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Lumpkin proud of
Hawaii’s defense
The defensive coordinator is happy
with UH's performance against Tulsa
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"It doesn't bother me," said Lumpkin, who has been a player or coach at UH for more than 30 years. "Everyone has their opinion, and that's good. I try my best not to pay attention to it, but we're in the public eye. There are hundreds of thousands of people interested in what we're doing, so not everyone's going to agree with the way you do things."
Lumpkin also knows one game does not a season -- or a coach's reputation -- make.
But he has every reason to be proud of his unit's performance last Saturday when the Warriors pounded Tulsa 44-16 for UH's first win of the season after losing its first two games. And the critics have every reason to find something different to despise, at least for a week.
Hawaii -- with only two returning defensive starters from last year -- used an aggressive plan in which it blitzed around 75 percent of the time. Constant harassment from all angles disrupted the Golden Hurricane offense in the first half, and then completely stifled it in the second.
The 248 yards the defense yielded was the least by a UH team since the Warriors beat Southern Methodist more than two years ago, when the Mustangs managed only 238 yards.
Saturday's barrage included five sacks from five different players among nine tackles for losses and 10 quarterback hurries.
Even in cases where the UH scheme was overly aggressive for the offensive play, the Warriors adjusted, Lumpkin said.
"Our guys played hard and smart," he said. "For example, on one play (defensive tackle) Lui (Fuga) was coming hard, and it was a screen. He was able to figure it out early enough to turn around and make the tackle.
"We had excellent pursuit, everyone running to the football," Lumpkin added.
Critics of UH's defensive coaching leadership don't like that it is done in more of a committee format than on most teams. Defensive backs coach Rich Miano has input, as do the other defensive assistants.
"I make the calls, but other coaches have ideas, too," Lumpkin said. "It's better to have more than one head."
UH head coach June Jones complimented Lumpkin and Miano for the defensive game plan and the players for its execution.
Jones also realizes Lumpkin is a lightning rod for criticism. He doesn't understand it, but he said it goes with the job.
"I have no idea why. But they were probably the same way with Lemp (former defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa), and if Mack was here long enough they would've been the same way with Greg (McMackin, who was the DC in 1999). It's just the nature of the game."
Lumpkin is now getting the Warriors defense ready for Nevada (2-2, 0-1 WAC), which comes to town Saturday. Running back Chance Kretschmer has rushed for 235 yards in two UH losses to the Wolf Pack in the past three years (he was injured in the game Hawaii won in 2002 at Aloha Stadium).
"We're in the process of evaluating their offense now," Lumpkin said. "As long as we play physically hard and tackle, we'll be fine."
The Warriors can't afford a relapse to how they played defense at Rice on Sept. 19, when the Owls bullied UH's line, mangled its linebackers, and rolled to a 41-29 win with 523 yards of offense.
Jones and Lumpkin agreed Rice's wishbone option is a bad matchup for Hawaii's young, attacking defense.
"We're just getting back to who we are. We're better when we're aggressive," Lumpkin said. "We like to think we're getting a little bit better, a little bit more akamai (smart) every day."
Getting his kicks: Jones warned kicker Justin Ayat before Saturday's game to be ready for a long field-goal attempt.
Ayat was ready when called upon to kick a school-record tying 56-yarder, which he made with ease. Ayat made two other field goals, and was named WAC special teams player of the week yesterday.
Jones said Ayat was able to relax before the kick because Jones told him Tulsa would expect a fake.
"I said, 'Look, Jus' they're not going to rush, they think we're nuts,'" Jones related.
Jones said he hopes to have Ayat attempt an NCAA record field goal before the senior's career ends in December. The Division I record is 67 yards, held by three players.
"It has to be a certain situation, like the end of a half. The timing has to be right for us to be crazy enough to try it. I know he has the leg to do it," Jones said.
Dropsies over?: The Warriors receivers are done with their plague of dropped passes, Jones said. UH receivers dropped around 20 passes in the first two games and the first half Saturday.
"I think it was mental. I think we're over it now," he said. After Chad did what he did everybody all of a sudden started making good catches."
Jones was referring to a 75-yard touchdown play late in the first half that began with Owens catching a low pass behind the line of scrimmage. From at least one camera angle, it looks like the ball hit the turf before Owens caught it.