Football and Hawaii are all Rolovich needs

Has it really been 10 years since Nick Rolovich’s autumn of glory?

As a senior quarterback at the University of Hawaii, Rolovich and the run-and-shoot were unstoppable at the end of the 2001 season. He threw 20 touchdown passes in his last three games. Especially since eight of them were in a 72-45 plastering of BYU to close out his UH career, Rolovich became a Hawaii sports hero forever — at a time when we weren’t supposed to call athletes heroes, but in some ways needed them more than ever. He comes from a family of firefighters, and once told me that’s what he’d probably be now if it weren’t for football.

Football, and Hawaii.

If someone said to young Rolo he’d be the offensive coordinator at UH a decade later, he would’ve said that’s cool.

“I’d have been very happy. And I would’ve believed it. I knew I couldn’t leave football and I had developed a love for Hawaii.”

He said that while taking a break Tuesday from preparations as the Warriors open camp Thursday. The 12-hour days this week are about fine-tuning details, especially in the playbook. It leaves little time for his wife and young children, which he finds regrettable. But he’s patriarch of another family … the more than 50 young men who wear the white jerseys at practice.

“Yeah, it’s getting closer to them being sons (in age),” said Rolovich, now 32 and heading into his third year as quarterbacks coach and second as OC. “It started out like younger brothers. I think we’re at a nice range now.”

Rolovich tuned into MTV the other night, intending to get an idea of what the younguns are into these days.

“I turned it right off,” he said.

Wow. It’s hard to believe guys like Nick Rolovich actually age. He always seemed like the fun-loving and carefree one.

He hasn’t become a grumpy old man (seriously, how could that happen to anyone who gets to work with Mouse Davis, who acts like life begins at 70?).

He’s just not the gunslinger kid of 10 years ago.

He’s not old, he’s just not a college kid anymore.

THE MATURATION ACTUALLY goes back to 2000, and Rolovich’s less-than-glorious UH debut — an embarrassing loss to Portland State, one of then-coach June Jones’ alma maters. That’s when Rolovich began to learn the difference between playing with your teammates and playing for them.

Gathering the boys for numerous forays to Puck’s Alley might be good for a certain kind of bonding. But if it’s instead of trips to the film room, well …

Rolovich never lost a game as a quarterback in junior college and rarely in high school. He worked at the game, but it came easier at those levels. When he was benched as a junior at UH, “it was a huge wakeup call. My actions and decisions helped lead to nine losses.”

If he ever got another chance, he’d be ready. He’d prepare better and he’d prove worthy of his teammates’ and coaches’ trust. And that’s exactly what he did in 2001.

You can still be the life of the party, the guy who plays with his teammates — when the time is right. But the guy who plays for his teammates does the big things and the little things that add up to winning … 365 days a year, and especially on those Saturday nights in the fall.

Rolovich wants his players to learn this, but without losing nine games in a season. The new starters saw plenty of examples of guys giving it up for each other last year, in practice and in games. To casual fans, Alex Green, Kealoha Pilares and Greg Salas were special because of the touchdowns they scored. To Rolovich and the Warriors, they were special because of the touchdowns they helped their teammates score.

“(This year’s starters) were in the room, very close to it,” Rolovich said. “They soaked up a lot, it was valuable for them to see that. Greg and Kealoha took it up a notch every snap in practice, every snap in film.”

Same with Green, who transformed himself into an all-purpose back by prioritizing blocking — the only way a running back can play at UH. You can’t get touches from the bench.

“Now everyone sees hard-work equal-sign draft-pick,” Rolovich said.

He said he’s not worried about the new offensive line because they’re the hardest working unit on the team.

Now it’s about developing cohesion with just two starters back on offense, quarterback Bryant Moniz and wideout Royce Pollard.

“It’s so much about knowing the people you’re doing it with. There’s so much non-verbal communication. It’s a trust thing.”

The offensive coordinator knows that first hand. He lived it, 10 years ago, culminating with those eight touchdown passes in his final game. At the end of this season, he hopes his Warriors can do something similar … BYU comes calling at Aloha Stadium for the first time since Nick Rolovich, the quarterback, torched the Cougars.