Friday, October 19, 2001
Rolovich to start TULSA, Okla. >> Senior Nick Rolovich will start at quarterback for Hawaii tomorrow against Tulsa, Hawaii coach June Jones said today.
against Tulsa after all
Chang, who had been slated to
Burns, Tulsa weather storm
return, 're-aggravated' his wrist
Samuseva making impactBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comSophomore starter Tim Chang missed the Warriors' last two games with a sprained right (throwing) wrist.
Earlier this week, Jones said Chang would start against Tulsa if healthy, and repeated that Chang is his "best quarterback."
But the WAC Freshman of the Year of last season "re-aggravated" the wrist this week, Jones said.
"He just doesn't feel 100 percent," Jones said.
Jones said Chang could play tomorrow if needed.
Chang rested the wrist after a few throws in practice on Wednesday in Hawaii. Last night in Tulsa, Chang threw the ball throughout practice. He said a shiatsu treatment before he left the islands helped.
Rolovich has led Hawaii to two consecutive victories -- 38-31 at Southern Methodist and 66-7 at home against Texas-El Paso -- since replacing Chang. He has completed 48 passes in 87 attempts for 577 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Chang has completed 83 passes in 140 attempts for 1,100 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.
Chang replaced Rolovich as UH's starter in the Warriors' third game last year.
Chang and Rolovich were not available for comment today, per UH rules regarding interviews with players the day before games.
Where: Tulsa, Okla. Hawaii vs. Tulsa
When: Tomorrow, 9 a.m.
TV: Live on KFVE
Radio: Live, 1420-AM; pre-game show at 8 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. >> The good news for Tulsa fans is basketball season starts soon. Burns, Tulsa
weather losing stormThe struggling 1-4 Golden
Hurricane are giving tickets away
to tomorrow's game against HawaiiBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe Golden Hurricane football team this fall has produced a breeze lighter than the meager winds here yesterday, where it was 70 degrees and calm.
Tulsa has struggled to a 1-4 (0-3 WAC) record going into tomorrow's game against Hawaii's 3-2 (2-2) Warriors.
Take away the season-opening 51-0 victory over Indiana State, and the Hurricane have been outscored 128-45.
The school will be happy if it can lure 18,000 to come to 40,385-seat Skelly Stadium tomorrow. It's basically giving away tickets to whoever wants them, including a "Fans of the Future" promotion in which children get two free ducats -- one for the kid, and one for an adult, if they can find one to drive to the game.
In addition to the losing, another problem is Tulsa's small fan base. The private institution has a student body of only 4,200.
"More alums of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State live in Tulsa than do Tulsa grads," said Jason West of the athletic department's media relations department. "But at least some of the OU football fans become Tulsa basketball fans."
Skelly's biggest crowds have been for games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Second-year coach Keith Burns, 41, doesn't let all that consume him. Yes, it bothers him, but he knows what he can do something about, and what he can't.
He's an interesting combination of accountability and eccentricity.
His energy and diligence helped Tulsa to a 5-7 record last year (the most wins since 1991). More was expected this season, but injuries have hurt the Hurricane.
Burns' personality is helping his team through a rough season. Burns is the kind of coach who offers visitors snacks, then goes to practice and plays scout-team quarterback, wearing a special-teams helmet liner like a showercap and throwing 50-yard spirals.
But don't doubt his seriousness.
"To get a team to play together you have to have leaders, and that begins with me," Burns said. "It's supposed to trickle down to the staff, to the seniors and to the rest of the team.
"We don't have a choice but to play and coach better, to do our assignments better down to the last detail."
He knows of what he speaks, having coached with John Robinson and Lou Holtz and played at Arkansas.
Although disappointed after the hope generated from last fall, the players haven't given up on Burns or the season.
"Sometimes things don't go your way and you have to learn to battle back," said star receiver Donald Shoals, one of the few Tulsa standouts who has avoided injury this fall. "This was kind of a shocker. I thought we would come out and do better, but, like I said, the ball doesn't always roll your way all the time. You have to buck up and keep going."
Burns hopes that the relative balance of the WAC will help his team rebound. Losses to Fresno State and Boise State are behind Tulsa. While the preseason goal of six wins may be out of the question with Oklahoma remaining on the schedule, Burns said it's not too late to finish strong.
"We've got a great opportunity, but we can't spend a lot of time thinking about taking a big hit at Boise State (41-10) last week," he said. "We've got six games left to change it, but it has to begin with Hawaii.
"No doubt the league is balanced, and that can help us improve our team. It's amazing to see how balanced it is. Some teams are just missing a little something."
The Golden Hurricane need to find that little something quickly to save their season. They already have too much going against them.
Maybe then radio disc jockeys won't ask rhetorically, "Tulsa football. Is that an oxymoron?" as one did while trying to give away tickets on the air.
"There are quite a few fairweather fans here," said longtime booster Frank Fox.
LANCE SAMUSEVA has only 16 tackles in five games. His name doesn't even show up in the glory defensive statistics like sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions. Samuseva making
big impactBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comBut as the Hawaii defense has improved game-to-game, Samuseva's name is always among the first to come up when the coaches talk about who played well, who did his job the best.
Head coach June Jones considers the sophomore defensive tackle a difference-maker, one of the reasons the Warriors (3-2, 2-2 WAC) have won two in a row going into tomorrow's game at Tulsa (1-4, 0-4).
The Farrington graduate who lives in Waianae wasn't even in the starting lineup until the third game of the season, against Rice.
While his impact doesn't show up on the stat sheet, the efforts of Samuseva (5-feet-11, 304 pounds) get noticed because they are consistent and dogged -- and effective.
"He holds the point," defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said. "He gets double-teammed by 600 pounds every play and they can't move him off the football. He's the most consistent defensive lineman we've got.
"You look at the Rice game and he dominated up front. He's like a bowling ball, body-slamming people," Singletary added. "He plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. He plays four quarters. He's a big reason we've been able to stone some people the past three games."
Samuseva is a nephew of the four Noga brothers and Semeri Ulufale -- all former UH defensive standouts.
He played in nine games, starting two last fall. He played well at times but developed consistency over the summer.
"Last year I took plays off. This year, I really wanted to make a contribution to our defense, so I practiced harder, tried to make practice like the biggest play in the game," Samuseva said. "It all rolls over to the game."
He and fellow tackle Mike Iosua didn't catch the casual fans' attention in Hawaii's 66-7 victory over Texas-El Paso last Saturday. But they know what they did was important.
"I think we put pressure on the quarterback," Samuseva said. "He kept throwing the ball real quick, and our guys were in the right place at the right time. I guess we really wanted it. And we took it."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
