Wednesday, November 7, 2001
[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
Dinwiddie hopes to At Boise State -- where birds crash-land onto the blue football field thinking it is a pond -- the Broncos haven't given up after falling back to Earth last week at Louisiana Tech.
help cure his
Broncos’ blues
The quarterback is bringing
accuracy and a yearning for
an upset against UHBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comDespite toppling once-mighty Fresno State three weeks ago, Boise State is probably out of the Western Athletic Conference championship race after losing 48-42 to the league's other group of Bulldogs.
What made things worse is that BSU led the WAC Rookie Bowl (this is the first year in the conference for both Boise State and Louisiana Tech) in the first half, 21-7.
"It was real disappointing because we were right there toward the end, and we had control earlier but we got lackadaisical," Bronco sophomore quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie said. "It was a really quiet locker room after the game. We were on the top of the world. But we ended up feeling as bad as we made Fresno State feel when we beat them."
Boise State (5-4, 4-2 WAC) comes to Hawaii (6-2, 5-2) as a 5-point underdog in Saturday's Aloha Stadium matchup of teams trying to keep slim championship hopes breathing.
While it's unlikely either team can win the conference, the Broncos have a better shot at a bowl game than the Warriors -- mostly because the Humanitarian Bowl, one of two postseason games with WAC ties, is played at the above-mentioned blue-turfed Bronco Stadium.
"That's our motivation," Dinwiddie said. "A lot of guys have been here awhile and they want to end on a good note."
The Broncos must win two of their last three games (the others are at home against San Jose State and Central Michigan) to be eligible for bowl game consideration.
Who: Boise State (5-4, 4-2 WAC) vs. Hawaii (6-2, 5-2) Hawaii vs. Boise State
Where: Aloha Stadium
When: 6:05 p.m., Saturday
TV: KFVE on delay basis, starting at 10 p.m.
Radio: KCCN-1420 live.
Of note: Loser is out of contention for share of WAC championship. ... Homecoming for UH. ... Hawaii has won the team's two previous meetings, most recently 34-19 in 1999.
Dinwiddie, who leads the WAC and is fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, said he is wary of Hawaii's blitzing defense.
"They remind us of Fresno, the schemes, the fast defenders," he said. "They like to attack offenses. Some teams like to sit back, Hawaii likes to get after you."
Dinwiddie has completed 63 percent of his passes and has thrown for 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Warrior coach June Jones called Dinwiddie "a very accurate passer," and said he is right in expecting the UH defense to come after him.
"That's what it's going to take," Jones said. "They do a good job of protecting the quarterback if you just rush four guys, so we've got to get after them and disrupt things."
Dinwiddie grew up a Dallas Cowboys and Troy Aikman fan in Elk Grove, Calif. He was also a fan of a quarterback to whom he is sometimes compared.
"I loved Joe Montana. I hated the Niners, but he always found a way to get it done," he said. "We pride ourselves on not making mistakes, and that's the kind of quarterback he was, he and Troy Aikman."
After putting up incredible numbers, including 56 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in two seasons during which Elk Grove High School went 27-1, the 6-foot, 192-pound Dinwiddie chose Boise State.
"I loved the offensive system," Dinwiddie said.
And the blue field didn't bother him at all.
"Actually, it's kind of cool. It's something no other team has," he said. "It kind of helped me with my decision."
WAC Standings
CONFERENCE OVERALL W L PF PA W L PF PA La. Tech 5 1 239 186 5 3 303 264 Hawaii 5 2 256 152 6 2 286 164 Boise St. 4 2 223 157 5 4 301 243 Fresno St. 3 2 191 143 7 2 316 231 Rice 3 2 167 161 6 3 227 249 SJSU 2 3 150 154 2 6 190 279 Nevada 2 3 142 161 2 6 179 275 SMU 2 4 125 178 2 5 142 204 UTEP 1 4 92 198 2 6 157 286 Tulsa 0 5 80 203 1 7 138 285 Nov. 3
Hawaii 34, San Jose State 10
Louisiana Tech 48, Boise State 42
Nevada 35, SMU 14
Fresno State 52, Rice 24
Oklahoma 58, Tulsa 0 (non WAC)
Saturday
Tulsa at Rice
Fresno State at SMU
Nevada at San Jose Stat
Louisiana Tech at UTEP
Boise State at Hawaii
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
