By Dave Reardon

This is the same award that Warriors GA Brian Kajiyama has been nominated for …

This from the Football Writers Association of America web site:
DALLAS (FWAA) – Oregon State’s Danny Langsdorf has been nominated for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, to be announced at the end of the 2007 season. Langsdorf, Oregon State’s offensive coordinator, donated a kidney last summer to Laurie Cavanaugh, the wife of Oregon State offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh.
Laurie Cavanaugh’s family has a history of kidney disease. Her kidney function was operating at 10 percent capacity when the operation occurred. The Cavanaugh family had been looking for a donor match for more than a year when Langsdorf suggested he should be tested. When he learned he was a match, Langsdorf volunteered one of his kidneys.

“It’s incredible what Danny has done,” Mike Cavanaugh told the Portland Tribune. “You talk about a miracle gift – sacrificing to save somebody’s life. All the things you talk about in coaching about how we’re a family … how much better a family can you get than that?”

Said Oregon State coach Mike Riley: “This whole thing is a good description of the kind of guy Danny Langsdorf is. What he did is bigger than all the stuff we do as coaches.”

For the second straight year, the Football Writers Association of America and the FedEx Orange Bowl will announce a weekly nominee each Wednesday during the season. A blue-ribbon panel will determine the winner from all of the nominees. The winner of the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award will be announced in December and be presented with the trophy.

The Courage Award was created by ESPN The Magazine’s senior writer Gene Wojciechowski, also a FWAA member. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship.

Previous winners of the FWAA’s Courage Award are Clemson’s Ray Ray McElrathbey (2006), the Tulane football team (2005), Memphis’ Haracio Colen (2004), San Jose State’s Neil Parry (2003) and Toledo’s William Bratton (2002).

By Dave Reardon

>> Ryan Mouton’s knee looks fine … he just elevated to intercept a pass against the scout team.

>> If Colt Brennan is rusty, it wasn’t evident on the last play. He slipped one in between two defenders into the hands of Ryan Grice-Mullins.

>> June Jones on Colt Brennan after practice today: “He’s probably six or seven out of 10 but he’ll play.

>>Blaze Soares, Ryan Keomaka and Erik Robinson are slated to make their first road trips of the season.

By Dave Reardon

Tuesday a.m. practice report comes from Brian McInnis (I had a court matter to take care of — and I WON!).

>> CB/KR Ryan Mouton got his MRI back, and he’s cleared to play. His left knee is still a little sore, but he practiced at full speed today and DC Greg McMackin said RM will make the trip and his regular contribution is expected, meaning he’ll rotate in at both corners and return kickoffs. Mouton has a touchdown in each of the past two games, one on an INT return, the other on a kickoff return.

>> S Le’Marcus Gibson is trying to keep a positive attittude about redshirting because of the knee injury. He has a torn meniscus in left knee.

>>QB Colt Brennan did not participate in conditioning warmups and was noticably favoring his right ankle. But he did some jogging around and took reps with the first team. Graunke is back to No. 2 and Funaki to No. 3.

>> Jason Rivers (back strain) mostly observed, but he did don his helmet and catch a few balls before taking the gear off for good early in the session.

More from BMac in tomorrow’s Star-Bulletin

By Dave Reardon

Every now and then we’ll try to give you a view of Hawaii football from the continent. Here are some thoughts from Ted Lewis, college football writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Since we usually take a December trip to the campus of the Sugar Bowl teams to do some advance story work, I would love to see the Warriors in the Sugar Bowl.
But I think it’s going to take some work. While the poll voters seem to love Hawaii, even to the point of ignoring a one-point overtime victory against Louisiana Tech, I can’t see the Warriors getting the same kind of respect from the computers.
That’s going to make cracking the top 12 difficult.
It’s just so hard to judge this team. The WAC has such a poor non-conference record and Washington didn’t do you any favors by losing to UCLA.
Still, just know we’re pulling for you.

