Warriors hanging on

Coach June Jones never sweated early deficit

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HOUSTON » The voters in the Associated Press college football poll were not impressed with Hawaii's showing Saturday, knocking the Warriors down from 20th to 24th after they barely beat Louisiana Tech, 45-44, in overtime.

But coaches are a bit more forgiving it seems -- and perhaps they realize more how difficult it is to win on the road, regardless of any talent disparity. UH remained No. 22 in their ranking.

One thing the Warriors (2-0) do know is that they barely made it out of Ruston, La., with their hopes of an unbeaten season and WAC championship still alive.

Defensive captain Mike Lafaele said it was a good wake-up call, and coach June Jones was happy to see his team be tested early in the season.

Now the Warriors remain on the mainland to prep for another potential sleeper. They play at UNLV on Saturday.

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HOUSTON » What does June Jones tell his Hawaii Warriors at halftime when they're trailing by a touchdown against a team they're favored to beat by 28 points?

You might be surprised.

"Coach said he wouldn't want it any other way," senior defensive tackle and captain Mike Lafaele said. "He said he wanted us to earn it."

And that is what UH did Saturday against Louisiana Tech, coming from behind to win 45-44 in overtime on the road. The Warriors had to make numerous clutch plays down the stretch to win, all the way to the last one, when Gerard Lewis knocked away LaTech's pass attempt for a 2-point conversion.

The Warriors fell in the Associated Press poll to No. 24 this weekend, but they gained something more important: a warning.

"That is how it's going to be every game, every play," said receiver Ryan Grice-Mullins, who caught nine passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. "We are a big target."

And UH's next opponent, UNLV this Saturday, is in the hunting business. The Rebels nearly knocked off formerly No. 5 Wisconsin before the Badgers prevailed 20-13 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

So practice this week in humid Houston will be serious.

"We're good, but bad things can happen. We have to be more consistent," Lafaele said between dinner and study hall last night. "We needed a wake-up call like that."

The plays of Lewis, Grice-Mullins, Leon Wright-Jackson, Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, Colt Brennan and Dan Kelly will be the ones remembered by most fans. But if Lafaele and his defensive linemates hadn't recovered when they did, it would've been all for nothing.

After the Bulldogs went up 14-0 in the first quarter on Patrick Jackson's second touchdown, visions of 2005, when LaTech won 41-14, began to appear.

But fortunately for the Warriors, the defense managed stops and the offense scored points.

Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said they made an alignment adjustment that better counteracted the LaTech blocking schemes.

"We also mixed in coverage off of blitz looks," Reinebold said, and that, along with some twisting by the front four, served to confuse the Bulldogs enough for the Warriors to come up with five tackles for loss, including three sacks -- all at opportune times.

"At first they gave us a hard time," Lafaele said. "We tried to shoot gaps and push, but it was shaky in the first half. The humidity and their no-huddle got some of the guys winded. But we got used to it. The more we penetrated, the more we made plays."

Tackles Lafaele, Fale Laeli, Siave Seti and Keala Watson and ends Amani Purcell, Karl Noa, David Veikune and Francis Maka improved as the game went along.

Some of them were among the group who couldn't bounce back in 2005.

"It's a big mental thing to try to get through," McMackin said. "We talked about what happened two years ago before the game. This time they didn't give up, they refused to lose. They faced adversity and didn't quit."

Short yardage

The Warriors will practice at Rice Stadium every day this week until Friday, when they leave for Las Vegas. ... UH safety Jake Patek and LaTech receiver Philip Beck were JC roommates at Blinn (Texas) College. They collided Saturday in the first quarter when Patek broke up a pass intended for Beck. ...UH freshman running back Korey Reynolds turned 19 yesterday. ... Jones is Hawaii's winningest coach, but this is the first time in his nine-year college career that his team is 2-0. The last UH team to start with two wins was in 1997, when Fred vonAppen's team beat Minnesota and Cal State Northridge. Before that, it was 1992, when Bob Wagner led the Rainbows to wins at Oregon and Air Force. ... Lafaele, who was in and out of the game, said he just had some minor "bumps and bruises" and nothing that would keep him from practicing. ... Defensive tackle Keala Watson had a foot injury, but returned to the game.

