Thursday, October 11, 2001
[ UH FOOTBALL ]
Mama, they’re crazy Matt Wright of the Hawaii football team has the craziest job in a crazy sport. He's the wedge buster, the human bowling ball who knocks down as many blockers on the opposing kickoff return team as possible.
Hawaii assembles its most
unstable guys and calls them
the special teams unitBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com"I'm the one they send into harm's way to take on 260-pound tight ends," the junior linebacker out of Iolani School said, failing to mention he goes after four of them at a time, at full speed.
"You gotta be a little bit off to do that."
Some say playing special teams at all is nutty. But the chaos of the kicking game can cause huge yardage, point and emotional swings -- and determine winners and losers.
Wright remembers the turning point of the Warriors' WAC football season last year. It came early in the second quarter of the first conference game, at Texas-El Paso.
Joe Correia caused a UTEP fumble on punt coverage, and Wright recovered in the end zone to give UH a 7-3 lead.
Just a minute on the game clock later, Thero Mitchell blocked a Miner punt and Chris Riccardi ran it in for an apparent touchdown.
But wait.
Flag. Holding, UH.
UTEP took over, and on the next play Rocky Perez hooked up with Lee Mays for a 68-yard touchdown pass. Instead of a 14-3 Hawaii lead, UTEP was up 10-7. The Warriors never recovered emotionally, and the Miners won 39-7.
"That should have been a close game, but those big special teams plays with the big momentum changes killed us," Wright said. "As a team, we were so juiced, sky-high. And then they took away the TD and we knew we were going to have to work so hard to get back to where we were just a minute ago, and we thought we couldn't do it. We were deflated."
Hawaii (2-2, 1-2 WAC) hosts UTEP (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday at Aloha Stadium. Miners coach Gary Nord said big kicking game plays could make the difference again ... and all season.
"Special teams can change a game quicker than any other thing. They can especially have a big impact when the teams are pretty evenly matched, which most in the WAC are," Nord said. "Nine teams in the WAC can all beat each other, so special teams are very key this year."
They certainly were in Hawaii's 38-31 overtime victory at Southern Methodist last Saturday.
SMU got a 92-yard touchdown kickoff return by Jonas Rutledge to send the game to overtime.
"It's an adventure so far," Wright said. "We should have made the tackle, but we overpursued. We're working on being disciplined, staying in our lanes, our technique."
Rutledge's runback might have been decisive, had not UH senior Robert Grant blocked two punts -- especially one which Keith Bhonapha returned 38 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
"That was really cool, one of the best feelings I've had since I've been out here," said Grant, who was a high school teammate of Bhonapha at Oakland (Calif.) Skyline. "We played ball together, ran track together and went to elementary school together. All our family back home watching it on TV thought it was pretty cool we were in on the same play like that."
Bhonapha hopes to follow the path of Grant and Wright; they earned playing time on defense partly through showing their ability on special teams.
"I feel like when the time comes I'll be ready for (regular action in the secondary). The way to go is not complain, work out hard and wait for the chance. I figure it's coming. (Secondary coach) Rich Miano knows I work hard."
Bhonapha's extra effort has helped him become one of the team's fastest players.
"He's probably had the greatest gain in speed," defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "He worked all offseason in speed and went from 4.7 to 4.5 (in the 40). He's really worked hard. That's why he's been able to play a lot more on special teams and start moving up in the secondary.
"As for Rob G., I'm glad they gave him to us," Lempa said Grant, a former running back. "He's becoming an excellent player. We've got to find a place for him to play. The Rice game he played linebacker and he can play either safety, so we have to find ways to rotate him into the game.
"Imagine that, a linebacker one week, a safety the next week. He's had an interception, should have had two. Then the next game he comes in on special teams and blocks two punts."
Although Grant seems like a player without a position, he enjoys being a utility man.
"At times I miss running back, but it just gives me more incentive to get my hands on the ball so I can run with it," he said. "It's fun, I'm loving it, just to be getting out there on the field. It's my fourth year and I'm only now being able to have some impact out there, so I'm loving it right now."
Said Bhonapha: "He's making plays. That's all that counts."
And many times -- especially when they're made on special teams -- they can turn the game.
"I think it's always a phase of the game," UH coach June Jones said. "We're probably playing better special teams than last year if you take out the bad snaps. All in all I'm pleased with the way those guys are playing. We had a freak thing happen last week with a kick return, but that's going to happen every now and then."
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