LOUISIANA TECH 46, HAWAII 14
 ASSOCIATED PRESS
Louisiana Tech wide receiver Seneca Chambers couldn't come up with a pass in the end zone yesterday while being guarded by Hawaii's Kenny Patton.
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Bulldogs bully UH
Louisiana Tech piles up 327 rushing yards in sending UH to an 0-2 record in conference play
RUSTON, La. » Maybe criss-crossing the Pacific Ocean three times in a month is too much. Maybe 4,000 miles and five time zones are too many for a college football team to traverse.
It seemed Hawaii had sacked the road-game bugaboo two weeks ago with its shutout at Idaho. But yesterday, UH regressed, absorbing a 46-14 pounding at Louisiana Tech.
"We just didn't play very well," UH coach June Jones said. "It looked like we were tired and worn out."
Hawaii fell to 1-4 and had any fantasies of winning the Western Athletic Conference championship dashed by dropping its second league game. UH would have to win six of its last seven games to qualify for a bowl -- a seemingly impossible task after the way the Warriors played yesterday. UH is off to its worst start since 2000, when it went 3-9 for the only losing season in Jones' six at Hawaii.
A delighted crowd at Joe Aillet Stadium of 16,242, including LaTech alum Karl "The Mailman" Malone, watched the Bulldogs (2-2) deliver a second WAC win against no losses. They outscored UH 23-0 after halftime, and this one was nearly as bad for Hawaii as its 69-3 and 70-14 debacles at Boise State and Fresno State last year.
"We needed to play a perfect game and we knew that coming in," Jones said. "We're 1-4. I know we're not a 1-4 team, we're better than that. That's what our record is and we have to deal with it."
Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said hope remains, as a game against beatable New Mexico State at Aloha Stadium is on the horizon Saturday.
"We have to make a comeback," he said. "We can't make the biggest comeback in the history of the world. Jesus Christ did that. But we can come back from this."
The Bulldogs won by pounding the ball down the throat of UH's 3-4 defense, running the ball 54 times for 327 yards. And when they weren't doing that, quarterback Matt Kubik was completing 14 passes in 20 attempts for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
But mostly it was the run that did in UH's defense, as it did last season when the Warriors were the worst in the nation at stopping the ground game.
"The key was to keep the ball away from Hawaii's offense," LaTech coach Jack Bicknell said.
That's almost acceptable if you can trade touchdowns and get one or two key stops, and that is what Jones' run-and-shoot offense is designed to do -- it's how Hawaii won here two years ago.
 ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii slotback Davone Bess, who had eight receptions for 79 yards, caught a pass in front of Louisiana Techs' Tramon Williams during the first quarter of yesterday's game in Ruston, La.
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But the offense's new youthful pilot, sophomore quarterback Colt Brennan, was knocked out of his comfort zone after a decent first half in which he completed 16 of 19 passes for 160 yards and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grice-Mullen for a short-lived 7-3 lead.
Nate Ilaoa capped another drive with a 3-yard scoring run.
But Kubik hit Eric Newman for TD passes of 4 and 23 yards, and Mark Dillard broke away for a 59-yard touchdown.
"I went through the hole, and I wasn't really expecting anything big to happen, but I broke a few tackles and made it into the end zone," Dillard said.
That was before the total collapse. LaTech led 23-14 at half, and Hawaii was still in the game despite making many mistakes.
"On the three (LaTech) touchdowns in the first half we had penalties on third down," Glanville said, "kept every drive alive."
"We thought we were fine," Brennan said. "We didn't even worry at halftime. We just needed to go out there and stop them and go with it. Unfortunately, things went the other way, and that's just the way it is."
A disastrous third quarter began with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Freddie Franklin scoring from 4 yards out.
Then Brennan was called for intentional grounding, pushing the ball back to the Hawaii 5. Kurt Milne's 27-yard punt gave LaTech the ball at UH's 32. Dillard -- who finished with 155 yards on 15 carries -- covered the entire distance on the next play. That made it 37-14, and if anyone thought it wasn't over then, they were convinced after UH went three-and-out again and Franklin scored on another 4-yard rushing TD.
LaTech's big offensive line dominated, blowing open holes wherever it wanted, using power and finesse.
"First half they tried to attack more," UH nose tackle Mike Lafaele said. "Then they weren't really attacking, more going side to side with me. The center (Marcus Stewart) is pretty quick."
Meanwhile, Brennan was hounded by the Bulldogs, especially end Moqut Ruffins. He had two sacks and a fumble recovery.
"Their D-line was really good at containing us. I wanted to go outside, but they did a good job of keeping me inside," Brennan said. "They did such a good job of coming upfield and they were so fast. It just made our game a little different."
Brennan, playing with a sprained thumb on his throwing hand from the Boise State game, completed 23 of 33 passes for 236 yards. He was intercepted once, late in the game.
"We really just wanted to contain their air game," Ruffins said. "We know Hawaii's just an all-air team. We were just trying to keep the pressure on. Just keep pressure, pressure all game, and we wore them out. They couldn't get anything on us."
