WARRIORS NOTEBOOK
Hawai'i's spirits high after first win on road

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

A day after a 44-41 comeback victory over Louisiana Tech, the University of Hawai'i football team was soaring.

"Life is good," wideout Jeremiah Cockheran said.

"Life is good," wideout Jeremiah Cockheran said of the Warriors' first road victory in four attempts this season. The Warriors are 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Western Athletic Conference at the halfway point of their schedule.

"That game was a confidence boost for us," Cockheran said. "We needed that game to show we can win on the road. We're back in the hunt for the WAC championship, and we're going to stay in the hunt."

UH coach June Jones said: "If we win our (remaining four) WAC games, we'll win the WAC."

In particular, Jones was pleased with his team's resiliency. Despite blowing a 14-point advantage and then trailing 41-37 in the fourth quarter, they drove 80 yards in nine plays to regain the lead for good and stopped the Bulldogs' final drive.

"We knew we had that little spell where we had to rally up if we're going to win on the road, and we did," Jones said yesterday. "The players responded. There are emotional swings during the game, and we finally responded."

UH quarterback Tim Chang, who was picked off four times — all 12 of his interceptions this season have come on the road — bounced back to amass a career-high 534 passing yards.

Jones said he was not keeping track of Chang's passing totals "but I knew he made some big throws. He probably wished he could take back a couple. But in the fourth quarter, when he had to make plays, he made plays."

• Health report: Right cornerback Abraham Elimimian, who suffered an injury to his right foot, was not walking with crutches yesterday, although he does not know of his availability for this week's practices.

Elimimian practiced last week with a sprained right ankle. He said this injury "is not in the same area. It's at the heel of my foot."

Cockheran, who aggravated a sprained right ankle, said this recurrence is not as damaging as the one that kept him from playing for two games. Cockheran said he suffered the injury on a screen play, but was able to finish the game.

"It's still sore, but it'll be better by the next game," he said. "I played on it, and that's a big plus."

• A little A-L-O-H-A: Defensive tackle Abu Ma'afala said he apparently angered Louisiana Tech fans when he flashed a shaka sign while walking off the field.

"They threw a few bottles, but they missed me," he said. "I was surprised they didn't hit me. I thought I was going to get pegged."

Ma'afala, a sophomore, made his first career start Saturday night. He played nose tackle in UH's special "Joker" defense, which employs three defensive ends.

Admitting to being nervous, Ma'afala said, "the first series I came out kind of flat. After that, I started to get into the groove."

As time was expiring, Ma'afala said he turned to the crowd and gave his signature wave.

"I was just giving them the shaka," he said. "That's my little goodbye wave to the fans. I don't like to talk smack. I don't like to swear. It's just a shaka, a little aloha. I'm from Hawai'i, that's how we are. If you're from Hawai'i and you've got some aloha, you've got to give it away."

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

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