Preparing to face blitz

McMackin and UH's player reps relax before meeting the media

SALT LAKE CITY » In a role reversal yesterday, Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard played golf, and Greg McMackin performed an unsupervised workout in preparation for the season.

Elimimian and Leonard, Hawaii's returning All-WAC linebackers, took as many cuts with the clubs as tackles made last year -- more than 100 each -- in their links debuts. Both said they had a good time, and each parred a hole. Today they meet reporters from around the conference as UH's player representatives at the WAC Football Preview.

Meanwhile, Warriors coach McMackin -- a former Utah assistant who is no stranger to this area -- remained in his room, using some rare solitude to work on his game plan for the season opener against Florida on Aug. 30.

He also meets the media today, and is ready to answer those who will ask how he feels about his team being projected to finish fourth in the conference after winning it last year. Those who voted the Warriors low acknowledge the defense should be strong with preseason defensive player of the year Elimimian and Leonard (who was second in that voting) as the nucleus.

"It's not a big deal," McMackin said of the coaches and media polls. "Obviously people don't think we have offensive players. But we have 80 percent of our players back from last year's championship team and I have a lot of faith in our offense."