Hawaii's running game was negligible with 11 net yards on 15 carries. Ilaoa totaled 27 yards on seven attempts.
"I'm disappointed we didn't move the ball better in the second half," Jones said. "We weren't ready to play tonight and we made mistakes right off the bat with penalties, things that never should've happened. That's my fault. We gotta do a better job everywhere."
LaTech senior left guard Aaron Lips also said he expected the Warriors would put up more of a fight after the break.
"I was surprised. They always give us a heckuva game. Every year it's a game to the end and they always pulled it out before," he said.
UH defensive lineman Ikaika Alama-Francis was one of several players trying to figure out exactly what had happened.
"They played a helluva game," he said. "They ran the ball almost every play. We just couldn't find the right thing to do."
Louisiana Tech 46,
Hawaii 14
At Joe Aillet Stadium
| Hawaii (1-4, 2-1) |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
-- |
14
|
| Louisiana Tech (2-2, 2-0) |
9 |
14 |
20 |
3 |
-- |
46 |
First Quarter
|
| LaT |
8:26 |
Danny Horwedel 33 FG |
3-0
|
| UH |
2:26 |
Ryan Grice-Mullen 28 pass from Colt Brennan |
7-3
|
|
|
(Dan Kelly kick)
|
| LaT |
1:35 |
Mark Dillard 59 run (kick blocked) |
9-7 |
|
Second Quarter
|
| LaT |
9:45 |
Eric Newman 4 pass from Matt Kubik |
16-7
|
|
|
(Horwedel kick)
|
| UH |
8:00 |
Nate Ilaoa 3 run (Kelly kick) |
16-14
|
| LaT |
2:21 |
Newman 24 pass from Kubik (Horwedel kick) |
23-14
|
Third Quarter
|
| LaT |
9:52 |
Freddie Franklin 4 run (Horwedel kick) |
30-14
|
| LaT |
8:40 |
Dillard 32 run (Horwedel kick) |
37-14
|
| LaT |
4:05 |
Franklin 4 run (kick failed) |
43-14 |
|
Fourth Quarter
|
| LaT |
6:42 |
Horwedel 38 FG |
46-14 |
Attendance: 16,242. Time: 3:07.
Officials -- Referee: Paul Labenne; Umpire: Steve Burks; Linesman: Jim LaBorde; Line judge: David Nesmith; Back judge: Mike Angelis; Field judge: Tom McCarter; Side judge: Robert Cameron; Scorer: Chris Weego.
Team Statistics
|
HAWAII |
LATECH
|
| FIRST DOWNS |
17 |
26
|
| Rushing |
2 |
16
|
| Passing |
13 |
9
|
| Penalty |
2 |
1
|
| NET YARDS RUSHING |
11 |
327
|
| Rushing Attempts |
15 |
54
|
| Average Per Rush |
0.7 |
6.1
|
| Yards Gained Rushing |
44 |
357
|
| Yards Lost Rushing |
33 |
30
|
| NET YARDS PASSING |
269 |
149
|
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
26-37-1 |
14-20-0
|
| Average Per Attempt |
7.3 |
7.4
|
| Average Per Completion |
10.3 |
10.6
|
| TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS |
280 |
476
|
| Total offense plays |
52 |
74
|
| Average Gain Per Play |
5.4 |
6.4
|
| Fumbles: Number-Lost |
1-1 |
3-0
|
| Penalties: Number-Yards |
9-51 |
5-50
|
| PUNTS-YARDS |
4-137 |
0-0
|
| Average Yards Per Punt |
34.2 |
0.0
|
| Net Yards Per Punt |
29.5 |
0.0
|
| Inside 20 |
0 |
0
|
| 50+ Yards |
0 |
0
|
| Touchbacks |
0 |
0
|
| Fair catch |
0 |
0
|
| KICKOFFS-YARDS |
3-170 |
9-555
|
| Average Yards Per Kickoff |
56.7 |
61.7
|
| Net Yards Per Kickoff |
33.3 |
45.2
|
| Touchbacks |
0 |
1
|
| Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD |
0-0-0 |
3-19-0
|
| Average Per Return |
0.0 |
6.3
|
| Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD |
8-148-0 |
3-70-0
|
| Average Per Return |
18.5 |
23.3
|
| Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD |
0-0-0 |
1-20-0
|
| Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD |
0-0-0 |
0-0-0
|
| Miscellaneous Yards |
0 |
0
|
| Possession Time |
22:24 |
37:36
|
| Third-Down Conversions |
3 of 9 |
10 of 14
|
| Fourth-Down Conversions |
1 of 2 |
1 of 2
|
| Red-Zone Scores-Chances |
1-2 |
4-5
|
| Sacks By: Number-Yards |
3-17 |
3-33
|
