Indirect success for UH

The Warriors may eventually bear fruit from their valiant second-half comeback attempt

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. » The Hawaii football team filed out of its hotel here yesterday and bused east on its way home -- not the most direct route, but the best way to go when your airplane is waiting in Atlanta.

And that's probably a good attitude for the Warriors to take relative to their 25-17 loss at Alabama. Saturday's loss could lead to wins down the road. On the road.

The Warriors didn't come all this way just for a paycheck, and to come up short with a chance to send the game to overtime on the last play is disheartening.

But UH plays Boise State and Fresno State on the road this year. Winning at least one of those games is crucial to contending for the WAC title.

"We come down here and we compete with an SEC team that we're overmatched with, that gives us something to take with us when we go on the road in conference," coach June Jones said. "We've got some tough places to go play."

After the Alabama game, the media members who voted for Hawaii to finish fourth in the WAC might reevaluate. Or not, if they saw only the first half, after which Hawaii was lucky to be losing only 15-3.

"We did a pretty good job of shooting ourselves in the foot," quarterback Colt Brennan said.

The offense fumbled twice, special teams allowed a safety and the defense simply didn't exist. In short, the Warriors looked like last year's team, minus the good offense.

It actually started out OK, as Ross Dickerson returned the opening kickoff to midfield and UH took a 3-0 lead on Dan Kelly's 42-yard field goal.

But then ...

"We just shut down. People weren't doing their assignments," Dickerson said. "I think it was nervousness. Everybody was a little nervous. Big game, big stadium."

Even center Sam Satele, perhaps the most fearless of the Warriors, admitted to a slight case of the jitters.

"Yeah, but in football you're always going to be nervous, no matter who you are and who you're playing," the tri-captain said. "But we got it rolling in the second half."

Adjustments on defense paid off after halftime, and on offense the Warriors began to look like the team that was among the nation's top passing attacks last year.

"We settled down, got the butterflies out and everybody started to play Warrior football," said Dickerson, a senior wide receiver who caught five passes for 49 yards Saturday.

Dickerson, who received for 117 yards against USC last year, said this group of Warriors is better and wiser than the editions that were blown out by quality opponents in previous years.

"We've got a lot more maturity. Good leadership. The two slots have a year of experience now," he said.

He's been around long enough to know the direct line isn't the only route to success.

"This gives us great confidence. We have a lot to look forward to, a lot to work on. We can just get better off of it," Dickerson said.

Slotback Davone Bess, a freshman All-American last year, bounced back from two early drops Saturday to lead the Warriors with eight catches.

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Warriors Replay

Five big plays from Alabama's 25-17 win over UH on Saturday

Chosen and described by the Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon.

1. Bungled punt

The Setup: Alabama 10, Hawaii 3; 5:31 remaining, second quarter; Hawaii ball, fourth and 17 at Hawaii 19.

The Play: Punter Kurt Milne can't handle a high snap from Jake Ingram. Milne knocks the ball into the end zone and Alabama's Roy Upchurch goes after it, recovering it for an apparent touchdown. But replay review (unsolicited) determines that Upchurch was out of bounds before he had control of the ball, resulting in a safety.

The Impact: The two points expand Alabama's lead to 12-3. The Tide immediately get the ball back and drive for a field goal by Leigh Tiffin to take a 12-point lead at halftime -- thanks largely to UH miscues.

Hawaii coach June Jones: "The fumbles really hurt us and the dropped punt. We can't make those mistakes on the road. We were pressing a little bit in the first half, and I expected that when you come to the big time like this."

2. What a catch

The Setup: Alabama 15, Hawaii 3; 11:23 remaining, third quarter; Alabama ball, first and 10 at Hawaii 35.

The Play: Alabama quarterback J.P. Wilson steps out of the pocket and throws a pass toward Keith Brown just across the goal line. Brown, who finishes the game with six catches for 132 yards, makes a falling catch despite getting tangled up with Hawaii linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who is flagged for pass interference (which the Tide declined, of course).

The Impact: The 22-3 lead is Alabama's biggest of the game. Brown's athletic grab under duress of an underthrown pass caps an 8-play, 80-yard drive, and at this point there is no reason to believe Hawaii can slow down Alabama or move the ball effectively enough to rally.

Brown: "I didn't really see the ball, but my hands did, so that was good enough for me."

3. Back in the game

The Setup: Alabama 25, Hawaii 10; 7:28 remaining, fourth quarter; Hawaii ball, second and 1 at Alabama 31.

The Play: Ryan Grice-Mullins beats man coverage on a fade route, catches a perfect pass from Colt Brennan and completes the last 15 yards to the goal line untouched, temporarily silencing more than 90,000 Alabama fans.

The Impact: Hawaii makes it a one-possession game with plenty of time left and its defense stiffening. Brennan makes an 85-yard drive look simple against the Crimson Tide defense, completing passes on all seven plays (one pass falls incomplete but is erased because of a holding penalty). The Warriors have firmly secured momentum.

Grice-Mullins: "Coach said just go for it right here, and just beat him off the line and get to the corner."

4. Finally, a sack

The Setup: Alabama 25, Hawaii 17; 3:31 remaining, fourth quarter; Alabama ball, third and 14 at Alabama 29.

The Play: Coming on a blitz, Warriors inside linebacker Adam Leonard brings down Alabama's Wilson for Hawaii's first -- and only -- sack of the game. It gives Leonard, a UH sophomore, a game-high 11 tackles in his first collegiate start.

The Impact: Alabama, which had 1 rushing yard and one first down in the fourth quarter, is forced to punt once again. The Warriors get the ball at their own 25 with 2:40 left with a chance to tie the game and force overtime.

Hawaii linebackers coach Cal Lee: "I thought (Leonard) played very well. He showed a lot of grit out there. He made some big plays, including that sack, and he's only going to get better."

5. Last chance

The Setup: Alabama 25, Hawaii 17; 0:01 remaining, fourth quarter; Hawaii ball, fourth and 2 at Alabama 29.

The Play: Brennan vomits before the play, then lofts a pass as he is hit. The target is Jason Rivers, UH's tallest receiver, on the left side of the end zone, although Ross Dickerson is open on the other side of the end zone. The ball is underthrown and the Alabama defense is waiting. Lionel Mitchell intercepts, and the Crimson Tide faithful exhale and roar.

The Impact: Alabama, which lost momentum for much of the second half, holds on to win its fifth consecutive opener and avenge its 2003 loss at Hawaii. UH misses on a chance for its biggest road win in Jones' eight seasons.

Brennan: "As Vince Lombardi said, 'Sometimes you don't lose a football game, time just runs out.' We fought with a great football team."