UH ready for WAC opener
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
RENO, Nev. — The most significant absence on the University of Hawai'i football team's must-have list — which included three 1.5-liter bottles of water per player each day and off-hour passes to the buffet table — was oxygen tanks.
10 a.m., Mackay Stadium, Reno, Nev. RADIO: 1420 AM (OÎahu), 1110 AM (Maui), 570 AM (KauaÎi). TV: Live statewide on K5.
Studies have shown that the effects of high altitude begin at 4,000 feet, and Reno's Mackay Stadium, the site of today's game between UH and Nevada, is 4,100 feet above sea level.
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Hawai'i (1-0) at Nevada (0-2)
After much debate, the UH coaches agreed that Reno's altitude would cause only moderate effects, such as dry hands, and to order oxygen tanks would be a sign of weakness. Any player who asked was told that high altitude is measured at 4,500 feet, and that the conditions should not be a problem.
The result was that the Warriors had one of their best practices yesterday at Reno High. While KFVE sportscaster Jim Leahey walked 12 laps — three miles — on the track to show that attitude trumps altitude, the Warriors eased through drills without any problems.
"It was a good practice," said UH coach June Jones, who then declared the Warriors ready for their Western Athletic Conference opener.
This also is the Warriors' first Mainland trip of the season.
"If you want to be anybody, you have to win on the road and in the conference," Jones said.
In the final tune-up, the Warriors ran through several plays, with each preceded by Jones' warning of "Don't get hurt."
Safety Jacob Espiau, who was pulled from the last game two weeks ago because of a subluxed shoulder, will start. Nickel linebacker Bronson Liana showed no problems from a concussion two weeks ago. Defensive end Travis Laboy, who missed training camp with a hamstring tear, ran without pain yesterday.
Two other adjustments — Reno's dry climate and the Wolf Pack's turf — should not be factors.
Three of the Warriors' four starting wide receivers wear gloves during games, and right slotback Craig Stutzmann, who complains of sweaty palms in Honolulu, said the climate is perfect for his hands.
Jones said the Warriors should have few problems on Nevada's FieldTurf, a synthetic grass used by the University of Nebraska and St. Louis School. FieldTurf offers both good traction and cushion. The base is a mixture of sand and, according to Nevada spokesman Jamie Klund, "ground up Nike sneakers."
When asked about the field, UH quarterback Tim Chang smiled. Later, the coaches admitted, Chang and several other former St. Louis players worked out on their own this week at their old high school.
Chang predicted he will face constant blitzing.
"They're going to come after me, try to rattle me and shake me up," he said. "But I've got Stutz and (wideout Ashley) Lelie and the rest of the guys. I feel good when they're out there."
