Defense demands attention

The offense gets all of the accolades, but the defense has also stepped up

Any coach will tell you. It all starts up front.

And Saturday at Aloha Stadium, a lot of it stopped there, too.

The Hawaii three-man defensive front simply dominated San Jose State at the line of scrimmage (and behind it), stifling any dreams the Spartans had of keeping up with UH's offense.

Hawaii crushed San Jose State 54-17. It was the Warriors' eighth consecutive victory, propelling UH (9-2, 7-1 WAC) to a No. 25 ranking in all three polls and tying the record for wins in a row in one season set by the 1973 team coached by Dave Holmes.

That UH squad was built on defense, limiting seven of the nine teams it beat to 10 or fewer points.

San Jose State managed just 192 yards, the least for a UH opponent since Sept. 24, 2005, when Idaho had 153 and the Warriors blanked the Vandals 24-0.

Ends Melila Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis and nose tackle Michael Lafaele created opportunities for the back seven when they weren't making big plays themselves.

"The defensive line played great," senior free safety and tri-captain Leonard Peters said. "Any time the linebackers fill holes like that (Solomon Elimimian's 12 tackles were almost all at the line of scrimmage), it's because the linemen are taking on two guys and keeping them off them."

Purcell, in particular, has played incredibly well in recent games. The 6-foot-5, 276-pound senior has thrived in the 3-4 alignment this fall after learning its nuances while dealing with nagging injuries last year.

"We just wanted to come out here and dominate the line and take the momentum away and put it on our side."

Purcell matched his season high with eight tackles. He was involved in three sacks, four quarterback hurries and he forced a fumble.

"The last half of the season, (Purcell) has really taken a step," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "He's become an outstanding leader, in practice on the field, in meetings. And I think he's starting to play at a level that we all hoped he would get to. And Ikaika, the same thing. And Mike Lafaele, you tell me who's got a nose tackle who makes more plays than that guy does.

"They all played really, really well. They dominated the line of scrimmage," Reinebold said. "I'm proud of them, they deserve every good thing that happens to them."

The Hawaii offense leads the nation in scoring and total offense and gets most of the notice. But the Warriors defense has come on in recent weeks, and opponents have averaged just 13.5 points in the last four games.

UH held San Jose State to 92 yards on the ground. The Spartans entered the game averaging 198.6 rushing yards, second in the WAC and 10th in the nation. Running back Yonus Davis averaged 101.3 yards going in. He walked out of Aloha Stadium with just 29 yards in 14 attempts against the Warriors.

"They played a helluva game," Davis said of the Hawaii defense. "They got the job done."

The Warriors try to continue their winning streak Saturday against Purdue (8-4) at Aloha Stadium.