On Halloween, the University of Hawaii football team suffered a nightmare on Salt Lake Boulevard.
In a 58-7 loss to Air Force, the Rainbow Warriors could not slow the running game, avoid a fifth consecutive losing season or, even, prevent Norm Chow’s coaching job from being in jeopardy.
Asked about his future, Chow defiantly told reporters: "That (bleep) gets old. Tell me about how we couldn’t stop the run. Tell about what the coverage was. Tell me what we were trying to do to stop their power run."
But there was a cloak of uncertainty following the Warriors’ sixth consecutive loss, which dropped their records to 2-7 overall and 0-5 in the Mountain West Conference with four regular-season games to play. The outcome was the most lop-sided for a conference home defeat in the program’s history.
"This hurt more than any loss has hurt," wideout Quinton Pedroza said.
Asked if the coaches’ jobs were in peril, linebacker Julian Gener said: "I feel my job is in jeopardy after this. We’re all in the same situation. It’s not just Norm Chow and the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, is it? You can’t put this all on one person. Yeah, he’s the face of the program. It’s not all on him. I don’t get why people always talk about ‘Norm Chow, Norm Chow, Norm Chow.’ There’s a lot more that goes on in football than the head coach. It’s very frustrating as a player when you hear all the negativity from everybody. It would be nice to get some support every now and then."
In the silence of the locker room, quarterback Max Wittek said contract decisions are "not up to us. That decision-making is in a higher place. We’re going to continue to play our hearts out for everyone in (the locker room) — the coaching staff, players, whoever it is. That’s what we’re going to continue to do."
Wittek said Chow was a "huge factor" in his decision to transfer from USC in August 2014.
"I respect the heck out of him," Wittek said.
Of this game, Wittek added: "Sometimes the cookie doesn’t crumble your way."
For the Warriors, it unraveled early. The Falcons went 90 yards in 15 plays to take the lead, with Jacobi Owens covering the final yard. Owens had moved from running back to fullback as an injury replacement last week.
"He’s adapted to that role," quarterback Karson Roberts said. "He’s a tailback playing fullback. He’s doing a good job."
On the Falcons’ next possession, Roberts took off on a keeper, appeared to be tackled but then kept running for a 33-yard gain to the UH 11.
"I think I landed on top of someone," Roberts insisted on why the play was not dead. "I’m not sure if I actually did, so I kept running."
Television replays showed that Roberts actually was down. But he had hurried to the 11, and took the snap before review could be called. Owens rushed 11 yards for a touchdown and 14-0 lead.
Owens rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Backup tailback Timothy McVey contributed 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Benton Washington, Aurbrey Duty-Tyson and Roberts each added a touchdown for the Falcons, who rolled up 496 rushing yards. The Falcons entered with the third-best rushing attack among FBS teams.
Chow said the Warriors prepared for the triple-option, in which Roberts hands off on a dive, keeps the football, or pitches to a trailing back. But Chow said the Falcons blocked out defenders, then cut inside on power runs.
"They ran a 50 defense," Roberts said of the Warriors’ five-man front. "We’ve been repping that a lot (in practice). It’s similar to what our defense does. We were prepared throughout the week. We were ready to go."
As the Falcons’ lead widened, the Warriors were forced into more predictable passing situations. Wittek was 10 of 26 for 123 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked two times.
"Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not," Wittek said. "Those guys are on scholarship, too. They’re going to make plays. at some point, we’ve got to eliminate (them). … We had a lot of opportunities to make plays, we just have to make them."
The Warriors dropped two deep passes behind the Falcons’ secondary. Wittek also overthrew wide-open receivers. Pedroza caught a 43-yard pass, then was stripped of the football. Mel Davis lost another fumble. The Warriors appeared to have forced a fumble on a punt, but replays showed the returner’s knee was down.
"When it rains, it pours," Wittek said.
UH linebackers Lance Williams and Gener were witnessed in a heated sideline exchange involving shoving during the game.
"It’s just brotherly love," Gener said. "That’s all it was. We were talking about something, and it got out of hand. Tempers were flying. But I’ve got nothing but love for Lance. He’s a captain. I feel I’m a captain myself even though I don’t have the ‘C’ on my chest. He’s my brother."
Williams said: "It was the frustration coming in. It’s all brotherly love. We had to get something fixed. He’s my dog. I love Julian."
Collie said the Warriors will continue to play hard the remainder of the season.
"We have to stick together because there are four games left," Collie said. "We either can be extremely embarrassed and go out and get our rear end handed to us for the next four weeks or we can make something out of it and play and fight for the next four week and win some games."
FIRST PERIOD
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Jacobi Owens 2 run. Luke Strebel kick.
>> Drive: 15 plays, 90 yards, 6:22 elapsed time. Time: 6:50. Score: Air Force 7, Hawaii 0
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Owens 11 run. Strebel kick.
>> Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:30 elapsed time. Time: 3:39. Score: Air Force 14, Hawaii 0
SECOND PERIOD
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Karson Roberts 1 run. Strebel kick.
>> Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:51 elapsed time. Time: 9:07. Score: Air Force 21, Hawaii 0
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Strebel 40-yard field goal.
>> Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:06 elapsed time. Time: 6:56. Score: Air Force 24, Hawaii 0
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Benton Washington 1 run. Strebel kick.
>> Drive: 9 plays, 91 yards, 3:47 elapsed time. Time: 1:03. Score: Air Force 31, Hawaii 0
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Strebel 36-yard field goal.
>> Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 0:36 elapsed time. Time: 0:00. Score: Air Force 34, Hawaii 0
THIRD PERIOD
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Strebel 44-yard field goal.
>> Drive: 12 plays, 48 yards, 7:34 elapsed time. Time: 4:51. Score: Air Force 37, Hawaii 0
FOURTH PERIOD
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Aubrey Duty-Tyson 1 run. Matthew Philichi kick.
>> Drive: 12 plays, 42 yards, 7:22 elapsed time. Time: 11:53. Score: Air Force 44, Hawaii 0
AIR FORCE
>> Score: Timothy McVey 5 run. Philichi kick.
>> Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 4:02 elapsed time. Time: 6:10. Score: Air Force 51, Hawaii 0
HAWAII
>> Score: Keelan Ewaliko 98-yard kickoff return.
