Road Warriors ready
to head to Las VegasThe Hawaii football team has been
practicing, shopping and trying
to stay sharp at Camp Ontario
ONTARIO, Calif. >> This was supposed to be a short week for the Hawaii football team.
Hawaii at UNLV
When: Tomorrow, 3 p.m. Hawaii time
Where: Las Vegas
TV: Live, ESPN2
Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM
Line: Even
Don't tell the players that.
They had one fewer day to prepare than usual, but the Warriors (1-1) can't wait to get on the Sam Boyd Stadium field in Las Vegas to play UNLV (2-1) tomorrow night.
In fact, they're anxious to get to Las Vegas, period -- and it has nothing to do with blackjack tables and showgirls. It's more about getting out of town.
They are tired of this place. The Warriors have practiced 2-3 hours a day since Monday without much else to do but study and try not to get on each other's nerves in a comfortable -- but not very exciting -- hotel.
There's been shopping at the Ontario Mills super mall, but per diem doesn't take a college football player very far, especially when he's looking for size XXXXXL.
They went to see the movie "S.W.A.T." en masse Tuesday. The Invasion of the Green Muscle Men created a stir at the megaplex for the locals and killed a couple of hours for the players.
"I'm so bored. This is not really a road trip. It's like a camp or something," said junior cornerback Abraham Elimimian, who spent a good part of his evenings on one of the hotel's exercise bikes. "But we came here to do business. We just have to adjust to it and know what we're doing here."
Camp Ontario wasn't overly arduous in the physical sense (yesterday's three-hour practice notwithstanding), but it was emotionally. The players and coaches had to remove the memory of last Saturday's 61-32 thrashing by No. 4 Southern California and focus on how to beat the upstart Rebels, who knocked off No. 14 Wisconsin 23-5 in Madison on Saturday.
But how do you forget when a well-meaning but uninformed hotel manager puts the replay of the USC-UH slaughter on all four TVs in the lobby while the Warriors wait for a bus to the mall? And when the red stains from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum floor won't come out of the uniforms?
Maybe it's better to have a fresh memory of the sour taste of embarrassment, the better not to repeat it in front of a crowd expected to be in the 30,000 range (with about half of them Hawaii fans), not to mention a national ESPN audience.
While UNLV is coming off one of the program's biggest wins ever, this is still a more evenly matched fight for the Warriors than they had last week.
The Rebels seem to be a sawed-off version of USC on offense, with size and balance and weapons aplenty, according to UH secondary coach Rich Miano, who helps develop the overall defensive plan.
"They've got a really good running back (Dominique Dorsey), probably more shifty than who we played at USC," said Miano. "He's fast and will make you miss. They've got a really good power running game. They block well, the schemes are well-designed. A little play-action pass, which we're gonna have to make sure we're good on. The quarterback (Kurt Nantkes) is pretty accurate. The receivers are good. They've got a pretty balanced attack."
"(Coach) John Robinson does a good job of getting athletes. Maybe they can't go to USC or wherever, but they're still really good football players."
Defense was supposed to be the hallmark of this Hawaii team, but the Warriors are averaging a yield of 39 points per game.
A healthy Travis LaBoy at end (he practiced every day this week) and Lui Fuga at tackle strengthen an already-competent front four. But what of the back seven that USC abused last week?
Miano said no personnel changes are in store yet. Head coach June Jones and linebackers coach Cal Lee said the Warriors just need to get in better position to make tackles.
"We had a lot of assignment errors. Against good football teams you make those kind of mistakes you pay," Jones said.
Some still doubt if UNLV falls into that category.
The Rebels have a history of inconsistency. They were crushed at Kansas 46-24 just a week before the Wisconsin upset.
Robinson seems to think UNLV has turned the corner.
"We came back and played to our capability," he said. "We got back to the kind of personality we have."
The Rebels' preferred style, on defense, anyway, is that of a high-risk operation that takes the game to the opponents. Their ringleader is junior Jamaal Brimmer, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety who dominated the game against the Badgers with 11 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
Brimmer, a Las Vegas high school product, said the best thing about the national media attention he got this week was the opportunity to talk about how good his teammates are.
"Brimmer is gifted. He's got a lot of God-given talent," said UNLV reserve defensive lineman Josh Mareko, a Konawaena graduate. "He gets a lot of publicity, but he's a team player. He's a great guy on and off the field."
With Brimmer leading the way, the Rebels are already plus-3 in turnover margin. UH is minus-3. The Warriors haven't won the turnover battle in seven games dating back to last season (UH is 4-3 in those games).
It's almost a given that the run-and-shoot will give the ball away sometimes. But Miano said the defense needs to get it back more often.
