Warriors face run-happy Owls

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	What: WAC football, Hawai'i (7-2, 6-1) vs. Rice (4-6, 3-4) When: 10 a.m. today Radio/TV: 1420 AM/K5

Indeed, the EPA once ranked Houston as the nation's smoggiest city, surpassing even Los Angeles, a result of the numerous oil refineries in the area and Louisiana's second-hand smoke.

But in this setting, one thing is clear. "This is an important game," University of Hawai'i quarterback Tim Chang said of today's meeting against host Rice.

The outcome will have little impact on the Western Athletic Conference standings. The Warriors, 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the WAC, already have accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Day. Although the Warriors are in mathematical contention for the WAC title — they can finish with a 7-1 league record — the odds are slim that leader Boise State (9-1 and 6-0) will lose in either of its final two games.

Rice, at 4-6 and 3-4, will complete its season today, the only Division I-A team not to play through the Thanksgiving weekend.

Still, during the preseason, the Warriors marked the Rice game as being crucial.

"It's on the road and it's a conference game, and we set out to win those type of games," UH coach June Jones said. "We need to win this one."

Rice, with victories in each of the last three meetings, is the only WAC team with an unbeaten record against UH. (Boise State and Louisiana Tech lost nonconference games to UH before joining the WAC last year.)

"It's a big game because, one, it's a WAC game," UH offensive lineman Uriah Moenoa said, and "two, I don't really like Rice that much. We never beat them. We should have beaten them last year, but we didn't. That's how the chips fall."

Chang, a third-year sophomore, has had two nightmarish games against the Owls. In the meeting in 2000, he was intercepted five times, including three times by linebacker Dan Dawson. In last year's game, Chang was intercepted three times — twice by Dawson — before suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist, an injury that would end his season after three games.

"I didn't like losing to those guys, and I still don't like losing to them," Chang said.

Dawson has finished his eligibility, although Rice coach Ken Hatfield yesterday joked he might send out a player wearing Dawson's old jersey number. But for the Warriors, this is serious business, particularly since the game marks a clash of teams with polar approaches.

In three decades as a player and then coach, Jones has developed a run-and-shoot passing attack that he believes has the potential to score on every play. Hatfield's multiple-option running attack has evolved into a no-huddle offense that also can find that also can find success through the air.

Jones said both teams "will move the ball" — UH leads the nation in passing, averaging 398.9 yards per game; Rice is the WAC leader in rushing, with a 249.8 average — and predicted the winner will be the team that holds the other team scoreless on at least four drives.

"That's what I thought last year," Jones said. "We ended up stopping them seven or eight times, and we should have won. We just haven't defended (the option) very well."

Hatfield said the Owls' best chance is to lengthen their possessions with time-consuming drives.

But, Jones said, "The time of possession is irrelevant, actually. It's the number of plays. Both teams can move the ball. It'll come down to playing good defense and good special teams. That's what it's going to take."