Hawaii expecting a shootout with Nevada

Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002 | 8:34 a.m.

HONOLULU AP) - Having been an NFL quarterback and coach, June Jones knows a good passing game when he sees one. The Hawaii coach expects to see one of the best when Nevada visits Aloha Stadium on Saturday.

"Their quarterback looks to be the premier player and they got the top receivers in the conference, so we got our hands full," Jones said. "You probably won't stop them. You've got to score more points than they do and not turn the ball over."

With a season-ending injury to standout running back Chance Kretschmer, the Wolf Pack (2-3, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference) have turned to the passing game led by two seniors - quarterback Zack Threadgill and receiver Nate Burleson.

Burleson leads the nation in receptions (10.6 per game) and is fourth in receiving yards (136.4). Threadgill has passed for an average of 366 yards in his last four games and leads the WAC in total offense.

"One of the real keys for us (against Hawaii) is to be more balanced," Nevada coach Chris Tormey said. "Without Chance Kretschmer and the injuries we had on the offensive line, we've had to go more to the passing attack. That's still going to be a big part of what we do, but we need to improve in the rushing aspect of our game plan."

Kretschmer had 162 yards rushing in Nevada's 28-20 win over Hawaii last season, including 136 yards in the second half. With him sidelined, Hawaii will focus on disrupting Threadgill.

"We have to get to him," Jones said.

But Hawaii's defense has been plagued by inconsistency. The Warriors (3-2, 2 (1)- have given up an average 17 points in their three wins compared with an average of 46 points in their two losses, including a 58-31 loss to Boise State last week.

"We know what we can do," Warriors linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said. "We've seen how good we can play and we've seen us at our worst. We have a lot to prove and we're hungry."

After five games, Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang is still trying to find his rhythm. He was hampered earlier in the season with a fractured pinky finger on his throwing hand.

"We can't have a game where just the defense or offense has a good game," he said. "We need to play offense, defense and special teams good together, and we have yet to do that."

The Wolf Pack kept constant pressure on Chang last year, sacking him six times.

Hawaii, the top offensive team in the WAC, may be without its leading rusher. Mike Bass is questionable for the game because of a sprained right knee. Receiver Nate Ilaoa has been sidelined with a dislocated shoulder.

Nevada has already had its share of tough opponents this season - Washington State, Brigham Young and Colorado State - and it's expecting another battle against Hawaii.

"Hawaii has a very good football team, they won nine games last year and they appear to be improved this year ... so it's going to be a huge challenge for us," Tormey said.