Error-prone Hawaii gift-wraps win for Tulsa

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

It's one thing to lose a game.  It's quite another to loss at home in such inept fashion as did Hawaii on Christmas Eve.

 

Playing the role of Santa, UH gave away six turnovers to gift-wrap a 62-35 victory for Tulsa before more than 41,000 stunned fans at Aloha Stadium and a national TV audience in a game lasting an excruciating 3 hours, 54 minutes.

 

The ugly performance – filled with turnovers, penalties and defensive breakdowns – left a negative last impression to an otherwise excellent season for a Hawaii team that earned 10 wins, a WAC co-championship and a No. 24 national ranking coming into the game.

 

After keeping Hawaii in the game for most of the first half, UH's defensive unit ran out of gas against a high-tempo Tulsa attack.

 

Hawaii actually out-gained Tulsa 479-343 with quarterback Bryant Moniz thowing for 411 yards and three touchdowns.  Greg Salas had 13 catches for 213 yards and two scores. 

 

But those stats don't reflect the five picks, a fumble recovery following a muff by Salas on a punt return and the six sacks that enabled the Golden Hurricane to storm past Hawaii.

 

Damaris Johnson led the way for Tulsa by amassing 326 yards in combined yardage – 98 on five carries, 101 on four catches and another 127 on returns with two scores.

 

DIAMOND HEAD:  The Hawaii basketball team can take a lot of consolation – literally and figuratively -- from its performance during the Diamond Head Classic.

 

By defeating Mississippi State 68-57 in Saturday's fifth-place game for the consolation title, Hawaii improved its season record to 9-3 going into a pair of tough WAC-opening road games this week at defending champion Utah State and Nevada.

 

Butler, last year's national runnerup, took the tourneytitle by topping  Washington State 84-68.

 

Hawaii opened with a 12-0 run and led by as many as 22 in the second half against Mississippi State, which was missing two key players who were suspended after engaging in a fist-fight in full view of fans and cameras at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

Zane Johnson continued his hot shooting, leading the Bows with 19 points.  Hiram Thompson went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and finished with 14. 

 

After opening the tourney with a loss to Florida State, the Bows rebounded with decisive wins over Utah and the battling Bulldogs.

 

UH sophomore Miah Ostrowski made his college hoops debut less than 24 hours after playing in the Hawaii Bowl.  The former Punahou two-sport star caught two passes for 72 yards against Tulsa. He didn't score in two minutes of action against Mississippi State.

Hawaii hangs tough vs. superior Seminoles

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Given its problems contending with Florida's State's superiority in the paint and on boards, as well as its own inability to protect the basketball, Hawaii easily could have been blown out in last night's opening round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

Instead, a 70-62 loss to the Seminoles almost represented a moral victory for an under-manned squad that used only seven players because of lingering injuries to senior starters Hiram Thompson and Bill Amis.

 

That UH stuck around as long as it did before Florida State began pulling away early in the second half was a tribute to the team's grittiness and the marksmanship of Zane Johnson and Bo Barnes. 

 

Johnson matched a season high with 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and Barnes scored all of his 17 in the second half.

 

But Hawaii couldn't overcome Florida State's 23 offensive rebounds and committing 24 turnovers.  As a result, the Seminoles will face Butler in tonight's 5 o'clock semifinal while the Bows will meet Utah in a 7:30 consolation game.

 

Butler, last season's NCAA runner-up, rode a 24-point effort by Mike Howard to beat Utah 74-62.

 

The tournament opened with a pair of blowout as Washington State routed Mississippi State 83-57 and No. 15 Baylor spanked San Diego 83-50 to set up their 1 p.m. semifinal.  Mississippi State and San Diego will meet at 11:30 a.m.

 

PREP ROUNDUP: It was a highly productive night for Lahainaluna athletes. 

 

It's talented boy's wrestling team easily captured top honors in the Maui Invitational Tournament at War Memorial Gym, out-pointing Iolani 203-160.  Kahuku won the girls' team title with 102 points, beating out Mililani's 92 and Lahainaluna's 86.

