No. 25 Warriors fight off Bearcats

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

All the good the University of Hawai'i football team did in a pulsating 20-19 comeback victory over Cincinnati was tarnished by an ugly brawl in which players came away bloodied and angry.

Emotions ran high toward the end of the game and erupted shortly after as both benches cleared. It took several minutes to restore order. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

As the teams met at midfield for what is usually the traditional post-game handshakes, players from both sides began throwing taunts, helmets and then punches. There were several scuffles lasting several minutes as coaches and police tried to restore order.

"It's all bull (bleep)!" said Cincinnati linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, who was penalized for knocking down Chang with 2:29 to play. "It's the referees' (bleeping) fault. I was pushed into (Chang), and they called it on me. I didn't try to hurt him."

But several UH players felt otherwise, and both sides became tense as Chang was treated on the field for several minutes. As the Aloha Stadium crowd began to chant — "Timmy! ... Timmy!" — Chang was taken to the training room.

Levi Chang said X-rays did not show any significant damage to his son's sprained left knee. Chang originally suffered the injury in the first half, and he did not play in the third quarter.

"He has a lot of heart," said UH wideout Jeremiah Cockheran, who caught the go-ahead 33-yard scoring pass from Chang with 5:10 left. "He's our emotional and physical leader. I love the guy."

"It was a cheap shot," UH right guard Vince Manuwai said. "I feel bad for Timmy."

During the post-game melee, Cincinnati cornerback Marvin Allen stumbled to the turf. He emerged with blood dripping from several cuts on his face.

"They know they did wrong," UH left tackle Wayne Hunter said. "They were sore losers. When it comes down to it, they don't know how to play the game."

While the Cincinnati players went toward their locker room, they were pelted with drinks and rolled-up newspapers.

"This is something you don't like to see," Bearcat defensive end Darryll Ransom said. "Our team isn't like this. We're a good team and we have good hearts, and it was a sad way to end the game."

UH safety Hyrum Peters said: "I don't know how it all happened. It's just a game. Hopefully, everything is OK and they'll get home safely."

Cincinnati players were not made available to the media after leaving the locker room. But Cincinnati defensive end Antwan Peek met with UH slotback Chad Owens, offered an apology from his team, and both players shook hands.

"It's unfortunate," UH coach June Jones said.

Indeed, the sideshow overshadowed a strong effort from the Warriors' defense and Chang's brave-hearted comeback.

UH receiver Jeremiah Cockheran clutches the football in the end zone after making the go-ahead 33-yard catch. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Trailing 19-14 in the final quarter, UH got the ball back when linebacker Chris Brown intercepted a Gino Guidugli pass and raced 26 yards to the UC 12.

"I saw the pass and I grabbed it," Brown said. "I was thinking 'end zone.' It fired up the whole crowd."

But Chang's ensuing pass ricocheted off two defenders and the ball was intercepted by free safety Ivan Fields.

In the defensive huddle, "we were getting pumped up," UH defensive end La'anui Correa said. "We were going to stop them."

Three plays later, the Bearcats had lost six yards and were forced to punt. UH took over at its 49, and then turned to Chang, a third-year sophomore. With his left knee fitted in a brace, Chang completed 9-yard passes to Cockheran and then Britton Komine, advancing the Warriors to the 33.

From there, he lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone. Cockheran ran a streak pattern just outside of the right hashmark and, when strong safety Franklin Callicott slipped, he broke to the right corner of the end zone.

"I knew I had to jump up and make the play," the 6-foot Cockheran said.

He did, triggering a wild sideline celebration.

"We stepped up and did what he had to do for the team," Cockheran said. "That's what matters the most. I came through for the team."

The defense did the rest, denying the Bearcats' final drive.

"We knew we had to step it up big time," UH defensive tackle Lance Samuseva said. "Everybody did what they were supposed to do."

While the Warrior offense met with misfortune — they dropped three wide-open passes, were intercepted twice and failed to score from the UC 1 — the defense made the proper adjustments. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors decided to seize the tempo from the Bearcats' ball-control offense, blitzing at least two defenders, even on running plays.

The more plays the UH defense made, the more the crowd of 33,961 yelled.

"The crowd was going nuts," Correa said. "That gave us more adrenaline."

UH improved to 9-2, the third time it has won nine games in Jones' four seasons as UH coach. The Bearcats fell to 5-6, and need to win their final two games to become bowl eligible.

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