RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM UH running back Thero Mitchell looked to get past defensive back Abraham Elimimian in yesterday’s scrimmage.

UH survives
scrimmage

June Jones unleashes his
offense on his improved defense

Tulsa plans WAC attack
Warrior notebook

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By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

Now that was a scrimmage worthy of the name.

A gathering of around 200 at the University of Hawaii lower campus yesterday was treated to a rarity in the June Jones era -- Warrior football first- and second-stringers going at it full-tilt in practice for more than a handful of plays.

Jones -- who usually keeps contact, especially among primetime players, to a minimum -- let the boys rock for 45 plays yesterday.

It wasn't designed to entertain (the fans), but to educate (the players) and inform (the coaches). Although Jones said he and his staff are pretty sure about who will play where when the season starts in less than two weeks, there are still some pukas to fill because of injuries. Also, with so many new players moving into key roles, Jones felt it necessary to give them a live-fire exercise.

"We've got some guys that we wanted to make sure they got the feel of things," Jones said. "If we were going to do it, we were going to do it now, not in the Eastern Illinois game (the Aug. 31 opener). There were a lot of guys we wanted to get in there for 10 to 20 plays."

The already-hobbled Warriors came out of the scrimmage relatively unscathed. Sophomore receiver Kanale George -- running with the first-team while Justin Colbert is out with a strained calf -- did suffer a mild concussion when he was roughed up after a catch on the second play of the scrimmage. George is expected back Tuesday at the latest, Colbert tomorrow.

With three offensive players who came into camp listed as starters sidelined (Colbert, quarterback Tim Chang and inside receiver Gerald Welch), the four turnovers were probably to be expected.

No. 1 quarterback Jason Whieldon completed 6 of 15 passes for 58 yards. The numbers weren't good, but Jones liked what he saw.

"He's what I thought he was. He's got poise. He seems to have a great feel for the game," Jones said of Whieldon.

Shawn Withy-Allen, No. 2, but trying to make a case to be the starter, completed 7 of 15 passes for 105 yards -- but with two interceptions.

Freshman inside receiver Ross Dickerson caught three passes for 75 yards, including a 40-yarder from Withy-Allen in which Dickerson made a fully extended dive.

"Ross Dickerson really caught my eye, two or three times," Jones said. "But he's made plays all training camp. He's decided he wants to be good, and he's going to be."

The same could be said for the Warrior defenders, who provided lots of big plays:

>> Safety David Gilmore intercepted a pass and knocked one away.

"He's had a really good camp. He plays really smart, he's faster after working on his quickness all summer," Jones said. "He looks like a different guy than he did last year. He'll get his opportunities to contribute on special teams and some other things too."

>> Linebacker Chad Kalilimoku made three strong tackles and batted down a pass.

"Chad's an animal. He just goes to the football," Gilmore said. "We should be all right with him in the game."

>> Cornerback Omega Hogan intercepted a pass, safety Keith Bhonapha recovered a fumble and tackle Isaac Sopoaga notched a tackle-for-loss.

The UH defense appears to be as deep as advertised, at least when playing against an offense quarterbacked by two players with zero Division I passes between them.

"I think the first three strings looked really good," starting linebacker Chris Brown said. "Physically I think we're there. Mentally, almost but not quite. They're catching on real quick and I'm impressed. When we're out there that's what we're trying to do. If the offense gives up the ball, we're supposed to get it back for them."

Owens and Thero Mitchell fumbled after catching short passes.

"Yes, we have to take care of the ball better. The receivers are used to catching the ball and not having people hit them, so I don't think that will be a problem. Once someone fumbles they work really hard at not doing it again," Whieldon said.

"I thought it was a real good scrimmage. Guys are always itching to tackle, so it's good. We got some aggression out. I felt real good about our offense. I thought we moved the ball well. We did some things good, we did some things bad."

Fifth-year senior Withy-Allen said the defense is "the best I've seen since I've been here."

"I thought we did pretty good on the deep balls. The O-line did a great job giving me time to get the ball out. I needed a little more focus on the short stuff, I made some errant throws on the short ones."

Jones gave the team the afternoon and evening off with an 11 p.m. curfew. They have today off until a 7 p.m. meeting.

"We busted our butts all week," senior right guard Vince Manuwai said. "Now we can stay with family, hang out, go to the movies. Then it's back to work on Monday. We're going to bust our butts. What we do here means what we do during the season."

Two-a-days resume tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.

Pigout coming soon: The 7th annual Pigskin Pigout is Thursday at Murphy's Bar & Grill. Tickets are $100 and include food, drinks, entertainment and live and silent auctions for items including sports memorabilia.

Last year's event raised $108,000 for Warrior football.

Mind your Manners: The defense was forcing turnovers even before the scrimmage started. Safety Lono Manners intercepted a Whieldon pass and a few minutes later knocked down a long toss with good catch-up speed while playing deep zone.

Also in team drills, cornerback Gary Wright recovered an Omar Bennett fumble.

Around the WAC: Nevada receiver Nate Burleson has been invited to play in the Hula Bowl. But Burleson is holding off on his RSVP because he might be able to graduate by next summer and regain the year of eligibility he lost as an NCAA partial qualifier when he entered college. ... San Jose State special teams player Neil Parry ran with his new artificial limb last week and hopes to play this season, two years after his right foot was amputated. ... Locker room wallpaper for everyone on Boise State's schedule, courtesy of Broncos cornerback Machtier Clay: "We're going to go out there and just manhandle receivers, kill receivers, D-up receivers. We all have things that contribute to the team that make our secondary one of the best in the country, if not the best."

... In 1989, junior Garrett Gabriel became an instant state hero when he passed Hawaii to a 56-14 rout of Brigham Young on Oct. 29 at Aloha Stadium. It was the first time the Rainbows beat the rival Cougars after 10 straight losses, and Gabriel set a school record that still stands for average gain per play (14.1 yards). He is the career leader in total offense with 6,181 yards. UH went 9-3-1, including a 33-13 loss to Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl (the Rainbows' first NCAA-sanctioned bowl appearance). Today, Gabriel is a social worker on Oahu.

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UH Athletics