 

In basketball, the Lunas swept a pair of road games against Maui High.

 

TJ Rickard had 18 points and Luke Williams added 15 in a 57-58 win over the Sabers boys.  The fourth-ranked Lunas' girls again overwhelmed an MIL opponent with a 62-23 romp behind Maiki Viela's 18 points.

 

In soccer, Maui High moved past idle Baldwin into first place in the Division-I boy's standings by beating Kamehameha-Maui 3-1 behind a pair of goals by Terrance Sayers.

 

The Seabury Hall boys bounced back from a pair of recent losses with a 4-2 victory over Saint Anthony.  Willie Harris scored twice for the Spartans.   The Seabury girls blanked St. Anthony 5-0.

 

JUNIOR GOLF:  Five Maui athletes claimed titles in the US Kids Golf regional event held at the Kaanapali Royal Hawaiian course.  The champions were Cassy Isagawa, Justin Ngua, Kyeton Littel-Kamimoto, Kimberlie Miyamoto and Kirsten Ishikawa.

Seabury loses to Corona in tournament final

By Fred Guzman

 

Although Seabury Hall appears to be the class of its own league, the previously undefeated Spartans were in over their heads in Saturday's title game of the St. Anthony Invitational basketball tournament.

 

The Spartans, an Maui Interscholastic League Divistion-II team, beat traditional D-I power Baldwin for the second time in two weeks in Friday's semifinals.  But they were decisively beaten, 64-40, by Corona of California at War Memorial Gym.

 

Seabury dropped to 7-1 this season despite a 21-point performance by Phelan Pagano.

 

Baldwin beat Kealakehe 53-40 for third place, Hilo defeated king Kekaulike 61-48 for fifth, and Campbell topped St. Anthony 54-34 for seventh.

 

Meantime, the host Lunas beat Pitt Meadows of Canada 59-45 in the Lahainaluna Invitational.  In other games:  Socastee of South Carolina defeated Molokai 53-41, Mission Viejo of California routed Heritage Woods of Canada 73-27, and Maranatha of Washington beat Lakeside of California 68-53.

 

In MIL soccer, Keelan Ewaliko scored on a breakaway goal midway through the second half, lifting the Baldwin boys to a 1-0 victory over Seabury Hall and into first place in the league overall and D-I standings.

 

Amber-Lei Madriaga scored twice as the unbeaten Baldwin girls defeated Seabury 4-1. 

 

In other games:  Kekaulike's boys beat St. Anthony 2-0 on goals by Michael Ribao and Logan Bantilan.  Shelly Liburd registered a hat trick as the Lunas' girls defeated Molookai 8-0.  Tiana Lucas scored twice as Maui High's girls topped Hana 6-0.  Kekaulike's girls blanked St. Anthony 7-0.

UH coach McMackin deserves contract extension

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Following a 1-2 start after failing to reach a bowl game last year, there was growing discontent with Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin.

Fast forward to December, and the question now becomes:  How does the cash-strapped athletic department reward a coach who guided a team to a 10-3 record, a share of the Western Athletic Conference title, a No. 24 national ranking and a berth in the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl against Tulsa?

Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist Dave Reardon, an admitted former critic, is now leading a campaign to extend McMackin's contract based on his 14-4 record since UH ended a six-game skid last season.

Granted, Hawaii acted in desperation and overpaid an untested Division-I head coach when it signed McMackin to a $1.1 million annual deal following June Jones's abrupt departure following UH's Sugar Bowl season.  McMackin's original five-year deal extends through next season.

In addition to the football teams recent on-field success, it should also be noted that all 28 of Hawaii's seniors or on track to graduate.

As Reardon notes, the question now becomes: "How do you reward McMackin when simple economics dictate you can't even afford to pay him what he's already getting? That's a tough one. Maybe a couple more years of job security."

I second that emotion.

