Running back Bass out for Tulsa game
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai'i running back Mike Bass has been scratched for tomorrow's game against Tulsa, but backup Mike Brewster might be available to play.
Bass will miss his third consecutive game because of a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He did not practice yesterday afternoon. (The scheduled morning practice was postponed because of the wet conditions at UH's grass practice field.)
Brewster, who suffered a sprained right ankle last week, did not wear a protective brace yesterday. He went through light drills. UH coach June Jones said Brewster's availability will be a "game-day decision."
Despite painful boils on his infected right knee, quarterback Tim Chang will start. Chang suffered abrasions while sliding into the Aloha Stadium end zone in a Sept. 28 game against Southern Methodist. The wounds became infected, and Chang received antibiotic shots before and after last week's game against Nevada. In the hours leading up to that game, Chang said he was hooked up to an IV.
Chang, a third-year sophomore, needs 175 yards to become the Warriors' career passing leader.
• Injury update: Defensive lineman Garrett Dearing, who portrays Tulsa's tight end in defensive drills, suffered a sprained right knee yesterday.
• Peters honored: Strong safety Hyrum Peters, a fourth-year junior from La'ie, earned CNN/Sports Illustrated's mid-season All-America honorable mention, UH officials announced yesterday. In six games, Peters leads the Warriors with 47 tackles and four interceptions. He has scored three touchdowns.
• Riches to rags: It appeared to be an ideal relationship. As a freshman in 1998, linebacker Michael Dulaney was a part-time starter on an Oklahoma team that eventually would win a national championship. But Dulaney had lost that loving feeling, and at the end of that season, he quit football.
"I didn't have a desire to play football," said Dulaney, who still attended classes and worked the graveyard shift as a security guard. "I knew I was taking away from the team and the coaches and my teammates."
But a year later, Dulaney heard a sermon in which the pastor, reciting a parable from Matthew, spoke of a man who squandered his talent. It was the motivation needed for Dulaney, who sought guidance through prayer.
Dulaney decided he wanted to play football again, but this time turned down an offer to return to Oklahoma. He eventually chose Tulsa, which fielded a struggling football program.
"I felt comfortable with the coaching staff, and everything spiritually and academically fell into place," he said.
Despite missing two complete seasons — he was forced to redshirt in 2000 in accordance with NCAA transfer rules — he amassed a team-high 93 tackles in 2001. Since becoming eligible, Tulsa has won one game — the 2001 season opener, which Dulaney missed because of a fractured thumb. Since then, Tulsa has lost 16 in a row, the longest current losing streak in Division I-A football.
"It's been tough, but win or lose, we've kept our heads up," he said. "We have to keep pressing through it."
Dulaney already has earned a bachelor's degree and been accepted into Tulsa's law school. But he said he will see if he has a future in pro football before pursuing his law studies.
