HOUSTON — Adding fuel to what is becoming a heated rivalry, Hawai'i football players said slotback Davone Bess was the target of curse-peppered remarks made by Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley during the Warriors' 45-44 overtime victory Saturday night.

The Warriors said Bess was taunted when he ran across the Louisiana Tech sideline after making a catch.

"I was really surprised, especially for a head coach, somebody with his caliber, to pretty much disrespect me, you know," Bess said. "All I said back was: 'Don't disrespect me. You're a head coach. You don't have to be like that.' "

Some UH teammates overheard the remarks.

"I'm not sure why they have a problem with us," UH quarterback Colt Brennan said.

Bess said the incident happened after "I caught the ball and ended up on that side. He pretty much said a couple of words at me, man. Whatever. I let it go.

"All I said was, 'Don't disrespect me like that.' I didn't curse back at him or nothing. I respect him. He's a head coach. It doesn't bother me. But at the same time, I feel offended, you know. Somebody of his stature ... to disrespect me like that, it was unnecessary."

Hostilities built before the game, when the Warriors performed the haka outside their locker room on top of a grass hill overlooking the field. The Warriors faced their fans sitting in the section on the near sideline.

Louisiana Tech notified the officials of the Warriors' haka, and the Warriors were assessed a 15-yard penalty to start the game.

"I talked to the officials prior to the game, because I know that was a point of emphasis this year," Dooley said. "What the referee told me was that as long as we weren't on the field, they can do the haka.

"I guess we were out there in pregame, and they did it, so that's why they were flagged."

Dooley added: "It's like anything else. It's something that's probably a tradition for Hawai'i, and they don't mean it as a disrespect. But at the same time, it's important to be sensitive to the other team and how they view it. It's like any religious or cultural event you may have. When you go to Japan, a natural custom in the United States may be offensive to the Japanese. I think there certainly should be some sensitivity to that."

UH coach June Jones said the Warriors will continue to do the haka before every game.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL PAYS

Dan Kelly's game-tying, 49-yard field goal against Louisiana Tech was set up before the game even started.

Soon after arriving at the game site, Kelly checked the field and weather conditions.

"You check out where you're going to be kicking off from, you check for any divots in the area," Kelly said. "You basically take a look at the course and see what you're playing with."

It was during warmups that Kelly noticed the wind was blowing from right to left in the north end zone.

Summoned with 1:34 left in regulation and UH training 38-35, Kelly decided to aim for the right upright.

"The wind was taking it to the left during warmups," Kelly said. "It was always fading to the left. I was playing it that way."

But Kelly's kick initially did not break.

"The wind did not take it until the 10-yard line," Kelly recalled. "At the last minute, it went straight up the middle or close to it. I was, thank God, I actually judged it right."

In the judges' opinion, that kick negated his previous two missed field-goal attempts, and Kelly yesterday was named the Western Athletic Conference's Player of the Week for special teams. Brennan was named the WAC's Offensive Player of the Week.

"I'm honored, but I'm still kind of embarrassed by my performance," Kelly said. "Look at my stats. I was 33 percent on field goals. That's not where I want to be ever."

But teammates and coaches praised Kelly for hitting the pressure-filled field goal.

"I'm honored to be given that award," Kelly said. "It's something to hang on the wall and forget about now."

Brennan, who passed for 548 yards and four touchdowns, won the award for the second consecutive week.

"They're so nice to me," Brennan said of the WAC. "I wouldn't mind if they saw some of the receivers on my team and the effort that they play with. Ryan Grice-Mullins had an unbelievable game last week. And so did Davone and Jason (Rivers). They all had great games."

RUSHING TO THE FRONT

After two games, Leon Wright-Jackson is the Warriors' leading rusher.

Jones said the best is yet to come for Wright-Jackson, a third-year sophomore who played for Nebraska as a freshman in 2005.

Jones said Wright-Jackson had played only in the I formation prior to joining the Warriors. In that system, Jones said, "the play is already dictated."

The Warriors' base running play — Tampa, in which the backside guard becomes the lead blocker on the strong side — has a menu of options for the running back.

"It's reading the trap, where you put yourself, see where you're going before it happens," Jones said of the running back's role. "There are some reads and keys he can do."

Jones said that once Wright-Jackson masters the scheme, "he'll be a different speed. It's like the receivers. Until they understand what they're doing, they're not fast, because they're thinking.

"When he gets in space, he's not thinking, and you can see the speed," Jones added. "Right now when we hand him the ball, or he does something, he's thinking and not reacting. Once that light comes on, he'll take it to another level."

Wright-Jackson said: "I'm taking it step by step, learning by practicing. ... I think I can kick it up a notch."

FONOTI TO JOIN SQUAD

Defensive end John Fonoti is set to rejoin the team today in Houston.

Fonoti missed the last game while completing school work. He will rejoin the team in time to play in Saturday's non-conference road game against Nevada-Las Vegas. UH is limited to a 64-player roster for a Western Athletic Conference road game. There are no limits for a non-conference game.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.