UH lands three on all-WAC first team

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

The University of Hawaii was rewarded for a 10-3 record, finishing in a three-way tie for the conference championship and a No. 24 national ranking in the all-WAC balloting.

 

Three UH players – slotback Greg Salas, safety Mana Silva and linebacker Corey Paredes – received first-team honors, and another seven – including defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu of Lahaina – were named to the second team.

 

Although he ranks first nationally in passing yardage, Hawaii's Bryant Moniz was a second-team pick behind another pair of exceptional quarterbacks.  Boise State's Kellen Moore and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick shared offensive player of the year honors.

 

Other UH players named to the second team were:  slotback Kealoha Pilares, running back Alex Green, offensive linemen Kupepa Letuli and Adrian Thomas, and kicker Scott Enors.

 

But the biggest slight came in the Coach of the Year voting.  Although guiding his team to unexpected success after being picked to finish seventh in pre-season polls, Greg McMackin was snubbed. 

 

The honor instead was accorded to Nevada's Chris Ault, although his team was projected to finish second, behind Boise State, in the pre-season polls.

 

HAWAII BOWL:  When Hawaii and Tulsa square off on Christmas Eve at Aloha Stadium, fans should be treated to plenty of fireworks. That's because this year's Hawaii Bowl matchup will feature two of the most productive offenses in the NCAA, combining for nearly 78 points per game.

 

Hawaii has the nation's top passing offense with an average of nearly 385 yards per game while ranking 10^th in total offense at 487.8 and 12^th in scoring at 38.3.  That explosive unit and a dramatically improved defensive group enabled UH to win nine of its last 10 outings.

 

The Golden Hurricane, meantime, ranks fifth in total offense with 503.5 yards and ninth in scoring with 39.6 points.  Tulsa compiled a 9-3 record, finishing second in Conference-USA's Western Division.

 

Hawaii's prowess was on display in Saturday's 59-23 rout of over-matched Nevada-Las Vegas as Moniz threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more.  Moniz is tied for the national lead in touchdown passes with 36.

 

His top two targets – Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares – are among the leading receivers in the country.   Salas is first in reception yardage and second in total catches.  Pilares is third in TD catches.  Green is the national leader in yard per carry with 8.78.

Wahine crash out early in NCAA volleyball

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

This was not the way things were supposed to end for the University of Hawaii women's volleyball team.

 

Not after being ranked third nationally as recently as two weeks ago and seemingly poised to make another run for a berth in the NCAA's Final Four.  Not after running off 23 straight victories that included sweeps of 17 straight matches against admittedly mediocre WAC opponents.

 

But Hawaii's season crumbled to a stunning and abrupt end on Friday night in a decisive 25-17, 25-11, 25-23 defeat to 11^th-ranked host Washington.

 

The stunningly lopsided loss resulted in Hawaii finishing its season at 29-3, losing two of its last three. The Rainbow Wahine will not qualify for the regionals for only the second time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.

 

The first crack in Hawaii's armor was exposed when the Wahine were the victims of a sweep of their own at the hands of Utah State in the WAC tournament final.

 

That loss resulted in the Rainbow Wahine falling to No. 7 in this week's national rankings and, more significantly, to being seeded No. 15 in the NCAA national tournament.

 

UH got off to balky start in Thursday's NCAA opener in Seattle, struggling in the first set before sweeping unheralded Big Sky champion Portland State 25-23, 25-19, 25-8.

 

Washington, which finished fifth in the far more competitive Pacific-10,  schooled Hawaii on Friday and now will next host Nebraska in the regional.  The Rainbow Wahine, meantime, are headed home to stay.  So, for that matter, is Utah State.  The Lady Aggies were swept by another Pacific-10 team, California.

 

All of which again goes to show that dominating the WAC, as UH has done for going on 15 years, does little to prepare team for a successful run at the national level.

Numbers don’t lie: LeBron James didn’t quit

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Take that, Cleveland.  You, too, LeBron-haters.

 

Scoring 38 points, including 24 in the third quarter before sitting out the entire final period, King James transformed The Return into The Rout.

