Injuries can turn a season sideways

If you can bear to remember, the most impactful turning point of the University of Hawaii football team’s season last year occurred during its 54-2 victory over Lamar.

In the team’s second game, starting defensive tackle Moses Samia was injured for the year, and UH immediately went on an eight-game losing streak and finished 3-9.

This obviously wasn’t the only reason for the Warriors’ demise. There were plenty. But it was the first in a run of injuries on the defensive front that UH could not afford, especially in a transition season where the defense was expected to hold on while the offense developed.

That plan went by the wayside quickly, as Nevada’s Stefphon Jefferson pounded the spot Samia would have been in and rushed for an NCAA-record seven touchdowns the next week. Things didn’t get better for UH for months.

Would a healthier defensive front have meant a better record in 2012? Maybe not. But the games would have certainly been closer than 69-24, 47-0 and 52-14 — the three losses immediately after Samia tore his ACL. Nevada, BYU and San Diego State rolled over the Warriors and Hawaii defensive linemen were injured along the way.

Defensive tackles are the most important players in football besides quarterbacks, some would even say more. Three-hundred pound men who can stand their ground at the line of scrimmage against others the same size or bigger are a rare commodity.

UH found a very good one in Kennedy Tulimasealii, a freshman from Waianae with supreme quickness to go with his size and natural strength.

But now the prize recruit is out before the season has even started, injured in practice drills Tuesday. A torn MCL is feared, meaning Tulimasealii could be out for up to two months, depending on the severity of the injury and his ability to rehab it.

Even if he does come back to play this season, Tulimasealii will likely not be able to perform at his full effectiveness. His transition from high school football, where he dominated, to the college game will be more difficult.

Not that he won’t be able to contribute in a positive manner, but rehabbing the knee will definitely slow his progress. Now we probably won’t know how good Tulimasealii can be until at least next year.

He wasn’t projected to start, but starting is overrated for defensive linemen since they rotate in and out so much. Tulimasealii was definitely slated for heavy duty and this injury hurts the team’s chances immeasurably.

Injuries are inevitable in football, but this is one Hawaii can ill afford, for tangible and intangible reasons. More than any other player, Tulimasealii embodies coach Norm Chow’s commitment to local recruiting and keeping the best players home; his stock rose late in the recruiting cycle, and UH held off some Pac-12 schools as Tulimasealii honored his pledge.

Hopefully for UH this does not signal a run of injuries at defensive tackle like the Warriors suffered last fall. Losing even just Tulimasealii for any length of time is bad enough.

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.