Offensive line gets new
look for Tulsa game
Hawaii's offensive line shuffle for tomorrow's game against Tulsa at Aloha Stadium is official.
Junior center Derek Fa'avi has not practiced since suffering a sprained foot at Rice on Sept. 18. So he is out with an injured left foot, and his 19-game starting streak -- longest among the offensive linemen -- will end. That causes a chain reaction, moving senior right guard Uriah Moenoa to center and junior right tackle Brandon Eaton to right guard. Sophomore Jeremy Inferrera comes off the bench to start at right tackle, offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said after yesterday's practice.
"I would like to play Phil Kauffman at right guard, too," Cavanaugh said. "We might (switch) every three series. Have them both play and see what happens."
The Warriors allowed no sacks in the season-opening loss to Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4, but quarterback Tim Chang was sacked five times in the Rice loss, including an intentional-grounding call.
Catching on?: UH receivers coach Ron Lee said no changes are planned among the starting pass-catchers, despite plenty of drops in the Warriors' first two games.
"I can't remember having this many drops before, ever," said Lee, in his sixth year as Hawaii's receivers coach. "The focus this week has been mental."
Lee and head coach June Jones said Ian Sample will likely play quite a bit at the left wide receiver spot behind starter Jason Rivers. Se'e Poumele and Gerald Welch will alternate at one slot, while Chad Owens, who leads the nation with 11.5 catches per game, starts at the other. Britton Komine starts again at right wideout.
Hurricane watch: Tulsa arrived yesterday afternoon without a hitch.
The team visited Pearl Harbor and had the day off from practice. It has a walk-through scheduled at Aloha Stadium today.
Diamond dandy: Tulsa sophomore free safety Shannon Carter is known as "Pops" because he's 25 years old. Carter played professional baseball for six seasons before enrolling in school and joining the Golden Hurricane last year.
Carter's second cousin is former major leaguer Joe Carter. Shannon Carter lists Joe Carter's home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays as his biggest thrill in sports.
Shannon Carter is making his own mark in the Tulsa secondary. He has 100 career tackles in 17 career games and has started 14.
Aussie posse: Former UH offensive tackle Paul Manera (1989-91) was among a group of coaches and players from Australia who visited practice this week.
He said American football continues to gain popularity in Australia. Juniors (ages 14-17) play a 7-man version of the game, and adults play 11-man club football.