 

His outburst, in the face of continuous jeers from his former adoring witnesses, led his new team, the Miami Heat, to a 118-90 romp past his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Say what you will about James, the young brother can play.

 

He demonstrated that in his first game back in Cleveland, where he spent seven spectacular seasons, carrying a team formerly known as the Cadavers to the NBA Finals in 2007 and league-best regular-season marks the next two years before defecting to Miami via free agency.

 

He also won back-to-back MVP awards along the way.

 

He left a crowd of 20,562 with nothing left to cheer except an occasional missed shot. He didn't miss many, finishing 15 of 25 from the field, to go with eight assists and five rebounds.

 

The loudest cheers reserved for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who ripped James after his decision, saying he quit on the Cavaliers during their season-ending playoff series with the Celtics last spring.

 

I did a little research, and LeBron averaged nearly 27 points and more than nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals during that six-game series.  You be the judge whether those numbers constitute "quitting."  To me, they reflect excellence.

Unbeaten Basket Bows embark on first trip

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

As happy as fans are – and should be – about Hawaii's 5-0 start to the basketball season under new head coach Gib Arnold, the truth is that the Rainbows have compiled all of those wins at home against mediocre opponents.

 

That said, we'll get a better idea of just how good this overhauled team is in the next several of days as UH embarks on its first trip of the season, starting with tonight's game at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo followed by visit to BYU on Saturday. 

 

Although Cal Poly fits the profile of the middle-of-the-pack teams from mid-major conferences, Hawaii has been beating up, BYU is coming off a 30-6 season and features pre-season All-American guard Jimmer Fredette, who averaged 22.2 points per game last season.

 

Based on its 2-3 start, Cal Poly would seem to be just what the doctor ordered for a UH team seeking to end an 11-game road skid.  The Mustangs have lost to Division-II Cal State Monterey Bay and 73-57 to Montana State, whom the Bows recently beat 73-59.  Cal Poly also is coming off a road loss to Sacramento State.

 

Although almost all of the players on Arnold's revamped roster were not around at the time, the Mustangs beat the Bows 102-89 at the Stan Sheriff Center last season.  But guard Lorenzo Keller, who scored 31 against UH in that game, is gone as are many other key players for the Mustangs.

 

By comparison, UH has four healthy players – Hiram Thompson, Joston Thomas, Bo Barnes and Zane Johnson – averaging in double figures.  However, power forward Bill Amis – the team's top rebounder and shot-blocker – remains out with a foot injury.

 

CONFERENCE UPDATE:  The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is reporting that UH administrators are  actively engaged this week in putting the finishing touches on anticipated moves to the Mountain West Conference for football and the Big West for all other sports.

 

UH vice president Rockne Freitas and athletic director Jim Donovan headed a delegation that met with the Mountain West officials in Colorado.

 

The newspaper reported that Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson has had conversations with member presidents the past two days and held a conference call with conference athletic directors yesterday.

 

Much of those talks apparently revolved around Texas Christian's announced move Monday to the Big East and the Mountain West's  possible responses.

 

UH would be the 10th member of the MWC for the 2012-13 school year.

 

Meantime, UH confirmed that it has present requested information to the Big West in support of its proposed membership.  The Big West Council is scheduled to meet Dec. 8 to review submissions and is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors, which is composed of member chancellors and presidents.

Green’s 327-yard outburst lifts Hawaii to No. 25

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

When Hawaii registers a lopsided victory, you can safely assume some impressive passing numbers.  And, indeed, Bryant Moniz threw for four scores and 315 yards in Saturday's 59-24 road romp past New Mexico State.

 

But Moniz and his top target, Greg Salas, who had 10 catches for 191 yards and one TD, were overshadowed on Saturday in Las Cruces.  That's because Alex Green ran for a school-record 327 yards – that's right, 327 yards -- and three touchdowns on 19 carries as UH clinched a share of the WAC football title and crept into the 25^th spot in the latest AP rankings.

