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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Good thing UH
has rivalries like thisRIVALRY?
Oh, THAT rivalry.
It looked like Pat Hill aged 10 years in the 10 seconds it took Hawaii's David Gilmore to score a touchdown on a fake punt when UH was leading by 20 points with 4:28 left.
Hill, his cap soaked with the sweat that comes with losing 55-28, could only stand and stare.
Not angrily. Just ...
Well, take a look at this picture: Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier gave Hill a postgame hug. And let's just say Hill looked like he needed one.
UH was in trouble a week ago. The Bulldogs still are. It's a good thing Hawaii has rivalry games like this.
"It's been tough," Hill would say. "Two weeks in a row, we've run into teams with their backs against the wall, in must-win games."
Remember? Last week Hawaii melted down at Tulsa, and June Jones' Monday speech was peppered with Almosts and Should Haves and Ifs. Didn't look good. Didn't sound good.
One week later, Hawaii is running fake punts to break 50.
THE GAME TURNED on a swatted shot, a basketball play from a basketball guy. It turned on a roughing the passer penalty (a stupid one; sound familiar?) and on the return of the run-and-shoot, with at least the threat of the run, with those nifty little pick plays and old familiar frustrating zone-burners.
And now this team is alive for another week, at least, these players are, and this coach is, too.
This was a quality win.
It was because of the opponent, and because of the circumstances under which it was played. Not because the opponent was good. No. Because it was desperate and dangerous. Because Fresno State was Hawaii in the mirror, still trying to find its own identity. Still trying to overcome itself. Still trying to keep a once-promising season from slipping away.
Timmy Chang was buying time, then hitting. Chad Owens and Gerald Welch were zipping away from man coverage and finding those pukas in that zone, sweet zone. A defense rattled Fresno, then went for the kill.
This was a desperate game by two desperate teams. Both looking for knockouts, playing for plays that would blow the whole thing open.
Inches would count in this game. They would become bigger in a flash.
This game was so tough even the officials are aching this morning.
In the second quarter, Jones went to Se'e Poumele on the wingback option pass (how long had he been waiting to try this one?). Disaster. Brian Morris crushed him, and Awan Diles recovered it, and here came another Fresno big play.
Fresno led.
But then came the roughing penalty, and then the blocked kick, and then zone, zone and more zone, and just enough Ironhead from Hawaii's West Keliikipi and UH executed the simplest of offensive concepts, the receiver criss-cross.
And Fresno didn't have a chance. Penalties. Three-and-outs. A muffed punt.
Desperate is as desperate does.
But last night one team gave and another team took. And UH was on the right end of the equation.
"We caught them on our night," Jones said.
In this rivalry, it seems Hawaii always does.
And suddenly, UH is desperate no more.
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Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com
