Hawai'i and Rice come prepared
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
HOUSTON — In a 1982 game against Hawai'i, coach Ken Hatfield recalled in a 1989 essay, an Air Force fullback powered past three defenders who were positioned correctly.
Associated Press
That one play led Hatfield to write: "A fresh football player, who is eager and anticipates the game on Saturday, will play harder and make more big things happen than if he works on a play 15 to 20 extra times, and winds up being too tired before kickoff."
Rice head coach Ken Hatfield's philosophy is to minimize contact in practices, and to make sure the players have two days off each week, including Fridays
Hatfield now is head coach at Rice, and the lessons of two decades ago can be applied today. Hatfield minimizes contact in practices, and makes sure the players have two days off each week, including Fridays.
"I think early in (a career in) coaching, you probably drive them all too hard, to be honest with you," said Hatfield, whose team hosts Hawai'i tonight. "We all did. Because we wanted to cover every situation, we probably worked them too hard. There's a fine line between working them too hard and not enough. Every coach tries to find that right medium."
UH coach June Jones is seeking that balance. The Warriors have Sundays off, and work only on conditioning drills on Mondays. Defenders are not allowed to tackle in practice. The tradeoff is the Warriors spend hours on mental preparation. Yesterday, the players watched videotapes of their practices until 1 a.m. Central time.
"If you want to get better, you have to work at it," UH safety Lamar Broadway said. "They always talk about the lesson of pain and gain. You know what? It works."
Here's a look at tonight's matchups:
Hawai'i Offense
LWO 84 Jason Rivers 6-1 189 So.
LSB 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr.
LT 70 Tala Esera 6-3 291 So.
LG 64 Samson Satele 6-2 278 So.
C 59 Derek Faavi 6-0 271 Jr.
RG 69 Uriah Moenoa 6-2 327 Sr.
RT 66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 291 Jr.
RSB 7 Se'e Poumele 5-9 171 Sr.
RWO 9 Britton Komine 5-10 188 Sr.
QB 14 Tim Chang 6-1 205 Sr.
RB 6 Michael Brewster 5-5 185 Sr.
Outlook: By the time it takes to reach "P" in the "Alphabet Song," a UH offensive lineman should be able to block a pass-rusher and then start racing downfield to assist the receiver. "Coach always says, 'Seven seconds of violence," said Eaton, repeating the wisdom of line coach Mike Cavanaugh. "Most of the time it ends up like five seconds, with the quick passes. Five seconds seems like a long time when you have to block and then break on the ball and go downfield."
But even ample protection might not boost the Warriors' passing game. In the season-opening loss to Florida Atlantic, Chang completed 29 of 45 passes in the first three quarters. He was nine of 21 in the fourth quarter and overtime, including zip-for-eight on passes of at least 20 yards. Rivers, who caught six of the 18 passes in his direction, said he has worked on his endurance, staying after practice to run sprints. "In the fourth quarter (against FAU), I got a little tired," Rivers said. "I think it's mental fatigue. Late in the game, I wasn't really concentrating, thinking straight. That aspect of the game has to change for me."
Hawai'i Defense
LE 98 Melila Purcell III 6-4 266 Jr.
LT 99 Lui Fuga 6-1 294 Sr.
RT 91 Matt Faga 6-2 234 Sr.
RE 30 K. Kamakawiwo'ole 6-3 241 Jr.
LLB 42 Leonard Peters 6-1 184 Jr.
ILB 51 Ikaika Curnan 5-10 221 Jr.
ILB 45 Tanuvasa Moe 5-11 210 Jr.
RLB 15 Lono Manners 5-10 204 Jr.
LCB 37 A. Elimimian 5-10 185 Sr.
S 22 Lamar Broadway 5-11 175 Jr.
RCB 24 Kenny Patton 6-0 187 So.
Outlook: To counter the Owls' triple-option running attack, the Warriors are switching to a 4-4 alignment, positioning two strong safeties — Peters and Manners — as outside linebackers. Their duties include tracking the halfbacks.
UH's defensive co-captains, Fuga and Elimimian, have key roles. Nearly every play, the Owls will send the fullback into the gap between the right guard and right tackle — right at Fuga. The Owls will try to clear out the area by using the right tackle or tight end to block Fuga to the left. "I have to be stout, not get washed down," Fuga said.
With only three defensive backs, Elimimian will be left to cover the Owls' best deep receiver. "If we bring 10 guys in the box" — the imaginary rectangle near the line of scrimmage — "well, it's just me on a planet," Elimimian said. "I won't be on an island, I'll be on a planet. It will be just me and the receiver."
Like most option teams, the Owls will try to cut down the Warrior defenders with lunging blocks to the midsection — or below. When the guards fire out to block the linebackers, the defensive linemen, Fuga said, "have to jab them and knock them off course. We have to keep them off our linebackers."
Broadway said the UH defenders can't hesitate in anticipation of being chop-blocked. "You can't double-think," he said. "If you do, somebody will crack you from the other side. The scout team has been helping us all week. When they come up, they try to give you a little — Rah! — a little scare, let you know they're there. You're always preparing for the low block."
