WARRIOR FOOTBALL
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Fans lifted Warriors quarterback Colt Brennan on their shoulders after Hawaii clinched the WAC title with a win over Boise State.
|
|
Warriors’ season of joy ended in pain
The 2007 University of Hawaii football season was like a precious but imperfect gem -- beautiful, but obviously flawed.
Year of Honors
Five Warriors earned All-America honors during Hawaii's 12-1 season, and many others, including head coach June Jones, received conference honors. Here's a recap:
ALL-AMERICA HONOREES
Davone Bess, receiver
» Associated Press All-America third team
» Walter Camp All-America second team
» Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention
» Rivals.com All-America third team
» All-WAC first team;
» WAC special unit award
Colt Brennan, quarterback
» Third place in Heisman Trophy voting
» Associated Press All-America third team
» Sports Illustrated All-America second team
» WAC Offensive Player of the Year
» All-WAC first team
Ryan Grice-Mullins, receiver
» Sports Illustrated All-America second team
» All-WAC first team
» WAC special unit award
Jason Rivers, wide receiver
» Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention
» All-WAC second team
» WAC special unit award
Hercules Satele, offensive lineman
» FWAA All-America Team
» Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention
» All-WAC first team
WAC HONOREES
June Jones, head coach
» WAC Coach of the Year
» Finalist, Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award
» Finalist, FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award
Solomon Elimimian, linebacker
All-WAC first team
John Estes, center
All-WAC first team
C.J. Hawthorne, wide receiver
WAC special unit award
Dan Kelly, kicker
All-WAC first team
Mike Lafaele, defensive tackle
All-WAC first team
Adam Leonard, linebacker
All-WAC first team
Myron Newberry, cornerback
All-WAC first team
David Veikune, defensive lineman
All-WAC first team
|
The Warriors' shortcomings, though, did not come into clear focus until the first day of 2008, when UH played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The biggest stage by far in the Hawaii program's history became the scene of a wreck, with UH playing the part of a scooter and Georgia that of an 18-wheeler.
Still, the 41-10 loss was the only blemish on a momentous season in which the Warriors finished 12-1 -- the best record in school history since UH started playing college-only schedules. Hawaii, which led the nation in scoring, finished with its highest postseason ratings, at 17th in the coaches' rankings and 19th in the media poll.
The Sugar Bowl -- UH's first BCS bowl appearance -- also ended June Jones' nine-year tenure as the Warriors head coach. The former NFL head man achieved many of the goals he had stated for the program upon his arrival in 1999 (following a winless season under his predecessor), including bowl games, Top 25 rankings and previously undreamed of accolades for individual players.
But in the end, Jones said he could do no more with limited resources, and left a week after the Sugar Bowl for SMU. Four Warrior assistant coaches -- including three from his charter staff of 1999 -- followed him to Dallas.
The Sugar Bowl loss provided plenty of ammunition for critics of UH's soft schedule. The Warriors played 12 games instead of a possible 13, and two of them were against Division I-AA teams. Add a weak bottom half of the Western Athletic Conference, and many national pundits considered UH's undefeated regular season tainted.
But UH benefited from a topsy-turvy college football year in which no one dominated, leaving Hawaii the only unbeaten team in the country. Especially when factoring in Boise State's unblemished performance of the previous year (including beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl), the Warriors were deemed worthy by voters and computers of a berth in a BCS game.
Still, it was impossible to tell how good UH really was using the regular season as a barometer. Narrow, last-minute and overtime victories over Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Nevada and Washington could be looked at in two ways:
1. Hawaii was an outstanding clutch team that figured out ways to win despite being behind late. The Warriors' belief in each other translated into the fourth-quarter and OT rallies.
or,
2. Hawaii was an incredibly lucky team that barely managed to beat mediocre squads that wouldn't stand a chance against even mid-level teams from BCS conferences.
So even perfection is open to perception.
Some things were not open to debate, though.
One was the Warriors' depth. On several occasions, role players and non-starters played key roles in maintaining the undefeated regular season.
Unsung cornerback Gerard Lewis batted down a pass in overtime to preserve a win against Louisiana Tech. ... Injury-plagued linebacker Blaze Soares came off the bench to lay a big lick in the fourth quarter at San Jose State, helping cause a crucial fumble. ... Backup quarterback Tyler Graunke engineered a 2-minute drive, setting up Dan Kelly's game-winning field goal at Nevada. ... Cornerback Ryan Mouton, filling in at safety, made a game-ending interception in the UH end zone to preserve the regular-season finale victory against Washington, capping the 12-0 slate.
Amid all the good fortune and no-names making headlines, there was also a healthy dose of good-old-fashioned stardom. Warriors quarterback Colt Brennan completed the finest career of any UH football player past or present, and did it in a manner that endeared him to most everyone with whom he came into contact.
"He's a leader, not just a vocal leader. He proves everything with his actions," star receiver Davone Bess said.
Brennan had a miserable night at the Superdome, and his Senior Bowl performance was less than stellar. Those factors -- along with previous doubts about his physical sturdiness -- could hurt him in the NFL Draft.
