Monday, December 10, 2001

[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]

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Warriors get 2 local
commitments

Ask The Coach
UH Stats

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By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

The Hawaii football team got good news on the recruiting front less than one day after its 72-45 season-ending blowout of Brigham Young on Saturday.

Offensive linemen Kalavi Blanchard of state-champion Kahuku and Dane Uperesa of Punahou have committed to the Warriors.

"My family wants me to stay home and that's the main reason," said Blanchard, who was also offered a scholarship from Utah. "I always wanted to play for UH and I heard coach (Mike) Cavanaugh is the best offensive line coach in the NCAA right now."

Blanchard said he had decided to become a Warrior before Saturday's game, but it made him feel better about his decision.

"That game was crazy, exhilarating," he said.

Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Blanchard, a two-year starter at right tackle, is intelligent and tough.

"He's still growing, he's quick and mature. The work ethic is there," Livai said. "He's still raw, so I told coach Cav he can finish him up. He's very coachable."

Uperesa, 6 feet 5, 315 pounds, also made a verbal commitment to play for the Warriors.

Buffanblu coach Kale Ane said he was leaning toward Hawaii even before Saturday's game.

"He had it narrowed down to UH and USC," Ane said. "He said he felt very comfortable with the coaches and the system at UH and liked the job they'd done with their offensive line."

Uperesa's uncle, Keith Uperesa, played for Brigham Young from 1974 to 1977.

"Dane is a great athlete. He's got everything an offensive line coach looks for: long arms, quick feet, great balance and he understands the game," Ane said. "He's looking at systems, and likes the pass-protection aspect of UH. They're talking about him as a left tackle, but I think he can play anywhere on line. And he's fine academically."

With the two latest commitments, five local offensive lineman have pledged allegiance to Hawaii.

The season-ending win could help UH -- which finished 9-3 -- land recruits it might not have gotten before. Two-time state-champion Kahuku is home to several of the top prospects in the state, including defensive end Jonathan Mapu, running back Mulivai Pula and quarterback Inoke Funaki.

Many of Kahuku's best athletes chose BYU in the past. But Livai said last week his top players are interested in what Hawaii has to offer -- and that was compounded Saturday.

"That game definitely helps them," Livai said. "Another thing is it makes everybody involved with football in the state look good."

Mapu, who is 6 feet 3 and 250 pounds and fast, is the crown jewel of this year's recruiting class, which is full of good line prospects on both sides of the ball. He has UH on his list of possibilities, but is still planning on making some other visits, including to Penn State. Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska and Washington are just some of the other schools showing more than casual interest.

"He's already got about 20 Division I offers," Livai said. "He's just now starting to narrow it down. He definitely wants to visit Penn State."

The UH recruiters might also end up with a Top 25 spot in the major polls with which to lure new Warriors.

Hawaii is knocking on the door, and might be ranked after the bowl game wins and losses are tallied up. If the Cougars can come back to beat Louisville in the Liberty Bowl and Fresno State can knock off Michigan State in the Silicon Valley Bowl, Hawaii's case for a ranking will have more to back it since the Warriors beat BYU and FSU.

"I think we're deserving of a ranking," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "We beat two ranked teams."

As for the bowl game snub, the UH players and coaches learned to live with it -- for this year. A reborn Aloha or Oahu bowl is in the works for the future.

Whether junior star wide receiver Ashley Lelie will be around next season is still not clear. Lelie said Saturday he is leaning toward returning for his senior year, even though his late surge this season upped his potential for next spring's NFL Draft. Lelie, a third-team All-America selection by Football News three weeks ago, might finish a level or two higher when the Associated Press unveils its selections on Thursday.

On Saturday, Lelie was just grateful he could help the Warrior seniors finish with a huge victory.

"It feels great," said Lelie, who finished the season with an unheard of three-consecutive games in excess of 200 yards receiving. "We beat our rivals and helped the seniors go out in a bang. It was amazing.

"They thought we were going to be a pushover. They had all their little lawsuits and stuff," said Lelie, referring to BYU's dissatisfaction at being locked out of BCS consideration. "But they forgot they had to play us and we're a pretty good team. It was a great way to end the season. Beating, killing, a nationally ranked team. It was just like a bowl game for us. The only difference is we don't get to get the per diem of a bowl game."

In the future, Lelie probably won't have to worry about pocket change. Hawaii fans are just anxious to know whether that will be next fall or the following one.

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM UH senior quarterback Nick Rolovich got a hug from coach June Jones as he was introduced for the senior walk.

ASK THE COACH

10 questions with University of Hawaii Coach June Jones

Beating BYU better
than bowl game

The day after each Hawaii football game this season the Star-Bulletin asked coach June Jones 10 questions. Here is what Jones had to say after Hawaii's 72-45 victory over Brigham Young at Aloha Stadium on Saturday.

Star-Bulletin: All-in-all, was this a better way to end the season than a bowl game?