"A couple years ago we were third in the nation in (creating) turnovers. We pride ourselves on being an opportunistic defense, but so far we haven't created opportunities," Miano said. "We've got to play fast, play hard and create opportunities."
UH's offense could do better with a shorter field this week. Field position against USC was not good, allowing the Trojans to play what coach Pete Carroll called "rope-a-dope" defense, letting the Warriors catch short passes but not letting them advance.
But Robinson said his team's blitzing style might not allow that.
Tim Chang is one of the few quarterbacks around who will throw for 306 yards and have it considered a bad day. He threw two interceptions against USC and threw for two touchdowns against the Trojans' second-stringers.
As a true freshman in 2000, Chang passed for 353 yards against UNLV at Aloha Stadium -- but UH lost 34-32.
Whatever the result, an offense willing to throw the ball 67 times in a game, like the Warriors did against USC, has Robinson's attention.
"I believe Hawaii is one of the most potent offenses in football. We're looking at a team with the ability to flat-out score as much as anybody," Robinson said. "This could be one of those four-hour games that goes down to the last play."
And either way, a lot of fans will leave the stadium happy.
UNLV reserve linebacker Mike Tinoisamoa (brother of former UH linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa) and Brimmer both said they are trying to win over the fans in Las Vegas. Many of the residents are transplants with prior allegiances -- like the thousands with Hawaii roots.
"It's kind of like that here," said Brimmer. "Also with the BYU, Air Force games. People like to travel here to support their team. Kind of like when we went to Hawaii.
"Our goal when people are against us is that when there's two minutes left on the clock, they'll be quiet."
The Warriors are neither staying downtown nor on the Strip tonight. They are at the relatively isolated Sam's Town, a favorite haunt of locals and people who want quiet.
The Hawaii contingent flies out on its charter after the game and a quick shower, returning home nine days after leaving the islands for the two-game trip.
"Me personally, I'd like to see Vegas," running back John West said. "I've never been there before. But I understand we're here for one thing and one thing only and that's to play the game. So whatever coach thinks is right to prepare for the game is what we've got to do."
BACK TO TOP |
Probable starters
HAWAII
Offense
LWR 84 Britton Komine 5-10 187 Jr. LSR 2 Chad Owens 5-9 174 Jr. LT 74 Jeremy Inferrera 6-2 281 Fr. LG 64 Samson Satele 6-3 289 Fr. C 59 Derek Faavi 6-1 273 So. RG 69 Uriah Moenoa 6-2 365 Jr. RT 66 Brandon Eaton 6-3 287 So. RSR 38 Gerald Welch 5-8 205 Jr. RWR 19 Jeremiah Cockheran 6-0 190 Sr. QB 14 Tim Chang 6-2 194 Jr. RB 16 West Keliikipi 6-1 266 Fr.
Defense
LE 93 Houston Ala 5-11 260 Sr. LT 97 Isaac Sopoaga 6-3 336 Sr. RT 92 Lance Samuseva 6-0 309 Sr. RE 11 Kevin Jackson 6-4 245 Sr. or 1 Travis LaBoy 6-4 254 Sr. SLB 46 Keani Alapa 6-1 229 Sr. MLB 56 Chad Kalilimoku 5-11 240 Sr. WLB 51 Ikaika Curnan 5-11 218 So. CB 37 Abraham Elimimian 5-10 173 Jr. S 33 Hyrum Peters 5-8 188 Sr. S 42 Leonard Peters 6-1 174 So. CB 3 Kelvin Millhouse 6-1 205 Sr.
Specialists
P 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 204 Fr. K 47 Justin Ayat 5-11 205 Jr. Snap 45 T.J. Moe 6-0 220 So. PR 2 Chad Owens 5-9 174 Jr. KR 82 Ross Dickerson 5-10 173 Fr. H 8 Jason Whieldon 6-1 187 Sr.
UNLV
Offense
WR 8 Michael Johnson 5-10 190 Sr. WR 4 Earvin Johnson 6-3 200 Jr. LT 71 Matt Williams 6-6 300 Sr. LG 76 Marcus Johnson 6-1 300 Jr. C 73 Dominic Furio 6-3 295 Sr. RG 56 Joe Critchfield 6-4 315 Jr. RT 68 Zach Gorham 6-5 310 So. TE 94 Ryan Clifford 6-2 250 Sr. or 86 Greg Estandia 6-8 250 Jr. QB 7 Kurt Nantkes 6-4 225 Jr. RB 1 Larry Croom 5-10 205 Sr. or 10 Dominique Dorsey 5-7 160 Jr. FB 5 Dyante Perkins 6-0 235 Jr.
