Warriors' Win Boosts Team Confidence

There was one thing that kept Hawaii defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu from racing home Saturday night to watch the pay-per-view replay of the Warriors' 27-21 upset of Nevada.

"I don't have cable," Tuipulotu said. "I'm just a college student."

Instead, he will wait until today's defensive meetings to watch the video of the game.

"It's better to watch it with teammates," he said.

Tuipulotu exemplifies a football team that remains grounded while seeking respect. Even after defeating Nevada, which entered 6-0 and ranked 19th, and even after earning the 29th-most points in yesterday's Associated Press poll, the Warriors still want to be categorized in the underdog breed.

"You can tell (Nevada) underestimated us," Tuipulotu said. "That's what happens when you don't take your opponent seriously. We respect everyone because we know to everyone else -- other teams, the WAC -- they think we suck. We don't take anyone lightly. Every game, for us, is like the USC game."

Cornerback Jeramy Bryant said the Nevada game, during which the Warriors contained quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua, was a "confidence booster."

"It was good to know we could play with teams like that, and not only play with them, but beat them," Bryant said. "It took a few games to show the nation we could be pretty good."

Tuipulotu said the Warriors felt "we had something special" back in spring training in April. In February, Nick Rolovich and Dave Aranda were promoted to offensive and defensive coordinators.

"We worked really hard in the spring," safety Mana Silva said.

Back then, Bryant said, the coaches would show videos of their practices, emphasizing how the schemes would be productive.

"From the spring, we knew we had a special team," Bryant said. "We worked hard, and the coaches kept preaching how we could be good."

Defensively, Aranda said the Warriors' multiple schemes would produce turnovers. But in the first three games, the Warriors had no interceptions.

On Saturday, the Warriors intercepted Kaepernick twice, giving them 10 picks in the past four games.

"Sure enough," Bryant said, "the turnovers started to come. We believed we could do those type of turnovers. We believe in ourselves."

Silva said the goal is to win the WAC title and qualify for a bowl game. The Warriors are atop the WAC with a 3-0 record. At 5-2, they need to win two of their remaining six regular-season games for a winning record and the accompanying berth in the Hawaii Bowl.

"We have to continue to improve overall, and hopefully things will fall into place," Silva said.

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The "Taua of Powa" Runs Over UNLV

It was a big night for Nevada's Vai Taua as the Wolf Pack (5-0) beat UNLV 44-28 and remained undefeated and in the Top 25. The "Taua of Powa" rushed for three touchdowns and caught a pass for a fourth as the Wolf Pack rolled up 516 total yards, 374 on the ground. QB Colin Kaepernick had 97 yards rushing and 124 yards passing with one touchdown in the air and another on the ground.

Most importantly, Kaepernick now has 48 rushing touchdowns and, with eight remaining regular season games, needs only 11 more touchdowns to tie the all-time NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He has already surpassed Tim Tebow's career rushing yardage mark.

UNLV managed only 80 yards on the ground but had nearly 300 yards of total offense as their quarterback Omar Clayton proved to be elusive, accurate, and very fast.

Nevada retained possession of the precious Fremont Canon, the heaviest and most expensive "trophy" in college football.

In a moment of some concern, UNLV player Michael Johnson appeared to have been knocked out briefly after a massive hit by Nevada linebacker James Michael Johnson that forced a fumble. In a remarkable display of courtesy and good sportsmanship, the Nevada player took a knee just yards from the injured UNLV player and just feet from the Rebel bench. Given the intense rivalry between the teams, this display of good sportsmanship was praiseworthy. Fortunately, the UNLV player was not seriously injured and able to return to play.

The Nevada Wolf Pack, keeping pace with the undefeated Boise State Broncos, now moves on to conference play and will face San Jose State in Reno next week. If both Nevada and Boise State remain undefeated, this will set up what would surely be one of the best games of the entire college football season in Reno on November 26.

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