June Jones: I think it was better for us. There was a bigger national TV audience than there would have been for any bowl game we would have played in and it was big for our home fans.

SB: The kickoff return scheme where one blocker can take out two or three defenders all the way down the field seems to have made a big difference. In your wildest dreams did you expect such a huge boost from the kicking game?

JJ: Returns are definitely a team thing. The kids did a great job blocking. At the same time, (returner) Chad Owens makes a big difference, too. Kickoff return guys have to have instincts to make guys miss, and Chad certainly has that.

SB: The offensive line was very strong again, allowing only one sack for the second game in a row. What can you say about its improvement?

JJ: Actually, they've performed well all season. The difference is that Rolo (quarterback Nick Rolovich) got more comfortable, more conscious of getting the ball out within the system. The O-line did extremely well this week considering BYU had a pretty good front four, and they were bringing five or six guys all the time. (Running back) Thero (Mitchell) did a good job blocking, too.

SB: How about the emotional and physical lift on defense from Pisa Tinoisamoa and Travis Laboy?

JJ: It was definitely a factor in the game. Both have extremely good quickness and speed. They fatigued fast but every time they went in for four or five plays they turned things up a notch.

SB: How much of a boost was this win for recruiting?

JJ: You never really know. Obviously, it's not going to hurt, all the kids at the game, the mainland kids watching on TV. When you score 72 points, that's got to help.

SB: What positions are you looking at most in recruiting?

JJ: The same ones we always do: offensive line, defensive line, corners. Those are the priorities. Then we always take a look at getting a couple of linebackers and receivers, another quarterback maybe.

SB: Which players from the scout team do you expect to emerge next season?

JJ: I think (running back) Michael Brewster has a shot at contributing, (defensive back) Lamar Broadway. ... But I hate to start naming too many names. I'm afraid I might forget somebody because there's definitely a bunch of them that will compete for jobs.

SB: Have you heard anything new about a possible replacement for the Aloha and Oahu bowls so going 9-3 without a bowl game doesn't happen again?

JJ: I've heard there are some people looking into it, and I think (athletic director) Hugh (Yoshida) and Leigh (Steinberg) are talking with people now.

SB: Is a game in Japan still a possibility in future years?

JJ: Yeah, I talked about it today with Leigh.

SB: You said a couple games back that this team is better than your 1999 WAC champions and Oahu Bowl winners, and you hadn't expected to turn the corner until next season. Was this your most rewarding season as a football coach?

JJ: Every season has its plusses. Even last year. I still think our job coaching last year was good as any year I've coached. It's easy to coach when you're 9-3. You earn your money when you're 3-9. I thought that we'd mature next year. We've got a lot of young players. The kids really competed this year and won close games.

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Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin

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[UH STATISTICS]

TEAM STATISTICS

	HAWAII	OPP
FIRST DOWN	286	293
Rushing	71	127
Passing	190	141
Penalty	25	25
RUSHING YARDAGE	976	2,183
Yards gained rushing	1,294	2,597
Yards lost rushing	318	414
Rushing attempts	285	544
Average per rush	3.4	4.0
Average per game	81.3	181.9
Touchdowns rushing	13	15
PASSING YARDAGE	4,576	2,997
Att-Comp-Int	570-327-16	447-244-14
Average per pass	8.0	6.7
Average per catch	14.0	12.3
Average per game	381.3	249.8
Touchdowns passing	41	22
TOTAL OFFENSE	5,552	5,180
Total plays	855	991
Average per play	6.5	5.2
Average per game	462.7	431.7
KICK RETURNS: No-Yds	39-1,180	58-1,237
PUNT RETURNS: No-Yds	35-395	18-141
INT. RETURNS: No-Yds	14-377	16-448
FUMBLES-LOST	24-10	33-21
PENALTIES-YARDS	95-845	111-919
PUNTS-AVG	41-42.3	66-35.5
TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME	26:28	33:33
3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS	61/155	85/204
4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS	5/16	16/21

RUSHING

	G	Att	Net	Avg	TD	Long
Bass	12	108	558	5.2	3	34
Mitchell	12	73	378	5.2	9	24
Stutzmann	12	5	26	5.2	0	11
Kauka	12	3	5	1.7	0	5
Harris	12	1	0	0.0	0	0
McBriar	12	1	-9	-9.0	0	-9
Owens	10	3	51	17.0	1	33
Flint	10	7	-18	-2.6	0	3
Rolovich	10	49	4	0.1	0	18
Team	9	5	-11	-2.2	0	0
Kapanui	9	1	-4	-4.0	0	-4
Ala	8	10	19	1.9	0	6
Herbert	6	1	7	7.0	0	7
Withy-Allen	2	2	7	3.5	0	4
Chang	3	9	-51	-5.7	0	0
Total	12	285	976	4.0	13	34

