Thursday, September 6, 2001

[ UH FOOTBALL ]

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Espiau’s status
uncertain; Grant ready

WARRIOR NOTEBOOK

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By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

Hawaii starting senior safety Jacob Espiau has a lingering groin injury, and as each day passes his status becomes more uncertain for Saturday's opener against Montana at Maui's War Memorial Stadium.

If Espiau can't go, converted running back Robert Grant starts in place of the all-Western Athletic Conference second-teamer.

"(Espiau's) got some kind of rare sprain. He's practicing, but we'll have to see how it is Saturday night," Hawaii coach June Jones said after practice yesterday. "He'll play hurt, but he'll have to decide if it's counter-productive."

Grant, who only played one game on defense, as a sophomore, at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., said he is ready if needed. Even if Espiau does start, Grant figures to play a lot in pass-defense situations.

"I worked a lot on my tackling technique, especially footwork, over the summer," said Grant, a 6-foot, 211-pound senior.

Defensive backs coach Rich Miano said Grant has made fast progress.

"He's got all the physical skills you want in a safety," Miano said. "I just wish I had him two more years instead of just one. He works hard and he's getting better every day."

Starting cornerback Hyrum Peters returned to full duty yesterday and said he is close to 100 percent after battling a hamstring pull for more than a week.

That moved Nate Jackson, UH's other all-WAC second-team safety, who was filling in at corner, back to his regular spot.

Captains chosen:

Senior slotback Craig Stutzmann and senior defensive tackle Mike Iosua have been voted team captains by their teammates.

"They're both deserving, and most important of all, the team feels they're deserving," coach Jones said.

Stutzmann, a third-year starter from St. Louis School, has caught 123 passes for 1,414 yards and 13 touchdowns for UH.

"With it comes a little more responsibility," Stutzmann said. "You have to lead by example a little bit more. We don't want to lead vocally. Action is what speaks loudest."

Iosua, from Bellevue, Ore., has played in 30 games at defensive line and tight end. Last year he played in eight games, starting six at defensive tackle. His season was shortened by a shoulder injury. Iosua has made 55 tackles in his UH career, including 12 for losses.

"It's an honor," Iosua said. "We have a lot of other seniors and leaders on this team, so we will all share the responsibility."

Two on way home:

Montana junior linebacker Jacob Yoro and junior wide receiver Randyn Akiona are especially thrilled to play a game in Hawaii. Yoro is from Mililani and Akiona from Waipahu.

Yoro, who started 11 games his first two seasons, missed all of last year because of a knee injury. He returned to action as a backup in Montana's 31-17 victory over Cal Poly last Saturday, making two tackles.

"The knee feels good, but I wouldn't say it's 100 percent," Yoro said. "But I finally got the opportunity to go out on the battlefield and knock out some of the cobwebs."

Yoro and Akiona are both St. Louis School graduates, as are 14 players on the UH roster.

"I haven't really kept in close contact with the guys, but during the summer I trained some with Craig (Stutzmann) and (quarterback) Timmy (Chang)," Yoro said. "Definitely the most exciting part for me will be playing in front of my family. My parents have only seen me play once, so it's a definite treat to play in front of people who supported me all through high school."

Travel plans:

The Warriors are treating Saturday like a regular home game, in that they will stay at a hotel on Oahu tomorrow night and fly to Maui just a few hours before the game Saturday. They return to Oahu immediately after the game.

The Montana contingent was scheduled to arrive on Maui this afternoon, via a direct charter flight and return to Montana on Sunday.

"I told (groundskeeper) George Toma to keep them off the field," Jones joked.

Short yardage:

ESPN The Magazine senior writer Gene Wojciechowskiis in Hawaii through Saturday's game to work on a feature on Jones and the Warrior program for an upcoming issue. ... Montana is bringing 58 players and about 2,000 fans.

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UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii