Woolsey to start, but must be better, Chow says

With endorsements from coaches and teammates, Hawaii quarterback Ikaika Woolsey is hopeful of fulfilling his football promise in Saturday’s road game against Rice.

Woolsey will make his fifth start of the season despite being pulled in the second half of the past two games.

Coach Norm Chow and Woolsey had a long meeting before Tuesday’s practice.

"He’s got to step up," Chow said. "He understands that. It’s a quarterback-driven business."

Chow said Woolsey has the skills to play better. The Warriors are 100th among FBS teams in total offense, averaging 354.8 yards per game. They did not score a touchdown in their last game, a 21-12 loss to Colorado.

"Of course he can," Chow said of Woolsey’s potential. "He has all the ability and talent."

There were plays when the receivers were thoroughly covered, when there were drops, and when Woolsey underthrew or overthrew open targets. Woolsey has completed 45.9 percent of his passes. He has one touchdown pass and one interception.

"I have to be more consistent when I get on the field and be confident and trust myself," Woolsey said.

Of the inconsistency, Woolsey said: "Honestly, it just happens like that, I guess. It is what it is. It’s frustrating. You come out and you want to be consistent and it doesn’t happen like that. It doesn’t mean you lose confidence in yourself and stop working hard. Every day you have to work hard."

Quarterbacks coach Jordan Wynn said Woolsey "prepares well," adding the third-year sophomore knows the offense, is an elusive runner, and has minimal turnovers.

"He has to make more plays, though, be more productive," Wynn said. "He doesn’t need to do anything out of the ordinary. He needs to get the ball out to the wideouts. That’s how you produce."

Chow said Woolsey needs to shorten his memory.

"He’s young and he needs to learn to overcome adversity," Chow said. "You make one bad throw, you’d better just jump out of it. You can’t let one (bad throw) cause another one. Move to the next play."

Teammates have supported Woolsey.

"We believe in him," tight end Jordan Pu’u-Robinson said. "He’s been the guy."

Receiver Quinton Pedroza said: "We definitely have to keep the confidence, keep the faith."

Woolsey said "it’s great to have people in your corner. You have to keep working hard."

Woolsey added: "At the end of the day, I have to worry about what’s important –that’s my team being successful."