Although the Hawaii football team has struggled on the field, it earned another victory in recruiting, this time securing an oral commitment from tight end Josh Long of Riverside Community College.

"I chose Hawaii for a number of reasons, but mainly because I like the coaches and what they’ve done in the past," Long said.

Long said a couple of the Riverside coaches have had longtime ties to some of the UH coaches.

"That helped (in the decision)," Long said. "They shared some good things about Hawaii and the coaches. It helped me get to know (the UH coaches) better."

Long said he is 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds. He said he hopes to enroll at UH in January, which would allow him to participate in the offseason conditioning program and spring training.

"I like the way Hawaii uses the tight ends," Long said.

Long played basketball and football at Norco High School in California. During one of the football practices, a Norco coach noticed Long’s pass-catching abilities.

"They stuck me at receiver for a couple of games," Long recalled. "Then they wanted me to block and catch. Naturally, the tight end position worked out."

Long suffered a broken collarbone during the third game of his senior season. He missed six games, then caught a touchdown pass in his return game. But with dwindling options because of the injury, he enrolled at Riverside.

"I love it here," Long said. "We have a winning mentality at RCC. We lost only one game in two years. We have a hard-working mentality."

Riverside went 11-0 last year and is 7-1 this season.

Bright off team

It appears that receiver Darius Bright is no longer part of the Hawaii football team.

"The guy disappeared on us," Chow said. "He didn’t show up for practice one day. He’s not part of the team anymore, I guess."

Bright, who is nearly 6 feet 5, was a promising prospect at City College of San Francisco who was recruited to be the type of tall, physical receiver who presented mismatch problems for the opposition.

But Bright redshirted in 2010 and was limited because of a one-game suspension and a variety of injuries in 2011. This year, he struggled to a move to tight end and switched back to receiver. He suffered a shoulder injury on a touchdown catch in UH’s second game. He has been used sporadically ever since.

"He’s a young man with unlimited talent," Chow said.

Schroeder still the man

The day after UH’s mistake-filled road loss to Colorado State, Chow said: "We’re going to keep working. I have nothing else to do but keep working. I’m not in any kind of a panic, by any means."

Chow said he remains supportive of quarterback Sean Schroeder, who accepted blame for the loss. He was intercepted three times, with two returned for touchdowns.

"I’m taking responsibility (for the loss)" Chow said. "(Schroeder) took a licking. He took an absolute licking. It wasn’t all his fault, but he’s the one who looks bad."

Schroeder was hit 20 times in 53 pass plays.

Chow said he is not locked into any offensive system. The Warriors used a no-huddle, hurry-up offense against CSU.

Chow said he believes hard work eventually will be reflected in the standings.

"I see the hurt in the kids’ eyes," Chow said. "They get on the plane and they’re sore and tired, and I don’t know what else to do except keep working hard."