Sidelines
The public got a show. Nobody got hurt. A couple of unknowns got a few sparkling moments under the lights. Scrimmage offers just a glimpse
It was a perfect spring game.
Do we know all that much more about Hawaii football in 2002 today than we did yesterday at this time? Any significant changes? Any stunning news? Probably not. But that's not what spring games are about. Nothing went horribly wrong. Guys on the bubble got one last chance. And we saw some glimpses of the future, even if it might be the very distant future.
If practices are where players are made, then games are where players are born. And we saw a couple of guys last night who could turn into players. A couple of guys who showed in these few plays that they come alive when it counts.
That's all spring games are for, ideally. Glimpses. Glimpses, and confirmation. That's why every play was first and 10. No situations, no down and distances, no goal line stands or short fields or special teams. Just show us. Just beat somebody. Just play.
"A lot of good things," coach June Jones said when asked what he saw last night.
We saw the first look, one play, in a head fake and a flash and a bolt of lightning, why slotback Nate Ilaoa was so highly recruited coming out of Washington, D.C.
We saw why Jones has raved about Jeff Rhode -- Rhode, who has often been ho-hum in practices; Rhode, who didn't get a snap at quarterback last night until the time was running down.
But in front of a crowd, with the adrenaline pumping and the defense rushing and the people watching, he was a new man, throwing the kind of passes that make you dream.
We saw that Chad Owens can be a big part of the offense. I have always been an Owens cheerleader, but I doubted he could make the move from part-time as a return man and surgical strike "make things happen" guy to full-time -- an every down receiver.
That takes discipline and endurance and precision and intelligence and durability, and sometimes it takes years.
This spring, last night, Owens was already doing it.
Confirmation.
We saw that defensive lineman Lui Fuga is back, even if he isn't all the way back ("I don't feel that explosive," he said). We saw that Ryan Santos, listed as leading heading into the spring, is probably still holding off Shayne Kajioka at right tackle.
We saw sacks given out like candy at Halloween.
"And we didn't blitz tonight," Jones said.
We saw a guy named John West (check the program) make plays and catch Jones' eye, emerging from a plethora of running backs.
We saw a lot of little things, which is what spring games are all about.
Travis Laboy didn't play.
Timmy Chang didn't play.
Mike Bass didn't play.
Instead, we saw Kanale George, a backup receiver who doesn't look good in warm-ups. But when the lights came on he became a player, he stole the show.
Afterward, while Henry Kapono played, George was greeted with high-fives and handshakes and hugs by the other subs. Everybody was so happy for him. He'd done it. He'd given us a glimpse.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com