Plenty on line for Warriors

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	TV: UH vs. Nevada, 10 a.m., K5

In a 90-minute practice chilled by the swirling winds off the Sierra Nevada range, the University of Hawai'i football team tried to keep warm. UH coach June Jones covered his head with a makeshift bandana. Safety David "Happy" Gilmore became "Hoppy," jumping up and down in his best imitation of popped kernels. The final play at Reno High was a group hug, with the entire defensive unit swarming 300-pound ballcarrier Matt Faga.

"It doesn't matter what the weather is like," co-captain Hyrum Peters said this week, "we're going to have to be ready. This is a big game for us. This is our season."

To be sure, today's football game between Hawai'i (6-3, 5-1 in Western Athletic Conference) and host Nevada (5-5, 3-4) is significant. By winning their seventh game, the Warriors will ensure a winning regular season and meet the requirement to earn an automatic berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Day. For Nevada, a victory keeps alive any pretty-please hopes of earning a bowl berth.

Still, by itself, the game is more of a means to a bigger payoff. The Warriors could lose today, but have three more chances to become bowl eligible, including next week's home game against winless Army. And a Wolf Pack victory cannot undo a three-game losing streak that turned a promising season into a salvation project.

The Warriors need to win, not for the Hawai'i Bowl berth, but to set up a Dec. 6 showdown against 24th-ranked Boise State (8-1, 4-0 in WAC). Their prize is not a Christmas bowl, but a happy WAC year.

"We're two games away from a WAC championship," UH wideout Britton Komine said. "We've talked about winning the WAC all year. That's our top goal. That's all we're thinking about."

UH and Boise State could finish with identical WAC records. In that scenario, the teams would be declared co-champions, regardless of the head-to-head outcome. But Peters said if the teams finished in a first-place tie but UH won the head-to-head meeting, "I would feel we were the WAC champ. I'm sure everyone would feel the same way."

For any of that to happen, UH slotback Chad Owens said, "We have to beat Nevada."

Cornerback Abraham Elimimian added: "This is the most crucial game right here. We have to win. That's the bottom line. If we win, we keep the dream alive."

It was a dream Nevada shared a month ago, when it built a 5-2 record, including an upset of Washington. Nevada had a 14-point lead before unraveling against Louisiana Tech, triggering a three-game losing streak. Along the way, three starting defensive backs and a quarterback suffered season-ending injuries.

Yesterday, coach Chris Tormey confirmed to The Advertiser that cornerback Chris Handy and running back B.J. Mitchell were suspended after being indicted on felony battery charges for their role in a fight in June.

"It's frustrating," Wolf Pack defensive end Jorge Cordova said. "We've had injuries, but there's really no explanation (for the losing streak). I really do not know why we lost those games."

When Tormey was named head coach in 2000, he announced a plan in which the Wolf Pack would build with freshman recruits. That first season, there were two seniors on the two-deep chart, and only two players who could bench press 400 pounds.

Under the guidance of John Archer, previously with Nebraska, Nevada developed its strength program. Now, 14 players can bench press 400 pounds. After winning a combined five games in the first two seasons under Tormey, Nevada went 5-7 last year.

Some critics have debated whether the problem is with the plan or the architect. That is why, Cordova said, "we definitely have to win (today). We need to win our last two games for a winning record and to give our younger guys something to build on."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.