RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa led Hawaiiin tackles, tackles for loss and sacks this season.
Senior Pisa Tinoisamoa was announced as the Hawaii football team's most valuable player at Na Koa booster club's annual banquet last night at the Waikiki Sheraton. Tinoisamoa named
team MVP
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe first-team All-Western Athletic Conference linebacker finished the regular season with team highs in tackles (121), tackles for loss (16) and sacks (6 1/2).
Junior defensive tackle Lance Samuseva took home the Ben Yee most inspirational player award.
Senior quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen won the scholar-athlete award for the fourth year in a row.
The captain's awards went to senior running back Thero Mitchell, senior linebacker Chris Brown and sophomore special-teams player Chad Kapanui.
Warrior Club awards were received by senior guard Vince Manuwai, junior defensive back Hyrum Peters and senior special-teams player Keith Bhonapha.
Freshmen Garrett Dearing and Tanuvasa Moe and junior Gary Wright were honored with the scout team awards.
Practice schedule: The Warriors' practice schedule this week is pared down to Tuesday and Thursday, 4-6 p.m., as the team takes a breather before gearing up for the Dec. 25 Hawaii Bowl against Tulane (7-5).
UH returns to a five-day practice schedule the next week.
WAC honors for LaBoy: Junior Travis LaBoy was named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week today for his performance in the Warriors' 41-40 win over San Diego State last Saturday.
The 6-foot-5, 253-pound defensive end recorded seven tackles, five tackles for a loss of 19 yards (including two sacks) and four quarterback hurries. LaBoy sealed the victory when he sacked Aztecs quarterback Lon Sheriff on fourth down after San Diego State had driven to the Warriors' 37-yard line.
Quarterback Tim Chang, who completed 33 of 54 passes for 437 yards and three touchdowns, was also nominated.
WAC Offensive layer of the Week honors went to Fresno State running back Rodney Davis.
Davis, a junior, rushed for a career-high 221 yards on 37 attempts and scored two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 45-13 win at Louisiana Tech. He also had two receptions for 33 yards.
Davis has rushed for 1,433 yards this season, the second highest total in Fresno State history.
Special-teams honors went to senior place-kicker Asen Asparuhov. He made all five extra point attempts and his only field goal try of 18 yards.
Short yardage: Hawaii remains atop the NCAA Division I statistics in passing yardage at 387.9 per game. ... UH is fifth among teams also receiving votes in the coaches poll with 19 points and eighth among the honorable mentions in the Associated Press poll with nine points. ... After his 283-yard game against UH on Saturday, San Diego State receiver J.R. Tolver moved past Nevada's Nate Burleson to the top of the list in receiving yards per game with 137.31.
