Towels for Nate Jackson
raise hospital moneyMore than an hour before kickoff, 6,000 Nate Jackson rally towels were nearly sold out at $2 each and more were being brought to the stadium.
All of the money from the towels goes toward a fund for the former UH safety's medical expenses. Jackson, who has no health insurance, has been hospitalized since Oct. 24 with a virus and a damaged heart valve. He underwent successful heart surgery Thursday, but is expected to spend at least another week in the hospital.
"The community has been real supportive," said Chris Smith as he sold the last few available towels outside the stadium. "You can't beat Hawaii when it comes to community support."
Friends of Nate Jackson spokeswoman Toni Politsch estimated that $35,000 had already been raised before yesterday.
A fund-raiser was held Thursday at Murphy's Bar & Grill. Proprietor Don Murphy also printed the rally towels at his own expense.
"We want to thank everyone," Politsch said. "Whether they donate 50 cents, $20 or whatever. It's been tremendous."
Stadium newspaper lineup edition vendors also accepted donations yesterday.
"People really responded to the manner in which he played," season-ticket holder Walter Soga said in the stadium parking lot. "He always played 110 percent, and that spirit is showing in the way he's fighting his health problem."
Sue Soga, Walter's wife, bought three rally towels. She said her family also feels a bond with Jackson because her nephew is in the hospital in a room next to Jackson's.
Cincinnati captains stand: Senior defensive tackle Matt Tupuola was the game co-captain on defense for Cincinnati last night.
The 6-foot-2 Tupuola grew up in Carson, Calif., but spent part of his childhood in Hawaii and has relatives still living here.
Tupuola was in on the goal-line stop for Cincinnati at the opening seconds of the second quarter that prevented Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang from scoring on a fourth-and-one situation. Senior DeMarcus Billings was credited with the tackle.
Line change: Warriors starting left guard Shayne Kajioka left early in the contest with a sprained knee. He returned in the second half.
Center Lui Fuata moved to left guard and Derek Faavi entered the game at center.
Chad's back: Hawaii receiver Chad Owens returned to the field after being sidelined more than a month with a knee injury, and sparked the Warriors with two long punt returns in the second quarter.
Owens hadn't played since spraining his right knee as he dove into the end zone on a 50-yard touchdown against Nevada on Oct. 12.
He averaged 18.5 yards on four punt returns in the first half and set up both of Hawaii's touchdowns in the second quarter.
After the Hawaii defense forced the Bearcats to punt from their own 1, Owens fielded Chet Ervin's kick at the 47 and sliced through the Cincinnati coverage team for a 21-yard return to the Bearcats' 26.
Thero Mitchell scored on a 1-yard run six plays later for the Warriors.
The Warriors forced another Bearcat punt on their next possession and Owens again juked past the Bearcats for a 38-yard return, Hawaii's longest of the season. The return led to Mitchell's second scoring run of the game.
Short yardage: Hawaii went scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since the Sept. 21 game at Texas-El Paso. It was also the first time they went without scoring in nine quarters, since the third period of the Oct. 25 game at Fresno State.
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