UH punter garners WAC honor

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i punter Mat McBriar, shown punting against Fresno State, averaged 53.3 yards on three punts in the Warriors' victory over San Jose State. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

In August 2000, the University of Hawai'i football team received a 6-foot-1, 189-pound surprise gift.

"We were two weeks into training camp when Mat showed up," said UH coach June Jones, referring to punter Mat McBriar of Melbourne, Australia. "We didn't know much about him."

But McBriar, who did not play football until the spring of 2000, soon proved he had better-than-average kicking skills. He won the punting job three games into the 2000 season, earned a scholarship in January, and yesterday was named the Western Athletic Conference's special teams player of the week.

McBriar averaged 53.3 yards on three punts in a 34-10 victory over San Jose State Saturday night. In a game of field position, McBriar helped give the UH defense a boost, placing all of his punts inside the Spartan 20. One punt was downed at the 3, another at the 9.

"He deserves it," Jones said of the WAC honor. "He kicked the ball as well as you can kick it."

San Diego Chargers punter Darren Bennett, who was raised in Sydney, Australia, introduced McBriar to football. Bennett then alerted Dennis McKnight, UH's special teams coach last year. McKnight, who now runs several car-cleaning businesses, used to be a popular radio talk show host in San Diego. Also, Jones was Bennett's head coach with the Chargers in 1998.

With no guarantees, McBriar paid his way to Hawai'i.

Soon after his arrival, McBriar impressed the UH coaches with his booming punts. "I could tell Darren spent a lot of time with him," Jones said.

But being a punter is more than being able to punt, and McBriar was expected to use last season as an apprenticeship. But two days before the 2000 season opener, punter Greg Kleidon suffered an ankle injury when he tripped while running to class. Dan Berryman, a walk-on wide receiver, was UH's punter for the first two games before Jones turned to McBriar.

"It was a big break that we had Mat available," Jones said.

McBriar's inexperience showed. He often wore a wristwatch during practices. His biggest adjustment was learning to catch long snaps. "It took him a while," Jones said.

As for McBriar's progress in that area, Jones said, "He hasn't dropped any snaps yet."

Notes: UH defensive end Travis Laboy has a sprained right ankle but should be able to play Saturday against Boise State. Weak-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who was limited to one play last Saturday because of a strained lower right leg, also is listed as probable. Wideout Ashley Lelie's bruised forearm is not a concern. The athletic training staff listed his availability as "definite." ... Wideout Omar Bennett, who signed with UH in February, returned to Laney College in California to complete work on his associate degree. He will return to UH in January. ... Defensive tackle Isaak Sopoaga, who needs to earn more college credits to gain NCAA eligibility, is taking classes at UH. Sopoaga, who transferred from the College of the Canyons, is expected to play for the Warriors next season. He will have two years to play two seasons.