Warriors hope to silence No. 4 USC and its band

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

USC coach Pete Carroll led his team to a 35-18 win over BYU last Saturday. The Trojans will host Hawai'i in a televised game at 10 a.m. on Saturday on FSNW. Associated Press

It is a difficult tune to ignore, like that Genki Sushi jingle, and it has become more prevalent as the Warriors prepare for Saturday's road game against No. 4 USC.

"I'm tired of that song," said co-captain Jeremiah Cockheran, who grew up an hour's drive from the USC campus in Los Angeles.

For several Warriors, the significance of this game goes beyond facing a top-five team.

USC recruited UH quarterback Tim Chang and offensive lineman Dane Uperesa. Right cornerback Abraham Elimimian said he lived 10 minutes away from the 92,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"Everybody who grows up in Southern California dreams of going to SC or UCLA," said UH left cornerback Kelvin Millhouse, who was raised in Santa Ana, Calif.

After playing in Pop Warner games in the morning, Millhouse, his parents and his friends "would go to SC games. It was kind of like a Saturday thing. I would always picture myself in an SC uniform. I think a lot of Southern California guys did that, too. We grew up idolizing SC and UCLA guys, and we dreamed of going there."

Right tackle Brandon Eaton, a third-year sophomore, said he was a "big USC fan" until his family moved from Los Angeles to Texas in 1997.

"That was the school I really wanted to go to when I was young," Eaton said. "It was just the persona of the team and the attitude they had."

Elimimian, a fourth-year junior, recalled his final high school game, which was played in the Coliseum.

"It was crazy being in there," Elimimian said. "There have been a lot of legends going through that stadium. The first time I went in there, I was in awe. I was never in a stadium that big. It was one of those things you have to see to believe.

"We got to dress in the SC locker room. Then you go down a long tunnel that takes you right onto the field. The first thing you see is a big screen TV. It's just incredible to be there."

UH coach June Jones, who was involved in two games as a player and one as a coach in the Coliseum, said: "It's really an awesome facility to play a football game. ... You can hear a pin drop sometimes; sometimes you can't hear (when) you call the play in the huddle. ... It's L.A. It's kind of that way when you go to a Laker game. It's quiet and then it gets unbelievable."

In the past week, Elimimian has warned his UH teammates "not to be in shock and awe. It's just a game. It will be incredible to be there. But it's one thing to be there and it's another thing to be there and win. We want to be there and win a game."

Jones said he told his players: "If they're afraid, to stay home."

Millhouse said he does not look forward to hearing "Fight On."

"They play that fight song every five minutes," Millhouse said. "It gets annoying. I went to their practice one time, and they even played it at their practice.

"They're going to play it a lot — every first down, every catch, every tackle. If we don't hear that fight song very much, we'll be doing pretty good."

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