Harding does a little bit of everything

Scott Harding’s stint as a punter last year arose primarily out of necessity. In the first game of the new season, his rugby-style kicks provided an effective option in Hawaii’s special teams package.

While eager to contribute again in the punt game if called upon, Harding is also working to help the Rainbow Warriors cut down on the frequency of those appearances.

Harding, a starting slot receiver, turned field position in UH’s favor while handling four of UH’s nine punts last week as the Rainbow Warriors offense struggled to sustain drives against a fast and formidable Southern Cal defense.

The Warriors didn’t reach the end zone until the final minute of a 30-13 loss and will look to sharpen their performance against Oregon State on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.

“We made a lot of mistakes last week, obviously. We worked through that this week and the biggest improvements happen from week one to two,” said Harding, who caught one pass for 10 yards in the opener.

“It’s a big change from camp speed or practice speed to game speed. So hopefully we’ve got that one out of the way and we’re up to scratch on how fast it’s going to be and we can get on the same page and just get into game rhythm a little bit more.”

Harding tapped into his Australian Rules Football skill set as UH’s punter for the first three games last year when Alex Dunnachie’s suspension left a gaping void on the depth chart.

With Dunnachie completing his eligibility, UH special teams coordinator Chris Demarest called on Harding to share the responsibility with junior college transfer Ruben Guzman last week.

Harding averaged 34.7 yards on 15 punts while filling in for Dunnachie last season. Three of his punts last week came near midfield, with placement the greater priority over distance. He helped set up UH’s first score of the season with a well-placed punt.

He rolled out to the side before kicking, and his first punt stopped at the USC 11, with the second rolling to a stop at the Trojans 1. One play later, Art Laurel’s sack in the end zone provided UH’s first points of the season. The offense converted the ensuing free kick into a field goal and UH took a 5-3 lead before the Trojans pulled away later in the second quarter.

“I call field position ‘hidden yardage,’ and a lot of that is taken care of by special teams, punt in particular,” Demarest said. “We had them backed up, in the first half for sure. … That’s huge in the momentum of the game and in field position and he helps us do that.”

Harding’s punts also contributed to limiting USC’s Marqise Lee to 8 return yards. One of the kicks Lee fielded resulted in a fumble the Warriors recovered in Trojans territory. Lee called for a fair catch on Harding’s next punt.

“When you throw a rugby (punt) in and the ball is spinning a different way and bouncing and doing different things, (returners are) not accustomed to practicing that so you try to get that on your side as an advantage,” Demarest said.

On the other end of the process, Harding began his third season as UH’s punt returner by picking up 11 yards on three returns. Offensively, he had seven passes thrown his way, with his lone reception coming on UH’s third possession of the game. One of those attempts was intercepted and Harding and quarterback Taylor Graham couldn’t connect on the other five, including two deep throws.

“We’re all feeling a lot more confident this week,” Harding said of the receivers’ timing with Graham, who went 16-for-41 in his UH debut. “It was obviously off a little bit last week.”

Just as the UH offense hopes to bounce back from a rough Week 1, the Oregon State defense is also looking to atone for a 49-46 loss to Eastern Washington last week. The Beavers forced one punt in 11 defensive series and gave up six touchdowns and three field goals.