 

Green broke Pete Wilson's school mark of 270 set against BYU in 1950. Green has 1,032 yards this season, becoming the first UH player to reach that milestone since Travis Sims had 1,498 in 1992.

 

Hawaii improved to 7-1 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Aggies, with Leilehua grad Andrew Manley at QB, finished 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the WAC.

 

UH holds a half-game lead over Boise State and Nevada. Boise State hosts Utah State this week after having the nation's longest winning streak snapped at 24 games by suffering a 34-31 overtime loss at Nevada on Friday. Nevada plays at LaTech.

 

Hawaii closes its regular season at home this week against UNLV and will play a Conference USA team – most likely Tulsa or Central Florida – in the Dec. 24th Hawaii Bowl. Both are 9-3, as is UH.

 

Central Florida, the East champion, meets Southern Methodist, the West champ, on Saturday for the C-USA title.

 

A Central Florida victory would send the Knights to the Liberty Bowl and likely put Tulsa, the West runner-up, in the Hawaii Bowl.

 

The ideal matchup, as far as Hawaii fans are concerned, would be against SMU, led by former UH coach June Jones.

 

SMU appeared in and won last year's Hawaii Bowl, but is more likely to play in the Armed Forces Bowl if the Mustangs lose to Central Florida.  That's because this year's game will be played at SMU's Ford Stadium while TCU's home field, the usual site of the bowl, is undergoing renovation.

U-Conn stuns Michigan State, face Kentucky in final

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

LAHAINA –  A relatively close call against Chaminade on Monday provided a hint of things to come for Michigan State.

 

On Tuesday, playing against a full-fledged Division-I team, the nationally second-ranked Spartans were knocked out of title contention in the EA Sports Maui Invitational Tournament.

 

With Kemba Walker's 30 points leading the way, unranked Connecticut posted a 70-67 semifinal victory at the expense of Michigan State and earned a berth in tonight's 5 p.m. title game at the Lahaina Civic Center.

 

Walker's fadeaway jumper over a double-team with 53 seconds left in the game put U-Conn ahead to stay.  The 6-foot junior has been on a tear on Maui, scoring 29 of his 31 points in the second half in an opening 83-79 come back win over Wichita State.

 

Also playing a major role for the Huskies in yesterday's win was 6-foot-9 sophomore center Alex Oriakhi, who had 15 points and 17 rebounds.

 

The Huskies will face eighth-ranked Kentucky, which advanced with a 74-67 win over No. 13 Washington thanks, in large part, to freshman forward Terrence Jones' 16 points and 17 rebounds.

 

That means Michigan State and Washington are relegated to the third-place game, which is set for a noon tip off.

 

In yesterday's other games: Wichita State beat Chaminade 79-58 and Virginia spanked Oklahoma 74-56.

 

Chaminade and Oklahoma will meet in the seventh-place game at 9:30 a.m. and Wichita State will tangle with Virginia for fifth at 2:30 p.m.

 

All four games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550 and espn550.com.

 

UH UPDATE:  You can't blame Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson from trying to keep hope alive, even if the University of Hawaii is clearly committed to leaving the WAC to join the rival Mountain West in football and the Big West in all other sports.

 

Benson met with UH athletic director Jim Donovan yesterday in Las Vegas, where the Rainbow Wahine are competing in the WAC volleyball tournament.

 

UH advanced to the finals against Utah State by defeating Idaho 25-11, 25-21, 25-16,

 

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser,  Donovan said Benson "reiterated his position that they have an offer on the table to us to be a football-only member of the WAC and reminded me there would be no travel subsidies (sought).  I told him I would share that with the members of our leadership team."

 

Donovan said he "made some calls" but declined additional comment.

 

UH is expected to pay travel subsidies to both the MWC and Big West as a condition of admission.

Hawaii football bound for Mountain West

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Goodbye, WAC.  Hello, Mountain West.

 

That's the bottom line from a Thursday night press conference during which it was announced that the UH football team has received and accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West.

