Friday, November 20, 1998
Bates makes
Northwestern
hard to catch
The Wildcats' receiver is big,
By Paul Arnett
fast and is sure to give Hawaii's
defense lots of trouble
tomorrow night
Star-BulletinHawaii defensive coordinator Tom Williams realizes D'Wayne Bates is used to drawing a crowd.
But if the Rainbows harbor any hopes of keeping close to the Northwestern receiver, double coverages will be the order of the day in tomorrow's nonconference game at Aloha Stadium.
''We've faced some small speedy receivers this season, but this guy is big and fast,'' Williams said of the 6-foot-3, 211-pounder, who's NFL-bound next season. ''Penn State tried to double-cover him all afternoon and he still went up over the top of their guys to make some spectacular catches.
''The rest of their offense is not as developed because they have a lot of young guys at several different positions like we do. But all their quarterback (Gavin Hoffman) has to do is throw it up and Bates can go get it.''
Bates has been the go-to guy for the Wildcats all season. He has 74 catches for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns. He has tried to help Hoffman, a redshirt quarterback, adjust to Division I football by snagging anything close.
Hoffman has completed 159 of 299 passes for 1,927 yards and 10 scores. He also has thrown 14 interceptions and been on the short end of most of the 40 sacks given up by the young offensive line.
''We have to try to keep that kind of pressure on him, but it's going to be tough,'' Williams said. ''The past couple of games, teams have really kept us from all-out blitzing by lining up in a two tight end set.
''It takes away the obvious blitzing lanes. And we can't afford to blitz too much because we can't match up with our corners on the outside, especially with a guy like Bates roaming around.''
Northwestern isn't much of a rushing team, which could work in Hawaii's favor. Damien Anderson is the leading rusher with 480 yards and four touchdowns, and he doesn't even start. Brian Marshall has assumed that role of late. He is the second-leading rusher with 268 yards.
''Hopefully, we'll do a better job against the run than we have the last couple of weeks,'' Williams said. ''We've got some of our starters back in some key areas, so that could help.''
Chief among them is Phil Austin at free safety, who has been sidelined with a knee injury. Senior Donnell Williams (neck) will go at one corner and Quincy LeJay (shoulder) is feeling well enough to start at the other.
Kamuela Cobb-Adams (ankle) returns at one outside linebacker spot and part-time fullback Derek Zoller is back full-time at inside linebacker. Part of the reason for his move is because Calvin Mims (knee) is well enough to play the last two games.
He has been sidelined since the SMU game, and is not the only starter back for offensive coordinator Don Lindsey. Adrian Klemm (knee) returns at left tackle and Josh Skinner (hamstring) is back at quarterback.
Lindsey is less hopeful for Bronson Liana's (ankle) last-second return, leaving Ricky Lumford as the No. 2 signal-caller behind junior starter Dan Robinson.
Northwestern's defense will be fairly stout no matter who's under center. As erratic as the Wildcats are offensively, they've been much more consistent on the other side of the football.
"I guess the one weakness would be in the secondary,'' Lindsey said. ''They have given up some big plays this year, but the problem is, we haven't made that many in the passing game lately.''
The man Hawaii must watch is left linebacker Barry Gardner. The 6-1, 254-pounder leads the Wildcats in tackles with 164. Ten of those are for losses. He also has one interception and one pass breakup.
''We've got to get him blocked or it's going to be a long night for us,'' Lindsey said.
Defensive tackle Thor Schmidt leads the Wildcats in quarterback sacks with six, but is listed as doubtful with a viral infection. He has played in only eight games this season.
Fellow tackle Jeff Dyra (knee) is also doubtful. He is second on the team in quarterback sacks with four. Like the Rainbows, the Wildcats have suffered some significant injuries on the defensive side of the football.
''I liken them to us in several ways,'' Lindsey said. ''They've had a lot of injuries that have forced some young guys into service. Hopefully, we can find a way to move the football on them. We have some guys back. If they can stay healthy, who knows, we may put something together and give them a run for it.''
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
