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Press Box
Paul Arnett
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Buckle your seat belts, folks, the iron part of UH’s schedule awaits
How do you think June Jones is really feeling about now? Really feeling?
Does he believe his University of Hawaii football team belongs with the other five remaining unbeatens in the country? Really belong?
During this bye week, will quarterback Colt Brennan take this time to stick his ankle in a bucket of ice and leave it there to prepare for the stretch drive that promises numerous challenges?
How will his offense play on a dark, wintry November night in Nevada? If the snow is flying around in front of a frenzied crowd 5,000 feet above Honolulu, will Colt reach down inside himself and prove he's on the same playing field as the other Heisman candidates?
What if Fresno State comes in here and runs that same, old boring attack right down the throat of a defense still trying to find a comparable identity to that of the offense? Did anybody tune in to that crazy WAC game between Nevada and Boise State on Sunday night? After watching that, were you surprised Hawaii is not the only school in this league that can score more points than its basketball team?
Do you think the country will rediscover the Broncos, the darlings of last year's NCAA ball, should they win at Fresno State and Hawaii? Did anybody really realize that Boise State running back Ian Johnson may have a better chance of finishing in the final five of the Heisman race than Colt?
And even if Hawaii did manage to run the conference table and beat Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State, all in the same year since like ... forever, what will the Washington Huskies bring from the Pac-10 table after playing a half-dozen teams just as good as Hawaii? Will they roll over and play dead if a BCS bowl is on the line?
WHEN YOU'RE sitting up late night and start thinking about this Warriors football team, what gives you pause? Is it the special teams that can yield a 100-yard kickoff return one play and run one back equally far the next? Are you still a little uncomfortable about the run defense or how many catches and yards Fresno State tight end Bear Pascoe will rack up the first Saturday in November?
Is it just now sinking into your head that Colt won't throw 60 touchdown passes this year? You can't blame the pass protection he's had of late, so why has his completion rate dipped slightly to 69.5 percent against not a single school from the BCS? Will his sprained ankle cost him the Heisman or hurt Hawaii's chances of landing a BCS bid?
If you're some voter from the back woods of Alabama, why would you think Hawaii would beat any team in the Southeastern Conference on any given Saturday? Why would any of the six computers used in the BCS ratings give Hawaii the benefit of the doubt? With that in mind, even if Hawaii wins them all, will it be good enough to finish in the top 12 of the final BCS poll that's released less than 24 hours after the senior walk?
It's no wonder Jones rarely sleeps, is it? Really sleeps? With so much at stake, can you blame him for trying to put a positive spin on that muddy football used in last Friday's seventh straight win to begin the season? Really blame him?
After all, it wasn't so long ago that Hawaii lost every game played in one season, have you forgotten? Ever forgotten?
I didn't think so.
Sports Editor
Paul Arnett has been covering sports for the Star-Bulletin since 1990. Reach him at
parnett@starbulletin.com.