WARRIORS NOTEBOOK
Defense blitzes offense in scouts' scrimmage
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
For more than two months, the defensive players on the University of Hawai'i's football scout team were seeing orange.
During practices, the scouts, who simulate the upcoming opponent's defensive schemes, are not allowed to hit the UH quarterbacks, who wear orange jerseys.
But all that changed during yesterday afternoon's annual scrimmage for the scouts, redshirts and reserves.
"You usually can't touch the orange shirt," linebacker Laiana Wong said. "It's a big warning sign. You can't come close to it. Today, the orange shirt was like a prize. You get hungry, and you can smell the orange."
Freshman linebacker Zach Lee-Ho said: "Every day in practice, Coach (June) Jones is like, 'Don't hit the quarterback, don't hit the running back.' We finally got the chance to hit the quarterback and to hit the running back. We were licking our chops the whole time. They let the collars go and let us loose. We finally got to hit people."
The defense dominated from the opening snap of the 50-play scrimmage at UH's grass practice field.
Jones kept score, using a point system he kept secret. But with the defense forcing five fumbles in the first nine plays and scoring the scrimmage's only two touchdowns, it was apparent which side had won.
"All Coach Jones said was, 'The score was 61 to da-da-da,' " said linebacker Ikaika Blackburn, who recovered a fumble and scooted 20 yards for a touchdown.
Defensive end Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan, who played for the UH basketball team the last two years, set the tone early, sacking Jeff Rhode on the first and fourth plays of the scrimmage. Both hits resulted in fumbles.
"I had to be relentless, as my coaches say," Akpan said. "For me, I watch the other ends in practice, and I mimic what they do."
Rhode said: "What sucks is you have to listen to them in the locker room, especially Akpan, who got me a couple of times. I don't want to listen to that. But now I've got to listen to Akpan."
Kainoa Akina was the only one of the four quarterbacks to have any success, often eluding the manhunt with scrambles.
The offense tried several innovative plays, including using 360-pound defensive tackle Matt Faga as a running back and center Lyle Castro as a wideout. Castro, wide open on the right side, dropped a screen pass.
"I took my eye off the ball," 5-foot-11, 258-pound Castro admitted. "They always say, 'Don't take your eye off the ball.' Now I know. I saw green. I thought I had a chance for the end zone. I've got good speed — 4.9 in the 40; maybe 4.8 on a good day."
Offensive guard Shayne Kajioka, who started the season opener, also played — as a defensive tackle, dressed in Isa'ako "Isaac" Sopoaga's No. 97 jersey.
But for the most part, the event belonged to the unheralded, such as Lee-Ho and Wong.
Lee-Ho, whose father is in the Marines, moved from Hawai'i to North Carolina when he was in elementary school. He considered walking on at North Carolina State last year before his grandmother invited him to live in Hawai'i.
"I took the first plane I could," said Lee-Ho, a 5-foot-8, 195-pound outside linebacker. "That's all she wrote."
Of his touchdown, he recalled, "When I saw the fumble, I was waiting for the first offensive guy to pick it up, and I was going to try and smack him. But it kept rolling loose, so I saw my opportunity to pick it up and take it to the house."
Wong made two sacks and knocked down a pass.
"I'm representing Anuenue," said Wong, who played football for Roosevelt High while attending Ke Kula Kaiapuni 'O Anuenue, a Hawaiian immersion school in Palolo.
Wong said Jones usually schedules this scrimmage during the second bye week of every season. UH does not play this weekend.
Wong said the scouts circle the date on their calendars.
"This is like our big game for us," Wong said. "This is like the BCS championship for us. Everyone plays hard. It's good to get our chance. It's not too often we get to play."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