By Cindy Luis

Game on 1420. Hawaii has early lead at 8-4. hawaii starters the same as at LaTech. Sanders, Kaufman, Hittle, Brandt, Cubi-Otineru, Houston, Ka’aihue.

By Cindy Luis

First for Hawaii this season

Hawaii left side Jamie Houston has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 17-23. This is the fourth career WAC Player of the Week honor for the junior, and her first for the 2007 season.

The Huntsville, Ala., (Huntsville) native, came up big on the road, leading the Rainbow Wahine in kills with 22 at Louisiana Tech and 29 at No. 25 New Mexico State, also posting four blocks in each match. In the match against the Lady Techsters in Ruston she put way the final five points of the match with five kills on just nine swings. Houston is averaging 5.04 kills, 2.42 digs and 0.79 blocks per game on the season. She now totals 1,230 career kills for the Rainbow Wahine, and is just two short of emerging the UH career top 10 list. The Rainbow Wahine fought off six match points to win a thriller over the No. 25 New Mexico State Aggies, improving their record to 10-3 overall 4-0 in the WAC.

By Jason Kaneshiro

A few items from June Jones’ weekly press conference:

>> While Colt Brennan is headed toward a return to action this week, Jones said he’s planning on receiver Jason Rivers not being available for Saturday’s game at Idaho. Rivers missed most of last week with a bad back, played some in the first half against Charleston Southern but sat out the second half. Malcolm Lane started in his place.

>> He said cornerback/kick returner Ryan Mouton was walking around today after hurting his knee on Saturday. Jones said the injury appears to be minor but Mouton will have an MRI taken just to be sure.

>> Jones was pleased overall with the performances of Tyler Graunke in place of Brennan and running back Kealoha Pilares. “This past week he looked like he did in high school,” Jones said of Pilares’ elusiveness.

>> The team had just a quick conditioning session this morning. Brennan watched from the side as the team did its running, giving his sprained ankle another day of rest. He said the ankle is still not 100 percent, but he will practice this week and be back for Saturday’s game at Idaho.

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Hawaii went without a Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week honoree for the first time this season. This week’s awards all came out of San Jose State’s 23-20 win at Utah State — SJSU quarterback Adam Tafralis, safety Jonathan Harris and Utah State kick returner Kevin Robinson.
UH’s nominees were receiver C.J. Hawthorne, linebacker Adam Leonard and Mouton on special teams.

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Just a quick reminder about Wednesday’s fundraiser for former UH basketball player Janevia Taylor. It’ll be held at Eastside Grill starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 with proceeds going toward Taylor’s medical fund. For more call the UH women’s basketball office at 956-8185.

By Dave Reardon

Friends at ESPN tell Paul Arnett that Colt Brennan will be on the cover of the Oct. 8 issue of ESPN the Magazine.

By the way, did someone photoshop a morph of Colt and George Clooney???

By Cindy Luis

The Hawaii women’s volleyball remained No. 13 in today’s CSTV/AVCA Coaches Division I Top 25.
The Rainbow Wahine (10-3, 4-0 WAC) conclude their three-match road trip today at San Jose State.
The top nine teams remained the same, led by No. 1 Nebraska (10-0) which received 55 of the 60 first-place votes. Stanford (12-0), receiving the remaining votes, was second followed by Penn State (10-2), USC (12-0) and UCLA (12-1).
Complete poll at:
http://www.avca.org/collegiate/dipoll/DIPoll9-24-07.pdf

By Dave Reardon

That’s the one — along with the coaches’ poll — that matters for the BCS.
***
The Warriors moved up to No. 17 from No. 18 in the coaches’ poll and remained at No. 19 in the Associated Press poll after last night’s 66-10 victory over Charleston Southern.
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UH nominated C.J. Hawthorne, Adam Leonard and Ryan Mouton for WAC offense, defense and special teams players of the week

Hawthorne caught two TD passes, Leonard picked off a pass and took it for 36 yards and a TD, right after Mouton returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a score. UH has five defense and special teams TDs in four games this season.