2008 Woodie Awards
Silencing the critics
UH Warriors take down Boise State; rise in BCS rankings
David Nishimoto
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: News
| |
| |
| |
|
"It means a lot (to win the WAC title) because that's been our goal, something we've been saying since last year, our WAC chance," said Warrior senior Jacob Patek. "To actually have that dream come true is a great feeling, knowing everybody sacrificed a lot to win this game. We have two more, so we'll just keep going."
The Warriors (11-0, 8-0 WAC) and the Broncos (10-2, 7-1 WAC) have met nine times overall, seven of which have been in Western Athletic Conference play. The Warriors had never beaten Boise State while playing in the same conference until Friday. Boise still leads the series at 6-3 overall.
With a nationally-televised ESPN2 audience Friday, Colt Brennan made a valuable impression on everyone who was watching. The senior quarterback and Heisman hopeful surpassed Ty Detmer's passing touchdowns record and became the new NCAA leader with 126 touchdowns in his three-year career at UH. He also is responsible for a record 140 touchdowns and 850 total points. Brennan broke the records in the first quarter on a touchdown pass to junior Ryan Grice-Mullins.
Brennan also completed 40 of 53 passes for five touchdowns and two interceptions during the game Friday. Fifteen of those completions went to receiver Davone Bess.
The victory not only distinguished Hawai‘i as WAC champion, but it helped the Warriors improve to No. 12 in the BCS poll, which makes them eligible for a BCS bowl game and a much-needed $4-plus million paycheck. If the Warriors can remain unbeaten for one more game and end the season at 12-0, they will most likely remain in the top 12.
As the game neared its close, fans chanted only three letters: "B-C-S." A spot in the Bowl Championship Series would generate national awareness and respect for a Hawai‘i team that has been doubted all season by national critics.
A green-clad crowd at the sold-out Aloha Stadium respected the opponents as they headed to the locker room and later rushed the field to celebrate when the game clock hit zero.
"I'm so happy for the kids in this locker room, they did a real good job," said offensive line coach Dennis McKnight after the game. "The seniors, they have done something that nobody in the history of the team has done - win an outright WAC championship - and their legacy is now set down in stone, and I'm just so happy for those seniors."
Patek summed up his first reaction to the victory in two words: "Praise God." Patek is just one of the many Warriors who have come to rely heavily on their faith this season, as the entire team plays by the motto "believe."
"It feels great (to beat Boise State)," Patek said. "They played great this year, they played great last year. They're a well-disciplined team and to go out and win is a great feeling."
The Warriors hope to stay unbeaten against a decent PAC-10 team, the University of Washington Huskies, who handed Boise State their first loss of the season. The game is sold out again, so those lucky enough to see the Hawai‘i Warriors at Aloha Stadium may be witnessing more history in the making. The game will also be televised nationally on ESPN, giving June Jones and the Warriors another chance to silence the critics.
***NOTE: Log in before posting a comment. Anonymous comments will not be posted.***
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Juliana Romero
posted 11/27/07 @ 11:27 PM HST
Great Story! Great Pictures! Great Upcoming Game on Saturday!
GO WARRIORS!
Dave
posted 11/28/07 @ 8:35 PM HST
Finally the football team gets front page. Considering that the football team at a college is a large part of any college, and our with our amazing success, I think it should have been a front page article a long time ago. (Continued…)
Post a Comment