Receiving corps should be in good hands again
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Who needs Ashley Lelie?
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Well, OK, maybe that's going a little too far.
UH slotback Nate Ilaoa breaks free on the sideline from Eastern Illinois' Vince Lewis. Ilaoa caught a 13-yard scoring pass in the second period. Ilaoa finished with four receptions for 38 yards in his debut.
But the 2002 version of the University of Hawai'i receiving corps certainly did its part in a 61-36 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois last night at Aloha Stadium.
With Lelie now catching passes for the Denver Broncos, not to mention the loss of 2001 senior starters Craig Stutzmann and Channon Harris, there were questions surrounding the new set of Warrior receivers.
Last night, the collective group of Justin Colbert, Clifton Herbert, Nate Ilaoa, Neal Gossett and Chad Owens provided a sure-handed answer. With none outshining the other, they combined to catch 17 passes for 278 yards in approximately three quarters of action.
"They're all young guys who didn't play much last year," said UH receivers coach Ron Lee. "They were a little tight coming out in the first quarter, but once they loosened up, I thought they did a good job both on the (defensive coverage) reads and catching the ball."
Owens, a sophomore slotback, led the team with five receptions for 56 yards. Colbert, a senior wideout and the only returning starting receiver, had a team-high 76 yards on three catches, including two touchdowns. Ilaoa, playing his first collegiate game, came off the bench to grab four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. Gossett, starting in Lelie's spot, had three receptions for 53 yards. Herbert, sharing playing time with Ilaoa, added two catches for 55 yards.
"It's pick your poison with us," said Ilaoa, a redshirt freshman slotback. "You can't really replace a guy like Ashley, but if we all do what we're capable of, we can get the same results, just with different ways."
Colbert, who finished second on the team last year with 801 receiving yards (behind Lelie's school-record 1,713), appeared to be the leading candidate last night to replace Lelie as the team's deep threat. His first touchdown came on a 59-yard streak past the secondary midway through the second quarter. As Colbert caught the ball, defenders Kevin Anderson and Roosevelt Williams collided behind him, allowing Colbert to cruise into the end zone.
"Last year, Lelie helped the whole offense because he stretched the field so much," Colbert said. "I think I might get the opportunity to use my speed like that this year, and I'm looking forward to it."
Colbert's second touchdown — a 19-yarder — also came on a streak pattern midway through the third quarter.
But Lee said there will be no designated "go-to" receiver like there was last season. Each of the four receivers on the field at any given time will get an equal shot this season, Lee said.
"The good thing about that is they can all run after the catch," Lee said. "All of them showed signs of that tonight. It's going to make it exciting."
Said Ilaoa: "We'll compare every week and see who's on top. It'll all be for fun. The main goal is for us to do the job as a group to help the team win."