| Field Goals |
0-0 |
2-2 |
Individual Defensive Statistics
Hawaii
|
| Player |
Solo |
Ast |
Tot
|
| Sol. Elimimian |
7 |
6 |
13
|
| Tanuvasa Moe |
4 |
6 |
10
|
| Lono Manners |
2 |
6 |
8
|
| Kenny Patton |
5 |
2 |
7
|
| I. Alama-Francis |
3 |
3 |
6
|
| Rustin Saole |
4 |
1 |
5
|
| Landon Kafentzis |
1 |
4 |
5
|
| Kamakawiwo'ole |
1 |
4 |
5
|
| Brad Kalilimoku |
0 |
5 |
5
|
| Ty. Kafentzis |
2 |
2 |
4
|
| Michael Lafaele |
1 |
3 |
4
|
| Jake Ingram |
1 |
2 |
3
|
| Dane Porlas |
0 |
3 |
3
|
| Keala Watson |
0 |
3 |
3
|
| Daniel Tautofi |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Lamar Broadway |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Keao Monteilh |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Karl Noa |
0 |
2 |
2
|
| Kirk Alexander |
0 |
2 |
2
|
| Melila Purcell |
1 |
0 |
1
|
| Michael Malala |
1 |
0 |
1
|
| Grice-Mullen |
1 |
0 |
1
|
| Dan Kelly |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Ikaika Curnan |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Adam Leonard |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Louisiana Tech
|
| Player |
Solo |
Ast |
Tot
|
| Branno Jackson |
4 |
2 |
6
|
| Dez Abrams |
4 |
2 |
6
|
| Byron Santiago |
3 |
3 |
6
|
| Barr Robertson |
2 |
4 |
6
|
| J. Hamilton |
2 |
3 |
5
|
| Tramon Williams |
3 |
1 |
4
|
| Chad Beverage |
3 |
0 |
3
|
| Alton Bryant |
3 |
0 |
3
|
| Robert Burrell |
2 |
1 |
3
|
| Mogut Ruffins |
2 |
0 |
2
|
| Quin Harris |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Matt Butler |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| D. Williams |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Eddie White |
1 |
1 |
2
|
| Anthony Moss |
0 |
2 |
2
|
| Ladarius Love |
0 |
2 |
2
|
| T. Alexander |
1 |
0 |
1
|
| Sandy Collins |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Sammie Collins |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Josh Muse |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Weldon Brown |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Tackles for loss-yards -- Hawaii: Moe 2-6, Alama-Francis 1.5-8, Kalilimoku 0.5-4, Ty. Kafentzis 0.5-3, Ingram 0.5-3, 0.5-1. LaTech: Santiago 1-12, Ruffins 2-21, Butler 1-2.
Sacks-Yards -- Hawaii: Moe 1.5-6, Alama-Francis 1-7, Kalilimoku 0.5-4. LaTech: Santiago 1-12, Ruffins 2-21.
Fumbles forced -- Hawaii: None. LaTech: None.
Fumbles recovered -- Hawaii: None. LaTech: Ruffins 1-0.
Interceptions -- Hawaii: None. LaTech: Bo Cox 1-20.
Passes broken up -- Hawaii: Alama-Francis, T. Moreland. LaTech: Robertson 2, Abrams.
Kicks blocked -- Hawaii: Tony Akpan. LaTech: None.
WAC Standings
|
Conference |
Overall
|
|
W |
L |
Pct |
W |
L |
Pct
|
| Nevada |
2 |
0 |
1.000 |
3 |
2 |
.600
|
| Louisiana Tech |
2 |
0 |
1.000 |
2 |
2 |
.500
|
| Fresno State |
1 |
0 |
1.000 |
3 |
1 |
.750
|
| Boise State |
1 |
0 |
1.000 |
3 |
2 |
.600
|
| Utah State |
1 |
1 |
.500 |
2 |
2 |
.500
|
| Hawaii |
1 |
2 |
.333 |
1 |
4 |
.200
|
| Idaho |
1 |
2 |
.333 |
1 |
5 |
.167
|
| San Jose State |
0 |
2 |
.000 |
1 |
4 |
.200
|
| New Mexico State |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
5 |
.000 |
Yesterday
Louisiana Tech 46, Hawaii 14
Boise St. 21, Portland St. 14
Nevada 62, Idaho 14
Utah St. 24, San Jose St. 17
Fresno St. 37, New Mexico St. 7
UH Schedule
| Sept. 3 |
USC |
L, 63-17
|
| Sept. 10 |
at Michigan State |
L, 42-14
|
| Sept. 24 |
at Idaho |
W, 24-0
|
| Oct. 1 |
Boise State |
L, 44-41
|
| Yesterday |
at Louisiana Tech |
L, 46-14
|
| Oct. 15 |
New Mexico State
|
| Oct. 22 |
at San Jose State
|
| Oct. 29 |
Fresno State
|
| Nov. 5 |
at Nevada
|
| Nov. 12 |
Utah State
|
| Nov. 25 |
Wisconsin
|
| Dec. 3 |
San Diego State |
