Inferrera making some
moves during his first year
Jeremy Inferrera has been a man on the move in his freshman season with the Hawaii football team.
Inferrera started camp as a right tackle but was moved to the left side, where he started four games earlier this season. He lost his starting job last week, but is slated to be back in the lineup for Saturday's game at Louisiana Tech, this time on the right side of the line in place of injured Brandon Eaton.
"When I first came here they had me playing right tackle, so I just had to get the feeling back," Inferrera said yesterday. "Now I just have to trust what I do."
Inferrera was replaced on the left side by redshirt freshman Tala Esera in last week's 55-28 win over Fresno State, but is expected to get another chance on the right with Eaton nursing a sprained ankle.
"I personally think he's more of a right tackle and he'll have the opportunity to show that this weekend and I think Tala Esera's going to be a good left tackle," UH offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said.
Continuity and consistency have been hard to come by for a relatively youthful line that has been shuffled several times due to injuries, but Cavanaugh has been pleased with the unit's overall performance.
The Warriors have given up 12 sacks in 349 pass plays this season, an average of two per game or one for every 29 attempts. They were charged with one sack against Fresno State -- which Cavanaugh said should have been considered a running play -- and cleared the way for UH running backs to gain 145 yards.
"I think the kids are doing a pretty good job," he said. "We threw the ball 60 times against Fresno and didn't have a sack ... against those guys that's pretty good for a new group of guys."
Wounded Warriors: Defensive tackles Isaac Sopoaga and Lui Fuga returned to practice yesterday after sitting out Tuesday to rest knee injuries. How much action they'll see Saturday is still in question.
"Saturday I know I'll be second or third string," Sopoaga said. "But I feel next week I'll be back at my old spot."
Fuga said he'll try to play with a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Playing through pain has become a part of life for Fuga, who said his left ankle still hasn't healed completely and his shoulders continue to bother him. But he doesn't plan on sitting out.
"There's just a little tightness and a little pain inside (his knee), but I always manage to move around," Fuga said. "When the adrenaline starts going you don't really think about it."
Receiver Jeremiah Cockheran tested his tender right ankle yesterday and said he's at about "88 percent" after running in drills. Cockheran has missed the last two games due to the ankle sprain.
"I'm cutting and I'm making plants and it's good," Cockheran said. "It's not at 100 percent, but I'm getting it done."
UH coach June Jones said he'll take Cockheran on the trip, but hasn't decided if the team's leading receiver will play against the Bulldogs.
Short yardage: The Warriors left the UH campus yesterday and will spend time in Houston and Monroe, La., before heading to Ruston for Saturday's game. ... Louisiana Tech has faced two teams ranked in this week's AP Top 25 in No. 2 Miami (Fla.) (lost 48-9) and No. 15 Michigan St. (won 20-19). The Bulldogs have a game at 10th ranked Louisiana St. coming up on Nov. 1.
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WAC coaches return
from NABC meeting
DALLAS >> Western Athletic Conference basketball coaches trickled into Dallas from Chicago yesterday for today's media preview after attending a meeting of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Midnight Ohana
Theme: Time to Rock
When: Tomorrow, gates open at 8 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
Admission: Free. VIP seats along the sidelines available for $50.
Coaches: Green--Jackson Wheeler and Trevor Ruffin, White--Bob Burke and Alika Smith.
Highlights: The mini-carnival starts with entertainment by Vaihi, Chant and Imua. ... Former players from both programs will be honored. ... Introduction of this year's men's and women's teams starts close to midnight, followed by the slam dunk and 3-point shooting contests and the men's intrasquad scrimmage. ... One male and one female student will win $1,500 toward tuition at halftime.
The meeting, attended by more than 300 coaches, was to address problems in a rough year in which several programs, including Baylor, Fresno State, Georgia, Iowa State and Missouri, suffered black eyes because of various scandals and investigations. Many of the problems stemmed from character and ethical issues involving coaches.
"The image out there is that the system is out of control. I don't believe that," Tulsa coach John Phillips said. "I think 99.9 percent of the people in our profession are good people who are trying to teach young people good things. A majority of the coaches have good character and are good leaders of men and women in the college world.
"I think we got a process started that will hopefully make things better. The only disappointment I had was after the meeting started we realized we need more time. Their intentions are very good. It needed to be started. I think if we had it to do over we'd make a commitment to have a whole day instead of three hours."
Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said the NABC plans to work closer with the NCAA in the future to identify and prevent problems.
"We had a tough summer, but the state of basketball's not in a bad way. It's a small percentage of people," Wallace said. "The one thing (Duke coach) Mike Krzyzewski said is we need to form a coalition and be partners with the NCAA. We need to be together and working together rather than adversaries."
Wallace also said a negative public image is often fueled by the media.
"One of the question-and-answer sessions was about media. Is a negative story about 5 percent of our people better than a positive story about 95 percent? Why don't we talk about more about the 95 percent than the 5 percent? Maybe it's about the stories that sell papers, and the stories about the academic All-Americans slide right by."
Nevada coach Trent Johnson said coaches owe it to players to set high standards for themselves.
"The most important thing is accountability," Johnson said.
"We ask players to be accountable for their actions. I think as coaches we feel that's something to be addressed and have a plan in terms of making sure that our role as educators continues to improve. We're the teachers, we're the educators. I thought it was very productive."
English report: Wallace saw former Rainbow guard Carl English play for the Indiana Pacers against the Chicago Bulls in a preseason game Monday.
"He looked good on defense, but I think he's pressing too much on offense," Wallace said. "I don't know if he's going to make the team or not."
Aren't you related to ...?: Boise State's 2003-04 roster includes two freshmen with good basketball genes.
Guard Coby Karl is the son of former NBA player and coach George Karl, and guard Darius Harper is the son of former NBA all-star Derek Harper.
Headed home: UH women's coach Vince Goo, Wallace and senior guard/forward Michael Kuebler left Dallas today to return to Hawaii for Midnight Ohana tomorrow night and early Saturday morning at the Stan Sheriff Center.