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WARRIORS REPLAY Five big plays from Hawaii's 45-44 win over Louisiana Tech Chosen* and described by the Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon 1. Big hole The Setup: LaTech 7, Hawaii 0; 4:03 remaining, first quarter, LaTech ball, second and 1 at Hawaii 16. The Play: QB Zac Champion fakes a handoff to Daniel Porter and gives it to Patrick Jackson. Jackson runs through a huge hole for a 16-yard touchdown. It is his second of the game. The Impact: LaTech, using a no-huddle offense, controls the tempo of the game and the line of scrimmage, keeping the Hawaii offense off the field. LaTech runs 20 of the first 23 plays and holds a 140 to 7 total offense edge to this point. Champion completes seven of seven passes in the first quarter. Hawaii coach June Jones: "They mixed it up. They had a good little scheme." 2. Breaking the ice The Setup: LaTech 14, Hawaii 0; 1:43 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 9 at LaTech 47. The Play: RB Leon Wright-Jackson takes a handoff from QB Colt Brennan and bursts through the middle of the line. He breaks through to the second level of the defense and beyond. Sensing pursuit, he veers right and beats the pack to the end zone. The Impact: Hawaii's longest run from scrimmage since Nate Ilaoa's 53-yarder in 2005 spurs the offense. Brennan leads a 99-yard drive on the next series, capping it with a 3-yard rushing TD of his own to tie the score at 14. Jones: "I scripted some plays for Leon. That's just a little bit of what he can do. He'll get better and better." 3. To the 'Dogs The Setup: Hawaii 35, LaTech 31; 5:51 remaining, fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, first and 10 at Hawaii 38. The Play: Brennan drills a pass through the middle of the LaTech defense, but it is intercepted by Marquis McBeath. The first interception thrown by Brennan in 2006 is returned 16 yards to the Hawaii 31. The Impact: The lead changed hands five times after halftime, as Brennan threw four TD passes after the break. Hawaii was seemingly headed for another score that might clinch the win when McBeath came up with his big play. Although Brennan turned the ball over twice (he also fumbled), he completed 43 passes in 61 attempts, both school records, for 548 yards. Jones: "He made one mistake, the interception. I'm glad we could win it for him. He took us down the field with the pressure on him." 4. Good from 49 The Setup: LaTech 38, Hawaii 35; 1:34 remaining, fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, fourth and 18 at LaTech 31. The Play: Without warming up, Dan Kelly kicks a 49-yard field goal that makes it through, 2 feet within the right upright. Kelly had missed an earlier three-point try and had another blocked. The Impact: Hawaii had driven to the LaTech 23 on what looked like a game-winning drive. But two incompletes and a sack put the pressure on the Hawaii kicker to tie the game and he responded with a clutch effort. Kelly also kicks the extra point after Brennan throws a 6-yard TD pass to Jason Rivers in overtime that is eventually the difference. Kelly: "I always want to be the guy that wins it, kicks the game-winner or the game-tier. With our offense it's not going to happen very often." 5. The Sting The Setup: Hawaii 45, LaTech 44; first overtime, LaTech ball at Hawaii 3 for conversion attempt. The Play: LaTech comes out with three receivers to the right, Hawaii counters with its "sting" blitz, rushing LB Brad Kalilimoku and S Jake Patek. The pressure forces a hasty throw by quarterback Zac Champion, which CB Gerard Lewis bats to the ground. The Impact: Game over. Hawaii remains unbeaten by the slimmest of margins as it gets its fourth road win in a row going back to last season. It is also the first time Hawaii starts the season 2-0 since 1997, when Fred vonAppen was coach. Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin: "The force guys got to the quarterback and Gerard made a great break to the ball. Players make plays." * -- Play No. 5 is this week's bloggers' choice. Readers of UH Sports Extra, the Star-Bulletin's Warrior football blog, vote for the biggest play of each game. UH football beat writer Dave Reardon selects the other four.

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