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Monday
Evening QB
THE University of Hawaii football team -- and its fans -- learned a lesson the hard way Saturday night. Transitioning from just another team that has a good year to perennial power is not so simple as undergoing an image makeover and expecting to win every time you take the field, just because. ‘Just because’ attitude
takes time to createSomeday, the Warriors may beat the Portland States of the world, just because. But that day is obviously quite a way off, as Saturday's 45-20 loss so clearly points out.
"Just because'' works for Nebraska and Florida State because it is backed up by an incredible abundance of talent and experience and tradition of dominance.
But when you've lost nearly your entire offensive line, your quarterback and your best defensive player from a 9-4 team, and some of the key replacements are untested, "just because" only lasts as long as it takes to make a couple mistakes. No matter how cool your uniforms look, no matter how many people come to cheer you on, no matter how many miracles you pulled off the year before.
In this case, just because fell apart faster than a house of cards at the Pali Lookout.
On the opening kickoff and for the first three series, the Warriors looked like Florida operating against The Citadel or some other warm-up chump.
Spectacular and nearly flawless, on both sides of the ball and special teams.
This was what most of the 45,452 who came to Aloha Stadium expected to see -- expected, not just dreamed about, after eight months of hype.
NEVER mind that the six different receivers Nick Rolovich completed his first six passes to included one from the other team. The defense, which didn't allow a first down until 14:37 into the game, quickly grabbed back the momentum.
But the turning point came soon after. And it wasn't a terrible play by a Hawaii player, nor a great play by a Portland State player.
The Warriors lost the momentum for good when they attempted an onside kick, just because, while holding a 10-0 lead at 6:47 of the first quarter.
You can say it would have been brilliant if it worked. But it didn't, and there was no reason to try it. All it did was fire up the Vikings, who had to be doubting themselves at least a little bit at that point.
Football is a game of emotion, and an onside kick when you're winning is a sign of disrespect for your opponent.
You can point to a dozen other things that happened after, but it was the beginning of the end. Little went right for the Warriors from then on.
As Hawaii coach June Jones said after the debacle, "You find out how fragile your confidence is."
This from a coach who spoke fightin' words when Texas pulled itself off of UH's schedule last March.
Longhorns' athletic director Deloss Dodds and coach Mack Brown may be regretting that decision today.
Hawaii football is in a strange land of limbo right now. As the WAC season unfolds, will UH be among the hunters or the hunted? Can the Warriors rebuild their egos and become the big, bad dominators they promised to be? Or will they have to settle for an ambush here and there, if that.
The first 8:13 Saturday showed the talent is there. But it's obvious achieving the kind of success Hawaii enjoyed last season will take another monumental coaching job by Jones and his staff.
The good news is it can happen. It did last year, a season that began with USC beating Hawaii, 62-7.
It was a game the mighty Trojans won. Just because.
Dave Reardon, who covered sports in Hawaii from 1977 to 1998,
moved to the the Gainesville Sun, then returned to
the Star-Bulletin in Jan. 2000.
E-mail dreardon@starbulletin.com