Sure, Luke Staley's fractured leg might be a good break for the Hawaii football team. Staley’s injury doesn’t
make Cougars staleBy Dave Reardon and Jason Kaneshiro
dreardon@starbulletin.com | jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comBut now that Brigham Young's star running back won't be able to play Saturday at Aloha Stadium, the Warrior defense's task actually becomes more challenging in a way as UH (8-3) tries to knock off No. 9 BYU (12-0).
"That makes it harder to prepare, because now we don't know what to expect," UH defensive tackle Mike Iosua said. "I think we can expect them to still come out and run the ball, but who knows?"
Hawaii defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said his job becomes more difficult now.
"I wish he was playing because it'd be nice to go against him. Second of all, I don't know what they're going to do. They could change their offense because he's such a big part of it," Lempa said. "With Staley you know what you're going to get. Without him, you don't know what they're going to do."
Staley rushed for a BYU single-season record 1,582 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per carry before breaking his left fibula near the end of the Cougars' 41-38 victory last Saturday at Mississippi State.
"Staley's one of the best players we would have played against this year," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "He's about as good as it gets. He gets involved running routes as a receiver and running the ball. They're going to suffer a little because they lost him.
"But that's the game of football. We're missing a bunch of guys, too. It's who's standing at the end."
Staley is among three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation's top running back. The winner will be announced Thursday.
"I don't think there's any question that we will miss having Luke on Saturday," BYU coach Gary Crowton said. "He is a vital part of this team. However, we have players on this team who can, and will step up. We'll make some adjustments and then go from there."
The Cougars have other weapons. Quarterback Brandon Doman and receiver Reno Mahe are among them.
Doman, threw for a career-high five TDs and 390 yards against Mississippi State. He also threw three interceptions.
Just three weeks after an emergency appendectomy, Mahe caught 10 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday. The 189 yards breaks teammate Doug Jolley's Mountain West Conference record. Jolley caught 10 passes for 177 yards against Air Force.
Warrior hurts: Even after a week off, key defensive players Travis Laboy, Matt Wright and Pisa Tinoisamoa remain among UH's walking wounded.
All three hope to play Saturday. Linebacker Wright (knee) and end Laboy (ankle) are more likely to be healed by game-time than linebacker Tinoisamoa (leg). Tinoisamoa said he was scheduled to undergo X-rays yesterday.
Surfrider sweep: Kailua offensive lineman Kahai LaCount followed the example set by two of his teammates by verbally committing to Hawaii yesterday.
LaCount, a versatile 6-foot-3, 300-pound athlete, played four different line spots at various times for Kailua. Fellow Surfrider offensive linemen Samson Satele and Marques Kaonohi and Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College quarterback Jason Whieldon have also said they plan to sign with the Warriors.
"My family can watch me play and I really didn't want to anywhere else," LaCount said. "So I'll just stay back and play with Sam and Marques."
LaCount, who didn't visit any other schools, said Hawaii's recent history of having offensive linemen selected in the NFL Draft influenced his decision.
"I know they send quite a few offensive linemen to the pros and that's what helped me choose them," he said.
Kailua coach Darren Johnson said LaCount and Satele can play guard and tackle positions, while Kaonohi was the Surfriders' center.
"They'll play for a good coach and a great program," Johnson said of this year's crop of linemen. "Now I definitely have to change my Saturday schedule."
The Warriors also received a commitment from Mililani defensive lineman Kaipo Patoc yesterday morning. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound OIA Red Conference all-star also considered Colorado before making his decision.
"I can fit right in, everybody's cool and my parents can still watch me," Patoc said. He was hosted by Hawaii offensive lineman and Mililani graduate Ryan Santos on his recruiting visit.
In other recruiting news, Hawaii is in the hunt for at least one of the top recruits in the nation.
Fred Matua, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle from Banning High School in Los Angeles, has said he will visit Hawaii, along with Notre Dame, USC and UCLA. Despite a broken leg earlier this season, Matua is considered the country's 25th-best prospect overall by insiders.com, and appears in the top 100 of several other lists.
Also, Isaac Sopoaga, one of the most highly sought-after junior college defensive linemen in the nation last year, is taking courses at UH to become academically eligible. He could join the team by this spring.