FRESNO, Calif. » Well, there was one benefit to leading the nation in punts this season for Scott Harding.
With the lights dimming in Bulldog Stadium and his remarkable University of Hawaii career having ended with the Rainbow Warriors’ 28-21 loss to Fresno State, Harding knows what his legacy will be.
"I think I proved that the rugby style of punting works," Harding said.
He said he just wishes he hadn’t been called upon to demonstrate it a UH-record 86 times this season. Five punts against the Bulldogs — all in a scoreless UH first half — allowed Harding to pass Chad Shrout’s mark of 82 set in the 0-12 season of 1998.
Harding’s second quarter touchback was only his second in those 86 punts.
"There’s a bit of a catch-22 to having that record, I suppose," Harding said. "It is kind of bittersweet. It was nice to get the publicity for rugby style, but it also meant we weren’t moving the ball that well."
The Bulldogs returned only one of those punts — for minus-1 yard — proof positive again that rugby punts executed with precision can be a formidable asset.
"He’s a weapon," said Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter, who said he plans to canvas Harding’s native Australia for his own punter. "(He) absolutely drives you nuts. I mean, he’s a weapon. He’s a receiver, so you know how athletic he is. And he can drive the ball anywhere on the field, right or left."
DeRuyter said, "We’ll go recruit there at some point. We’ll start getting our lines in the water and see what’s out there."
He said he plans to ask his new athletic director for a budget appropriation to allow the Bulldogs to begin recruiting Down Under. Failing that, he said he’ll ask the women’s softball coach, who also recruits Australia, "to bring back some tape."
Be assured Fresno State will not be alone among UH opponents from the past three years.
Harding said, "I think a lot of college coaches will be going there now. I know, after what we’ve established at Hawaii with Coach Demo’s (Chris Demarest’s) schemes, Hawaii will be down there looking for somebody to replace me. I plan to help them anyway that I can."
As for his future, Harding said, "I plan on giving my body a rest for a while. I’m a little sore and beat up. I’ve been playing with a foot injury the last couple of games."
Then, Harding said, "I’ll rest until January and then start working out and getting ready for some of the pro days."
"He’ll definitely be missed," head coach Norm Chow said. "I don’t know how you replace a Scott Harding."
