[ UH FOOTBALL ]
Warriors
win over
JonesUH’s head coach says
Saturday’s win was a
season in the making
A month ago, Hawaii football coach June Jones questioned the Warriors' discipline and commitment following a disappointing loss at Nevada-Las Vegas. When UH was blindsided at Tulsa two weeks ago, he said his team went in flat.
But after Saturday's 44-41 victory at Louisiana Tech, Jones said the bitter experiences at UNLV and Tulsa, as well as the 61-32 loss at USC, turned out to be investments for the future.
"It makes you mature as a team," Jones said outside the locker room at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, La. "Those losses we had earlier built a lot of character. We have a lot of fighters in there."
Where they stand
Hawaii's rankings in several D I-A categoriesIndividual total offense
Yds Avg Ypg 2. Chang 2,177 6.2 362.8 Team scoring offense G Pts Avg 18. UH 7 250 35.7 Team passing offense Att Cp Yds Ypg 2. UH 387 238 2,705 386.4 Team total offense Plays Yds Ypg 5. Hawaii 547 3,403 486.1
How else can you explain winning a game when an opposing running back rolls for 267 yards, the quarterback throws for 405 more, and your own offense turns the ball over five times -- not to mention blowing a 14-point lead?
The Warriors (4-3, 3-1 WAC) came back twice in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tim Chang gets a lot of the credit. He passed for a career-high 534 yards, and his fifth touchdown pass, this one a shovel to Michael Brewster for a 17-yard score with 3:59 left, turned out to be the game-winner.
Although it got lost in the final drama, UH's receivers had their best game of the season.
Chad Owens (suspension) and Jeremiah Cockheran (ankle sprain) missed two games apiece this season. Both were back in the lineup together for the first time since the UNLV game. Owens caught eight passes for 162 yards and Cockheran latched onto six for 102 yards. Each had a touchdown.
Jason Rivers and Britton Komine both caught four passes for 82 yards. Komine scored on a 56-yard fourth-quarter pass from Chang that was perhaps the most impressive offensive play in a game that had dozens of big gains.
Although LaTech did regain the lead once more, the sideline bomb gave UH's offense its confidence back.
"Britt has a lot of poise for a young kid and he was able to go out there and do it," Jones said.
The play was more difficult than it looked because Komine had to slow his stride a bit, and a bright sun hid the ball momentarily.
"I was thinking the sun is right there, but I didn't think about it when I was running the route. It was just like playing catch in practice," Komine said.
Receivers coach Ron Lee said the Warriors dropped only two balls the entire game, and that depends on your definition of "drop."
"They were not easy catches, but they touched it," Lee said. "They made so many tough catches. That's what I was really pleased with, how they sacrificed their bodies and made big catches when we needed them."
Banged up: The Warriors have most of today off, except for afternoon meetings. Many players needed a break to deal with nagging injuries before they begin preparing for Texas-El Paso, which visits UH at Aloha Stadium on Saturday.
Lee said Cockheran was limping because of his ankle yesterday, and Rivers has a tender hamstring.
Cornerback Abraham Elimimian has a bruised right heel, but an X-ray taken yesterday showed nothing serious.
Chang, Peters nominated: UH nominated Chang for Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Hyrum Peters for defensive player of the week.
Peters was in on 10 tackles, including two sacks. Peters, normally UH's strong safety, played at a linebacker position most of Saturday's game.
Hawaii statistics
TEAM STATISTICS
