Saturday, September 11, 1999
Losing streak ended
Final Score: Hawaii 31 - Eastern Illinois 27
Click for total game coverage.
Some Guys
Just Know How
To Play
When Jeff Ulbrich is on the field,
there's always an LB in the
middle of thingsRegents approve Jones' bonus
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinJEFF Ulbrich lined up across from Southern California's Chad Morton with a look of intensity the tailback could clearly see and feel from 10 yards away.
Morton knew the play called for him to go off the left-side tackle and right into the wheel house of this crazy-eyed linebacker, who seemed to sense Morton was coming his way.
"All I know is, every time I carried the ball, I was looking for No. 44," Morton said after the Trojans ravaged the Rainbows, 62-7, last Saturday night. "That man can play the game."
"That man" wrapped up Morton on more than one occasion, but this play was particularly enjoyable for the Hawaii middle linebacker. As soon as Morton took the handoff from quarterback Carson Palmer, Ulbrich zeroed in on Morton like The Terminator.He played off the attempted block of USC center Eric Denmon, shot into the gap between the tackle and the end, and greeted Morton in the hole with the force of a car running into a wall during a government crash test. Somehow, both survived the moment of impact.
But just as he attempted to break free of Ulbrich's grasp, the senior from Morgan Hill, Calif., pulled Morton up by the shoulder pads and whispered sweet nothings as their face-masks clashed like two male rams battling to rule the herd.
"I was just telling him to get used to seeing me," Ulbrich said of the play that gained a couple of yards. "I wanted him to know I was going to be there every time he touched the football."
HAWAII VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS
When: 6:05 p.m. Saturday
Morton's response?
"He just laughed."
Both players went on to have outstanding nights. Morton finished with 95 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown. Ulbrich led the Rainbows and the Western Athletic Conference in tackles with 17.
"You just know that man is playing at the next level," Morton said. "I just hope he's on my team next time."
The Rainbows were so happy to have him lining up on their side of the football, they elected him defensive team captain for the season. This from a man who has played only eight games since becoming a Rainbow in late 1997.
"That's the thing you notice about him," UH associate head coach George Lumpkin said. "You don't have to be around him long to respect what he's all about.
"I've coached a lot of linebackers in my time here. And he's as good as any I've been around. He is the perfect middle linebacker. He can run, he can hit and he plays with such intensity, you can't help but be caught up in what he does."
VIDEO EXTRA
Ulbrich won over any and all detractors late last year. Despite having his knee blown out in the Brigham Young game in mid-October, Ulbrich refused to go under the knife. His reason?"I wanted to suit up and play in the Michigan game," said Ulbrich, who finished with three tackles in the season finale. "To play against a great team like that, to see how you match up with them, to me, it's what football is all about."
UH defensive coordinator Greg McMackin believes Ulbrich is what football is supposed to be about, but often isn't. In these days of big-money players and collegiate all-stars with entourages, Ulbrich is a throwback to when football was only a game.
"He has great mental discipline," McMackin said of Ulbrich, who had to do some work in the classroom to keep his eligibility. "Our guys look up to him because of what he's like on that football field. He's a warrior."
And like a true warrior, he goes hard on every play as if it were his last. Ulbrich just hopes his last play is still way down the field.
"I want to play at the next level, I don't care what it is - NFL, CFL, World Indoor League, whatever," Ulbrich said. "I just love playing football and want to keep playing as long as I can."
Rainbow fans can thank former UH offensive coordinator and current Hammerheads coach Guy Benjamin for Ulbrich coming to the islands. The 1995 graduate of Live Oak High signed on with San Jose State.
He played only one season before leaving the program for personal reasons. Ulbrich dropped out of football and went to work for a sheet metal company in northern California.
If it hadn't been for his friends telling him he was making a big mistake, Ulbrich would never have enrolled at Gavilon College in Gilroy, Calif., in 1997. It was there that Benjamin found him and asked him if he wanted to come live in paradise.
"It was the smartest move I ever made," Ulbrich said. "Not only did I fall in love with the place and the program, I met my wife, Cristina, on my recruiting trip. Was it love at first sight? Yeah, I guess you could say so."
He and Cristina were married in July. She works for a local bank and he toils away on a football field. Last year, he finished with 41 tackles in only seven games. The 6-foot-1, 243-pounder, who is one of the strongest athletes on the team, also had one sack, caused one fumble and recovered another and broke up one pass.
"To me, Jeff epitomizes what football should be about," UH head coach June Jones said. "He is a leader on and off the field. The guys look up to him and respect him. And we love him as coaches because he can flat-out play. If he stays healthy, there's no telling what he can do this season and at the next level."
Regents approve Jones' bonus
Star-Bulletin staffThe University of Hawaii Board of Regents has approved a bonus for football coach June Jones, UH president Kenneth Mortimer said yesterday.
Details of the bonus, which was approved in executive session, were not disclosed.
UH spokesman Jim Manke said, "The terms of the contract are confidential. We can say the regents approved a range of performance incentives."
Manke said anything beyond the base salary comes from private sources, so that "likely" is where the funds for the bonus are derived.
Jones declined comment.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Ka Leo O Hawaii
