HONOLULU — Last season June Jones’ run-n-shoot offense drew all the raves during a record-breaking season. Yet “Air Hawaii” hit some major turbulance in the 2000 season opener. Two offensive miscues proved to be the turning point in Hawai’i’s stunning
HONOLULU — Last season June Jones’ run-n-shoot offense drew all the raves
during a record-breaking season.
Yet “Air Hawaii” hit some major
turbulance in the 2000 season opener.
Two offensive miscues proved to be
the turning point in Hawai’i’s stunning 45-20 loss to Division I-AA Portland
State Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.
The Vikings returned a UH fumble
for a touchdown, and took back a UH interception for another score to spark a
string of 25 unanswered points in the first half.
“We shot ourselves in
the foot,” said junior wide receiver Craig Stuzmann, whose fumble led to
Portland State’s first score. “They (PSU) didn’t play spectacular. We just
dropped balls and had some turnovers. With those kind of performances you can’t
win games.”
Early indications pointed toward a smooth flight for Hawai’i.
On their first possession of the season, the Warriors scored in a mere 56
seconds. Nick Rolovich, making his first start for the Warriors, completed his
first four passes of the game, including a 22-yard touchdown strike to an
outstretched Ashley Lelie.
But then things got ugly for UH. PSU got on the
scoreboard thanks to 67-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Rolovich then
threw a costly interception deep in Warrior territory that PSU safety Steve
Morse took home for a 19-yard score.
The two turnovers negated UH’s quick
start and put the team in a funk they couldn’t get out of. Despite Rolovich’s
357 passing yards, the Warriors had trouble sustaining drives and, ultimately,
finding the end zone.
“We just got out of a rhythm,” Rolovich said. “It’s
my job to get us back into that rhythm and it took a little too long to get
back in it.”
Rolovich, who finished with two touchdowns and two
interceptions, completed 28-of-57 passes. The 57 pass attempts tied a school
record set by Dan Robinson last season.
After a rocky start, Warrior head
coach June Jones tried to relieve some of the pressure off the quarterback he
named team starter less than a week before the game.
“He’s got to fight
through what he did,” Jones said. “He did some good things and he did some not
so good things like everybody else — including the coaches.”
There is also
no loss of confidence in the offensive game plan, just a call for crisper
execution.
“Coach Jones said we’re going to do the same things and use the
same techniques,” Stutzmann said. “We’re not going to adjust anything.”
