Sidelines Kalani Simpson

Hawaii heats up as season wears on

(Oh, like you've never tried that one.)

This is ridiculous. These guys are playing Roloball. That's right, I said it. Roloball. With one difference -- defense. Glanvilleball.

They're so hot, if you find any typos it's because I looked directly at it, instead of using one of those eclipse-watching things. (My corneas!)

Hawaii opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown -- 100 yards!

They're so hot the special teams guys are stars now, sticking people, earning aaaahhhs!, all but taking bows after plays. The kickoff team is so hot kicker Dan Kelly is out there talking trash, too.

UH was so hot Idaho can have the play snuffed out -- stuffing a would-be shovel to Nate Ilaoa -- only to see Colt Brennan pull the ball back, and gallop for 23 yards. (They're so hot Brennan comes out of the game because he's tired from all that running, and Tyler Graunke goes in to complete two straight -- the second a 20-yard pass to Ryan Grice-Mullins, which causes assistant coach Dennis McKnight to sprint 20 yards onto the field for a high five.)

Hawaii is so hot you have to wear SPF 30 if you sit in the front row.

How hot?

"If I knew what was going on it wouldn't have happened," Dennis Erickson said.

They're so hot Hawaii's Jacob Patek comes up with what has to be the best Hawaii hit in the last five years -- knocking Idaho quarterback Steven Wichman out of the game with a ball-loosening katoosh on fourth down. Jacob Patek. "Have you seen that guy up close?" someone says. Not a big guy, is that what you're saying? "He looks like John Cusack," the guy says.

Lloyd Dobler?

Hoops McCann is knocking people out?

This really is a team in a zone.

"It's just," Patek tried to explain, "when you see the quarterback, something clicks in your head: 'That's the quarterback.' "

Yeah. We know what he means.

"Hits like that, I just thank God for it," Patek said.

That sums it up just right.

That's how hot these guys are, offense, defense, God bless us, every one.

Adam Leonard arrives, no other word for it. There hasn't been anybody who has had this much impact coming through a door since Kramer went off the air.

Mel Purcell played like an avalanche -- downhill, and gathering.

Good grief, this defense smells blood when it gets a lead.

Jerry Glanville has talked about this, about being able to attack when you're ahead. Last night, Ross Dickerson scored a 100-yard touchdown on the very first play of the game. That's ahead.

How hot is Hawaii? Idaho came in with a great game plan -- gone. Showed up ready to play -- had their hearts handed to them. Held Great Nate Ilaoa relatively in check -- lost 68-10.

"We executed well." June Jones said.

Uh, yeah.

"Everything they did was right," Erickson said.

How did this game go? UH punter Kurt Milne said it best.

"It was nice to get A punt," he said.