In recent seasons, the University of Hawai'i football team's defense has been a forgotten entity.

Saturday night, after an otherwise memorable 42-13 victory over UNLV, it was defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville who was the forgotten one.

After speaking at a post-game news conference, Glanville went to the parking lot, only to find a large empty space. The bus, which takes the team back to the UH campus, had left without him.

"I think that means he talked too long," head coach June Jones said.

Glanville said: "That just irks me that I got left behind. The bus leaves when it's loaded, and they weren't going to wait for me. I had to get a guy driving by to get a ride home."

Or Glanville could have waited for the arriving bandwagon.

With his 3-4 blitzing defense producing consecutive positive performances, the struggles of last season — Glanville's first at UH after a 12-year hiatus from coaching — have been erased.

"I knew he would make us better defensively," Jones said. "Jerry has one of the best defensive minds in the game of football. I've seen him do unbelievable things for 25 years. Trust me, there were a lot of things that he had no control over last year. But, no question, he knew how to make us better. There are a lot of (defensive) things that teams copy now, things that Jerry invented."

Against UNLV, Glanville solved the riddle of the trendy spread-option offense, a four-wide scheme that is a hybrid of read-and-react passing and run options.

Hawai'i held the Rebels to 271 yards, an average of 3.6 yards per play. The Rebels entered averaging nearly 400 yards per game.

UH brought up two outside linebackers, creating a five-man front that bracketed UNLV quarterback Rocky Hinds.

Playing on a sprained right knee, Hinds was never an option in the run-option attack. He did not have a legitimate rushing attempt; the three credited rushes were for sacks.

After the game, UNLV coach Mike Sanford praised the quickness and ferocity of the Warriors' defense.

"They're better than most teams in the WAC," Glanville said of the Rebels, who are members of the Mountain West Conference. "I thought their coach was in shock when it was over. He didn't know what the hell we were doing to them. They'll be all right. They'll have a good year."

In reviewing the videotapes of the game, Glanville said, "we've got to fix our errors. We made about six or eight plays your mama wouldn't be proud of. But there's nothing we can't fix."

It would take a time machine to take back one mistake. After UNLV's David Peeples ran 10 yards to the UH 1, two outside linebackers ran off the field in an apparent defensive switch. Thing is, Glanville didn't call for a switch.

With only nine defenders on the field, Peeples easily ran into a vacated area for UNLV's first touchdown.

"I was trying to call timeout, but the referees didn't see it," UH cornerback Kenny Patton said. "Later, (a referee) told me, 'the next time, you have to turn around and tell the referee behind you.' I'm like, 'If I turn around, they'll quick snap it and run right past me.' "

Glanville said: "That (ticked) me off. They thought it was 'jumbo' (a scheme that doesn't employ outside linebackers), but nobody said, 'jumbo.' I tried to call timeout. Timo (Paepule, an inside linebacker) tried to call timeout. Nobody would listen to us."

PATTON GAINING TIME

Although he has not started this season, Patton, a fifth-year senior, has played more than starting cornerbacks C.J. Hawthorne and A.J. Martinez.

When he wasn't injured, Patton was a part-time starting cornerback the previous three seasons. He was moved to wideout in spring practice, but then decided to go back to cornerback for training camp.

Glanville said Patton's new-found aggressiveness has led to extended playing time.

"He's really doing a good job," Glanville said.

Patton credited improved health and a new attitude.

"Coach Glanville wants me to be a hunter," Patton said. "I'm trying to face everything up now. I used to be more concerned about making the tackle. I would be thinking, 'Don't miss the tackle,' instead of killing the guy. Now I want to unload on the guy. I want to get my facemask wherever I can."

Patton, who is an honor student, added: "I had to stop thinking so much and just play football. Instead of thinking about not getting beat, I have to make plays. I had to take the negative out of it and be positive."

Rich Miano, who coaches the defensive backs, said Patton "always had it in him. He was tired of people talking about him not being aggressive. That kind of psychology sometimes makes people want to show that they are tough. Kenny has taken to heart to show he can hit and he can tackle. All of that work in the weight room and all of his karate training and all of that conditioning translated to being a tough football player."

Patton also said he enjoys his new role as a kick returner. His 35-yard return of the opening kickoff set up the Warriors' first scoring drive.

"Kickoff returns are all about blocking, and I had great blocking," Patton said. "The guys up front take so much pride in blocking. And coach (Dennis) McKnight is awesome. He gets us going. When we get in the huddle before a return, he's like, 'This is what we're going to do,' and we're all like, 'Yeah, let's go.' He gets everybody pumped up."

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