UH offense fits Lelie like a glove
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
TULSA, OKLA. — These days, only the referees can slow University of Hawai'i wide receiver Ashley Lelie.
At the start of the second quarter, the referees asked Lelie to remove his gloves.
"They're supposed to be all gray," Lelie said of college football's uniform code. "Mine were two-toned — black and white."
He added, "I was hoping they would look gray when you're running fast."
Lelie traded his gloves for another pair, then raced off for a pair of touchdowns in UH's 36-15 victory over Tulsa.
Lelie, a junior from Radford HIgh who entered as the nation's leading receiver, finished with seven catches for 85 yards.
"Ashley is catching every ball thrown near him," slotback Craig Stutzmann said.
The previous two years, it appeared Lelie only ran routes along the right sideline. He rarely soared for passes or fought off grasping cornerbacks.
"I wasn't going up and getting the ball," said the 6-foot-3 Lelie, who has a 38-inch vertical jump and can touch a marker 11 feet, 2 inches high. "I wasn't really extending my arms. I was letting the pass come to me. Now I'm attacking the pass. I'm trying to make something happen."
This season, coach June Jones has expanded Lelie's role in the run-and-shoot offense. Last week, Lelie aligned in the slot, allowing him to face safeties instead of quicker cornerbacks. Yesterday, he often went in motion to draw defenders away from Stutzmann and wide receiver Justin Colbert.
Jones even designed a new play for Lelie — Z slant — in which he runs several yards, stutter-steps, then breaks across the field. UH used that play once yesterday, resulting in a 44-yard touchdown when Lelie out-jumped two defenders for the ball before sprinting toward the end zone.
"I knew I had to get more into the offense this year," Lelie said.
During the summer, he worked on improving his strength and endurance. Last spring, a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles hand-timed Lelie running 40 yards in under 4.3 seconds.
"I think I'm more confident," Lelie said. "I guess I need to be that way."
His next goal is to be able to wear his two-toned gloves again. He wore them in the previous three games, "and they're comfortable," he said. "I guess I can't complain."
