RENO, Nev. » Diocemy Saint Juste of Palm Beach County, Fla., and the University of Hawaii stood shivering in the cold of Mackay Stadium.
"I’m not used to this weather," said the Rainbow Warriors’ true freshman running back. "I don’t know about the rest of the team, but I’m not used to it, and it’s taking me time to adjust to it."
But he is getting used to college football, as evidenced by his 82 yards on 12 carries in his first extended action.
The breakout effort in his third game as a collegian went for naught as UH fell 31-9 to Nevada in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.
It did, however, give the Warriors some hope for the future. So did fellow freshman Steve Lakalaka’s 42 yards in nine carries when Saint Juste left the game with an injury that isn’t expected to keep him out of Saturday’s game against Fresno State.
"Someone stepped on my hamstring," he said. "It got tight and sore."
Before that, he was putting a hurting on the Wolf Pack while UH was still in the game, with third-down runs of 19 and 14 yards to keep first-quarter drives alive.
He also blasted for a 41-yard run late in the second quarter that set up Hawaii’s only touchdown of the game.
Though the running game didn’t generate much after the break, Hawaii did total 133 yards — compared to 92 combined in the season’s first two games against USC and Oregon State.
"The holes were opening up, I was able to read the defense pretty well," Saint Juste said. "I’m able to pick up what the linebackers are going to do."
Not bad for a guy who had just 2 yards on three carries in UH’s first two games.
"He’s a little guy, but he runs hard," center Ben Clarke said of the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Saint Juste. "It was fun blocking for him."
Hawaii’s depth at running back was severely tested as sophomore Joey Iosefa, playing his first game after hurting a foot in the preseason, reaggravated the injury and left early.
"During practice I was told to be ready in case something happens, so I had it in my mind to do the best I could do," Saint Juste said. "He’s thunder and I’m lightning."
But he does know there’s plenty of room for improvement despite any personal success, especially after yet another loss.
"I’m not the best at pass protection and I need to study the books more," he said. "A couple times I made some errors, so I need to get in the books more."
As for UH’s 0-3 record and bouncing back from losing the first conference game, Saint Juste said all the Rainbow Warriors can do is work harder.
"That’s the game of football. You just have to fight through it."
