Warriors roll past Panthers
| • | Receiving corps should be in good hands again |
| • | Peters pays tribute to late brother |
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
In the bittersweet aftermath of last night's season-opening 61-36 rout of Eastern Illinois, the members of the Hawai'i football team laughed, hugged and some even cried.
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"We made a lot of mental mistakes," UH middle linebacker Chris Brown said, "but it's a 'W,' and that was our goal."
Hawai'i defensive tackle Abu Ma'afala, a freshman from Kamehameha Schools, leaps into the end zone to complete a 32-yard return of an interception as Eastern Illinois' Andre Raymond fails to make the stop.
The Warriors celebrated the effectiveness of ailing quarterback Tim Chang, the resourcefulness of running back Thero Mitchell, strong safety Hyrum Peters' two momentum-turning plays, and the stunning debuts of defensive tackle Abu Ma'afala and kick-returner Michael Brewster.
But the postgame turned somber when the Warriors reflected on defensive tackle Lui Fuga, who suffered a broken left fibula on the game's sixth play.
Fuga was in tears as he embraced teammates after the game. "I'll try to come back ... again," Fuga said. "I just don't know."
Fuga did not play last season while recovering from surgery to both shoulders.
"I want to enjoy this one a little more, but what's turning me is thinking about him," said UH outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who amassed 10.5 tackles, including two for negative yards. "It sucks to see someone go down so early. ... Working out with him, that's what made me want to play so hard this season. This just sucks."
The Warriors also played without middle linebacker Ikaika Curnan, whose knee injury led to the forced activation of Chad Kalilimoku. UH had planned to redshirt Kalilimoku this season. Defensive end Travis Laboy was held out for an unspecified reason.
"We knew a lot of guys had to step up," Tinoisamoa said.
First up was Peters, who had moved from cornerback to strong safety two weeks ago. Peters scored on a 28-yard interception return to give the Warriors a 10-6 lead, then later sacked Tony Romo on third down to foil an Eastern Illinois drive.
"I read it off the bat," Peters said of his first career touchdown. "It felt great."
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After that, Chang, shaking off the jitters and the discomfort in his injured right pinkie, revived an offense that failed to make a first down in its first two possessions.
Hawai‘i quarterback Tim Chang, criticized in the past for not running more, breaks loose for a 27-yard dash.
"I was a little nervous in the beginning," Chang said. "I had those first-game jitters. But it was good being out there with the team."
Chang, who fractured the pinkie on his throwing hand Aug.15, kept his promise to start last night.
"It was a little bit of everything, showing I could stay in there, and I wanted to be in there," said Chang, who missed the final nine games of last season with a wrist injury. "I hadn't played for such a long time. Personally, I wanted to be there."
Chang, a third-year sophomore, completed 19-of-30 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He was never sacked, and he once eluded a manhunt by scrambling for 27 yards.
Justin Colbert caught two scoring passes, including one spanning 59 yards when he squeezed past safety Kevin Anderson and cornerback Roosevelt Williams.
"I tried to do whatever I could to get the touchdown," Colbert said. "Once we got the rust off, the offense started clicking."
Mitchell, who had two scoring runs, setting one up with a 50-yard sprint off of a screen pass, said, "It took a while, but we started to have some fun."
After the Warriors' third drive ended in an interception, UH right guard Vince Manuwai, recalled imploring his teammates, "Settle down! We can't let the defense have all of the fun. We have to go out and pull our weight."
Through extensive reviews of scouting reports and videotapes, Manuwai claimed, the Warriors noticed that the Panthers tipped off whenever they tried to blitz.
"They were showing us a lot," Manuwai said. "We missed some of the minor stuff, but they were tipping off some things."
Said Eastern Illinois tailback Andre Raymond: "They beat us fair and square. That's all I have to say."
Indeed, the Warriors were able to make the big plays in a big way. They had six plays of at least 45 yards, scored on two interception returns and sacked Romo four times.
"We just gave up too many big plays the entire game," Panther coach Bob Spoo said. "We just didn't play as well as we're capable of playing."
The Warriors modified their usual 4-3 defensive alignment, moving outside linebacker Matt Wright to defensive end to create a five-man front. The scheme was designed to pinch the perimeters and narrow the Panthers' offense.
But J.R. Taylor was able to find running room on cutbacks, and Romo bought time on bootlegs and play-action passes.
The Warriors then went back to basics.
"We played hard and tried to force turnovers," said Brown.
Ma'afala, a true freshman from Kamehameha Schools, punctuated the effort with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown. He dived the final yard.
"I saw the quarterback looking to pitch it out," Ma'afala said. "I didn't think he was going to throw it, so I backed up. It just happened. He let it go and it fell into my arms."
In the end zone, he pointed to the sky.
"That was for my Uncle Nick," said Ma'afala, referring to the former Warrior who died of leukemia. "It was for my dad, too. It was his birthday."
Then, he paused, and said, "And for Lui Fuga."
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