Hawaii Finding Its Rainbows

That season-opening 62-7 loss to USC hardly knocked the wind out of Hawaii.

The Rainbows, whose loss to the Trojans was their 19th in a row, haven’t lost since.

They improved to 3-1 on Saturday when Dan Robinson passed for 304 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-0 victory over Southern Methodist at Dallas--their first Western Athletic Conference road victory in seven years.

“It just was our day,” Hawaii Coach June Jones said. “They had a couple of big plays called back. Some days they call those, some days it’s a touchdown.”

Hawaii hadn’t won a conference game on the mainland since a 41-21 defeat of Texas El Paso in 1992, a string of 15 games. The Rainbows had lost 26 consecutive road games overall, their last previous victory a 58-30 decision at Nevada Las Vegas in 1995. The shutout was their first since a 34-0 defeat of Southeast Missouri in 1994.

SMU, meanwhile, was shut out in consecutive home games for the first time in 39 years. The Mustangs lost three weeks ago to Arkansas, 26-0.

“We just can’t win football games if we have so many mistakes,” SMU Coach Mike Cavan said.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS LAY A GOOSE EGG

Central Florida (0-4) completed the most difficult September schedule in the country without a victory when it lost to 11th-ranked Georgia, 24-23, after kicker Javier Beorlegui’s extra-point attempt deflected off the left upright with 5:21 to play at Athens, Ga.

“This team has had four weeks of frustration,” Coach Mike Kruczek said. “I hope they put it to use in our next five home games.”

The Golden Knights also lost to 13th-ranked Purdue, 10th-ranked Georgia Tech and third-ranked Florida, all on the road.

MICHIGAN STATE’S ‘E’ STREET BAND

Forget the motivational books. Nick Saban can find inspiration in horror movies.

The Michigan State coach said he wants his defensive players to be as relentless as Freddy Krueger, the “Nightmare on Elm Street” character who stalks victims in their dreams.

“You can never go to sleep because he’s going to come get you,” Saban said. “If you’re a good competitor, that’s how you are too. You keep coming back. You don’t get affected by the play before. You play the next play.”

The Spartan defense continued its terrifying play in a 27-10 victory over Illinois at Champaign, Ill., giving up only 42 yards rushing to extend a streak of not giving up a rushing touchdown or more than 55 yards rushing this season.

The 19th-ranked Spartans are 4-0.

ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR 300 CLUB?

Can Brigham Young Coach LaVell Edwards make a run at becoming a 300-game winner?

The 68-year-old Edwards recently signed a five-year contract extension, ending--for now--talk of retirement after the season.

Edwards is 245-92-3 after Saturday night’s 45-40 loss to Virginia at Provo, Utah. BYU could play about 70 games through the 2005 season.

His reasons for staying?

“We have good young players in the program and strong schedules in the coming years,” he said. “The future looks bright for BYU football. I also want to get a number of projects off the ground before I retire, including upgrading some of our football facilities.”

Last year, Joe Paterno of Penn State became the fourth major college coach to win 300 games, joining Bear Bryant (323), Pop Warner (319) and Amos Alonzo Stagg (314).

Bobby Bowden of Florida State is four victories shy of the milestone after a 42-10 rout of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C., and can reach it as early as Oct. 23 when his Seminoles are at Clemson, coached by his son, Tommy.

BEST PLAYER YOU NEVER HEARD OF?

Adrian Peterson rushed for 222 yards and four touchdowns as Georgia Southern overpowered Chattanooga, 49-10, at Statesboro, Ga.

It was the 19th game in a row that Peterson, a sophomore, has rushed for 100 yards or more, one shy of the NCAA Division I-AA record set by Frank Hawkins of Nevada Reno in 1979-80.

Ohio State’s two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin, ran for 100 yards or more in 31 consecutive games, a Division I-A record.

CARRIED AWAY IN CORVALLIS

Three more victories.

That’s the magic number at Oregon State, where the Beavers have raced to a 3-0 start in their quest for the school’s first winning season since 1970.

Everyone in Corvallis is pumped at the prospect, from the players who weren’t even born the last time the Beavers won more games than they lost in a season, to 80-year-old Martin Chaves, an offensive lineman and captain on the Oregon State team that won the 1924 Rose Bowl.

“There’s more enthusiasm around here than there’s been for years,” Chaves said.

Oregon State had the week off to bask in its best start since 1967 before gearing up for its Pacific 10 Conference opener Saturday against USC at the Coliseum.

The Beavers haven’t beaten the Trojans since 1967, a 25-game streak.

“It’s hard to tell where we are,” said Coach Dennis Erickson, fired by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and hired by Oregon State to replace Mike Riley, now coach of the San Diego Chargers. “We haven’t played anyone in the league yet.”

The Beavers opened with victories over Nevada (28-13), Fresno State (46-23) and Georgia Southern (48-41). Not the biggest names in the game, but Nevada lost to Oregon by five points; Fresno State to UCLA by 14; and Georgia Southern is ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA.

SETTING PRIORITIES AT WAKE FOREST

Wake Forest, which averaged only 65 yards rushing last season, ran for 266 yards in 66 carries in a 31-7 upset of 25th-ranked North Carolina State at Winston-Salem, N.C.

“We’re going to make our living running the ball,” Coach Jim Caldwell said. “People say it’s more entertaining to throw the ball. I’m more interested in winning games than being entertaining.”

IVY LEAGUE TRASH TALK

Yale used six quarterbacks, including three in the game’s final series, in a 48-2 victory over Valparaiso at New Haven, Conn.

“There’s no such thing as garbage time on this team,” Coach Jack Siedlecki said.

VOLUNTEERS LEFT SHORT-HANDED

Tennessee kept four redshirt freshmen, including kick returner and NCAA sprint champion Leonard Scott, out of its 17-16 victory over Memphis at Knoxville, Tenn.

Athletic Director Doug Dickey issued a statement just before kickoff saying the university had received “information which, if true, could affect [their] eligibility.” Dickey said an investigation was under way.

MAYBE HE WANTED A FREE LUNCH

A skydiver participating in ceremonies prior to the Hampton-Grambling game at East Rutherford, N.J., landed on the roof of the press box at Giants Stadium but was not seriously injured.

Harold Herzig, 46, of Monmouth Junction, N.J., was one of two skydivers from the Thunderstorm Sky Diving team, which was carrying game balls. One parachutist landed safely on the field, but Herzig landed on top of the South Tower addition.

According to a Meadowlands spokeswoman, Herzig might have suffered a dislocated shoulder and complained of back pain. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center.

--Compiled by Jerry Crowe

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Kansas State’s David Allen moved within one of the punts returned for touchdown record after returning one for a score against Iowa State on Saturday. A look:

Most punt returns for touchdown, career:

* 7--Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, 1970-72

* 7--Jack Mitchell, Oklahoma, 1846-48

* 6--David Allen, Kansas State, 1997-99

Most punt returns for touchdown, season:

* 4--David Allen, Kansas State, 1998

* 4--Quinton Spotwood, Syracuse, 1997

* 4--Tinker Keck, Cincinnati, 1997

* 4--James Henry, Southern Mississippi, 1987

* 4--Golden Richards, Brigham Young, 1971

* 4--Cliff Branch, Colorado, 1971