Rivers glad to finally
be back at practice
The sophomore receiver enjoys his
first day on the field after being
cleared academically
As his teammates trickled into the locker room or savored a few more minutes of sleep, Hawaii receiver Jason Rivers was already reacquainting himself with the UH practice field yesterday morning.
Rivers missed most of the first week of fall camp while awaiting clearance to begin practicing with the team, and the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start to yesterday's workout couldn't come fast enough for the UH sophomore.
"I was out here at 7 o'clock waiting for everybody to come," Rivers said. "I was just anxious and happy to be back.
"I was out here touching every part of the field, just walking around like, 'I'm so glad to be out here.' "
Rivers' appreciation for practice was heightened as he waited for paperwork to be approved after completing summer school courses and making up work from spring semester. Rivers, along with freshman defensive linemen Fale Laeli and Clarence Tuioti-Mariner, received their clearance in time to practice yesterday.
Rivers didn't don shoulder pads -- that'll have to wait until tomorrow's workout -- but he ran some routes during passing drills. His first day was dotted by a few dropped passes, but he provided a reminder of the athleticism he brings to the UH receiving corps by leaping to make a twisting catch of a pass thrown high and slightly behind him.
"It's good to have him back out. He got all his stuff solved and we'll get him back in mode," coach June Jones said. "He's got a lot of catching up to do.
"He's got to get into football shape. He's been here, he knows what to do and he just has to do it now."
Rivers played in 11 games as a true freshman, starting four, and caught 41 passes for 451 yards and five touchdowns. He closed the season by catching seven passes for 143 yards and three scores in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
He had a solid showing during spring practice, but was nearly tripped up by academic hurdles heading into his sophomore season. He needed to complete some work in summer school to be eligible for the season and came away from the situation with a new outlook.
"To be honest, I needed something like that to get my head straight," Rivers said. "Football is not a career, as a lot of people know already. School is the first reason why I'm here.
"I'm proud of myself that I got through that situation, but it was really a wake-up call for me. I'll take that to heart. I won't fall back into that situation ever again. It's stressful."
Rivers was hampered by a pulled hamstring at times last season and took up yoga in the offseason to keep his muscles limber and help them recover from the pounding they absorb over the season. He'll participate in just one of the team's two practice sessions today and expects to be back in the rotation at receiver full-time tomorrow.
"I came out with fresh legs, so I feel pretty good right now," he said. "A couple more days of running with these guys, I'll be feeling it like they're feeling it right now."
Though just freshmen, Laeli and Tuioti-Mariner could factor into the lineup on the defensive front this season. They began the process of getting caught up by joining the linemen in drills yesterday.
"Watching them play, you feel it, you want to play, too," Laeli said of sitting out the first week of practice. "You want to get in there and show the coaches what you've got. I'm excited to see what I can do."
Defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson and defensive back Turmarian Moreland are still awaiting clearance after transferring from junior colleges.
