How’s this for being sheltered &045; Oren Long knew vaguely of Steve McNair and didn’t know where the standout NFL quarterback went to school.

But Long, a senior at St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the time, just said what the heck. He signed with a tiny school in rural Mississippi anyway, leaving behind life as he knew it to play college football at Alcorn State University.

At that point, however, the chances at playing at the next level seemed dim for the 6-3, 250-pound defensive linemen. So he took a chance.

&uot;Not at all,&uot; Long responded when asked if he had heard of Alcorn. &uot;I knew Steve McNair, and I knew he came from a DI-AA school. They told me to walk on at Utah, and a school in California asked me to walk on. And they’ve dropped football.

&uot;I was really looking for the college experience. Football is just a tool because I saw it an opportunity where I can meet people and maybe play at the next level.&uot;

Long so far has made the most of his chance with the Braves this season just a year removed from high school on the island. He’s started at defensive tackle the last four games and is part of a rotation with other freshmen at the tackle spots that has coaches beaming with smiles at the thought of how good they can be in the future.

Long has played in every game this year, and he’ll likely get the start Saturday when the Braves play at Alabama A&M.;

&uot;He’s a pleasant surprise for us,&uot; Alcorn defensive coordinator LaTraia Jones said. &uot;Oren is a kid that you can tell him what you want to do and how to do it, and that’s what he’s going to do. But I’m impressed by all those freshmen. They came in during the summer and got accustomed to the college life and Alcorn State, and what can you say of that? His dad came out here and stayed two weeks with us.&uot;

Long has become entrenched in Alcorn football in his first season, and he knows he and rest of the defensive front will be under the microscope a bit on Saturday. The Braves have had their struggles at times stopping the run, and it’s come during an odd season in the SWAC where a majority of the teams are sticking with the ground game.

You can bet the opposition is looking at Long and the rest of Alcorn’s defensive tackles as the freshmen they are, but it’s like Alcorn found a gem in Long in the middle of the Pacific Ocean &045; the opposition may find something there, too.

&uot;We have to prove that we’re able stop the run,&uot; Long said. &uot;We’re trying to beef up the middle. We’re trying to shut them down and put them out of their game plan.&uot;

Football in Hawaii

All it took was just someone getting in contact with coaches at Alcorn, and fortunately for the person doing the contacting the person on the receiving end was former Alcorn graduate assistant Eric Garcia.

Garcia, who is half Samoan and hails from Los Angeles, had a pipeline of sorts established while on staff at Division II Mansfield University. So he corresponded with Doris Sullivan with Hawaii Sports Network Foundation to see what kind of talent she had available.

Sullivan’s agency helps set up high school players with interested colleges on the mainland &045; many of whom don’t have the budget to make a recruiting trip to Hawaii.

&uot;They sent a letter coach Coach (Johnny) Thomas, and Coach Thomas gave it to me,&uot; said Garcia, now an assistant at Dodge City (Kansas) Community College. &uot;I recruited kids from St. Louis High School. I spoke to the coaches there and brought a kid out to Pennsylvania. On the island, it’s hard to get around. It’s much different from the West Coast, and most of those kids go to West Coast schools.&uot;

Long, however, came to Alcorn as a package deal, one that may have begun a trend with the school. Long signed with classmates Bronson Carvalho, a 6-3, 290-pound offensive lineman, and Bay Batts Jr., a speedy, 170-pound return specialist.

LaToya Wily, a product of Kahuku High School, will suit up for Alcorn’s Lady Braves basketball. Honolulu Kaiser graduate Michael Heu will play baseball in the spring.

&uot;Exposure is limited in Hawaii if you play for UH,&uot; Long said. &uot;(Hawaii quarterback) Timmy Chang went to my high school. The majority of them looked for bigger and better things on the mainland because they play for bigger schools. And it’s always good to get away from home. Not saying Hawaii is a bad place, but you experience the world.&uot;

Football is a little different in Hawaii, but football is still football. Long’s high school team squared off against national powerhouse De La Salle of California and lost by 10 points.

It helped some recruiters get an idea of what kind of talent is available in Hawaii, and it’s people like Garcia who went out on a limb and found talent.

&uot;There are not that many schools that come to Hawaii and recruit,&uot; Garcia said. &uot;You’re talking about junior college, D2 and D3 schools. I figure it like this &045; you know what, what people don’t go out there and see, I’ll steal. What I-A school does go out there, I’ll take whatever they won’t sign.

&uot;I went in there and said, ‘It’s an opportunity to play in a major conference, and you’re going to get some looks. People think of Hawaii as a dream place, a paradise and everything, but at the same time you’ve got island fever.&uot;

Football at Alcorn

Long arrived at training camp basically alone since his high school teammates were ruled ineligible to play as freshmen.

Fortunately for the freshman, who is at Alcorn on an academic scholarship, he didn’t let that hinder his efforts. There may be a tendency for the three Hawaiians to stick together; Long entered the fray in August in the hopes of getting some playing time.

The Braves had to replace both tackles from last year and originally penciled in freshmen JoJuan Johnson and Robert Browne as the starters, but the Braves have gone with Browne and Long since the Texas Southern game as starters.

&uot;He’s done an outstanding job for us,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;He’s come in and learned the position. He’s very positive, works hard and knows our system. We think he’ll be a pretty good defensive lineman.&uot;

The season hasn’t been a total surprise to him, although nailing down a starting job may have been considered a stretch. But he’s produced with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two quarterback hurries this season.

&uot;They told me when they recruited me I might get some playing time soon,&uot; Long said. &uot;And I just had to fit in. I’ve played every game so far. (The biggest challenge is) getting used to a new system and getting adjusted to the kind of football they play out here. I guess it’s a different speed. I’m not used to it, but I’m finally getting used to it.&uot;

Everything has worked out well this season for the rotation and Long in particular, who may make a name for himself in seasons to come.

He’s also got the support of his everyone at Alcorn along with the guy who recruited him out of high school, who admitted he regretted leaving ASU to find a job before being able to see his recruits.

&uot;They were always worried about what would happen, and I told them they’d be safe and they’d be fine,&uot; Garcia said. &uot;Thank God for Coach Thomas, Coach Jones and the recruiting coordinator. We helped out as much as we could. It helped out a lot.

&uot;I’m excited &045; Oren has surpassed my expectations. I never expected him to start this year. It makes me happy to see my recruits playing, especially starting at defensive tackle.&uot;