 

Although some formalities have to be ironed out, it is a virtually foregone conclusion that Hawaii will be departing the WAC effective the 2012 football season.

 

There's also widespread speculation that all other UH sports teams will likely end up in the Big West Conference, although university officials declined to address that issue during the press gathering at Bachman Hall on the Manoa campus.

 

The WAC, of which Hawaii has been a member since 1979, has been steadily eroding.  Boise State is leaving the conference this summer.  Fresno State and Nevada previously announced they were also leaving for the Mountain West the following year, with UH now set to join the mass exodus.

 

Ironically, the Mountain West was created a dozen years ago by eight schools that bolted from the then 16-team WAC, with Hawaii among those left behind.

 

Hawaii's agreement in principle to leave the WAC for the Mountain West follows a recent trend that has altered the landscape of college sports.  In fact, two current Mountain West members – Brigham Young and Utah – will be leaving this summer.  BYU is becoming independent in football while Utah is bound for the re-named Pac-12.

 

The latest defectors from the WAC will join Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV and Wyoming in the Mountain West. 

 

That would produce an 11-team conference, prompting speculation of an invitation to Utah State that would result in a 12-team league.  The NCAA requires a dozen teams to create a pair of six-team divisions and allow for the playing of a conference championship game.

 

The invitation was extended by the Mountain West in a phone call earlier in the day by commissioner Craig Thompson.  The announcement followed university President MRC Greenwood's return from Maui, where the UH Board of Regents met and was informed of the situation.

 

As for Hawaii's other teams, athletic director Jim Donovan noted that the Big West – currently comprised of nine California state universities and colleges – recently dropped its moratorium on expansion and set a deadline of Dec. 1 for other schools to apply for membership.

 

Hawaii intends to apply, which would provide a new home for such significant programs as women's volleyball, baseball, softball and women's soccer.

 

The WAC announced last week it would add Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, and Denver, all currently Division-I-AA programs.  Denver doesn't field a football team.

 

Donovan noted these schools send the WAC farther into the middle of the country geographically, which would increase the school's travel expenses. 

 

Other WAC members are San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Utah State.

Surf champion Andy Irons dies at 32

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

The world of surfing is mourning the death of three-time world champion Andy Irons at the age of 32.

 

Irons emerged from Kauai to attain legendary status in his sport and was generally regarded as the best surfer of his generation. 

 

Irons was returning home after withdrawing from the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico due to illness.

 

He was found at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, where he had checked in during a layover on his way to Kauai.

 

Reports on the cause of death are mixed.  His family is citing dengue fever, a viral disease carried by mosquitoes. 

 

The medical examiner's office in Dallas said it is investigating his death as a possible overdose of methadone, a powerful controlled substance used for pain. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

 

In addition to his three world titles, Irons was a four-time Vans Triple Crown of Surfing winner.  During his brief but illustrious career, Irons was credited with 19 major surfing titles.

 

Irons is survived by his wife, Lydie, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child.

 

Irons progressed through the amateur ranks and qualified for theWorld Tour in 1997, a year after graduating from Kapaa High School.  In 2002, Irons won his first world crown and defended his title the next two years, ending the reign of nine-time world champion Kelly Slater.

Kekaulike claims state volleyball berth

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

King Kekaulike's girls' volleyball team ended a more than decade-long state tournament drought last night with a Division-I playoff victory over Baldwin.

 

Na Alii, which had last qualified for states in 1999, bounced back from an opening-set loss to defeat Baldwin 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16 at the neutral Maui High gym.

 

The victory avenged a heart-breaking five-set loss to the Bears just last week in the semifinals of the MIL D-I tournament. 

 

That means Kekaulike will join overall champion Kamehameha-Maui in the state D-I event that begins next Wednesday on the Valley Isle, with matches to be staged at the Kekaulike and Kamehameha gyms.

 

The state D-II tourney will be held on Oahu, with Molokai and Seabury Hall representing the MIL in that event.