PASSING

	G	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	TD	Long
Rolovich	10	405	233	9	3,361	34	80
Flint	10	23	10	1	112	0	45
Kapanui	9	1	1	0	3	1	3
Chang	3	140	83	6	1,100	6	52
Total	12	570	327	16	4,576	41	80

RECEIVING

	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Lelie	12	84	1,713	20.4	19	80
Colbert	12	55	801	14.6	3	52
Stutzmann	12	54	611	11.3	5	30
Harris	12	69	796	11.5	8	35
Bass	12	29	220	7.6	1	27
Mitchell	12	12	117	9.8	0	22
Owens	10	5	57	11.4	1	17
Rolovich	10	1	1	1.0	0	1
Gossett	8	2	56	28.0	0	45
Uso	7	13	207	15.9	4	45
Welch	5	2	13	6.5	0	9
Total	12	327	4,576	14.0	41	80

TOTAL OFFENSE

	G	Plays	Rush	Pass	Tot	Avg
Rolovich	10	454	4	3,361	3,365	336.5
Bass	12	109	558	0	558	46.5
Mitchell	12	73	378	0	378	31.5
Flint	10	30	-18	112	94	9.4
Chang	3	149	-51	1,100	1,049	349.7
Total	12	855	976	4,576	5,552	462.7

SCORING

	TD	FG	1XP	2XP	Tot
Lelie	19	0-0	0-0	0	114
Ayat	0	19-29	54-57	0	111
Mitchell	9	0-0	0-0	1	56
Harris	8	0-0	0-0	0	48
Owens	5	0-0	0-0	0	30
Stutzmann	5	0-0	0-0	0	30
Bass	4	0-0	0-0	0	24
Uso	4	0-0	0-0	0	24
Colbert	3	0-0	0-0	0	18
Millhouse	1	0-0	0-0	0	6
Bhonapha	1	0-0	0-0	0	6
Grant	1	0-0	0-0	0	6
Wright	1	0-0	0-0	0	6
Total	61	19-29	54-57	1	483

PUNTING

	No.	Yds	Avg	Long
McBriar	40	1,736	43.4	69
Total	40	1,736	43.4	69

PUNT RETURNS

	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Herbert	12	106	8.8	0	28
Owens	18	216	12.0	1	74
Grant	2	19	9.5	0	0
Jackson	3	16	5.3	0	8
Bhonapha	0	38	0.0	1	38
Total	35	395	11.3	2	74

KICK RETURNS

	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Owens	24	807	33.6	2	100
Tate	8	239	29.9	0	80
Colbert	3	86	28.7	0	40
Mitchell	2	33	16.5	0	17
Kauka	2	15	7.5	0	12
Total	39	1,180	30.3	2	100

INTERCEPTIONS

	No.	Yds	Avg	Td	Long
Millhouse	5	111	22.1	1	68
Grant	2	53	26.5	1	27
Correa	1	46	46.0	0	46
Wright	1	90	90.0	1	90
Elimimian	1	11	11.0	0	11
Espiau	1	0	0.0	0	0
Iosua	1	15	15.0	0	15
Peters	1	20	20.0	0	20
Butts	1	31	31.0	0	31
Total	14	377	26.9	3	90

TACKLES

	G	UT	AT	Tot
Espiau	12	83	33	116
Brown	12	79	34	113
N.Jackson	12	70	25	95
Tinoisamoa	9	65	16	81
Peters	10	57	11	68
Grant	12	37	25	62
Laboy	10	34	18	52
Wright	11	28	21	49
Correa	12	32	14	46
Samuseva	12	27	12	39
Correia	11	26	12	38
Alapa	10	22	15	37
Millhouse	12	25	9	34
Iosua	11	20	13	33
Elimimian	11	26	4	30
Hoohuli	12	21	7	28
H. Ala	12	20	7	27
Butts	12	23	4	27
K. Jackson	12	16	10	26
Hunter	11	9	5	14
Clowers	12	7	6	13
Cravalho	10	11	2	13
Bhonapha	10	7	5	12
P.L. Harley	4	6	5	11
Kapanui	9	9	0	9
Morgan	10	6	2	8
Williams	9	2	3	5
Faaliliu	9	5	0	5
Riccardi	7	4	0	4
Wills	4	3	0	3
Mitchell	12	3	0	3
Ayat	12	3	0	3
Tafuna	5	1	2	3
Liana	7	1	1	2
Noa	8	1	1	2
Stutzmann	12	2	0	2
Withy-Allen	4	2	0	2
Kauka	12	2	0	2
Manuma	2	1	0	1
Wright	5	1	0	1
Berryman	2	1	0	1
T. Ala	8	1	0	1
Moenoa	10	1	0	1
Fuata	10	1	0	1
Harris	12	1	0	1
Rolovich	10	1	0	1
Chang	3	1	0	1
Lelie	12	1	0	1
Andrews	6	0	0	0
Total	12	809	324	1,133

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UH Athletics
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