End of road, for this year anyway
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i football team returned to a darkened Honolulu early yesterday, still awaiting visual proof that the sun indeed would rise the day after Friday night's deflating 70-14 loss to Fresno State.
Kurt Hegre • Associated Press
"The road is tough," UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian said, referring to the Warriors' 0-4 road record in which they were outscored by a combined 231-66, including 139-20 in the past two away games. "I'm glad we don't have to play any more road games this year."
Quarterback Timmy Chang and the Warriors are "obviously a different team on the road," one that is "fragile" particularly on offense according the UH coach June Jones.
Following a 69-3 road loss to Boise State two weeks ago, UH coach June Jones instructed his players not to watch videotape of the mismatch. Yesterday, the coaches pored over every play of the Fresno State. In an uncomfortable twist, the coaches were looking for mental or physical mistakes — correctable errors — as opposed to the hopelessness that there is nothing they can do to fix what always breaks on the road.
"I don't want it to be 'one of those things,' " defensive coordinator George Lumpkin said.
With the road schedule completed, offensive lineman Brandon Eaton said, "there's nothing we can do about it this year. We're going to have to figure out how to win on the road (in the future), because we're always going to have to play road games every year."
Jones said UH is "obviously a different team on the road," one that is "fragile," particularly on offense. When the offense struggles, Jones said, the defense's shortcomings "are magnified."
Although the Warriors knew the Bulldogs would attack with smash-mouth running plays, they had no answers. The Bulldogs rushed for a school-record 503 yards, many of the runs extended by missed tackles and assignments.
Jones said the four practices leading to the game — three on UH's grass practice field and one in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. — were "the best defensively" this season. But during the game, "we didn't make tackles," Lumpkin said.
The Warriors started two freshman linebackers — Brad Kalilimoku on the weak side and C.J. Allen-Jones on the strong side — to fill a rotation depleted by injuries to middle linebacker Ikaika Curnan (right ankle) and Tanuvasa Moe (strained hamstring). Defensive end Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan, who is suffering from a subluxed left shoulder, participated in a handful of plays. Defensive end Kila Kamakawiwo'ole started his first game since undergoing an appendectomy two weeks. He did not appear to be at full speed.
"Injuries aren't an excuse," Jones said. "You have to play with what you have."
Asked if the Warrior have made any progress since the early part of the season, Jones said they have been consistent in their strengths and weaknesses. He said the offensive line has played well all season; missed tackles have been a season-long concern.
Jones said the focus is on the final three games, all at home and against non-conference teams. The Warriors, 4-5 overall and 4-4 in the Western Athletic Conference, need to win out to finish with a winning regular season, the lone requirement to earning a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve.
"We can't look back and worry about what's happened," Jones said. "We have to focus on the next game."
Elimimian said: "We wish we could have won at least one road game, but that doesn't matter anymore. Our only goal now is to get into the bowl game."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
