KIP AOKI / KAOKI@STARBULLETIN.COM

Risk and reward

Washington stands between Hawaii and a big-money BCS bowl berth

ONE more workday to payday.

But this might not be just another 4 hours at the office for the Hawaii football team when the 11th-ranked Warriors host Washington at sold-out Aloha Stadium tonight.

Then it must hope 12-0 against a schedule about as difficult as Appalachian State's is deemed worthy by voters and computers.

None of it matters without a win.

The Hawaii players vow not to dream sweet Sugar Bowl dreams and forget about the task at hand.

"Everyone I know is saying, 'BCS, BCS,' " star quarterback Colt Brennan said. "If everyone really wants that to be a reality, all the fans, everyone out there, they really need to focus on Washington. Washington is a good football team. We have another war this Saturday and we're going to need another great performance by everybody, players included."

OK fans, focus. Here's your game plan: Make noise when Hawaii's defense is on the field, do not when the offense is out there. And don't rush the field and steal helmets again.

It won't be as simple for the players, even though Washington is just 4-8 and coach Tyrone Willingham has come under fire after clinching a third losing season in a row and losing the Apple Cup rivalry game to Washington State last week. To make matters worse, the Huskies' flight out of Seattle yesterday was delayed 5 hours, and the Huskies weren't anywhere near the islands 24 hours prior to kickoff.

But UW is battle-tested, playing one of the toughest schedules in the country this year. The Huskies had their moments against USC and Ohio State, and they beat Boise State and Cal.

The Broncos are the only common opponent. They were No. 22 when the Huskies handled them 24-10 on Sept. 8. The Warriors beat No. 17 BSU 39-27 last week to capture the program's first outright WAC championship in its 28th year in the league. The win also catapulted Hawaii into the top 12 of the BCS standings -- making the big-money and status-bowl game their to lose barring a combination of bizarre outcomes today and voting tonight.

Brennan said the Warriors aren't worried about that, and the team's mind-set is about the new adventure that beating Boise allowed.

He said it's energizing.

Brennan is among 24 seniors who will suit up for their last game at Aloha Stadium unless the Warriors lose and end up in the Hawaii Bowl.

The other seniors: Jakeem Hawkins, C.J. Hawthorne, Keenan Jones, Brad Kalilimoku, Ryan Keomaka, Michael Lafaele, Micah Lau, Jason Laumoli, Gerard Lewis, Francis Maka, A.J. Martinez, Myron Newberry, Karl Noa, Timo Paepule, Jake Patek, Lorgan Pau, Amani Purcell, Jason Rivers, Nathaniel Russell, Rustin Saole, Hercules Satele, Larry Sauafea and Siave Seti.

Jones and Maka hope to return next year by receiving medical hardship waivers from the NCAA for injuries earlier in their careers.

It's possible this could also be the last home game for slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins and linebacker Adam Leonard. All three said they are undecided about whether to enter the NFL Draft or remain at UH for their senior seasons. Another junior, middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, said he will definitely be back next year.

WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE?

KEY MATCHUP

UH needs to lock up Locker

Football believes in recycling.

The latest new-old idea is that of the big, mobile quarterback who can hurt you with his legs as much as his arm.

Florida's Tim Tebow is the prototype in the college ranks. Hawaii may be facing the next Tebow tonight in Washington's Jake Locker, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound manchild who will be attempting to hit 1,000 yards rushing in his freshman season.

While limiting the speedy Locker is a primary goal, Hawaii also needs to keep an eye on tailback Louis Rankin, the Huskies' most productive rusher since Corey Dillon in 1996.

Hawaii has had some practice at stopping this kind of QB-RB action, although most would consider Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Luke Lippincott the JV version of Locker-Rankin.

The Warriors were consistently in Kaepernick's face in the win at Reno two weeks ago while also managing to keep Lippincott from running completely wild.

UH took a chance by crowding the line of scrimmage with eight rambunctious defenders and leaving corners Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry to fend for themselves a lot more than usual. Since Locker isn't the most accurate passer in the world, the Warriors may be able to get away with a similar strategy.

Safety Desmond Thomas was a huge force with 11 tackles, including a late third-down stop when Nevada was trying to put the game away.

At least some of what Greg McMackin does will be of no surprise to his counterpart, Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. And vice versa. They worked together on two Dennis Erickson NFL staffs, the Seahawks and 49ers.

"He's a very exceptional coach. I think he's a head coach," Hawaii defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said. "The type of guy who is very fundamental, mentally tough. I have no doubt he'll want to run the football, but he'll pass in the right situations. I've been with him quite a few years. I have nothing but respect for him. He's a great coach and he's going to be a big challenge."

Washington freshman ready to get physical

Jake Locker relishes the hit.

