Kragthorpe no
stranger to islands
The last time the Tulsa football team came to Hawaii, the Golden Hurricane left stinging from a 37-14 loss and without the program's video equipment, all of which was stolen from the team hotel.
Steve Kragthorpe wasn't the coach yet in 2002, but he is doing his best to prevent another paradise lost.
"I tried the trip this summer, did the exact trip we will be doing as a team. Things like the time difference, you have to get used to," he said.
Kragthorpe is no stranger to the islands. Even before last summer, he had made four visits here, all football related.
"I was here two times with my dad when he was at BYU (as an assistant coach), once when I was a (graduate assistant) at Oregon State and when I was quarterbacks coach at Boston College," he said.
The summer trip was part vacation, part work.
"My 15-year-old son won't be able to come this time because of school, so we brought him," Kragthorpe said. "He hadn't been there since he was 9 months old. I think he ate half the sand at Waikiki."
Tulsa arrives in Hawaii on Thursday, and the team returns to the mainland Monday.
Kragthorpe was named WAC Coach of the Year for leading the Hurricane to an 8-5 record and a bowl game last season, his first, after Tulsa went 1-11 in 2002.
This year, Tulsa went 0-3 before beating Southwest Missouri State 49-7 last week.
"We did a better job of capitalizing on opportunities," Kragthorpe said. "We had not done a great job of taking advantage of situations in the first three games when opportunities presented themselves. ... When you're playing quality people you're not going to get those chances on a repetitive basis."
Root of the problem: Hawaii receiver Ross Dickerson has been the talk of the town for 10 days now -- and not because of his six catches for 64 yards including a touchdown in UH's 41-29 loss at Rice. It's because of the passes he didn't catch. Dickerson had three passes go off his hands, including one for another touchdown that could've changed the game's outcome.
While some fans have taken him to task, the sophomore said he's received nothing but encouragement from coaches and teammates.
"I've gotten a lot of support from the guys," Dickerson said. "Timmy (quarterback Chang) still believes in me and the guys say I can come up with big plays."
Dickerson said he was bothered by a toothache and a sprained ankle at Rice. When he returned to Hawaii, he had three dentist appointments that included a root canal procedure.
"I don't really want to use that as an excuse," he said after yesterday's practice. "I've just got to get more time with the ball machine in the afternoons."
Big West: Running back West Keli'ikipi helped stake UH to a 16-3 lead at Tulsa last year with two rushing touchdowns, but the Hurricane came back to win 27-16.
A knee injury and suspension set him back over the summer, but the 6-foot, 280-pound senior played a few downs last week but did not carry the ball.
"He'll play again this week, hopefully a little more than last week," Jones said. "He doesn't look to be 100 percent. More blocking and special teams. He'll carry the ball some though."
Depth chart change: Junior Cameron Hollingsworth and true freshman Keao Monteilh have replaced second-year freshman Ray Bass and junior Turmarian Moreland as the No. 2 cornerbacks behind Abraham Elimimian and Kenny Patton.
Although listed technically as back-ups, the change could be significant because No. 2 cornerbacks often appear as replacements to linebackers in pass defense schemes.
"We're rotating people in and the best players play," Hawaii coach June Jones said.
Hurricane honored: Tulsa junior Ashlan Davis was named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week for blocking a punt and returning it 13 yards for a touchdown, giving the Golden Hurricane a 14-7 lead on its way to its win against Southwest Missouri State.
Boise State took the offensive and defensive awards, as wide receiver T.J. Acree caught seven passes for 133 yards and two TDs in the Broncos' 28-27 win over Brigham Young, and linebacker Korey Hall was in on 11 tackles, including two sacks.