When Hawaii football player Tank Hopkins picked up Louisiana Tech’s fumbled kickoff return and raced 16 yards for his first NCAA touchdown, his mother was speechless.
Actually, Ollie Mae Brooks had lost her voice earlier in the game cheering for her son. She tried to express her happiness before giving up.
"She always loses her voice," Hopkins said. "But I know what she’s thinking."
Hopkins has had an uneven UH career since transferring from Navarro College in 2009. He suffered a pelvic injury that abbreviated his 2009 season and kept him from playing in 2010.
In UH’s first three games, good plays have been offset by not-so-good plays. He played well against UC Davis last week.
Hopkins said he remains hopeful because of his family.
"I keep the family first," Hopkins said. "I talk to them every day. Everybody gives me encouragement. My dad talks about football. My mom wants me to be safe."
Despite a full-time job as the boundary cornerback, Hopkins volunteered to be on two special teams. On kickoffs, he is the gunner, in charge of forcing the returner into the wave of tacklers. Saturday night, he noticed that the Bulldogs’ hot-potato exchange broke down, with the football on the turf.
"I picked it, saw the open field, and ran," Hopkins said.
Safety John Hardy-Tuliau said: "They weren’t going to catch him. Tank is fast."
Hopkins is capable of running 10 yards in 1.6 seconds.
"I’m happy for Tank," UH head coach Greg McMackin said. "He does a lot of good things for us."
After the game, Hopkins was surrounded by family members who traveled from Texas.
"He did a good job," said his father, Melvin Brooks. "It’s a recovery for him."
It was one of the few times the family has seen Hopkins play in person. They subscribe to a sports package that can pick up many of the UH games.
Of his son’s unique nickname, Melvin Brooks said: "My wife gave him that. He used to run around and hit things. That’s why he’s ‘Tank.’ "
Long delay for nothing
On third and 1 from its 22 in the second quarter, UH ran a running play. But the play did not count because head coach Greg McMackin called a timeout just before the snap.
The Warriors were unsuccessful on the ensuing third-down play, then punted.
But the replay official in the loge level did not note the non-counting third-down play. The replay official believed the Warriors had exhausted four downs before punting.
After 14 minutes of debating, the Bulldogs were awarded possession on the UH 22. After McMackin argued vehemently, that ruling was overruled. It then was decided the timeout meant UH had punted on fourth down, and LaTech got the ball at their 36.
"They showed a video clip of the third-down play," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "(The Bulldogs) stopped the run, but you could see the sideline (judge) at the very top (of the screen), coming onto the field, and calling the timeout. You could see it was a timeout for Hawaii."
