Moreland picks up speed

Junior college football transfers are often expected to make an immediate impact. Hawaii cornerback Turmarian Moreland did not do that last fall.

He got a belated start to preseason camp when his transcript from Los Angeles Valley College arrived late last August, and Moreland practiced and played tentatively early on.

But by the end of the 2004 season, he'd made his mark. Now he's trying to secure a starting position going into his senior campaign.

"At the beginning of the season I wasn't ready for the tempo, the speed of Division I after playing junior college," Moreland said after yesterday's spring practice. "Later in the season when we got closer to the bowl game I felt more like I was contributing."

As a backup to starters Abraham Elimimian and Kenny Patton, Moreland played in nine games, making 10 tackles and intercepting a pass.

"I think my breakthrough was the Northwestern game -- that's when I began to get an identity on the team," said Moreland, who started in the UH win for an injured Patton.

At 6-feet-2 and 195 pounds, Moreland is full of potential. From what June Jones has seen recently, the coach said he's ready to live up to it -- and the Warriors need him to, with Elimimian finishing his Warriors days.

"He's getting more confident, I could really see it the last three or four days," Jones said of Moreland's spring practice effort. "I thought he'd improve and he has."

Yesterday, Moreland showed some tenacity in run support, ending up on the bottom of several piles.

"Sometimes they want us to hit, sometimes they don't. I just go to the ball 100 percent all the time, and if they don't say anything I hit," Moreland said. "We've got a new coach (defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville). His schemes put us in the right position to make plays. If you don't do it, you're not going to play."

On TV: Athletic director Herman Frazier said he expects to make an announcement regarding the television rights to UH sports within the next few days.

UH's current contract with KHNL/KFVE -- in which the school received a base of $700,000 per year, plus a share of revenue from pay-per-view football telecasts -- ends at the conclusion of this school year.

Frazier has continued negotiations with KHNL/KFVE, but a new contract could also include Oceanic Time Warner and/or Emmis Communications as partners.

"We met again this past week (with KHNL/KFVE's John Fink) and we'll know something this week," said Frazier, who declined to discuss details.

Short yardage: Freshman slotback Pat Olchovy, despite a tender ankle from a collision with linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones earlier in the week, made one of the best catches of the spring yesterday. Running a streak route, he fully extended to make an in-air grab of a long pass from Kainoa Akina. ... Safety Lono Manners intercepted two passes. ... Jack Rolovich hit Chad Mock for what would've been a long touchdown. ... Running back Kala Latuselu's day was shortened by a shoulder injury. ... About 100 spectators watched yesterday's practice, which was followed by Fan Photo Day. Spring camp ends this week with practices Wednesday and Thursday. There is no spring game or scrimmage.