HAWAII OPP FIRST DOWN 173 143 Rushing 38 66 Passing 121 68 Penalty 14 9 RUSHING YARDAGE 698 1231 Yards gained rushing 898 1454 Yards lost rushing 200 233 Rushing attempts 160 284 Average per rush 4.4 4.3 Average per game 99.7 175.9 Touchdowns rushing 9 13 PASSING YARDAGE 2705 1532 Att-Comp-Int 387-238-14 214-122-6 Average per pass 7.0 7.2 Average per catch 11.4 12.6 Average per game 386.4 218.9 Touchdowns passing 22 11 TOTAL OFFENSE 3403 2769 Total plays 547 498 Average per play 6.2 5.5 Average per game 486.1 394.7 KICKRETURNS: No-Yds 28-632 20-433 PUNTRETURNS: No-Yds 23-202 11-103 INT. RETURNS: No-Yds 6-4 14-114 FUMBLES-LOST 13-8 17-7 PENALTIES-YARDS 49-438 47-401 PUNTS-AVG 32-40.2 46-42.2 TIME OFPOSSESSION/GAME 29:14 30:40 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS 36/98 36/103 4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS 6/12 3/4 RUSHING
G Att Net Avg TD Long Keliikipi 7 31 204 6.6 5 28 West 7 30 203 6.8 2 25 Bass 5 28 158 5.6 1 18 Brewster 7 16 143 8.9 0 19 Dickerson 6 3 25 8.3 0 24 Poumele* 7 7 24 3.4 1 7 Owens 5 1 7 7.0 0 7 Rhode 1 1 5 5.0 0 5 Whieldon 7 11 0 0.0 0 8 Milne 7 1 -8 -8.0 0 0 Chang 6 25 -16 -0.6 0 12 TEAM 5 6 -47 -7.8 0 0 Total 7 160 698 4.4 9 28 PASSING
G Att Comp Int Yds TD Long Chang 6 326 205 10 2193 16 56 Whieldon 7 56 31 3 469 5 54 Kapanui 6 2 1 0 43 1 43 Poumele 7 2 1 1 0 0 0 Rhode 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Total 7 387 238 14 2705 22 56 RECEIVING
G Rec Yds Avg TD Long Owens 5 38 479 12.6 6 48 Cockheran 5 34 530 15.6 5 54 Komine 7 32 360 11.2 3 56 Welch 6 25 287 11.5 4 33 Rivers 6 23 247 10.7 1 31 Brewster 7 18 130 7.2 2 26 Keliikipi 7 15 96 6.4 0 13 West 7 12 88 7.3 0 25 Poumele 7 9 121 13.4 0 27 Bass 5 7 67 9.6 0 27 Dickerson 6 7 50 7.1 0 19 Inferrera 2 5 42 8.4 0 15 Herbert 6 4 62 15.5 0 31 Miyashiro 4 4 31 7.8 0 14 Ilaoa 1 2 51 25.5 0 41 Stennis 3 2 21 10.5 0 23 Gilmore 7 1 43 43.0 1 43 Total 7 238 2705 11.4 22 56 TOTAL OFFENSE
G Plays Rush Pass Tot Avg Chang 6 351 -16 2193 2177 362.8 Whieldon 7 67 0 469 469 67.0 Keliikipi 7 31 204 0 204 29.1 West 7 30 203 0 203 29.0 Bass 5 28 158 0 158 31.6 Brewster 7 16 143 0 143 20.4 Kapanui 6 2 0 43 43 7.2 Dickerson 6 3 25 0 25 4.2 Poumele 7 9 24 0 24 3.4 Owens 5 1 7 0 7 1.4 Rhode 1 2 5 0 5 5.0 Milne 7 1 -8 0 -8 -1.1 TEAM 5 6 -47 0 -47 -9.4 Total 7 547 698 2705 3403 486.1 SCORING
TD FG 1XP 2XP Tot Ayat 0 10 26 0 56 Owens 6 0 0 0 36 Cockheran 5 0 0 0 30 Keliikipi 5 0 0 0 30 Welch 4 0 0 0 24 Komine 3 0 0 0 18 West 2 0 0 0 12 Brewster 2 0 0 0 12 Rivers 1 0 0 0 6 Bass 1 0 0 0 6 Dickerson 1 0 0 0 6 Poumele 1 0 0 0 6 Gilmore 1 0 0 0 6 Whieldon 0 0 0 1 2 Total 32 10 26 1 250 PUNTING
No. Yds Avg Long Milne 30 1212 40.4 55 Wright 2 73 36.5 40 Total 32 1285 40.2 55 PUNT RETURNS
No. Yds Avg TD Long Herbert 11 102 9.3 0 19 Owens 7 68 9.7 0 24 Bass 3 23 7.7 0 19 Brewster 2 9 4.5 0 7 Total 23 202 8.8 0 24 KICK RETURNS
No. Yds Avg TD Long Dickerson 17 408 24.0 1 100 Brewster 4 64 16.0 0 24 West 3 90 30.0 0 48 Moe 2 32 16.0 0 16 Owens 1 25 25.0 0 25 Blackburn 1 13 13.0 0 13 Total 28 632 22.6 1 100 TACKLES
G UT AT Tot Curnan 7 38 24 62 Kalilimoku 7 25 23 48 Peters, H. 7 32 13 45 Elimimian 7 28 10 38 LaBoy 7 27 11 38 Peters, L. 7 21 17 38 Alapa 6 19 10 29 Ala 7 16 8 24 Gilmore 7 15 9 24 Millhouse 7 16 4 20 Sopoaga 4 8 9 17 Samuseva 7 7 9 16 Kapanui 6 11 2 13 Purcell 4 8 5 13 Manutai 7 8 3 11 Fuga 6 5 5 10 Jackson 6 5 3 8 Moe 7 4 3 7 Maafala 5 5 2 7 Wright 6 4 2 6 Aguiar 5 3 2 5 Noa 7 3 2 5 Broadway 6 2 2 4 Harley 6 3 1 4 Faavae 4 0 3 3 Hogan 5 2 0 2 Ayat 7 2 0 2 Manners 6 1 1 2 Hollingsworth 1 1 0 1 Kamakawiwoole 5 1 0 1 Patton 3 1 0 1 Blackburn 5 1 0 1 Rhode 1 1 0 1 Stennis 3 1 0 1 Komine 7 1 0 1 Satele 6 1 0 1 Poumele 7 1 0 1 Whieldon 7 1 0 1 Keliikipi 7 1 0 1 Cockheran 5 1 0 1 Latusela 3 1 0 1 Hoohuli 1 1 0 1 Alama-Francis 2 1 0 1 Flanagan 1 0 1 1 Total 7 333 184 517 MISC.
Sacks (No.-Yds.): Laboy, 6-54. H. Peters, 2-27. Curnan, 2-12. Maafala, 2-11. Alapa, 2-11. Kalilimoku, 2-6. Sopoaga, 1-8. Purcell, 1-5. Gilmore, 1-5. Fuga, 1-2. Total: 20-141.
Interceptions (No.-Yds.): Gilmore, 2-0. H. Peters, 1-4. Fuga, 1-0. Millhouse, 1-0. Elimimian, 1-0. Total: 6-4.
Fumbles (Total-Fumbles Forced-Fumbles Recovered): Fuga, 2-0-2. Alapa, 2-1-1. Kalilimoku, 1-1-0. Sopoaga, 1-1-0. Millhouse, 1-1-0. Laboy, 1-0-1. L. Peters, 1-0-1. Gilmore, 1-0-1. Wright, 1-0-1. Manners, 1-0-1. Total: 12-4-8.
Blocked kicks: Elimimian, L. Peters, Akpan, 1.
