[ UH FOOTBALL ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH defensive back Omega Hogan, graduate assistant Keith Bhonapha and defensive lineman Tony Akpan enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at coach Vantz Singletary's home yesterday.
UH defense ready
to take center stageThe Warriors have come
a long way since giving up
267 yards to LaTech’s
Ryan Moats
It's the day after Thanksgiving, and Hyrum Peters is still hungry.
The Hawaii senior safety has been waiting for tomorrow's game against Alabama since he got knocked out of last year's 21-16 loss to the Crimson Tide in the first half with a knee injury.
"It's going to be about revenge for me, for not playing the whole game last year. I want to be ready to play these guys," Peters said. "They've got some big-time players. The whole team can pretty much go to the pros. But they know nothing about Hawaii football.
Hawaii vs. Alabama
When: Tomorrow, 2:45 p.m.Where: Aloha Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
Tickets: 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.
"We just got to step up to the plate and be ready to play."
Just a little more than a month ago, the assertion that the UH defense might indeed be ready to take on a powerful offense led by a 1,000-yard rusher would seem ludicrous.
But much has happened since Louisiana Tech's Ryan Moats rushed for 267 yards against the Warriors in a road game UH somehow won, 44-41, on Oct. 18.
The gang that couldn't tackle became gang tacklers. UH's first-string defense has allowed five touchdowns in the past four games. Opponents averaged 19.3 points in those games after 32.6 in the first seven.
Contributions have come from many. But defensive end Travis LaBoy, tackle Isaac Sopoaga, linebacker Ikaika Curnan, and the entire starting secondary of Peters, safety David Gilmore and corners Abraham Elimimian and Kelvin Millhouse have been consistently outstanding during the run.
Defensive coordinator George Lumpkin is obviously pleased.
"(The defense is) right where it needs to be. I think they're ready to play. They know what it takes to win and they're excited to play a team like Alabama," he said.
With the installment of the run-and-shoot offense by coach June Jones in 1999 -- a scheme that speeds up the rhythm and tends to increase the score of a football game -- playing defense at Hawaii has been sort of like pitching for the Colorado Rockies; even if you're good, the conditions can make you look bad and shake your confidence.
Lumpkin said the defense has found its identity.
"The whole idea (is) them understanding that you can win games on defense, that it's not necessarily that you have to win the game with offense. We tried to pound that into their heads that the only way a team can lose is by letting the other team get in the end zone. You keep them out of the end zone and the worst thing that can happen is that it's 0-0," he said.
"I don't think June ever thought of defense as an afterthought. I think the players, because of the style of our offense, they got comfortable in the offense scoring points. When that happens you have a tendency to look over to the other side and see what they're doing. You have to be your own separate entity to the point that you believe that we're good and we can stop them from scoring we can win ballgames on defense."
Lumpkin and Jones know the offenses they've stopped the past four games -- Texas-El Paso, San Jose State, Nevada and Army -- aren't exactly juggernauts.
"We'll have to play our best this week," Jones said. "This is one of the better offenses we played, physically. The most talented running back (Shaud Williams). Anyone who has the chance to break the all-time rushing record at Alabama, that tells you what kind of player he is. I think they developed their scheme better, so defensively I think we'll have a big challenge this week."
Alabama coach Mike Shula said he considers UH's defense a tough nut to crack.
"They've got good team speed in the secondary. And the guys up front play with a lot of strength and they've got good quickness themselves," he said after yesterday's practice. "Our guys might be a little taller (the shortest starting offensive linemen are 6-foot-4), but they (UH's defensive linemen) play with such great pad level, our guys have a lot of respect for them."
UH secondary coach Rich Miano works with Lumpkin on the defensive game plan. He said producing turnovers is a key. Alabama won that battle 5-1 in last year's game.
"We don't feel we've arrived yet, that we're playing up to our ability. We're playing more consistently, we're playing better," Miano said. "But for us to really succeed we've got to force turnovers. Some of that is luck, some of that is making plays. We've established an identity. It took us a while to figure out who we are defensively. We're faster. When you play fast, good things happen.
"This is a bigger, physical, faster opponent than we've played," Miano added.
