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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Warriors enjoy
their cupcake
HERE is what happened.Hawaii's freshmen and fourth-stringers were physically superior to Idaho's freshmen and fourth-stringers.
Idaho has had just as many or more injuries, road woes, heartache and bad luck (definitely more heartache and bad luck) as Hawaii has this season. Think you've got a sob story? Don't even try it.
The difference between the two teams is that Idaho, before all of this happened, started off as Idaho.
Nobody is going to say these guys have more talent than some USFL teams did.
Good thing, at this point in this season.
But the Vandals still moved the ball on a team from the mighty WAC, still had their share of pressures and sacks and interceptions of Tim Chang. You can tell their head coach, Nick Holt, is a Pete Carroll guy, with the multitude of blitzes he unleashed.
But you're always in trouble, if all you've got is the blitz.
(Sound familiar?)
"I thought Timmy was extremely sharp," June Jones said.
And he was. Chang was very sharp, as he should be, when you've got Tim Chang and all the opponent has is the blitz. When the gaps in zone coverage were often as wide as the open spaces in the Aloha Stadium parking lot.
(Twenty-four thousand and change? Herman, we have a problem. Attention no-shows who blame their disappearance on parking and traffic: That isn't really an issue. I don't want to say there weren't a lot of people at the stadium, but when Riley Wallace and Jim Bolla made a pre-game golf-cart goodwill tour I think they were able to shake every hand.)
But back to the game. "Money," said Jason Rivers, who had a career night. "He (Chang) was just ... I couldn't help but catch the ball."
Well, Rivers did a little more than that.
And the blitz was back, Hawaii's defense had 10 sacks against the tribe (the Vandals) that invented the term.
So what now? Well, this year, with this team you take a win when you can get it. Even if Idaho -- now THOSE were trick plays -- at first makes it look like a game. These days, you get happy about this. Officially, the mathematical equation is still in play. Christmas Eve dreams are still alive.
Not so fast, my friends.
Let's not get carried away and say these are great Big Ten teams coming in here. They aren't. Michigan State has had its moments, but won't be going to a bowl. Northwestern still has a chance for the postseason if it beats UH, but the Wildcats probably aren't as good as Michigan State.
These are not great Big Ten teams.
But they're not Sun Belt squads, either.
And if Idaho can go right down the field, you've got to feel a little tightness in your stomach about now.
This team shouldn't. These guys shouldn't. But forget that stuff. Just play.
Was it good for those offensive subs to score a pile-on touchdown at the end? Hell yes it was.
Just like Idaho calling timeout to give their guys one last snap. That's what you do at the end of seasons like these. You just keep going. You play until they take back the pads and they won't let you play any more.