DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Quarterback Darnell Arceneaux helped the Islanders to a win over the Blitz last weekend.
Josh White was on top of his game last weekend. White encourages
teammates to win final 3By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comWhenever the Hawaiian Islanders (3-10) needed a big play, White was there to make it.
Many of his teammates followed White's hard-charging lead on the way to a 49-35 upset victory over the Bakersfield Blitz.
He came up with four or five huge plays that helped turn a close game into a win.
On the first play of the second quarter, with the Islanders hanging on to a 17-14 lead, White busted through the Bakersfield line to sack quarterback Chad Elliott for a 7-yard loss to stall a drive. The Islanders went up by 10 on their next possession.
Later, when the game was on the line, White chugged for a key first down to set up a touchdown that increased the Islanders' lead from two to eight points.
Then, on the last play of the game, he got to Elliott again, this time causing a fumble that teammate Chris Paogofie picked up and ran in for a TD for the final 14-point margin.
"On that play, our D-linemen made a good push up front and they kept the fullback from getting me right away," White said. "So I followed the noseguard up the middle, went to the right, which was open, and went right past the fullback and got to the quarterback."
White, the former Farrington High School and California standout, had some words of wisdom for his teammates as they prepare for their final three games of the season.
"Let's go 3-0, end the season strong, have some good memories and be ready for training camp next year," he said.
It's still up in the air whether White will get a tryout for an NFL team for the upcoming season. The past two years, he signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and played all the way through the preseasons before getting cut.
Sizin' Nian: Islanders newcomer Nian Taylor, who won Ford Tough National Player of the Week honors, isn't as large as advertised.
According to coach Chad Carlson, he's an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter than what is listed on the roster.
Taylor, a former Washington State receiver, is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, not 6-3, 215.
"He's a lot faster than he appears, and he has a knack for getting to the ball," Carlson said.
The impressive Taylor caught five passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns in last week's game. He also intercepted a Bakersfield pass, caused a fumble, made two tackles and returned a missed field goal 48 yards to set up a TD.
"He wanted to show everybody that he's meant to be the star, and it only helps everybody on the team," Carlson said. "He fits right in and the guys like him."
Unyielding defensive attitude: The Islanders' defense gave up just seven points to Bakersfield in the second half, and that accomplishment ranks right up there on the team's highlight list for 2002.
Evile Puna, a 6-3, 250-pound newcomer at linebacker, has made his presence felt with crunching tackles and determined pursuit of quarterbacks.
The Islanders held the Blitz to zero points in the third quarter, a difficult task in the high-scoring af2.
United they stand: The Islanders are 2-1 in their last three games after a nine-game losing streak.
"The reason why we won those games is because we knew we could," Carlson said. "Even when we were losing, we were playing positively and as a unit by sticking together, and it was just a matter of time."
The Islanders have a bye this weekend and play at Arkansas (7-5) in a rare Friday game next week. The Twisters have won two in a row and are a half-game behind Bossier City (8-5) for the National Conference Central Division's second playoff spot.
Two weeks ago, Arkansas stunned Central leader Tulsa by a whopping 102-63 margin.
The Talons (10-2) defeated the Islanders 70-42 earlier in the season.
The Islanders are gearing up for some more grueling travel.
"We go to Arkansas on Wednesday, practice Thursday night, practice Friday morning before the game, play Friday night and come home Saturday," Carlson said. "We want to be completely healthy, mentally and physically, so we want to heal up.
"There's three games left, and where we're at, I think we can win those games."
The Islanders have a lighter practice schedule this week because Carlson thinks it's important for the players to enjoy some free time.
Quad City visits the Islanders at the Blaisdell Arena for a July 20 game. The season finale is July 27 in Fresno.
