Sunday, November 25, 2001
[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
That crashing sound emanating from Halawa last night was the sound of Hawaii's receiving records being shattered. Lelie all alone in UH
receivers record booksBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comAshley Lelie set the single-game record for receiving yards with a nine-catch, 285-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Warriors' 52-30 win over Air Force at Aloha Stadium.
His yardage total broke Dwight Carter's record of 220 set in 1999 against Eastern Illinois. It was also the most receiving yards surrendered by an Air Force team, and set a new Western Athletic Conference record. San Diego State's Will Blackwell set the previous mark of 280 yards in 1996.
Lelie also broke the school's career records for yards and receptions with his second consecutive 200-yard outing. He had six catches for 211 yards in last week's win over Miami (Ohio).
"I knew all we had to do was play good as a team and I knew I'd get the ball, so I was pretty confident I was going to break them," Lelie said of the records. "I was going to do what I could do help the team win, and if I help the team win I knew I was going to break the records."
Lelie had five receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown at halftime, giving him his sixth 100-yard game of the season and the ninth of his career.
Lelie broke Walter Murray's 16-year-old career receptions mark with his 179th catch, a 22-yard completion from Nick Rolovich. He also broke Murray's career yardage mark of 2,865 last night, raising his tally to 3,079.
His 53-yard touchdown reception with 9:44 left in the second quarter raised his 2001 total to 1,304 yards, breaking Dwight Carter's mark of 1,253 set in 1999.
He also added to his records for touchdowns in a season (17) and a career (30).
"He's one of the best in the U.S.," Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry said. "He proved that even though we didn't give him much of a challenge."
Lelie's total now stands at 1,451 yards this season, and he is one catch shy of Carter's record of 77 receptions in a season entering the season finale against Brigham Young on Dec. 8.
That Lelie would top most of the school's receiving charts in less than three seasons seemed unlikely during his playing days at Radford High School, less than a mile up Salt Lake Boulevard from Aloha Stadium.
"He came from a high school where he played a lot of different positions," Hawaii receivers coach Ron Lee said. "And I think in the last few years he concentrated at wide receiver and to his credit he has a good understanding of the passing game, he knows how to get open and he's got great hands.
"More than anything he's really starting to enjoy football. He's working a lot harder in practice trying to get better and it's showing."
"He's in a system that is perfect for him. There are a lot of receivers out there that are probably as talented as Ashley, but Ashley is in a system that is perfect for him."
Even more striking than the numbers the Warriors rolled up last night was the ease with which they did it. Rolovich dissected the Falcon defense for 505 yards and five touchdowns, spreading the ball to receivers running free in the Air Force secondary.
But his biggest strikes were reserved for Lelie, who scored on passes of 53, 47 and 76 yards.
His first touchdown came on a fly pattern down the right sideline. He caught the ball at the Air Force 10, juked the Falcon cornerback and strolled into the end zone. Lelie scored his second on a simple square-in, sprinting away from three Falcons defenders. On his third he split double-coverage and snared a perfectly placed lob from Rolovich.
"Everything seemed like it was open," Lelie said. "Coach was calling plays we haven't run since the first game and they were wide open.
"I was wide open and (Rolovich) was hitting me on the money. I didn't have to make any spectacular catches or anything. The ball was right there in my chest every time."
But Lelie is quick to share the praise with his partners in the receiving corps, with whom he shares a symbiotic relationship. With the Falcons devoting double-coverage to slotbacks Craig Stutzmann and Channon Harris over the middle, Lelie was free to roam on the outside.
"Ashley's just a great player, but there are three other guys out there," Rolovich said. "They threaten the defense to where they can't just worry about Ashley."
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