Espiau to play football despite painful injury

Tell us what you thought about Saturday's season opener, when Warriors beat the Grizzlies

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i safety Jacob Espiau has an injured right shoulder that will require him to wear a harness, but he vowed to play in Saturday's football game against Nevada.

Jacob Espiau said he may need surgery at the end of the season. Advertiser library photo • Nov. 14, 2000

Espiau suffered the injury during a pileup in UH's season-opening victory over Montana on Saturday night in Wailuku, Maui.

He said his shoulder "got jolted," and medical trainers fear he might have suffered some cartilage damage.

"There's a chance I might need surgery at the end of the season," said Espiau, a senior from Kane'ohe, "but there's no chance I'm going to have surgery anytime soon. I want to play now. I feel I can play."

Espiau also said he is not concerned about a lower-abdominal strain that kept him from practicing last week.

"It's sore, but I can live with it," he said. "You know how you can have a sore right arm and then when you hurt your left arm, you don't think about the pain in your right arm anymore? That's how it is with me now. I'm not thinking about (the strain). Pain is something a football player has to live with."

Defensive tackle Lui Fuga, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, is not expected to play against Nevada.

Quarterback Tim Chang leads the nation in total offense with a 428-yard performance in the UH season-opener. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Total offense combines yards rushing and passing. Against Montana, Chang passed for 435 yards and ran for minus-seven yards.

UH wideout Ashley Lelie is second nationally with 163.0 receiving yards per game, and tied for seventh with teammate Justin Colbert with eight receptions per game.

• Two-back attack: UH coach June Jones said he is considering a modified platoon system in which freshman Mike Bass is the featured back and junior Thero Mitchell is used in short-yardage situations.

Against Montana, Bass became the fourth true freshman to start at running back for UH in the past 25 years. He gained 77 yards, mostly on draws in which the ball was snapped directly to him. Mitchell rushed five times and scored twice.

"I think both of them bring us something," Jones said.

The 5-foot-6, 160-pound Bass showed his quickness and elusiveness, slipping past defenders, even on interior runs.

While Nick Rolovich is acknowledged as the No. 2 quarterback and top holder, Jones said, "I wanted to see how Jared does in a game situation."

Rolovich and Flint are seniors, although only Rolovich has a redshirt year available. Jones said both will play this season.

• Oops . . . he did it again: Despite dropping two passes in the open field, senior Channon Harris will remain as the starting left slotback, Jones said.

"I have a lot of faith in Channon," said Jones, noting that Harris was one of the most productive players in preseason training. "He will start."

Harris is quick (4.4 seconds over 40 yards) and runs precise routes, but he struggled to hold on to some passes last season. After his second drop against Montana, Harris was replaced by redshirt freshman Britton Komine for the next three possessions.

• On the road again: For their first game on the Mainland this year, the Warriors will practice from 7 to 9 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. The team leaves for Nevada at noon Thursday.

The Warriors were 3-0 in road games in 1999, Jones' first year as UH head coach, and 0-4 last season.

"We have to prove we can win on the road," Jones said.

Jones said his team will not be affected by the travel or altitude. Reno, Nev., is 4,546 feet above sea level.

"Our players don't care where we play," Jones said. "I don't think travel is a factor. We travel well and we do everything right. You have to be good enough to win on the road. Last year, we weren't good enough."