New QBs throw their stuff

Someday, the names Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch will likely be known well by University of Hawaii football fans, even the casual ones.

Yesterday they were just two new guys from California trying to learn as much as they could about the UH offense. The junior college transfer quarterbacks spent an hour and a half under the afternoon sun throwing passes to some of their new teammates, under the tutelage of veteran quarterback Inoke Funaki.

"It was good work, good to finally get started," Alexander said. "The (dropbacks) are a little different than what I'm used to. Getting some timing down. It was a good first day."

At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Alexander is one of the biggest Warriors quarterbacks in recent years - and he arrives at UH with some gaudy stats. But the second-team JC All-American didn't draw heavy recruiting despite passing for a school-record 3,876 yards and 43 touchdowns as a sophomore at Santa Rosa College last year.

Alexander threw the ball very hard yesterday, as did Rausch. Their focus before fall camp starts will be learning the offense and conditioning.

"It was real good," said the 6-4, 190-pound Rausch, who completed 60 percent of his passes at College of the Desert last year. "This was definitely a workout for me. It was an eye-opener for the drops I have to learn. Inoke was teaching me a lot, so that helped. It was coming along pretty good, and I'll be working on it in the coming weeks."

Funaki and senior Tyler Graunke emerged from spring practice as co-No. 1s at quarterback. But coach Greg McMackin said Alexander and Rausch will both also be given an opportunity to win the starting job vacated by Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan.

"There's going to be a lot of competition and I'm going to have to work hard, get some weight on me," Rausch said. "I'm looking forward to it. I always look forward to competition."

Two other JC transfers, receivers Mike Tinoco and Craig Bell, joined yesterday's unsupervised workout.

"I've got to get back in shape, start running, get used to the quarterbacks," Tinoco said.

Said Bell: "I already learned a little bit, looking at the film they sent to me back home. I just have to get out here and get a chance to catch a few balls."

The newcomers were joined by several veterans in addition to Funaki: running back Leon Wright-Jackson, slotbacks Aaron Bain and Mike Washington and defensive backs Jameel Dowling and Viliami Nauahi.