[ UH FOOTBALL ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii's Britton Komine celebrated a first-quarter touchdown reception as UNLV's Jamaal Brimmer looked on Friday.
Warriors searching
for a way to
end 2-game slideAfter losing two road games,
questions abound heading
into WAC opener
LAS VEGAS -- Forget about that elusive "national respect" thing. Forget about Heisman candidates and BCS bowl games.
Remember that six turnovers and terrible field position and 129 yards in penalties and missed opportunities galore add up to losses.
Remember that this is true no matter who you play, and it's even worse when it's on national television.
Hawaii (1-2) returned home yesterday from a two-game, nine-day road trip trying to sort itself out, figuring out what to bring home and what to jettison from two deflating losses, and with the Western Athletic Conference season starting Saturday with a home game against Rice.
After Friday's 33-22 loss at Nevada-Las Vegas, UH needs to remember how to win, and quickly.
If they don't, the Warriors -- 19-7 in 2001 and 2002 -- are in danger of another season like 2000, when Hawaii went 3-9 after nearly as much preseason hype as this summer, when UH was picked to win the WAC and sycophants dared to dream of even bigger things.
Friday night's festival of errors at Sam Boyd Stadium and the 61-32 thrashing on Sept. 13 at Southern California have sent the Warriors back to reality. Now it is up to them to make reality a better place.
Quarterback Tim Chang said in so many words that a loss to Rice probably means a lost season in many ways.
"It's going to hit us and we're going to have to wake up and realize that our next game we have to win," Chang said after Friday's game. "It's a must-win situation. It's a conference game. That's all there is to it. It's gotta be a win.
"We need to stay strong. Our goal is to go and win a WAC championship and hopefully get to a bowl game. We have to stay focused and move on from here. Correct all the mistakes we made."
Conference games are always big. But so were the USC and UNLV games. They were scheduled three years ago by then-associate athletic director Jim Donovan with the intent of making Chang and the Warriors more than an afterthought in the college football world. That might have been accomplished, but for the wrong reasons.
Now when people see Chang's big passing yardage numbers, they might also think about the three interceptions in the fourth quarter against UNLV, or about how both his TD passes against USC came against the Trojans' second string.
Instead of getting exposure, Chang may have been exposed.
ESPN's Mike Golic marveled at Chang's quick release and arm strength early in the game. But he and everybody else -- including 17 NFL scouts in attendance -- saw Chang get intercepted three times in the fourth quarter when the Warriors still had a chance to win.
But if he has been anything in his UH career, Chang has been resilient, especially in spirit. And he doesn't dodge tough questions after setbacks.
National respect?
"I don't think we can get any worse. I think from here the only way we can go is up. We're looking forward to going up. And getting a win."
Failing to score after an interception by defensive tackle Lui Fuga gives you the ball on the UNLV 21 in the fourth quarter?
"It was very big. We get a turnover, we want to make it count and we didn't. It hurts us."
Personal fouls and turnovers?
"I think we turned the ball over too much. I know I had three myself. When you play a good team like UNLV and things like that happen it doesn't go the way you want it to go."
Why more interceptions than touchdowns? Why no scoring in eight consecutive possessions?
"A lot of teams do look for us just to pass and they leave only three or four in the box. Having a good running game and taking pressure off the receivers would be nice."
Why did you lose to a team of equal or less talent?
"We had some letdowns in the first half and I had a horrible fourth quarter so the score is what it is. And they're a good team."
What about the future?
"If we keep shooting ourselves in the foot enough we're going to lose games."
Does this team suffer from a leadership void?
"Ummm. ... I don't know."
In print, that last answer looks like a dodge, an avoidance of an ugly subject.
But if you heard Chang's voice Friday night, you could tell he really didn't know the answer.
It is one of many questions he and his teammates and coaches need to address.
And quickly.
Hawaii vs. Rice
When: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.Where: Aloha Stadium
TV: KFVE (Channel 5), delay at 10 p.m., with rebroadcast Sunday at 9 a.m. Also available live on Pay-Per-View. Call 625-8100 on Oahu or (866) 566-7784 on neighbor islands to subscribe.
Radio: Live, KKEA, 1420-AM.
Parking: Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Parking is $5. Alternate parking at Leeward Community College, Kam Drive-In and Radford High School.
Traffic advisory: 1420-AM is the official traffic advisory station and provides updates before each home game.
Bus: Roberts Hawaii School Bus will run shuttles to and from the stadium with pick-ups at six Oahu locations. Call 832-4886 for information and reservations.
