Warrior Beat

SYDNEY — While the Warriors departed for Honolulu five hours after the end of yesterday’s game, the Golden Bears, with a bye next weekend, were able to enjoy an extra night in Australia. And that was a good thing for Hawaii. Huh? In past years, UH opponents have griped about the difficulty in playing the week following a game in Hawaii. Traveling eastward, it has been noted, causes a loss of preparation time for the next game. That argument then […]

Linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams, safety Daniel Lewis and tight end Tui Unga won’t play today because of disciplinary reasons, according to a UH official UH would not disclose what led to the disciplinary action or whether the three players are in Sydney. Nick Rolovich is expected to address the situation after today’s game, the UH official said. * * * * * Is this an omen? The Warriors had a lively no-pad practice yesterday ahead of today’s opener. * * * […]

In the 1980s, Mark Nua was a big deal — mostly because he was, well, really big. Even by today’s super-sized standards, his playing frame of 6-6 and 353 pounds would be considered larger-than-life. Nua has lost a lot of pounds since his UH playing days, but his stature remains large and important to the program. As a Samoan who was raised in New Zealand, Nua was a trailblazer in UH’s diversification. Plus, he could knock the hanabata out of […]

Apparently, Christmas comes more than once a year. A week after awarding a football scholarship to long-snapper Brodie Nakama, Nick Rolovich gave another one to running back Ryan Tuiasoa. “He’s proven he takes academics seriously,” Rolovich said. “I think he’s a wonderful teammate. He’s going to have a significant role on special teams. We like to reward guys. He’s earned it.” This time, Rolovich had assistance from koalas. During the outing at the zoo, a package, supposedly from koalas, was […]

SYDNEY — Australian-raised players Stan Gaudion and Ben Scruton have been accepted into UH and are now official members of the Warriors. They will be accompanying the Warriors back to Honolulu this weekend. Gaudion is a punter. Scruton is listed as an “athlete.” * * * * * It’s a pretty interesting setup The Warriors are staying in a hotel that is about a block away from the Sydney Olympic Stadium. From our hotel room, there’s a view of the […]

The Warriors arrived, safe and sound, in Australia. The first event will be a visit to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. We’ll be traveling so the next post will be maybe Monday night or Tuesday morning.

The Warriors had a 30-minute, walk-through session this morning ahead of this afternoon’s scheduled departure to Australia. The NCAA granted Sydney-raised Max Hendrie a waiver allowing him to travel with the team. He still is awaiting eligibility clearance to play this season.

For his 10th birthday, Jacob Johnson wanted to hang out and play football with some of his heroes. Jacob was able to participate in scout drills. He also called the special pass play, a recreation of the Rolovich-to-Lelie TD that beat Fresno State in 2001. Jacob is a tough kid. He underwent 25 spinal taps and years of chemotherapy to conquer leukemia. Jacob, who had to learn to walk again because the ailment weakened his bones, now plays for the […]