High-powered duel: UH hosts No. 19 Nevada

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Out of sight, out of mind.  The lack of Hawaii football games on live television is the prime reason that, as of yesterday, only 32,000 tickets had been distributed for Saturday's WAC showdown between Hawaii and 19^th-ranked Nevada at 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium.

 

Ever since the season-opener against Southern California, Hawaii's games have only been available to most local fans via pay-per-view.  So this improving UH team continues to fly under the radar despite posting an impressive 49-27 road victory last week at Fresno State. 

 

Hawaii's formula for success in compiling records of 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the WAC a 4-2 remains unchanged.  It's based on a highly productive passing game.

 

Leading the way is much-improved quarterback Bryant Moniz, the 2007 Leilehua High graduate who leads the NCAA in total offense, with 388 yards per game.

 

By comparison, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, heralded by many as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy front-runner, is averaging 369 yards.

 

Moniz is No. 1 in passing yards per game with 374.17 and total passing yards  with 2,245, well ahead of Oklahoma State's Russell Wilson's 1,802 yards.  Moniz also is tied for first with 18 touchdown throws.

 

Whether Moniz can generate those types of numbers against Nevada will likely determine whether UH can post back-to-back upsets at the expense of a team that has crashed the Top 25 for the only the second time in school history.

 

Moniz top targets, slotbacks Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares, ranked first and third, respectively

 

Nevada's Colin Kaepernick is no slouch, himself.  The 6-foot-6 QB is averaging nearly 107 rushing yards per game out of the Wolf Pack's "pistol" offense .  Kaepernick also has worked hard to improve his passing accuracy and it's paid off.  He's completing 70.7 percent of his throws.

UH renews rivalry with Fresno State

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com 

 

When eight teams bolted from the Western Athletic Conference to create the Mountain West a dozen years ago, the University of Hawaii was deprived of some intense football rivalries.  Gone were BYU and Utah, replaced by the likes of New Mexico State and Idaho.

 

But one bitter rival remained, and a renewal of their not always fond acquaintances is on tap Saturday when Hawaii pays a visit to Fresno State on Saturday.

 

Hawaii put on a dazzling aerial display in a 41-21 home victory over LaTech in last week's WAC opener, improving its overall record to 3-2.  QB Bryant Moniz completed 42 of 58 passes for 532 yards and four touchdowns.

 

The slotback tandem of Kealoha Pilares and Greg Salas put on a show.  Pilares caught a school record 18 passes for 217 yards.  Greg Salas, who held the previous single-game reception mark, had 10 grabs for 197 yards and two scores.

 

But Fresno State poses a much tougher challenge for Hawaii.  The Bulldogs are 3-1, beating Cincinnati, Utah State and Cal Poly, while losing to Ole Miss. Unlike UH, the Bulldogs rely heavily on a ground game, running the ball 66 percent of the time. 

 

That's enabled Ryan Colburn to capitalize on play-action to complete 72.5 percent of his passes for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns with just three picks.  His quarter rating of 179.83 ranks fourth nationally.

Big game: Baldwin faces Lahainaluna

 

Big game:  Baldwin faces Lahainaluna

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

It has become Maui's best football rivalry.  The drawing power of their showdowns is why No Koa Ikaika  wisely opted to postpone Game 3 of the Golden Baseball League playoffs until tomorrow night.

 

So tonight, the entire focus for fans of local sports will be on War Memorial Stadium, where the MIL's two defending champions – Division-I Balwin and D-II Lahainaluna – will do battle.

 

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on ESPN 550 and espn550.com.

 

On Saturday morning, the University of Hawaii caps a 13-day road trip with a 9:30 game against the Colorado Buffaloes. The game will be aired AM 900. UH opened the trip with a dramatic 31-28 road win over Army last week.  Colorado, meantime, was dismantled by Cal, 52-7.

 

Later, Na Koa will try to bounce back from an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five championship series against the Chico Outlaws.  First pitch is set for 6:35.  In necessary, Game 4 is set for Sunday night and again, if necessary, Game 5 at 1 p.m. Monday.

 

Our focus turns to the pros on Sunday.  The best match-ups:  Pittsburgh at Tennessee, Miami at Minnesota, Baltimore at Cincinnati,  New England at the Jets and capped by the Manning Bowl showdown between Peyton's Colts and Eli's Giants.

 

On Monday night, the defending champion Saints visit San Francisco.

 

Hawaii travels a long way for game

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

You couldn't travel much farther for a Division-I-A college football game than the 5,000-plus miles the University of Hawaii has for Saturday's showdown against Army.  Or force a team to get up much   earlier based on its collective internal clock.

 

When the game kicks off at historic and picturesque Mitchie Stadium at West Point, N.Y., along the banks of the Hudson River, it will be 6 a.m., Hawaii time.  Thankfully for UH players, they customarily practice at 7 a.m. when back home in Manoa.

 

This game will feature a sharp contrast in styles.  Hawaii runs a high-powered offense, as evidenced by the 588 yards generated in last week's opening 49-36 loss to nationally-ranked USC.

 

Army operates a run-oriented, triple-option attack out of a spread formation that is reminiscent of the offensive system employed by UH before the arrival of its now trademark run-and-shoot.

 

That's because Army's head coach, Rich Ellerson is a former player and assistant at UH during the days of Dick Tomey, when the Bows used a system favored by then-offensive coordinator Paul Johnson.  That's the same Paul Johnson who has gone on to enjoy success as a head coach at Navy and, more recently, Georgia Tech.

