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Thursday, March 1, 2001
Huddle up! ... When they broke from the huddle this morning, members of the University of Hawaii football team had June Jones on their mind.
Warriors spring
to work
Players try to focus on football
instead of dwelling on injured
head coach JonesBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinMissing from the scene was the heart and soul of the Warriors, who will spend the next 15 spring practices trying to prove that the 1999 campaign wasn't written in the stars. Rather, hard work and a sound system were the main ingredients for the greatest turnaround in NCAA history.
It would be easy for the focus to go a little fuzzy. Jones' one-car accident last week --that has him listed in guarded condition at The Queen's Medical Center --left the football family visibly shaken.
Jones' health remains the priority. But for those who know the man best, concentrating on football is what he wants from his players.
"Coach Jones is with us in spirit, but he would want this team to take care of business -- and that's improving over last year," UH associate head coach George Lumpkin said.
The main area of concern is the defense. Last year, the Warriors yielded too many yards, too many points and were on the field for too many plays. The defensive front was a work in progress practically from the start.
A lot was made of free safety Nate Jackson's broken foot. But the shoulder injury to Lui Fuga, the ankle sprain of Miles Garner and the loss of Mike Iosua to ankle and shoulder injuries were the real killer blows for the Warriors.
Last spring, new defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa also added a lot of pages to the playbook. With so many experienced starters returning, he felt adding to the base would give Hawaii one of the more formidable defenses in the league.
Instead, it nearly proved to be UH's undoing. Barely a month into the season, injuries left Lempa in a huddle of inexperience. Linebackers Rinda Brooks and Pisa Tinoisamoa were miscast in the middle. Perhaps better suited on the outside, neither was able to fill the role of Jeff Ulbrich.
This year, Lempa will turn to Chris Brown to see if he has the right stuff to properly patrol the area between the tackles. Undersized at defensive end, Brown lived on a steady diet of offensive tackles. And while not a dominant force, he did what the coaches asked with no complaints.
He is the leader on that side of the football and figures to have much more of an impact this season in the middle. Lempa says he has the quickness, but will still have to learn the position. And that will take some time.
"We have all spring and fall camp to get him used to that spot," Lempa said. "He has real good speed and is blessed with sound football instincts. He will help us stop the run. I feel like having Mike (Iosua) back up front will be important for us, too."
Stopping the run will be the defensive goal this spring. In addition to Brown moving to the middle, Tinoisamoa has been shipped to weak outside linebacker. Joe Correia and Kevin Jackson will get a look at the strong outside spot. That means they will line up over the tight end.
As for the ends, look for Houston Ala and Laanui Correa to be at the top of the depth chart. But transfers Travis Laboy, Wayne Hunter and Colin Willis will figure in the mix. What Lempa wants from his front seven is to stop the run and help make big plays. It's that simple.
"We've cut back on our playbook and will stress the fundamentals this spring," Lempa said. "Last year, quite frankly, we weren't very good. We were on the field for nearly 80 plays every game.
"So to help combat that, we're looking for two starting teams with near equal ability. Obviously, we'll start our best 11, but we need to develop depth and help us absorb any possible injuries. We're looking for quality rather than quantity. That's why we'll use at most, maybe two-thirds of the playbook."
Cutting back on plays won't be the object of the offense. Even without Jones at mission control, coordinator Wes Suan, receivers coach Ron Lee, line assistant Mike Cavanaugh and quarterback man Dan Morrison are well aware what he would want.
First, the receivers have to do a better job of securing the football. Too many of Tim Chang's passes last year bounced out of the hands of their intended targets. The top four entering spring are Craig Stutzmann, Justin Colbert, Channon Harris and Ashley Lelie.
Chang will also receive a push from senior quarterbacks Jared Flint and Nick Rolovich. Rolovich is a solid No. 2, but you figure Flint, fresh off shoulder surgery last September, will have a say in the batting order. Many believe he would have been the starter if he had not torn a rotator cuff.
Running back should prove interesting. Avion Weaver and Afatia Thompson haven't heard on their petitions for an extra year, but neither appears likely. That leaves Thero Mitchell and Chad Kapanui as the likely candidates to carry the ball and pass protect.
Up front is where it all begins. Led by Vince Manuwai, Manly Kanoa, Lui Fuata, Brian Smith and Shayne Kajioka, Cavanaugh believes he has the makings of a quality offensive line, perhaps the best in the league.
"I feel like we're only going to get better," Cavanaugh said. "Replacing Kynan (Forney) at tackle will be one of our main objectives. We also want to do a better job blocking for the run. No matter how good you are, there's always room for improvement."
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