WARRIORS FOOTBALL
Warrior Replay
Five big plays from Hawaii's 56-10 loss at Florida
Chosen and described by the Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon
1. Too high
The Setup:
Hawaii 0, Florida 0, 1:48 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 10 at Florida 27
The Play: SB Aaron Bain is open near the goal line, but Greg Alexander's pass sails high and S Ahmad Black makes a diving interception in the end zone.
The Impact: This was the biggest play of the game, a huge momentum-changer after Hawaii, a five-touchdown underdog, had played Florida even for nearly the entire first quarter and was threatening to score first.
Alexander: "That can't happen, especially in the red zone against a team like Florida. He was there, I just missed him."
2. Superman
The Setup:
Florida 0, Hawaii 0, around 12:00 remaining, second quarter, Florida ball, second and 8 at Hawaii 9
The Play: QB Tim Tebow scrambles from the right hash to the left, angles toward the goal-line pylon and is stopped just short of the end zone, his foot on the sideline before the ball crosses the plane.
The Impact: The play displayed the instincts and speed of the Heisman Trophy winner. On the next play, RB Brandon James scored on a handoff from Tebow and Florida got its first of four second-quarter touchdowns.
Hawaii linebacker Adam Leonard: "When a play breaks down he has the ability to keep it going and make it into an even bigger play. He did that today and it's just a testament to how good he is."
3. All phases
The Setup:
Florida 14, Hawaii 0, around 5:35 remaining, second quarter, Hawaii ball, fourth and 3 at Hawaii 32
The Play: P Tim Grasso's line-drive kick is fielded at the Florida 26 by James, who breaks four tackles and speeds 74 yards to the Hawaii end zone.
The Impact: With James' second touchdown of the game, Florida goes up 21-0 and has one score each on offense, defense and special teams.
Florida coach Urban Meyer: "Brandon James, I think, is the player of the game. He is a heck of a return man."
4. Even the punter can run
The Setup:
Florida 28, Hawaii 0, around 13:00 remaining, third quarter, Florida ball, fourth and 16 at Florida 26
The Play: P Chas Henry spots an opening on the right, and sprints for a 17-yard gain and a first down when it appeared Hawaii had stopped Florida on the opening drive of the third quarter.
The Impact: A morale killer for Hawaii, especially when two plays later Jeff Demps breaks through the middle and uses his near-world class speed to go 62 yards for the first of four more Florida touchdowns in the third quarter.
Hawaii coach Greg McMackin: "I have no excuses and thought we were out-played in every phase of the game. They are definitely as good as Georgia."
5. Funaki to Salas
The Setup:
Florida 56, Hawaii 3, 1:37 remaining, fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 10 at Florida 13
The Play: Inoke Funaki, the third QB to play for Hawaii, finds WR Greg Salas on a crossing pattern for a touchdown.
The Impact: Hawaii avoids going without a touchdown in a game for the first time since a 69-3 loss at Boise State in 2004. Funaki finishes with 110 passing yards on 8-for-11 accuracy with one interception, mostly against Florida reserves. He was named yesterday by McMackin to start Saturday against Weber State.
Funaki: "I just tried to relax and have fun. It was a blast to play against an opponent as good as Florida."
