Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Wednesday, January 19, 2000
Dayne hopes to
answer scouts’
questions
The Heisman Trophy winner
thinks he still has something to
show in Saturday's Hula BowlHula Bowl Notebook
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinWAILUKU -- Ron Dayne was well on his way to setting an NCAA record when Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez put a hand on the shoulders pads of his freshman sensation and said, "That's enough.''
That November night four years ago was the first of many times Alvarez would catch his rising star before he burned too brightly. Former Hawaii def-ensive coor-dinator Don Lindsey was thankful for that outlook.
At the half of that 1996 season-ender for the Rain-bows, Lind-sey stepped outside the press box and looked across at Pearl Harbor. After watching Dayne run through his defenders like a Jim Brown highlight reel, Lindsey knew the best-laid schemes wouldn't help his O's stop their X's.
"Quite frankly, I could see it in their eyes they didn't want to tackle him anymore,'' Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez recalled after yesterday's Hula Bowl practice. "I didn't believe that was a Division I record that should be broken that way then. And I don't now.''
Dayne's third-quarter exit against the Rainbows kept him from raising the bar a little higher for Texas Christian running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who set the single-game rushing record last fall with 400 yards against Texas-El Paso.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Ron could have rushed for 500 yards that night,'' Alvarez said. "But that's not the way we play it at Wisconsin. I caught a lot of grief this year from reporters saying I was pulling Ron too early in some games.
"And what's he wind up doing? He still sets the career rushing record, is the MVP twice in the Rose Bowl and he comes back for his senior season to win the Heisman Trophy. The way we did it is the way it should be done.''
You won't hear a peep from Dayne. The main reason he came all this way to play in this Saturday's Hula Bowl is because of Alvarez. He wanted his coach to call his number a few more times.
"I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Coach Alvarez,'' Dayne said. "He kept me on the right path on and off the field. A lot of people around here have asked me about that game with Hawaii. Yeah, I maybe could have set the record if I stayed in. But everything worked out all right.''
Yes, it did. Dayne finished that game with a 339-yard, four touchdown performance that UH players still talk about today.
"I remember going out of that game in the first half with a back injury,'' said Tony Tuioti, who is lining up on the same side of the ball with Dayne for this Saturday's game at Maui's War Memorial Stadium. "But the man was incredible.
"He could beat you inside or out. He runs with power and speed. If you don't wrap him up with a couple of guys, he just keeps on going. I just remember how fast he was, too. I'm glad to have said I played against a Heisman Trophy winner. This week in practice, you can see he still runs real well with the football.''
None of the 47 NFL scouts, three personnel directors and one head coach doubt that. What they do want to know is how well does Dayne catch the football and how fast and quick is he in the open field.
"I didn't have to catch a lot of footballs at Wisconsin, but I caught nearly everything they threw to me,'' said Dayne, who broke Ricky Williams' career rushing mark with 6,397 yards.
The 5-foot-10, 252-pounder of Berlin, N.J., not only won the Heisman, but the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards, and was named the player of the year by the Associated Press, Walter Camp and The Sporting News as well. He also led Wisconsin to a 10-2 record, including a Rose Bowl win over Stanford set up by his 200-yard rushing performance.
"I know there are some questions,'' Dayne said. "But I think I have the answers.''
Alvarez wants to help the scouts render a decision. This week in practice, he has devised several plays that have Dayne coming out of the backfield on the old wheel route. All quarterbacks Kevin Feterik and Billy Volek have to do is lay it out there and let Dayne do the rest.
"It's been a fun week out here already,'' Dayne said. "I'm going to work hard in practice, have some fun in the game and see what happens. I feel like I can run with anybody out there.''
Dayne has a good stable of running backs pushing him. Iowa State's Darren Davis, Minnesota's Thomas Hamner and Marshall's Doug Chapman can play, a fact not lost on Dayne.
"We've got some runners on our side of the field,'' Dayne said. "We can hurt you a lot of different ways. I don't know if I'm going to get more yards than Ricky did last year, but when Coach calls my number, I'm going to run hard every play.''
WAILUKU - ESPN commentator Bill Curry got knocked into the bench area near the sidelines when a play came his way during yesterday's second Hula Bowl practice. He avoided landing in a mud puddle left by a hard morning shower by catching himself on a metal training table. HULA BOWL NOTEBOOK
ESPN’s Curry thinks
UH on the right track"To be honest with you, I wish I had landed in the mud,'' Curry said. "It would have been a lot better on my back.''
Curry is in town to do the color commentary for Saturday's Hula Bowl at Maui's War Memorial Stadium. The former Baltimore Colt who centered the football to the great Johnny Unitas enjoyed the two morning sessions that began in a rain storm and ended with a bright, sunny day.
"I can't imagine a more beautiful place than this,'' Curry said. "What a reward for these guys and what an opportunity to play together. This is something they'll never forget.''
Curry made several observations while watching the practice sessions. He believes Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry might be the best in the country. He feels like the mid-line option is one of the more inventive plays he has seen in years and that what June Jones is doing at the University of Hawaii is the wave of the future.
"If Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry taught us anything, it's that a timing route run correctly can't be stopped,'' Curry said. "If you have a little guy who can run 8 yards hard, dip his helmet to the right, then cut quickly to the left, turn and find the football in his hands, there's nothing you can do about that.
"I used to think the great equalizer in football was the option. But now, it's the kind of stuff Hawaii is running that can give a team an edge. That one-two-three-four-five timing route and throw keeps an offensive line from having to protect as long. Done right, you can get the football out of there in a hurry.''
The thought of that kind of pass pattern brought back a fond memory for the former Alabama and Kentucky head coach.
"We had just practiced for five hours,'' recalled Curry of this 1967 afternoon during two-a-days. "We ran in the morning and passed in the afternoon. I then had to do the deep-snapping after practice in the searing summer heat of Maryland. I took a shower and was feeling pretty sorry for myself.
"I walked outside and after all that time, there were Unitas and Berry working on their timing routes. That's what makes the great ones great. They not only have ability, but the drive to win.''
Former UH offensive coordinator Paul Johnson wants a game with the Rainbows. Johnson wants a game with UH
The Georgia Southern head coach said yesterday that his athletic director has tried to talk with Hugh Yoshida twice about a game, but he has yet to hear a reply.
"I guess they don't want to play us,'' said Johnson, who is an assistant in this Saturday's game after being named the Division I-AA coach of the year by the AFCA. "But I think it would be a great game for us and them.''
Before UH coach June Jones makes any plans, he might check with Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson first. His Beavers escaped with a seven-point win over Georgia Southern at home last fall.
"I came across the field to shake Dennis' hand,'' Johnson said. "I told him it was a great game and we would have to do it again. He told me, 'Not in my lifetime.' I guess that's a no.''
Jones fans
Arizona head coach Dick Tomey and Wisconsin counterpart Barry Alvarez know what June Jones did this season was worthy of coach-of-the-year consideration."I know there are coaches who realize what June accomplished,'' Tomey said. "But they can't really appreciate it unless you've coached here. That was a remarkable turnaround.''
The Wildcats open the 2002 season with the Rainbows and the Badgers of Wisconsin close the 2000 campaign, something Wisconsin is already preparing for this week.
"I'm sending over one of my guys to scout out Honolulu for a place for us to stay later this year,'' Alvarez said. "It's a great reward for our team to come experience this beautiful place.
"At the same time, we know this is an improved football team over the one we played in 1996. What June Jones did this season is one of the best stories of the year. To go from 0-12 to winning a bowl game is something you rarely see.''
By Paul Arnettm Star-Bulletin
