RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii cornerback Kenny Patton broke up a pass to SMU's Cody Cardwell in the end zone last night in the second quarter.
Patton picks up Before last night, Kenny Patton's memories of his last touchdown in Aloha Stadium weren't all rosy.
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By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comAs a junior at Punahou School two years ago, Patton's score helped the Buffanblu take a 21-0 lead against powerful St. Louis. But the Crusaders rallied for a 42-28 victory.
Patton, now a freshman defensive back for Hawaii, reached the end zone for the first time since his high school days on a 74-yard return of a blocked kick in the Warriors' 42-10 win over Southern Methodist last night.
And in his first collegiate start at cornerback, Patton helped ensure there wouldn't be another stunning comeback.
"It's really great to see him do so well in his first start," Hawaii defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "We saw he had potential in preseason camp and he moved up the ladder quickly. It was just a matter of time before he got in the game.
"Kenny can play and I think he proved that tonight."
Patton became the second Warrior true freshman to reach the end zone this season when he scooped up a loose ball after Pisa Tinoisamoa blocked Trent Stephenson's field-goal attempt in the third quarter.
Freshman defensive lineman Abu Maafala scored on an interception return in Hawaii's season-opening win over Eastern Illinois.
With Hawaii leading 21-3 midway through the third period of last night's game, Stephenson lined up for a 33-yard field-goal attempt. Tinoisamoa roared in off the right side and smothered Stephenson's kick. The ball bounced into Patton's hands and he raced untouched into the north end zone.
"I saw it go off (Tinoisamoa's) hands and up in the air and I just caught it and ran," Patton said. "I couldn't have scored without Pisa."
Patton was initially slated to redshirt this season, but was forced into the starting lineup when Abraham Elimimian went down with a hamstring injury in the second half of the Warriors' win at UTEP a week earlier.
Patton had seen playing time against Brigham Young and UTEP, and faced the Warriors' first-team receivers all week in practice. He also got a boost in the form of some pregame encouragement from the team's veterans.
"The guys really backed me up," Patton said. "They made me feel like I could do wrong. They just said, 'Do what you do in practice, you're ready for it.' "
SMU tried to test Patton early in the game to no avail. The only time he looked like a freshman came late in the first half when a pass interference penalty in the end zone gave SMU the ball at the Hawaii 5.
He redeemed himself two plays later by breaking up a pass intended for Johnnie Freeman. SMU settled for a Stephenson field goal for its first points of the game.
"He'll get better just having that out of his system," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "He played like a freshman a couple times and he played like a veteran the rest of the time."
Last night's start marked Patton's first game at Aloha Stadium since his junior year at Punahou. He spent his senior year of high school at St. Francis High in Southern California to help care for his grandparents. But when UH assistant Dan Morrison started recruiting Patton, he jumped at a chance to return to the Islands and the opportunity to play in front of his parents.
"I realized how much they mean to me," Patton said. "You take it for granted, playing in front of your parents every day, and they didn't get to see me. I know it was hard for them. It was hard for me, too."
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