But Brennan's uncanny accuracy, durability and leadership skills for most of the regular season made him the face of UH football, perhaps even the state.
His story of redemption after a dorm incident that got him kicked out at Colorado, and eye-popping numbers in 2006 put him on the covers of magazines. The 12-0 regular season earned him a ticket to New York City and third place in the Heisman Trophy voting.
The most important contributions by Brennan -- as well as Jones -- might come from their speaking out about UH football's lack of resources that made the BCS bowl game appearance a result of a perfect storm rather than a potential conclusion to every season.
Linebacker Solomon Elimimian said the Warriors go as far as diverting visiting recruits away from the facilities, because they are so decrepit.
"The athletic department should be a diamond," Brennan said. "I really do hope they improve things, because it's been a long time coming."
The 12-0 regular season created an unprecedented amount of interest from casual fans, as well as new ones. Autograph sessions created mob scenes, and players couldn't even leave classes without dealing with admirers.
And the fan base grew exponentially as the wins piled up, even on the mainland. Road games attracted legions of green-clad Warrior fans who traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to see UH play. They fooled everyone, including then-athletic director Herman Frazier -- who gave Georgia a share of the Hawaii allotment of Sugar Bowl tickets -- by showing up en masse in New Orleans.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Brennan and his UH teammates were left dazed after being routed in the Sugar Bowl by Georgia.
|
|
Can UH maintain momentum, after the Sugar Bowl defeat and the losses of Jones and Brennan, as well as all four starting receivers and defensive captain Mike Lafaele?
Early indications are inconclusive, but allow for some optimism. UH made a chaotic situation less so by hiring defensive coordinator Greg McMackin to replace Jones just a few days after Jones left and Frazier was fired (partly for letting Jones get away).
McMackin immediately set forth to improve a disorganized recruiting situation. He retained assistants Cal and Ron Lee, George Lumpkin and Rich Miano, with the Lees becoming the coordinators. That ensures a streamlined transition, since the Lees, like Jones and McMackin, are proponents of the run-and-shoot offense and accompanying aggressive defense.
McMackin also hired new young assistant coaches, three of whom made names for themselves as UH players: Nick Rolovich, Brian Smith and Craig Stutzmann.
Hawaii -- the state, not just the school -- made a last-ditch effort to try to retain Jones, even as he visited SMU on his interview trip. Calls from the governor and 11th-hour offers by UH to meet earlier Jones requests for improved facilities and other resources and support were too late to retain the school's winningest coach.
But they gave the state's only college or pro football program leverage with the power structure -- the first tangible evidence being McMackin's $1.1 million a year salary ($300,000 more than Jones' last UH deal, of which only half was funded by the state).
"They still have to happen for the next coach," Jones said. "I think everyone is at a focal point of what is needed."
Interim athletic director Carl Clapp promises not to repeat the errors of his predecessor, and says his first goal is to improve the UH facilities and build relationships with the Legislature.
In the final analysis, perhaps it makes sense that the University of Hawaii's finest football season was also its most tumultuous.
UH went 12-0 in 2007. But the Warriors are 0-1 in 2008, and the next game is at Florida -- which could be the preseason No. 1 team.
Does the turmoil associated with the spectacular season all add up to growing pains ... or just proof that UH was figuratively and literally out of its league on Jan. 1?
Events of the next few weeks, including the culmination of recruiting Wednesday, support from state power brokers and the selection of the new athletic director will go a long way in determining if the Dream Season was the beginning of something great or the crowning achievement of Jones' tenure, never to be repeated.
Dream Season,
with a Reality Check
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Comment
|
Sept. 1 |
Northern Colorado |
W, 63-6 |
Predictable blowout
|
Sept. 8 |
at Louisiana Tech |
W, 45-44 |
Kelly, Brennan, Lewis clutch
|
Sept. 15 |
at UNLV |
W, 49-14 |
Brennan shines despite ankle sprain
|
Sept. 22 |
Charleston Southern |
W, 66-10 |
Another I-AA laugher
|
Sept. 29 |
at Idaho |
W, 48-20 |
Road win despite 5 Brennan picks
|
Oct. 6 |
Utah State |
W, 52-37 |
3 UH receivers over 100 yards
|
Oct. 12 |
at San Jose State |
W, 42-35 |
Another narrow road OT escape
|
Oct. 27 |
New Mexico State |
W, 50-13 |
Aggies cracked mirror image of UH
|
Nov. 10 |
Fresno State |
W, 37-30 |
Bulldogs KO Brennan
|
Nov. 16 |
at Nevada |
W, 28-26 |
Big defensive play by Watson
|
Nov. 23 |
Boise State |
W, 39-27 |
All 4 receivers score
|
Dec. 1 |
Washington |
W, 35-28 |
UH comes back from 21-0 deficit
|
Jan. 1 |
Georgia (Sugar Bowl) |
L, 41-10 |
UGA front four dominates |
|