Warriors in for rough
treatment on road

UH, which hasn't won on the
road since 2003, will get an earful
from Michigan State students

EAST LANSING, Mich. » The Michigan State students plan to show the Hawaii football team the meaning of Paradise Lost today when the Warriors play the Spartans here.

The "Corner Blitz" student section of Spartan Stadium will be in aloha attire, but not spirit. The MSU students plan to mock Hawaii at every opportunity, and the oddsmakers think those opportunities will come often -- the Spartans are favored by more than 30 points.

Everything seems to be pointing toward a blowout. UH comes off a 63-17 home loss to USC last week, and the Warriors also lost two starters to knee injuries. Meanwhile, Michigan State was whipping Kent State 49-14, and rolling up 685 yards.

Hawaii hasn't won on the road since Nov. 1, 2003. UH has been outscored 255-80 in losing its last five away ventures. And it has allowed more points each time.

The Warriors did beat the Spartans, 41-38, at Aloha Stadium to end MSU's season last fall. But that was a different Hawaii team. Seven offensive starters are gone; there are more returnees on defense, but they were part of a unit that was second-to-last nationally in yardage yielded.

Now, toss in the bitterness the Spartans have harbored for nine months, waiting for revenge after blowing a 21-0 lead. Some in the MSU camp blame the Western Athletic Conference officiating crew that called 16 penalties for 119 yards against the Spartans compared to five for 35 for the Warriors. This time the whistle blowers are from the Big Ten.

Last week UH had to deal with Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. Today, the opposing quarterback is just as talented. Junior Drew Stanton is a double threat in MSU's spread offense. He passed for 297 yards and rushed for 60 more against the Golden Flashes. Like Leinart, he's got all the intangibles, too.

"Drew is a great leader. He already was last year," Michigan State center Kyle Cook said. "He didn't have to learn that."

Meanwhile, the Warriors haven't decided on a starting quarterback; Tyler Graunke and Colt Brennan traded every one or two plays against USC, and both played fairly well considering it was the first Division I action for both and they were facing the two-time defending national champions.

Graunke and Brennan combined for 377 yards passing, and Graunke led UH with 43 rushing yards.

MSU coach John L. Smith said he won't make the same mistake he did last year of not mixing up his defensive schemes enough against the Warriors' run-and-shoot attack. In fact, he said the two-headed monster of Graunke-Brennan is more versatile than what NCAA career passing leader Tim Chang brought to the offense last year.

"If you give them the same thing over and over, they'll answer," Smith said. "And it's a different deal now. Bring in No. 6 (Graunke) and you've got the quarterback option, speed option, different aspects of the game. You have to defend all these things."

The alternating quarterbacks could help Hawaii, since a sellout crowd of 75,000 is expected to be very loud when the Warriors have the ball, and Hawaii coach June Jones can talk to them longer between plays.

As for the rift between Jones and Smith over not exchanging videotape before the game, Jones shrugged it off yesterday after a 2-hour UH workout at Spartan Stadium.

"We'll probably talk about it," Jones said. "(Smith's) a great guy, he's a Northwest guy (Jones is from Oregon). In fact we've stolen a lot of the things we do offensively from what he does."

Smith said basically the same thing Thursday, noting that his spread has a lot of similarities to the Hawaii run-and-shoot.

These teams don't have much in common in the depth department, though.

With starting free safety Leonard Peters out, Jones has to choose between senior Lamar Broadway and true freshman Kirk Alexander.

"I think Lamar will start and Kirk will play," Jones said.

Broadway's been waiting for a chance to redeem himself since being beat for the game-tying touchdown with less than a minute left in UH's overtime loss to Florida Atlantic in last year's season opener. He said the ups-and-downs of losing a starting spot and regaining it are just part of the game.

"I don't look upon it as a roller coaster," Broadway said. "I just look at it as being accountable to the team. You do your role, special teams, backing up people. I'm just happy I'm ready for it."

Jones said starting inside linebacker Ikaika Curnan is better after being slowed by a quadriceps bruise earlier in the week, but true freshman Solomon Elimimian "will probably play a lot."

It's still a revolving door at nose tackle; Tony Akpan and Reagan Mauia manned the point against USC, but Jones said Michael Lafaele, Renolds Fruean and Lawrence Wilson might get in today.

The coach added that starting end/tackle Mel Purcell "will play," despite not practicing this week. Purcell sat out with a bruised foot. He had removed a protective boot he wore earlier in the week and ran on the side yesterday.

Bryan Maneafaiga will start at running back, Jones said. Nate Ilaoa has been getting a lot of first-team reps there.

