Thursday, October 28, 1999

TCU’s multiple
personality poses
a problem

The Horned Frogs are
hard to defend because
they dabble in so many
different styles of offense

Rainbow Notebook
Fight-song controversy

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

Coaches don't like to face a team whose players may be hungrier than his own guys.

True, there's nothing more lean than a team that once lost 19 consecutive games, but since then, Hawaii head football coach June Jones has fattened up his warriors.

This isn't a team on the brink of being eliminated from the very Western Athletic Conference chase Texas Christian was predicted to win at season's end. If the Rainbows lose Saturday night at Aloha Stadium, they only have to split the remaining four games to qualify for a bid from Bowl Games of Hawaii. The Horned Frogs have to win out.

"They're going to come in here all business," Jones predicted. "They're going to play hard and come after us. We'd better be ready or it could be a long night."

Defense

All you have to do is look at the 13 listed starters to know TCU likes to dabble offensively.

You could say the Horned Frogs are a speed option team or will give you the one-back, three-wide look. And you'd be right. You'd also be correct if your observations led you to conclude that second-year head coach Dennis Franchione favors formations with two backs and two tight ends. Because he uses them. Early and often.

"You look at the tape of their games and you're going to see a little bit of everything," UH defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. "They list 13 starters because they give you so many looks.

"And what makes it tricky is they'll run the option out of every formation they line up in. They never tip you that it's coming. But to say TCU is a pure option team is not true. They use the option to set up other things. Just when you think you have them read, bam. They hit you with a quick pass."

An early season thumb injury to quarterback Patrick Batteaux cleared the way for freshman Casey Printers to be the starter. Like his counterpart, Printers runs as well as he throws, forcing the Rainbows to remain responsible for their gaps on the run and their lanes on the pass.

"A quarterback who can scramble or throw on the run can cause you to break down defensively and give up big plays," McMackin said. "To keep that from happening, we have to contain, but at the same time, make a big play. Everyone has to go hard to the football."

Hawaii also has to keep an eye on No. 5. Talented tailback LaDainian Tomlinson picked up where Basil Mitchell left off and then some. He leads the nation in rushing with 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns. And what's even more impressive, he averages 7.3 yards a carry.

"At first I thought it was a misprint," McMackin said. "But when you see how many big plays this guy has made (he has touchdown runs of 74, 80 and 89 yards), you know he's for real."

Leading WAC tackler Jeff Ulbrich agrees. And that suits the burly UH middle linebacker just fine.

"You have to respect a player like him because you see what he does in the games," said Ulbrich, who has 93 tackles, including five quarterback sacks.

"As a player, you love going against a guy like this. You always want to see how you match up against the best."

Offense

It didn't take long for Jones to notice that TCU's base defense is a nickel package. Most teams only play with five or more defensive backs on third-and-long or other obvious passing situations. For the Horned Frogs, it's a way of life.

"I think that makes the adjustment to playing an offense like ours easier," Jones said. "They play it all the time, so everybody pretty much knows what to do in any given situation."

What TCU likes to do most of all is rush the passer. Put defensive ends Aaron Schobel right and London Dunlap left, and let them meet at the quarterback. The defensive standouts already have 12.5 sacks between them.

"You watch Schobel on defense and this guy can flat out fly," Jones said. "Our tackles and running backs had better put their helmets on because this will be a challenge for them."

Jones said TCU doesn't blitz that often, "Just enough to let you know they will. They also play a lot of combinations of man and zone. That means our quarterback and receivers need to be on the same page."

Quarterback Dan Robinson needs to know where safeties Curtis Fuller and Reggie Hunt are at all times. Both close well to the football, and both can cover and support the run.

Linebacker Shannon Brazzell is also a key to TCU's defensive success in the 4-2-5 formation. He leads the team in tackles with 67. He also has one interception, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

"What you notice right away is their team speed," Jones said. "We haven't seen anything like this since the USC game. We'll try to do what we always do, but we have to cut down on our mistakes to give ourselves a chance to win."

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Rainbow Notebook

Tickets available
through ETM machines

The University of Hawaii entered a partnership with ETM Entertainment Network, Inc., and Safeway, Inc., to sell event tickets via machines located in select stores throughout the islands.

It was also announced yesterday that ETM's distribution network will offer ticket purchases through its telephone center and internet web site.

Phase I of this project is already complete. Ticket machines in seven Safeway locations on the Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii are up and running. The second phase begins in November and is scheduled to be completed by next spring. On Oahu, the ETM machines are located at Safeway stores on 377 Keahole St. in Hawaii Kai, 94-780 B. Meheula Park in Mililani and 1121 So. Beretania.

As an example, if someone wanted to buy tickets for the football game this weekend, a map of Aloha Stadium would be shown to see how many tickets are available in what sections. It's quick, easy and keeps people from having to wait in line at the various ticket outlets.

Injury update

If things weren't bad enough for defensive end Joe Correia, he recently dropped about 325 pounds on his stomach that resulted in him having blood in his urine.

The trainers have cleared him to play because no severe damage occurred to his liver as a result of the accident in the weight room.

"He had a hard time handling the weight because of his broken hand," Jones said. "He's lucky he didn't suffer a more serious injury."

Correia is also battling back from a knee injury that forced him to the sidelines for last week's game at Tulsa. The former St. Louis School standout conceded he has been unlucky with injuries this season.

Despite Correia's problems, the rest of the UH team is in fairly good shape. Safety Daniel Ho-Ching remains day-to-day with his recurring shoulder injury. Wide receiver Attrice Brooks is sidelined with a knee injury.

Fellow wideout Scott Sims will miss several games with a shoulder problem as will defensive back Jacob Espiau (hamstring), who suffered a setback yesterday. His expected return is the game with Navy.

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Band problems

The Star-Bulletin has received several letters to the editor complaining about the band not being allowed to play the fight song after each Hawaii score.

Jones said he asked the band to wait between 30 and 45 seconds to allow a promotional song to be played throughout Aloha Stadium.

"In the NFL, they play the song "Shout" (by the group Tears for Fears) to get everybody involved in the touchdown," Jones said. "We're also using the thing from "Cheers" at the beginning of the game to get everybody clapping and stomping.

"I never said the band couldn't play the fight song. I just asked them to wait so we could get the crowd more involved. We're just trying to generate some excitement for our fans."

Jones unveiled the "Cheers" tape before the Rice game, but it wasn't played loud enough for everyone to hear. The footage is a play off the old Queen song, "We Are the Champions."

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By Paul Arnett