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Friday, October 20, 2000
Win-win situation HOUSTON -- Tomorrow's conference game for the University of Hawaii football team may be the most important one for the 2000 campaign.
for Warriors
Hawaii needs to remove
the Rice optionAiling woman shakes up Texas flight
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinAs good as it was to get a win over Southern Methodist last week, those fortunate feelings will be short-lived if Hawaii can't force Rice University to run out of options this weekend. The Warriors need to put back-to-back victories in place to keep the faint hope alive of a postseason appearance in the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day.
Certainly, Hawaii head coach June Jones isn't looking that far down the line. But he's well aware that two more losses will do him in. He told the Warriors that a win this weekend would be a big step toward hitting a midseason stride that could carry them toward important events down the road. Miracles happen. Just look at 1999.
But before any of that can take form, the Warriors must beat the Owls at Rice Stadium and look good doing it for the Fox Network cameras. In two previous appearances in the Lone Star State, Hawaii was taken to task by Texas-El Paso and Texas Christian by a combined score of 80-28. Not good. And a trend that needs discontinuing if the Warriors entertain any thoughts of postseason play.
"That's still a long way off right now,'' UH freshman quarterback Timmy Chang said. "We're just trying to win this game and then see what happens next. We're all getting better. But for me, I've got to learn to focus better. It's 15-minute quarters now, not 12 like in high school. I kind of lost focus in the middle two quarters of our last two games. I can't afford to do that this Saturday.''
That could be said about the entire team. Granted, the Warriors picked up a win last week over SMU. There were enough bright moments to snap a four-game losing streak to start the season. But enough mistakes were made as well that could keep Hawaii from turning that trick on the road.
"We can't continue to do those things and expect to beat a good team like Rice at their place,'' Jones said. "They've struggled some like us, but they've also played a tough schedule against teams like Michigan, Oklahoma and Fresno State. I don't know what you can do with penalties and dropped passes. Maybe cut off their hands.''
Jones jokes from time to time with the media about the recent rash of errors. But he was deadly serious with wideout Craig Stutzmann, whose backpedaling into the end zone in the second half of last week's game with SMU was construed by officials as excessive celebration.
"That stunt could have cost us the game,'' Jones said. "Instead of taking a nine-point lead, it winds up being eight after we missed the extra point from 35 yards. We can't keep making the same stupid mistakes. Fortunately, the defense came up with a big play and we got the win.''
The defense will need to make even more big plays against the Owls' option attack. This is not a typical Rice University offensive unit. Injuries at quarterback have slowed the progress of Ken Hatfield's team. But with the return of freshman quarterback Jeremy Hurd, who broke his finger in the season-opening win over Houston, the Owls have a chance to grow in what Hatfield is calling "a second season.''
The first half didn't go particularly well. Much like SMU, Rice opened the year with a win and hasn't seen another since. The Owls have lost five in a row, including a heartbreaker at home to Fresno State two weeks ago.
"That one was tough to take because we should have won,'' Hatfield said. "We have to come up with that one big play that makes the difference in a close game. Do that, and maybe the second half of the season is something we can build on in the future.''
Like Hawaii, Rice has to run the table to reach even the basic goal of a winning season. The past two years, the Owls have finished one game short at 5-6. From where Hatfield is standing now, that mark doesn't look so bad.
For that to happen, the Owls must be more consistent on offense and do a better job defensively. Rice is near the bottom nationally in defending the pass, something the Warriors need to take advantage of in tomorrow's Western Athletic Conference meeting. If they can score early and often enough to get Rice out of its game, then back-to-back wins are a possibility.
"We have to do a better job of defending the option,'' UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "Playing TCU helped with the speed of the option, but this one is different and more complicated. With TCU, you pretty much figured LaDainian Tomlinson was going to wind up with the football. But with Rice, there are at least three options every time they snap the ball.''
HOUSTON -- This wasn't your typical trip to Texas. Ailing woman
shakes up Texas flightPaul Arnett
Star-BulletinAbout an hour before the Continental jet was due to land at Houston Intercontinental Airport, a woman sitting next to University of Hawaii assistant coach Wes Suan suffered either a stroke or heart attack, prompting the pilots to not only increase speed, but to decrease altitude faster than the norm, causing some ear discomfort for many passengers.
Members of the Warriors' traveling party said team physician Andrew Nichols assisted several other doctors during the emergency landing that ended with an ambulance taking the woman to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
"She didn't look good," said UH head coach June Jones after last night's indoor practice on the campus of the University of Houston. "Those kind of things always make you stop and think."
The players exited the plane a little sleepy-eyed after the long journey from Honolulu to Houston. Most rested during the day upon check-in at a hotel near the Rice University campus. The Warriors play the Owls tomorrow at 9:35 a.m. (HST), a time change of 30 minutes to accommodate a regional broadcast by Fox Sports Southwest.
Some of the players slept through the entire incident. As senior defensive end Steve Dietschy said, "I didn't know anything about it until now. I woke up when guys around me started exiting the plane. I hope she's all right."
According to several accounts, the woman came back from the bathroom and started breathing heavily as she took her seat. She then fell forward and that's when her husband sought help.
"The flight attendant asked if there were any doctors on board," Jones said. "There might have been eight to 10 who responded. I was surprised there were that many."
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Ka Leo O Hawaii