Defense
DE 47 Chris Eagen 6-4 270 Sr. DT 66 Howie Fuimaono 6-0 320 Fr. DE 91 Dietrich Canterberry 6-4 310 Sr. OLB 32 Reggie Butler 6-0 220 Jr. ILB 46 Zach Bell 6-2 230 Jr. ILB 55 Adam Seward 6-2 250 Jr. OLB 52 John Andrews 6-0 210 Jr. CB 3 Ruschard Dodd-Masters 6-0 180 Jr. SS 27 Jamaal Brimmer 6-1 210 Sr. FS 45 Joe Miklos 6-2 205 So. CB 28 Will Tagoai 6-3 205 Jr.
Specialists
P 16 Gary Cook 6-1 200 Jr. PK 95 Dillon Pieffer 5-11 180 Sr. Snap 72 Ryan Heise 6-3 250 Fr. Hold 16 Gary Cook 6-1 200 Jr. KR 10 Dominique Dorsey 5-7 160 So. KR 21 Tremayne Kirkland 6-0 150 Fr.
Schedules
Hawaii Warriors (1-1)
Aug. 30 Appalachian State W, 40-17 Sept. 13 at Southern California L, 32-61 Tomorrow at Nevada-Las Vegas Sept. 27 Rice Oct. 4 at Tulsa Oct. 11 Fresno State Oct. 18 at Louisiana Tech Oct. 25 Texas-El Paso Nov. 1 at San Jose State Nov. 15 at Nevada Nov. 22 Army Nov. 29 Alabama Dec. 6 Boise State
Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels (2-1)
Aug. 29 Toledo W, 28-18 Sept. 6 at Kansas L, 24-46 Sept. 13 at Wisconsin W, 23-5 Tomorrow Hawaii Oct. 4 at Nevada Oct. 11 at Air Force Oct. 18 Utah Oct. 25 Brigham Young Nov. 1 at New Mexico Nov. 8 San Diego State Nov. 29 at Wyoming
Per-game comparison
Hawaii Category Nevada-Las Vegas 36.0 Scoring 25.0 77.0 Rushing 162.7 379.0 Passing 192.7 456.0 Total Offense 355.3 22.0 First Downs 18.3 4.0 FD Rushing 7.7 16.5 FD Passing 10.0 1.5 FD Penalty 0.7 39.0 Points Allowed 23.0 143.0 Rushing Allowed 140.7 195.5 Passing Allowed 218.0 338.5 Total Offense Allowed 358.7 1-4 Interceptions -- Yards 3-65 40.9 Punting 42.2 13-120 Penalties 31-256 4-1 Fumbles-lost 5-3 30:45 Time of Possession 28:42 12-31 Third Down Conversion 20-47 2-4 Fourth Down Conversion 1-2
Key players
Passing A C I Yards TD Jason Whieldon, UH 47 29 2 452 5 Tim Chang, UH 54 32 2 306 2 Kurt Nantkes, UNLV 96 56 3 578 5 Rushing A Yards Avg TD West Keliikipi, UH 8 57 7.1 0 Michael Brewster, UH 8 46 5.8 0 Dominique Dorsey, UNLV 47 233 5.0 0 Larry Croom, UNLV 37 225 6.1 2 Receiving Rec Yards Avg TD Jeremiah Cockheran, UH 17 271 15.9 4 Chad Owens, UH 15 175 11.7 2 Michael Johnson, UNLV 15 153 10.2 0 Earvin Johnson, UNLV 9 102 11.3 2 Tackles S A Tot FL/S Abraham Elimimian, UH 7 6 13 0/0 Hyrum Peters, UH 8 4 12 0-0 Chad Kalilimoku, UH 10 1 11 2/1 Isaac Sopoaga, UH 5 5 10 2.5/1 Travis LaBoy, UH 9 0 9 2-1 Adam Seward, UNLV 13 12 25 4/0 Jamaal Brimmer, UNLV 17 6 23 5/2 Joe Miklos, UNLV 18 3 21 1/0 Will Tagoai, UNLV 14 5 19 1/0 John Andrews, UNLV 16 2 18 2/2
WAC standings
CONF OVERALL W L W L Str Boise State 0 0 2 0 W13 LaTech 0 0 2 1 W2 Hawaii 0 0 1 1 L1 Nevada 0 0 1 1 L1 Fresno State 0 0 1 2 L1 San Jose St. 0 0 1 2 L2 Tulsa 0 0 1 2 W1 Rice 0 0 0 2 L4 SMU 0 0 0 2 L2 UTEP 0 0 0 3 L8
Today
Nevada at San Jose State
Tomorrow
Hawaii at UNLV, 3 p.m. HST
Saturday
UTEP at Louisville
Boise State at Oregon State
Arkansas State at Tulsa
Oklahoma State at SMU
Texas vs. Rice at Reliant Stadium
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