Smith has at least three capable running backs -- starter Jason Teague, Jehuu Caulcrick and freshman Javon Ringer -- to work behind an offensive line some consider the best in the Big Ten.

Teague scored three touchdowns against UH last year, but Caulcrick had three last week (and 140 yards in 14 carries).

"I want to run the wishbone," Smith said on his radio show Thursday. "I hope June is listening."

Probable starters

Hawaii Warriors

Z	82	Ross Dickerson	5-10	185	Jr.
H	1	Ryan Grice-Mullen	5-10	174	Fr.
LT	70	Tala Esera	6-4	295	Jr.
LG	64	Samson Satele	6-3	311	Jr.
C	59	Derek Fa'avi	6-1	273	Sr.
RG	66	Brandon Eaton	6-2	297	Sr.
RT	72	Dane Uperesa	6-5	331	Jr.
Y	7	Davone Bess	5-10	187	Fr.
X	81	Ian Sample	5-10	189	Sr.
QB	6	Tyler Graunke	5-11	175	Fr.
or	15	Colt Brennan	6-3	190	Jr.
RB	3	Bryan Maneafaiga	5-9	200	Sr.

DEFENSE

DT	98	Melila Purcell	6-5	266	Sr.
or	12	Karl Noa	6-4	240	So.
NT	90	Tony Akpan	6-6	294	Sr.
DE	91	Ikaika Alama-Francis	6-5	260	Jr.
LB	1	Kila Kamakawiwo'ole	6-3	237	Sr.
LB	45	Tanuvasa Moe	6-0	225	Sr.
LB	51	Ikaika Curnan	5-10	242	Sr.
LB	43	Brad Kalilimoku	5-10	204	So.
CB	9	Ryan Keomaka	5-10	168	So.
FS	22	Lamar Broadway	6-0	186	Sr.
SS	15	Lono Manners	5-10	199	Sr.
CB	24	Kenny Patton	5-11	170	So.

SPECIALISTS

P	25	Kurt Milne	5-11	208	Jr.
PK	99	Dan Kelly	6-3	199	Fr.
PR	27	Andre Taylor	5-11	171	Jr.
KR	27	Andre Taylor	5-11	171	Jr.
LS	45	Tanuvasa Moe	6-0	225	Sr.
H	25	Kurt Milne	5-11	208	Jr.

Michigan State Spartans

Z	3	Kyle Brown	6-1	230	Sr.
LT	72	Stefon Wheeler	6-5	330	Sr.
LG	74	Kyle Cook6-3	295	Jr.
C	51	Chris Morris	6-4	305	Sr.
RG	71	Gordon Nieblyski	6-3	312	Sr.
RT	66	Mike Gyetvai	6-7	307	Sr.
TE	89	Ryan Woods	6-4	259	Sr.
X	6	Matt Trannon	6-6	227	Sr.
QB	5	Drew Stanton	6-3	222	Jr.
RB	20	Jason Teague	5-9	193	Sr.

DEFENSE

DE	93	Nick Smith	6-6	265	So.
DT	96	Domata Peko	6-2	320	Sr.
DT	92	Clifton Ryan	6-2	302	Jr.
DE	40	Michael Bazemore	6-3	270	Sr.
LB	43	Kaleb Thornbill	6-1	240	So.
LB	41	David Herron	6-1	240	Jr.
BAN	27	SirDarean Adams	6-0	222	Sr.
CB	12	Ashton Watson	5-11	189	Sr.
FS	29	Greg Cooper	5-11	189	Jr.
SS	36	Eric Smith	6-1	202	Sr.
CB	9	Demond Williams	5-9	174	Jr.

SPECIALISTS

P	8	Brandon Fields	6-6	230	Jr.
FG	19	Mario Danelo	5-10	185	So.
KO	11	John Goss	6-3	218	Jr.
PR	3	Kyle Brown	6-1	210	Sr.
KR	9	Demond Williams	5-9	174	Jr.
LS	56	Brian Bury	6-0	244	Jr.
SS	51	Chris Morris	6-4	305	Sr.
H	7	Bryan Hoyer	6-2	204	Fr.

Schedules

HAWAII (0-1)

MICHIGAN STATE (1-0)

WAC standings

Last week
Washington State 38, Idaho 26
Nicholls State at Utah State cancelled
San Jose State 35, Eastern Washington 24
USC 63, Hawaii 17
UTEP 34, New Mexico State 17

Yesterday
Washington State 55, Nevada 21

Today
San Jose State at Illinois
Hawaii at Michigan State
Louisiana Tech at Flroida
Boise State at Oregon State
Utah State at Utah
New Mexico State at Colorado
Weber State at Fresno State
Idaho at UNLV