Going way down yonder to New Orleans
Friday - December 07, 2007
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Del.icio.usThe 2007 University of Hawaii football team managed another improbable comeback last week to cap a regular season that was full of them. It was a fitting finale for a team that seems kissed by destiny.
Even the challenges of this last scheduled game seemed unlikely. Hawaii suffered three first-quarter fumbles - the Warriors don’t run the ball enough to fumble three times in a game. Maybe because we’ve seen this group recover from adversity so often, the crowd seemed unfazed. Surely the Warriors would right the ship and complete a perfect season.
When Hawaii trailed 21-0 going into the second quarter and eventually scored only to watch the Huskies march downfield and increase their lead to 28-7, you started to wonder if the fates could be so cruel to bring the Warriors this close to a BCS game and allow them to slip into the abyss. But after Hawaii managed to close the gap to 28-21 at half-time, everyone in that stadium seemed to believe the Warriors would win.
Blanking the Huskies in the second half and scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds remaining made even the faithless believe. It seems almost impossible that UH is going to the Sugar Bowl to play the Georgia Bulldogs. And I wouldn’t count the Warriors out of that one. Sure Georgia has a greater number of gifted athletes and, yes, they take in approximately $55 million in football revenue compared to $7 million for Hawaii. But the Hawaii players believe in themselves and each other. You almost expect one more miracle from this group.
Colt Brennan deserves to be invited to New York. I believe he’s as good as any collegiate player in the country. Three Heisman candidates played the most important games of their lives last Saturday. West Virginia QB Pat White rushed nine times for 41 yards in a loss to lowly Pittsburgh that knocked the Mountaineers out of the national championship game. Missouri QB Chase Daniel went 23-39 for 219 yards with no touchdowns and a pick in a blowout loss to Oklahoma that took Missouri from No. 1 to out of the BCS. Hawaii QB Colt Brennan went 42-50 for 442 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions to lead his team to an undefeated season. Who’s the big game player in this group?
The PGA’s Q-School is finished. Considered the most grueling six rounds in professional golf, the pressure brings many players to their knees. Not Hawaii’s Parker McLachlin, who finished tied for 11th with a -17 score, granting him full playing privileges for the second straight year. Here’s a prediction: McLachlin will win a PGA Tour event in 2008. He just keeps getting better and better. I can just see it: In three years there will be four Hawaii pros - Dean Wilson, Parker McLachlin, Tadd Fujikawa and Keoki Cotner. That will be an incredible testimonial to Hawaii Junior Golf.
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