ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman, right, talked with Tulane assistant Trooper Taylor during practice at St. Louis School on Friday.
When quarterback J.P. Losman told TV cameras in New Orleans he and his teammates would "punch them in the mouth" when Tulane plays Hawaii, he didn't mean it literally. Losman not at loss
for words
Notebook
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comIt's important that UH offensive lineman Uriah Moenoa -- who basically called out Cincinnati for another rumble after a postgame brawl with the Bearcats last month -- understands that.
"Just bring it," Moenoa said with a shrug when told of Losman's statement. "We're preparing for a tough, physical game, but hopefully nothing will happen like after the Cincinnati game. I don't want to have to talk to my pastor again."
World War III didn't start where World War II ended when the Green Wave and Warriors players met for dinner on the U.S.S. Missouri last night.
"Both teams have respect for each other and we'll get along fine," Tulane coach Chris Scelfo said.
But the talkative and talented Losman figures to spice things up as the ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl opponents prepare to clash on Christmas Day.
"There's no telling what our quarterback will say. You can egg him on all week and you'll get some good stuff," Scelfo told reporters yesterday after practice. "The thing is we know he's a good player."
What: ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl Hawaii vs. Tulane
When: Wednesday, 3:05 p.m.
Where: Aloha Stadium
Tickets: $15 special, $25 general, $40 premium. Available at Aloha Stadium, M-F 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Also at Stan Sheriff Center, M-F 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Phone sales at 484-1122 on Oahu or 1-800-291-3999, M-F 9 a.m.-5 p.m. except game day.
TV: Live on ESPN.
Radio: 1420-AM.
Losman seems to be aware of that, too. Tulane (7-5) is a 12-point underdog against Hawaii (10-3), but that doesn't bother the UCLA transfer from Venice, Calif.
"I'm not intimidated at all. If anything I've got too much confidence," he said. "Our problem all year was realizing how good we are. It took us to the (Nov. 23 season-ending) Southern Miss game to realize that."
There was no reason for Tulane to think it was good the week before beating Southern Miss 31-10 -- the Green Wave had lost 14-10 to Army at home. It was the Cadets' only victory in two seasons, and Losman was sacked five times and intercepted twice.
The loss to the Black Knights showcased Tulane's lack of consistency.
"Like (offensive line) Coach (Don Mahoney) said: Do you want to be Vanilla Ice, a one-hit wonder, or do you want to be the Rolling Stones and have hit after hit," Losman said. "That's what we have to do. I'm not even a Stones fan. All I know is the Rolling Stones make hit after hit and that's what we've got to do."
Losman was a Parade All-American at Venice High School, from which he graduated early. He attended UCLA for the spring 1999 semester, but transferred because of a glut of Bruins quarterbacks.
But at Tulane, he ended up behind Patrick Ramsey (a high pick of the Washington Redskins in this year's NFL Draft), until this year, anyway.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior finally got a chance to display his talent, and completed 210 of 362 passes for 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He passed for 2,228 yards.
Losman said the Tulane that beat Southern Miss, not the Tulane that lost to Army, has come to Hawaii.
"I think we made a big statement today. I thought we had a great practice today. I feel the confidence is there, the want-to is there. We know we can do it, we did it against Southern Miss. We just have to do it over and over and over," he said. "We've just got to go out and prove to these people we can play on this level. If people want to look down on our university and our program that way it's up to us to change it and make a statement. We've got a good opportunity on ESPN against a great team like Hawaii to prove it. We've got to prove a point."
