Nearly a Beaver

UH slotback Davone Bess was set to play for Oregon State before legal problems detoured him and he landed in Hawaii

IT SEEMS like almost everyone in tomorrow's college football game between No. 24 Hawaii (10-2) and Oregon State (8-4) has some kind of personal reason, real or imagined, to be even more pumped up than usual. Guys from Hawaii playing for Oregon State. Former UH coaches abandoning the Warriors.

But one player you'd think would have a boulder on his shoulder for this one said he doesn't.

OREGON STATE AT HAWAII Where: Aloha Stadium When: Tomorrow, 7:05 p.m. (Stadium gates open at 3 p.m.) TV: ESPN. Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM Internet: espn1420am.com Parking: $5. Lot gates open at 2:30 p.m. Alternate parking at Leeward Community College (free, $2 shuttle), Kam Drive-In ($5, free shuttle). Shuttles are from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and approximately 1 hour after senior walk ends. Parking also at Radford High School ($3, no shuttle). No tailgating at alternate parking sites. Stadium security: Fanny packs, purses and backpacks and handbags will be permitted subject to check. No illegal contraband, weapons, fireworks, coolers, cans, bottles, air horns, noisemakers, umbrellas, outside food and or beverages are allowed inside the stadium gates. Student buses: Free buses will pick up students in front of Gateway House (2653 Dole Street), leave for the stadium at 4 p.m. and return 30 minutes after the game ends. Promotions: Warrior seniors will be honored after the game with the traditional Senior Walk. ... Each of the first 30,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a ti leaf. ... The game has been designated a Green Out, with fans encouraged to wear green shirts.

"I'm not really holding a grudge," said Warriors slotback Davone Bess, who could easily have ended up on the visitors' side of the field.

If his life hadn't taken a bad turn a few weeks after high school graduation in 2003, Bess would be suiting up for the Beavers instead of the Warriors. He was set to go to Corvallis, but lost his scholarship offer and ended up incarcerated for 15 months when he allowed friends to put stolen goods in his car.

Now, three years later, Bess is the star receiver of the most prolific passing offense and highest-scoring team in the country.

"Everything happens for a reason. I'm a true believer in that. I'm not holding it personal, don't get me wrong," Bess said after practice this week. "When it comes down to it, football is just a game. We're just out here to have fun. I don't want to take it personally. I just want to do what I have to to help my team get a W."

When Bess was released in 2004 (early for good behavior), Hawaii coach June Jones learned of him from former UH graduate assistant Keith Bhonapha, who went to the same high school (Skyline) in Oakland, Calif. Jones did a thorough check of Bess' background, and determined him to be a person of good character who'd allowed himself to get into a bad situation.

Oregon State tried to re-recruit him, but it was too late once Bess visited Hawaii.

"I was supposed to go to Oregon State, but Coach Jones' commitment to me, and (star slotback) Chad (Owens) and everyone leaving made me decide on Hawaii," Bess said.

He has thrived at UH, with at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons. He also made one of the best blocks of the year two weeks ago against San Jose State. The upbeat Bess is one of the most popular Warriors and an active volunteer in the community. He is well liked by teammates.

"To be as gifted as he is and to be as grounded as he is, that's a special thing. I've seen players, and you always see 'em, the stars on the team who aren't necessarily team guys," senior right tackle Dane Uperesa said. "But Davone's a real team guy. That's what's more special about him than his physical talent and his athleticism. We've been able to jell as a team because we have guys like that, stars who are capable of putting up big numbers but put the team first."

He's one of the team's hardest workers, but Bess figured something out this year that goes against his rise-before-the-sun ethic.

It is quite possible to try too hard.

Nine games into this season, it seemed he was doomed to the sophomore slump syndrome. The normally sure-handed Bess dropped more than his share of easy passes and wasn't getting open as often as he did as a freshman All-American in 2005. Although he had three 100-yard receiving games early on, Bess had a four-game stretch in which his receiving yardage decreased each game, down to 35 yards on three catches at Utah State on Nov. 4.

It wasn't a major crisis because Hawaii was winning. Other receivers were emerging, and it wasn't like Bess was playing terribly. He was just trying to make a big play every time the ball came his way, and sometimes it led to drops or more sideways and negative yardage than positive.

After a talk with Jones, Bess began to relax and let the game come to him.

"I think it was just a matter of me concentrating on my routes and my reads in general. I think early in the year I was just a little anxious, a little overanxious, trying to do too much, trying to make things happen instead of letting things happen on their own," Bess said. "Coach sat down with me, had a talk and told me stop trying so hard. He told me just settle down, let things come to me. I did that in the second half of the season and I'm getting better."

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Bess has 19 catches for 341 yards and four touchdowns in the last three games, putting him up to 81 catches for 1,039 yards and 13 TDs -- eerily close to his All-WAC numbers of 89-1,124-14 of last season, also in 12 games. And he has two games left to play this year. Bess also started returning punts last week, taking back two for 22 yards.

"Davone had another solid year. He just keeps doing his job as hard as he can do it and he has a good future," Jones said. "He had his moments (of trying to do too much). He's a real hard worker, conscientious. Sometimes you over-try when you're like that."

Since he's been out of high school more than three years, Bess is eligible to make himself available for the 2007 NFL Draft. He squashed a rumor that he plans to do so.

"My full intention is to come back. I haven't talked to anybody and I don't know how that got started," Bess said. "I'm just trying to focus on what I'm doing now. School, too. That's definitely a factor. I've got a lot to still do. "

Does that include catching more passes from Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan, since he says he'll likely be back, too?

"Exactly. That too," Bess said.

Sold out:

Tickets for tomorrow's game were sold out yesterday morning.

"I'd anticipated that everyone who was at last week's game (against Purdue) would be back, and that was a loud crowd," Jones said.

It is the first sellout since UH's season opener against USC last season.

The game, which starts at 7:05 p.m. in Hawaii, will be televised by ESPN.

Courageous Beaver:

Oregon State head student manager Carlos Garcia was nominated this week for the FedEx Orange Bowl-Football Writers Association of America Courage Award, which will be announced at the end of the season.

His father died in 2003 of cirrhosis of the liver. His mother was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and died two weeks before Garcia graduated high school. He would later be named Oregon's State Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Garcia is paying his way through college with grants, scholarships and a small stipend for his work with the Beavers football program.

Previous Courage Award winners include the Tulane team (following Hurricane Katrina last season) and San Jose State's Neil Parry in 2003.

---