Not so much the one that Kahuku graduate and Oregon State safety Al Afalava laid on the Washington quarterback, knocking him out and sending him to the hospital in the Huskies' loss to the Beavers three weeks ago.

Locker meant the first hit he took on his return last week against arch rival Washington State.

"It felt good. It's part of the game that I love, so it was good to get back out there again," Locker said.

And Afalava's hit?

"It's in the past, something that's over now, so it's not something I think about too much."

Washington's dual-threat quarterback is the focal point of the 4-8 Huskies' attack.

While his accuracy has been less than stellar at 46.9 percent this season, the redshirt freshman has already set the Pac-10 record for rushing yards by a quarterback and needs just 90 yards on the ground against Hawaii to crack 1,000 for the year.

Locker's passed for 14 touchdowns and run for 12 more, and has the ability to explode -- he put up a season-high 493 yards of total offense against Arizona.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON "He's just a freshman and once he gets more plugged into their scheme of everything, and they get better around him, he's in a new league." June Jones, on Jake Locker

"He's a good player ... very much so," Jones said. "He's just a freshman and once he gets more plugged into their scheme of everything, and they get better around him, he's in a new league."

Locker's own coach was highly impressed with the speedy return after the brutal hit he took, similar to the concussion-inducer that Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan absorbed against Fresno State the same day.

"To come back from something of that nature takes a great deal of courage," Tyrone Willingham said.

"But he is a tremendous competitor and will be one of the best quarterbacks in the country."

Locker is on a mission to redeem the team after a demoralizing 42-35 loss against Washington State in the Apple Cup. He feels that going up against an unbeaten, ranked opponent in the No. 11 Warriors, and the prospect of sending his seniors home as winners will be enough ammunition to fire back at Hawaii's pumped up team and fans.

"They are a very physical team, play really hard, always flying around the ball," Locker said. "That's something we need to be able to match, their intensity and aggressiveness, and that's going to be one of the major keys to the game.

"We're gonna get hit, and we're going to have to hit them, so it'll be a good old-fashioned physical game I think."

Seattle’s best is Hawaii’s star buck

As a young boy growing up in the heart of Seattle, Adam Leonard had hopes of wearing the purple and gold.

His mother and grandfather both went to Washington and the Huskies were one of the Pac-10's elite programs, winning a national title and four Rose Bowls in a 10-year span. The grandfather, Nathaniel Davis, played for the Huskies.

Leonard was a standout linebacker and tight end at Rainier Beach (Wash.), earning Metro League Sound Division defensive MVP honors as a sophomore and junior.

California, Oregon, Washington State and UCLA were just some of the schools showing interest, but Washington was nowhere to be found.

"U-Dub is a great program, especially in the '90s," Leonard said. "It was an option I would have loved to look into, but they never offered me a scholarship."

Leonard concedes to feeling some bitterness toward the Huskies, but time, and winning, has helped ease his pain.

While Washington is 11-24 since then, Hawaii has transformed from a team capable of contending for a WAC title to a school on the verge of crashing the BCS party.

The Warriors have too much at stake tonight for him to be worried about getting snubbed in high school.

"I don't regret anything that happened," he said. "I look at it as a blessing for me to go out here and have this opportunity, which nobody in America has, to go undefeated."

As fans and players celebrated on the field after Hawaii's victory over Boise State, Leonard wasn't anywhere to be seen.

The junior weakside or "buck" linebacker was one of the first Warriors to leave the field. Instead of reveling in the moment, he sat next to his locker with his head down, already thinking about what lies ahead.

"This is a great victory for the state of Hawaii," Leonard said at the time. "But we've got a lot more left to accomplish."

Leonard has always understood the bigger picture, even in high school.

Despite a lack of interest from UW, he had plenty of schools wanting his services.

He was forced to have surgery on his left knee after his junior year, but worked harder than ever to come back strong his senior season.

Three games into his final year, Leonard suffered a torn ACL in his other knee, causing his high school career to come to a sudden end.

Schools started calling less and the remaining offers he had were to grayshirt. Teams wanted to see how well he would recover from his injuries first.

Leonard kept to his goal of wanting to play right away. He didn't sign with a school on signing day and waited for an opportunity he hoped would come.

Less than two weeks later, Hawaii became the first school to offer him a scholarship with a chance to step in and play.

The rest is history.

"I'm just happy to be here," he said. "I'm excited to be on the only undefeated team in the nation this year."

He couldn't do anything but sit on the sidelines as Rainier Beach lost to Ferndale in the quarterfinals of the 3A state tournament his senior season.

Ferndale's quarterback at the time was Jake Locker. Locker ran for 100 yards, threw a 65-yard touchdown pass and intercepted two Rainier passes.

Leonard never had a chance to hit Locker, now Washington's starting quarterback. He gets his shot tonight.

"He's a baller," Leonard said. "But I'm gonna try."