UH newcomers
make a splash

The fall-camp tradition of Pool Day is a welcome break for most of the Hawaii football team. It's a respite from the heat of double-day practices and the stress of continuous competition for a good spot on the depth chart.

But for some newcomers, it represents another challenge -- the high dive. Every freshman and transfer is required to take the 10-meter leap.

For impressive freshman slotback Davone Bess, going across the middle for a pass is no problem, but the high dive is a different world. He needed nearly an hour to conquer his fear of free-falling yesterday. Even then he got a little help; he finally had senior center Derek Fa'avi push him off the platform.

"Yes, more than 45 minutes, that's no exaggeration," Bess said. "Back home (Oakland, Calif.) we don't do that kind of stuff. But I felt good after I did it. It wasn't what I thought it would be."

Yesterday wasn't what any of the Warriors originally thought it would be. When they got to their locker room before practice, they found the electricity wasn't working. There was a planned power outage having to do with repairs stemming from last year's flood damage.

Freshman defensive end Jake Ingram told his teammates the good news (for some): Coach June Jones said report to the pool, no joke.

Sophomore quarterback Colt Brennan said the timing was perfect.

"We woke up and it's raining and we're all kind of beat up," Brennan said. "We needed it."

The timing is also good because the Warriors want to be well rested for today's scrimmage at Aloha Stadium.

Second-year freshman quarterback Tyler Graunke said he was looking forward to a big crowd today. He didn't know the scrimmage is closed to the public.

"That's OK, it will still be good for us to practice where we play, get used to the faster surface," Graunke said.

As it has been throughout camp, the competition between Graunke and Brennan for No. 1 quarterback will be a focal point today. Jones said both will probably play in the season opener Sept. 3 against USC.

Graunke, listed No. 1 on the depth chart, acknowledges that Brennan, a JC transfer, has gained some ground on him.

"It's exactly what I thought and expected," said Graunke, who practiced in Jones' run-and-shoot system while redshirting last season. "I knew prior to him coming he could play football. He's learned the offense. We're competing and it's fun."

Graunke said he's curious to see how a couple of UH's lesser-known receivers perform in the scrimmage.

"Patrick (Olchovy's) making big plays, Chad Mock as well," he said. "They're not always the big-name guys, but they make catches and run the routes right."

Since the Warriors were off yesterday, they will practice tomorrow, Jones said.

Early risers: With the start of classes on Monday, practice reverts to 7 to 9 a.m. on most days.

An exception is Friday, when they are slated for a 4 to 6 p.m. workout at Aloha Stadium.

Welcome back: Several players, including senior quarterback Kainoa Akina, junior kicker Nolan Miranda, sophomore defensive tackle Ammon Tong and sophomore defensive back George Perry are expected to join the team Monday as the 105-player roster limit is lifted.

Schedule change: Kickoff time for Hawaii's game at Idaho on Sept. 10 has been switched back to 4 p.m. Hawaii time.

The start time had previously been changed to 11 a.m.