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Monday, October 23, 2000
Frustrated Warriors The loudest yell emanating from the University of Hawaii cheering section on this long Saturday afternoon at Rice Stadium occurred when the nationally ranked women's volleyball team left their seats to prepare for their match later that evening at Autry Court.
scorched in Texas
UH takes a walloping from Rice
to fall to 1-5 at midpoint of season
Up next: Spartans contending in WAC
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinHawaii fans who had traveled the 3,800 miles to see the Warriors' football team fall flat on its face again were glad they could give some kind of support. Lord knows there wasn't much to cheer about in the Western Athletic Conference game won by the Rice Owls, 38-13.
From the moment Bronson Liana couldn't locate a loose football in the end zone early on until Timmy Chang nearly threw a sixth interception late in the fourth quarter, fans sat in disbelief as UH finished the first half of the season with a 1-5 mark of frustration.
You could point out the mistakes if you had a mind to, but it's obvious this team is only a shell of the one that finished 9-4 last year, including an Oahu Bowl victory over Oregon State. If the two were to meet again, the Beavers wouldn't recognize the team that rallied to beat them last Christmas.
But while Oregon State is bound for a second consecutive bowl game, the only place Hawaii is headed is back to the drawing board as head coach June Jones tries to salvage this disappointing campaign.
Those who got up Saturday morning in anticipation of watching a revived Hawaii squad fresh off a win over Southern Methodist were down at the beach by halftime. Those in the know realized the SMU victory was a fortunate one. Looking at the remaining six games, the University of Nevada and Louisiana Tech may be winnable, but everything else is beyond reach.
Not from lack of trying. You only had to wander through the UH locker room after Saturday's fifth loss in six games to realize this team is playing in and through pain. The defensive front is depleted. The linebackers newer than a fresh coat of paint, while the secondary is a beat up array of athletes who are leaving all they have on the football field.
Unfortunately for everyone, it's not nearly enough, even against a team that entered the weekend fracas with a five-game losing streak dating back to the first weekend in September. The Owls had 16 days off to prepare for Hawaii's run-and-shoot and made the most of it.
This well-coached, better-disciplined Ken Hatfield team stopped what little running game the Warriors can muster these days and proceeded to teach Hawaii's true freshman quarterback a thing or two about pass defense. Chang is quickly discovering the competition he faced while leading St. Louis School to several championships is inferior to that of the WAC.
True, Chang has his moments. And not all of UH's offensive perils are his fault.
But when you set a school record for interceptions in a game with five, and you do it because you aren't making the right reads or looking off your primary targets, perhaps it's time to start reassessing your progress.
There is a school of thought that it's best to leave Chang in no matter what because it will better prepare him for the years ahead. Jones obviously adheres to this way of thinking or he would have yanked Chang at the half much the way he did junior college transfer Nick Rolovich in the loss at Texas-El Paso.
Still, you wonder how long Jones can continue on this road and have any credibility with the other quarterbacks on the team. Rolovich and Mike Harrison must be thinking they couldn't do any worse. Rolovich has looked good in practice of late and probably feels he deserves a second chance.
You also have to wonder how long Chang can continue to struggle before his confidence goes down faster than the team he commands. Jones said after the loss he didn't want to do anything to make Chang doubt himself, that's why he left him in. Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said that it's only a matter of time before Chang rules. Even Hatfield said as much Saturday.
"They have a young quarterback who is just a freshman and I know June is high on him," Hatfield said. "I remember when I was at Tennessee, we played Archie Manning his sophomore year and picked him off seven times. The next season he beat us 38-0, and I believe he went on to be a pretty good quarterback."
Spoken like a true coach. But if this trend continues where the offense is only on the field 22 minutes a game, there won't be a defensive player left standing.
This unit is so battered and bruised, so perhaps it's time to reassess, or the only cheering for the next month may be at women's volleyball.
Next week
San Jose State Vs. Hawaii
San Jose State has been a problem for the University of Hawaii through the good and bad times. Spartans contending
in WACBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinSince joining the Western Athletic Conference, the Spartans have beaten the Warriors in three of four meetings and hold a distinct 14-8-1 advantage in the long-time series that dates back to 1934. Last year, Hawaii head coach June Jones helped the Warriors beat the Spartans for the first time in four years, but this Saturday's game at Aloha Stadium doesn't figure to have a happy ending for UH fans.
For one thing, Hawaii is not playing particularly well. The Warriors are injured and still bothered by turnovers, while San Jose State remains a contender for the league title. They have two excellent running backs in Deonce Whitaker and Jarmar Julien, and quarterback Marcus Arroyo has been a surprise act.
Head coach Dave Baldwin and the Spartans stumbled against Texas-El Paso nine days ago. But after the Miners' win over Fresno State last Saturday night, it has become increasingly obvious that UTEP is for real.
"We're still in the race," Baldwin conceded. "But we have to take care of business, especially on the road. The loss at home to UTEP hurt us. But it's unlikely anybody is going to go through the WAC unbeaten.''
UTEP may have something to say about that. Texas Christian as well.
The Spartans are coming off a 49-30 win over Nevada.
"Playing in Hawaii is always a challenge because of the travel," Baldwin said. "It's a little less difficult for us than say teams from Texas. But you always worry about playing in the islands."
Hawaii has lost five of six this season. San Jose State is a solid 5-3 and 3-1 in league play.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