 

Molokai is ranked third and Kamehameha-Maui seventh in the most recent Star-Advertiser state poll.

 

There will be no Friday Night Lights in football this week.  Instead, both of the scheduled MIL games will be held on Saturday.

 

In a 2:30 game, Division-II champion Lahainaluna will play host to Kekualike on the new rug at The Imu.  At 7 p.m., Maui High will celebrate homecoming against D-I champion and arch-rival Baldwin.

Free football? We'll know by Monday

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Fans of Hawaii football could be getting an extra televised game that doesn't require a pay-per-view subscription.  Although good news for those of us who don't have the package, it would be bad news for the university's cash-strapped athletic department.

 

ESPN is seriously considering whether to pick Hawaii's Nov. 6 game at nationally third-ranked Boise State.  That decision hinges on UH – which is off to a 5-2 start that includes a 3-0 mark in the WAC – being able to post a road victory over Utah State on Saturday.

 

If that happens -- and a decision is due Monday -- UH fans will able to view the game on cable.  But it would also deprive Hawaii of a lucrative element of its pay-per-view package.  The Star-Advertiser projects a payday of $200,000 or more for that game.

 

The package has had upward of 12,000 for its most popular games, including more than 5,000 individual purchases, since its inception.

 

The package cost Oahu subscribers $500 and Neighbor Island fans $250.  On a per-game basis, the cost of watching an individual game costs between $25 and $65.

 

Last year's package did about $3.4 million in sales. UH's share was $2.5 million. Whether UH's payout would be reduced this year in the event ESPN adds the Boise State game could will depend on financial thresholds contained in the PPV contract.

Upset alert: Hawaii stuns No. 19 Nevada

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Kaniela Tuipuloto, the defensive tackle from Lahaina, dedicated the victory to doubters of the UH football program, a pre-season pick to finish sixth or worse in the nine-team WAC.

 

Instead, Hawaii finds itself atop the WAC standings after stunning No. 19 Nevada 27-21 before more than 40,000 fans on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.  The win was the fourth straight for UH, which improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

 

Byrant Moniz completed 26 of 36 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns – including a pair of first-quarter hookups with Kealona Pilares for a 14-0 lead.

 

But the real heroes of this upset played on the other side of the ball, holding off a Nevada's bid to rally from a 17-0 deficit.

 

Hawaii jammed Nevada's vaunted pistol offense, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Wolf Pack to 293 yards – dramatically below the 545.3 yards that ranked second nationally. Vaunted QB Colin Kaepernick was held to 159 yards passing and 37 rushing.

 

Nevada closed to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter, but Moniz engineered a six-play, 57-yard drive capped by an 11-yard scoring toss to Royce Pollard with 5:27 left.

 

Nevada still had a shot at overtaking UH after recovering an onside kick with 3:06 left.  But a few plays later, Kaepernick was intercepted by safety Mana Silva, preserving Greg McMackin's run at Manoa.

 

Hawaii's back-to-back victories over Fresno State and Nevada has lifted UH into the role of top challenger to end Boise State's dominance of the WAC.  The third-ranked Broncos are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.

 

The successful run t also has caught the attention of the pollsters.  Previously ranked 19^th, the loss to UH dropped Nevada out of the AP poll.

 

Nevada was among the other teams receiving votes, garnering 19, for the equivalent of 28^th in the AP poll.  Hawaii received eight votes and is tied for 29^th in the AP rankings along with North Carolina and Northwestern.

 

Hawaii will try to extend its winning streak to five games when it visits Utah State on Saturday.  The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m., Hawaii time, and will be aired on AM900.

 

Individually, three UH players are ranked among the nation's most productive performers.  

 

Moniz retained his national lead in passing yardage with 2,532 and moved into first in touchdown passes with 21.

 

Greg Salas, who had 11 catches for 153 yards against Nevada, ranks second in reception yardage with 910 and second in total catches with 61.  Pilares ranks second in TD catches with 11 and third in reception yards with 793.