RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH receiver Justin Colbert is 11th in the nation in receptions per game.
After Saturday night's 40-31 victory over San Jose State, Hawaii is No. 1 in the nation ... in passing offense. Warriors top
C-USA foe not a lock
passing chartsBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comWarriors quarterbacks Tim Chang (365) and Shawn Withy-Allen (75) combined for 440 yards via the air, upping the team per-game average to 398.9.
That moved UH past Marshall, which averages 391.9.
Hawaii coach June Jones has said the Warriors would some day lead the nation in passing since he brought the run-and-shoot to Manoa in 1999. He said that has come to be not only because of the quarterbacks.
"The guys have committed to doing things the right way," Jones said. "Timmy's doing a great job, the offensive line's doing a great job. There's a lot of reasons. It's not just the passing. Everyone's committed."
In other national statistics:
>> Hawaii is second to Marshall in total offense with 520.0. The Thundering Herd average 531.3.Up for honors: UH nominated Colbert (11 receptions, 156 yards, two touchdowns), Pisa Tinoisamoa (seven tackles, interception) and John West (114 return yards) for Western Athletic Conference player of the week honors.>> The Warriors are fifth in scoring with 40.4 points per game. Boise State leads the nation at 47.8.
>> Chang is fifth in total offense at 329.9. Marshall's Byron Leftwich is tops at 375.5
>> Justin Colbert is 11th in receptions per game with 6.6 and 20th in receiving yards per game with 96.89.
>> Hyrum Peters is tied for 22nd in interceptions per game at 0.44. He still leads the nation with 176 interception return yards and three touchdowns.
Colbert, who has four games in a row of 100-plus receiving yards, is third all-time in UH receiving yards with 2,474. His former teammate, Ashley Lelie of the Denver Broncos, is No. 1 with 3,341. Lelie had the weekend off and watched Saturday's game at Aloha Stadium with former Warriors quarterback Jared Flint.
Lelie's career mark of 194 receptions is within Colbert's reach; Colbert has 179 catches and five games left to play.
Injury report: UH's receivers continue to rotate from the lineup to the trainers room and back.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Cockheran was benched by an aggravated groin Saturday, but former starter Neal Gossett stepped in and caught seven passes for 119 yards, including a 40-yard TD from Withy-Allen.
Inside receiver Nate Ilaoa's right shoulder subluxation recurred. It's a type of injury that will probably continue to haunt him unless he undergoes surgery. He was replaced by Clifton Herbert, who had a tender shoulder himself earlier in the season.
Another starting inside receiver, Chad Owens, might return for the Rice game a week from Saturday. He has missed the last three games with a knee sprain.
"We've been through a bunch of receivers with injuries, that's for sure," Jones said.
Short yardage: With no game on Saturday, Jones said the Warriors will take tomorrow off and practice Wednesday through Friday this week. ... Saturday was a busy day for UH athletic director Herman Frazier, who began it in Colorado Springs, Colo., in his capacity as a U.S Olympics Committee vice president and ended it at Aloha Stadium accepting a bid to the Hawaii Bowl. "I had to leave before the vote, but New York is a fine nomination," he said. The committee selected New York as the U.S. nomination to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.
