“It was ugly (against CSU), but the guys know we have a good team and we can still attain our goals” averred Kefense Hynson, UH receivers coach, at today’s Nā Koa Luncheon at Willows.
Coach Hynson saw some good things in the game with receivers Dylan Collie (5 catches – 100 yards), Ammon Barker (8 catches – 93 yards), John Ursua (7 catches – 74 yards, 1 TD), and Keelan Ewaliko (1 catch – 7 yards).
Hynson had high praise for Barker who focused on learning to catch during the off season. Having been a defensive lineman and running back until his junior year in high school, no one ever taught Barker how to catch. Analyses showed him using a basketball sized pocket then slamming his hands together to trap the ball. Coach then demonstrated the proper technique to the Willows crowd with thumbs touching and forefingers forming a pocket, using the other six fingers to catch the front part of the ball that begins to widen. He said a variety of techniques were used to train Barker, including the use of Chinese thumb-cuffs.
Freshman tight end Kade Greely snagged a 30 yard TD toss for his first catch as a Warrior. Greely was pressed into duty along with Kaiwi Chung and Brandon Kipper while Metuisela Unga and Dakota Torres nursed injuries.
Coach sees no difference between wide receivers and slots; they are all receivers. Football is a copycat genre so when the popular NFL slots turn out to be smaller players, everyone thinks that is how it is supposed to work. However, sometimes he may want a bigger guy inside, and if there is a player who can’t get off of press coverage then it is better to play him inside. “I like lateral quickness…the twitchy guys. I also like basketball players because they know how to get open.”
Hynson hopes to get three to four recruits for next year. They have two committed so are looking for at least one more. Especially since they’re losing Isaiah Bernard, Keelan Ewaliko, and Ammon Barker.
There were several recruits at the game and Hynson felt they were excited about a number of things, including being on the front end of the rebuild, and eyeing their chances of coming in and playing pretty quickly!
Coach was asked about tackling, penalties, and wide open receivers during the game.
- “We missed an insane amount of tackles” lamented Hynson, but the better the opponent, the more missed tackles. When you have better athletes in space, then you have lot of misses.
- The biggest consequence of penalties is losing games. Most play on Saturday the same way they practice so they try to ID those players committing fouls in practice especially since there are no refs. It is hard to play those kinds of guys.
- Our DB spaced-out on one play where he was supposed to cover the seam and did not so you could see him slapping his helmet as the receiver sprinted down the field. On another we were in man coverage and the DB bit on the corner while the receiver headed to the post.
As for Nevada, the Wolfpack is a hungry team warned Hynson. They have yet to win, have a new staff, and will want to throw the ball. We can beat them if we are on top of our game.Treyvon Henderson is one of our best players and he will be back next week.
Submitted by Gareth Sakakida
