It’s been firmly established that Norm Chow is all-in with Sean Schroeder. But it is only on winning teams where quarterback controversies have a chance to be quelled by the coach’s declaration of allegiance to his starter.

The voices of distress began to pipe up several weeks ago as the blowout losses started. It will boil over today. It’s a guarantee that the water coolers, the blogs and the sports talk shows will be filled with the sentiment of replacing Schroeder for the second half of UH’s season that starts at Colorado State after this week’s bye.

More of removing Chow, too … and that is just as silly six games into his tenure as it was five. Defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer’s name will also come up.

As irrational or misguided as some of the passion might seem to those of us willing to give Chow time to build, UH has to appreciate that it still exists. When it no longer does, that’s when you have to worry. That would mean apathy has set in and a significant portion of the fan base has bugged out, perhaps never to return.

It’s also part of why the turnstile crowd of 27,833 on Saturday seemed pretty good. I was thinking low 20K at best, but this was a pleasant surprise. Of course it’s a small gathering compared to the old days when both of these teams were in the WAC — pre-breakaway, pre-vonAppen, pre-pay-per-view.

But enough people still care a lot about this team and program to continue showing up, or at least tuning in.

Sure, it was homecoming; but a significant portion of the Warriors fan base is not alumni, and to them homecoming is what you do after the game and you return from the stadium, the sports bar or the garage party.

I like Schroeder because he’s a stand-up guy. He keeps getting knocked down, and he keeps standing up. And he doesn’t make excuses. He really doesn’t, unlike some guys who say, "Not to make excuses, but …"

Obviously that in itself doesn’t mean he should still be out there every down at quarterback. But maturity is part of the job, especially when things are going bad.

SO WHICH hurts more? Losing 47-0 or 35-23?

I’ll argue Saturday’s 12-point loss is tougher to swallow, because the Warriors were finally in contention to win in the fourth quarter (Lamar doesn’t count).

But for the second week in a row their own mistakes early in the game came back to haunt them in the second half.

The difference between this one and the 52-14 loss at San Diego State the previous Saturday is that Hawaii got started a quarter earlier, and managed to play the Lobos almost even after a horrendous first quarter. It’s still hard to accept because there’s no excuse for not being ready to play from the opening kickoff, but that is actually progress.

I was among those who didn’t like it when then-athletic director Jim Donovan did not book a 13th game for this season. But it did give UH a second bye. Maybe most of us can agree a break is a good thing at this point.

The first bye came after the Warriors emerged from the season-opening 49-10 loss at USC with their pride and their bodies intact, and there was regret that they could not return to the field immediately.

Things have certainly changed since then, and this is a hurting football team in many ways. The most crucial injury came in the win, a 54-2 rout of Lamar, when defensive tackle Moses Samia was lost for the year.

I’m not going to go as far as to say Samia’s presence would definitely have made a difference in the 1-5 ledger, not when UH’s many problems extend beyond the defensive front. But a solid DT’s value is immeasurable and it’s good to remember that the record is as much a function of allowing more than 400 yards per game as it is gaining fewer than 300, and of not forcing turnovers as well as committing them.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.