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.