Hawai'i Specialists
PK 47 Justin Ayat 6-0 201 Sr.
P/H 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 196 So.
LS 61 Bryce Runge 5-11 236 Jr.
KR/PR 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr.
KR 82 Ross Dickerson 5-11 190 So.
Outlook: Ayat alleviated concerns about his groin injury when he connected on two field goals from 37 yards in Thursday's practice. Backup kicker Nolan Miranda was added to the 60-player travel roster as insurance. But Jones said Ayat will handle kickoffs and all placekicks today.
Rice Offense
SE 11 Marcus Battle 5-9 180 Jr.
LT 60 Scott Mayhew 6-6 305 Sr.
LG 55 Greg Wilson 6-4 325 Sr.
C 51 CJ Cswaykus 6-4 305 Sr.
RG 71 Cory Laxen 6-3 290 So.
RT 50 Rolf Krueger 6-3 290 So.
TE 89 Joe Don Wood 6-2 240 Jr.
QB 5 Greg Henderson 5-10 200 Sr.
LHB 4 Marcus Rucker 6-0 200 So.
FB 18 Ed Bailey 5-9 215 Sr.
RHB 7 Joe Moore 5-11 215 Sr.
Outlook: Even a bye week could not significantly improve the Owls' health situation. Center Ross Huebel (knee), left guard Micah Meador (shoulder), left halfback Thomas Lott (hip) and backup halfback Quinton Smith (elbow) are not expected to play. Wilson moves from right tackle, Cswaykus and Krueger ascend from the second team, and third-stringer Rucker starts. Battle, the Owls' best deep threat, resumed practicing Thursday after missing two weeks because of a hamstring injury.
But the shakeups will not alter the Owls' flexbone, a triple-option scheme in which the backs align in a wishbone, the tight end serves as a third tackle and, every so often, Battle sneaks past the secondary.
The first option usually is the fullback storming into the gap between the guard and tackle as a ballcarrier, lead blocker to the quarterback or decoy. If Henderson keeps the ball, he can follow the fullback into the heart of the defense, or sprint to the perimeter, where he can turn downfield or pitch to a trailing halfback. Henderson is no pushover; he can power clean 391 pounds (nine short of nose guard Jeremy Calahan's team high).
If defenses move eight or nine players near the line of scrimmage, Henderson will throw play-action passes to Battle or Ben Wiggins, who joined Rice as a hurdler, or screens to the backside halfback. For instance, if the action flows to the right, Rucker, the left halfback, will take a step to the right, pirouette and break into the left flat.
Rice Defense
DE 47 John Syptak 6-2 240 Jr.
DT 92 DeJaun Cooper 6-2 280 So.
NG 90 Jeremy Calahan 6-3 295 Sr.
DE 94 Rob Daniel 6-4 245 Jr.
SLB 27 Omeke Alikor 6-0 215 So.
WLB 48 Adam Herrin 6-1 225 Jr.
ROV 10 Terry Holley 6-2 210 Sr.
BAN 17 Chad Price 5-11 200 So.
CB 8 Lance Byrd 5-11 185 So.
FS 2 Andray Downs 5-9 185 So.
CB 29 Raymorris Barnes 5-8 185 Sr.
Outlook: In his spare time, Holley repairs and races motorcycles. His speedometer hit "145" in a quarter-mile street race in Oklahoma City and "200" on the open road. "It's a pretty good rush," said Holley, who rode his first motorized three-wheeler at age 4. "It helps keep my edge."
That no-limit attitude is symbolic of the Owls' 4-2-5 scheme, which is boosted from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2003 Super Bowl playbook. The Owls try to create chaos up front — the four down linemen storm the backfield off stunts and loops — while creating a safety net in the secondary with the cornerbacks playing five yards off the line of scrimmage and the safety, bandit and rover positioned in a deep zone. Just when opponents smell a trend, Alikor, Herrin or Holley might attack off delayed blitzes. "I kind of roam around," Holley said. "I'm all over the field. I'm more of a roamer than a rover."
Against the other UH — Houston — the Owls amassed nine sacks and were nine seconds away from their first shutout in nine years. Of Houston's 65 offensive plays, 32 went for zero or negative yards.
Rice Specialists
PK 12 Brennan Landry 5-9 185 Jr.
KO 41 Luke Juist 6-1 190 Fr.
P 85 Jared Scruggs 6-3 190 So.
DS 64 Drew Clardy 6-6 270 So.
KR 2 Andray Downs 5-9 185 So.
PR 8 Lance Byrd 5-11 185 So.
Outlook: No other Western Athletic Conference school puts as much special care into the kicking game as Rice. Clardy's only duties are to deep snap, and Steve Kidd is the only full-time WAC coach to work exclusively with the kickers and punters. Landry has converted all but two of his 68 career PATs, and Scruggs, as a freshman last year, was fifth nationally with a punting average of 45.9.
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
