deep half and the dude came into my half and I broke on the ball. I don't think the quarterback saw me. We're starting to get a name for ourselves as not just an offensive team; teams know we also play defense."