[ UH FOOTBALL ]
DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Nolan Miranda, a second-year freshman walk-on from Castle, might play Saturday.
Miranda may get
call to kick UH
into gearThe former Castle kicker
could see action against Army
No official record exists of Nolan Miranda's biggest field goal as a Hawaii football kicker. In fact, there's no official record of anything the walk-on second-year freshman from Castle High School has done as a UH kicker.
He's never appeared in a game.
That likely changes Saturday when Hawaii hosts Army. Coach June Jones said he will probably use Miranda instead of beleaguered starter Justin Ayat in at least some field-goal and point-after-touchdown situations.
Hawaii vs. Army
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: KKEA, 1420-AM.
Tickets: $25 sideline, $22 south end zone, $17 north end zone (adult), $12 north end zone (students/seniors, age 4-high school), UH students free (super rooter only). Available at Aloha Stadium, Stan Sheriff Center, UH Campus Center and Windward Community College's OCET Office. Or call 800-944-2697 or etickethawaii.com on the Internet.
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.
If he does get the call in front of thousands at Aloha Stadium against the Black Knights, Miranda won't feel the kind of pressure he did near the end of two-a-days last year when he was called upon by Jones to kick a 50-yarder.
If he makes it, the Warriors get a pool party.
If he misses it, they go back to practice.
"He seemed like a timid, young walk-on, and he wasn't getting many kicks in team (drills)," special teams coordinator Tyson Helton said. "I'm not sure why, but June said, 'Give me Miranda.' He had to make it from 50 with the whole team standing there. You could see in his eyes he was very nervous. I was, 'If this kid misses, it will kill him.' "
Miranda's previous long field goal was 47 yards in a high school all-star game.
Lui Fuga, a 300-pound defensive tackle, playfully promised to drown the 165-pound kicker in the pool if he missed. "I didn't know him very well then, so it was kind of scary," Miranda said. "They want you to make it. But they try to make it fun."
It only turned out to be fun because Miranda settled his nerves and made the kick.
"He nailed it," Helton said. "That made him special to a lot of the guys."
Special enough for him to be carried off the field.
"Before that I wasn't kicking as well as I thought I could, so that really boosted my confidence," Miranda said.
Although he's small (5-foot-8, 172 pounds), Miranda is physically tougher than your typical kicker. UH linebacker and long snapper T.J. Moe can attest to that.
"I remember in high school (at Saint Louis), I got an interception against his team and he got me, he tackled me hard. I can't believe I got tackled by the kicker," Moe said with a big laugh after the Warriors' practice yesterday.
Actually, Miranda was a slotback at Castle then, and kicking was just a side job. But after the 47-yarder he was named MVP of the all-star game and Miranda figured he was good enough to kick in college.
Ayat has missed his last four field-goal tries and eight of 38 extra points this season. Miranda has mixed feelings about his opportunity.
"I know Justin's a great kicker and he's better than that. I feel bad for him. It's not like I'm glad he missed so I can get a chance," Miranda said.
Ayat has done every kickoff, field goal and point-after since the start of the 2001 season, a span of 35 games. He said watching someone else kick in competition might assist in pulling him out of his slump.
"It's possible. Maybe it can help me get back in a rhythm," Ayat said. "If Coach Jones feels that Nolan can get in there and do the job, then I'm happy for him. Whatever is best for the team and gets us the win."
It's unlikely for Miranda to permanently take the job away from the strong-legged Ayat, who has a 55-yarder among his 48 career field goals.
"My range? I guess, accurately maybe 45 and in," Miranda said.
But at least 50 when a pool party or "drowning" is at stake.
And at quarterback: Backup quarterback Jason Whieldon said he was disappointed he didn't play in the 24-14 loss at Nevada last week, but will be ready if he gets the call this week as Jones has indicated.
"I thought I was going to get in the game, but that's just the way it goes sometimes," Whieldon said. "I've got to be ready this week. If he decides to put me in I've got to be ready."
Starter Tim Chang said he'd also like to see Whieldon get the 15-to-20 snaps Jones said he has planned for him.
"I think Jason's a great athlete, a good playmaker. He's one of my best friends on the team and I really want him to play, especially since this is his senior year. I'll root for him, and I support any decision Coach Jones makes."
Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said he felt both practiced well yesterday.
"The most important thing is carrying it over to the game," Morrison said. "Timmy's had some real good practices, it's just carrying it over to the games."
Heady stuff: RainbowTique and the UH bookstore will have Chang bobbleheads for sale by the end of this week, along with those of volleyball players Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku that are already available.
"I don't know who made it," Chang said after seeing a sample. "I just hope I don't get in trouble for it."
He can relax. The bobblehead was cleared with the NCAA, and is being sold by UH, so an outside entity isn't profiting from the venture.
RainbowTique employee Kory Uramoto said the volleyball bobbleheads are selling fast. She expects the 350 Chang dolls to go quickly, too. They cost $19.99.
Here comes Army: The Black Knights began their voyage from West Point this morning aboard a charter flight that refuels in San Francisco. They plan to practice late tonight at Aloha Stadium.
They visit the U.S.S. Arizona on Friday morning in full (cadet) uniform.
Short yardage: UH backup defensive back and special teams player Gary Wright practiced yesterday and the sprained ankle that kept him out of last week's game appears healed. ... The only previous time Hawaii and Army have met in a sport was in basketball during the 1993 Rainbow Classic when the Rainbows beat the Cadets 85-69.
