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Sports Watch
I sure hope that the embattled University of Hawaii football team didn't mean it about continuing a media boycott until it wins a game. It could be long,
silent UH seasonWe all could be in for a silent season. It might be a long enough one as it is.
If the season-opening loss to Division I-AA Portland State was embarrassing, the loss to Texas-El Paso was painful.
While Hawaii's voters went to the polls Saturday, its football team got pole-axed by the UTEP Miners, 39-7. So I doubt if Coach June Jones had any write-in votes.
Good thing that the game --the Western Athletic Conference opener for the defending tri-champions -- was at the Sun Bowl in Marty Robbins country.
At home, the H-Men would have heard a lot of boos for their inept performance.They had a major case of the dropsies.
UH receivers dropped 10 passes. If that wasn't bad enough, three center snaps were mishandled -- two leading to UTEP scores and one botching a field goal attempt.
So the 2000 season of great expectation is off to an 0-2 start with Jones still trying to look for a triggerman for his once explosive offense.
Starting quarterback Nick Rolovich got the hook after completing only six of 28 passes for 81 yards in the first half against the Miners.
Realizing the future is now, Jones went with freshman Timmy Chang the entire second half. Red-shirt year be damned. The ex-St. Louis prep star had a rough welcome to Division I-A football.
He threw two interceptions, had three passes tipped and fumbled a snap in the end zone for a safety, as if the Miners needed any help scoring.
The only offensive highlight from the punchless H-Men was a 74-yard pass completion from Chang to Justin Colbert to the UTEP 18, the only time they crossed midfield in the second half.
Their lone touchdown came on a fumble recovery by Matt Wright in the end zone that gave them a brief 7-3 lead.
AS if Jones doesn't have enough worries on offense. He now has to worry about a defense that again gave up big plays on clearly obvious passing situations.
The UH secondary was victimized for the second straight game, this time by UTEP's Rocky Perez, who threw a career-high four touchdown passes before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter.
Penalties (15 for 90 yards) again proved costly, especially a defensive holding call that nullified a blocked punt and UH touchdown early in the second quarter.
It wasn't just a change in momentum, it turned the game completely around.
Instead of leading, 14-3, UH found itself down, 9-7, one play later when Perez threw a 68-yard TD strike to Lee Mays.
A TV replay showed a definite hold. What hurt was that it had nothing to do with the punt being blocked and recovered for a touchdown.
That's what Jones has been telling his players. To win, they've got to make the plays. And so far, they haven't.
What's really scary as UH plays Tulsa Saturday at Aloha Stadium, is that it won't get any easier the rest of the season.
Especially, if the offense continues to be ineffective.
Tulsa comes to town, having beaten Louisiana Tech, another opponent later this year.
As for other UH foes over the weekend, Fresno State upset California, 17-3; San Jose State scared USC before losing, 34-24; TCU continued to look unstoppable; UNLV barely lost to BYU, 10-7, and Nevada stunned Wyoming, 35-28.
If 1999 was a remarkable turnaround season for Hawaii, which went 0-12 the year before, let's hope the 2000 season won't see the team making a U-turn and head back in the other direction.