 

The best news of the week for UH is that starting QB Bryant Moniz was cleared to play.  Moniz was knocked out of the USC game when he was on the receiving end of a hit to the helmet in the third quarter.

 

Army opened its season last week with a 31-27 road victory over Eastern Michigan, scoring the winning touchdown on a seven-yard run by Jared Hassin with just 38 seconds remaining in the game.

 

Army gained 309 of its 374 yards on the ground, with four different players registering double-digit carries and three of them gaining 60 or more yards.

 

UH will continue to collect frequent-flyer miles during its current 13-day trip.  The team will remain on the mainland following tomorrow's game to prepare for a road showdown at Colorado the following week.

Withering list of WAC candidates

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com 

 

Even after an opening week of the college football season during which its members went a respectable 6-3, the news was not good for the crumbling Western Athletic Conference.

 

The highlight was third-ranked Boise State's dramatic 33-30 win over No. 10 Virginia Tech on prime time national television.

 

Fresno State rallied for a 28-14 win over Cincinnati, which played in a BCS bowl game last season, while both Hawaii and Utah State gave respectable accounts of themselves in defeats to nationally ranked foes.

 

UH played No. 14 USC tough in a 49-36 loss at Aloha Stadium, while Utah State scared No. 7 Oklahoma a in a 21-14 loss.

 

But that didn't stop two more schools from striking their names off a list of potential expansion candidates for the crumbling WAC.  

 

UC Davis and Cal Poly will remain at their current competitive level, each announcing plays to join the D-I-AA Big Sky Conference for football and keep their other sports in the Big West.   

 

The WAC, faced with the impending losses of Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada, has been studying expansion options.  The addition of the two California schools bolsters the Big Sky in case Montana opts to move to the WAC.

 

Montana, Portland State, Sacramento State, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State are the most likely candidates for WAC expansion. All would have to be invited by the WAC to begin what would be at least a two-year process for D-I-A membership.  The NCAA currently has a moratorium on movement to D-I-A.

 

The harsh reality is that the WAC has withered to a point that UH would be better off seeking independence in football rather than wasting its time asking for the assistance of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye in their bid to secure a conference home for the athletic program.

 

Hawaii officials should instead ask the influential Inouye to intercede on their behalf to secure long-term, home-and-home series with the three service academies.  That's because Sen. Inouye is the senior member of the Senate committee that oversees the armed forces.

Many Maui-bred players on major-college rosters

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

The days are long gone since King Sugar reigned supreme as Hawaii's principal export.  The plantations, with the exception of the HC&S operation here on the Valley Isle, have all shut down.

 

Based on a report appearing in today's Star-Advertiser, you can make a strong case that the state's new major export is college football players.  The survey lists 102 athletes who graduated from local high schools on the current rosters of Division-I-A teams on the mainland. 

 

That doesn't include in-state athletes playing at the University of Hawaii, nor the many others competing at other levels.  Two players with Maui ties are at UH:  Andrew Faaumu of Lahainaluna is an  offensive lineman and starting defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu began is prep career with the Lunas before transferring to Kahuku. 

 

Unofficially, 13 other players from Maui are on D-I-A rosters:

 

From Baldwin:  Jojo Dickson is a senior starting linebacker at Idaho, Troy Aoki is a long-snapper at UNLV, Kai Maiava was the junior starting center at UCLA before suffering an injury, Jordan Pu'u Robinson, also injured, is a freshman defensive end at Washington State, Mana Rosa is a freshman defensive end at Oregon State, and Sean Tesoro is a sophomore offensive lineman at UNLV.

 

From Kamehameha:  Walter Kahailii is junior offensive lineman at BYU, Chase Bell is a freshman safety at Idaho, Keloni Kamalani is a freshman linebacker at Oregon, and Keahi Raikes is a junior defensive back at UNLV,

 

From King Kekaulike:  Elvis Kamana-Matagi is a freshman defensive lineman at Utah State,

 

From Maui High: Kamaloni Vainikolo is a senior defensive tackle at Utah State. And from Kapolei, although originally from Maui High, Simione Vehikite is a freshman linebacker at USC. 

With Victorino’s help, Phils return to first

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

For the first time since May 30, the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies are back on top in the East. 

 

And, wouldn't you know it, center fielder Shane Victorino again played a key role for the Phillies in last night's 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins.

 

Victorino had two hits in the game, including his 17^th homer of the season – a solo shot in the fifth inning.  In the eighth, he got on base with a two-out single, stole second for his 30^th theft of the season and then scored the go-ahead run on Placido Polanco's clutch single.

 

The victory enabled the Phillie to take a half-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, who suffered a 5-0 loss to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

In also capped a sensational redent run by the injury-riddled Phillies, who have had each of its starters on the field spend some time on the 15-day disable list.   Since trailing the Braves by seven games on July 22, the Phillies have won 32 of 46 games.

 

Closer to home, Na Koa Ikaika Maui opened the best-of-five South Division playoff series last night with a 4-1 win over Orange County at Iron Maehara Stadium.

 

Right-hander Wes Ethridge went the distance for the first time this season.  Ethridge, who entered the game with a 10-0 record and a 1.76 ERA, lived up to his gaudy statistics by allowing five hits and one unearned run while striking out six and walking three.

 

He received a huge early boost from Jermy Acey, who slugged a towering two-run shot over a billboard sign in left-center in the first inning.

 

Game 2 of the Golden Baseball League series is set for a 6:35 start tonight.  After a travel day, the series resumes on Friday in Orange County.