It was mudders day at Cooke Field when the University of Hawaii football team took on the elements and each other Saturday.

The defense was ahead, as it’s supposed to be at this point of the preseason. There’s concern, though, because highly touted quarterback Taylor Graham performed unevenly, at best, early on.

He and the rest of the offense did better later, in red-zone drills. The question is, how often will they get there when the real games start?

The Rainbow Warriors appear to be a year or two away from being a winning team, but this much is for sure: The raw talent on the field is much improved over what it was a year ago, when Norm Chow’s first edition struggled to be competitive and went 3-9.

Freshmen will play again, partly out of necessity, partly because they are ready.

The field wasn’t quite as sloshy as in the neighborhood game in "Invincible," but it was a time for rough-and-ready players to shine in the rain. Count Keelan Ewaliko among them.

"He’s a tough guy and he’s very willing (to hit)," coach Norm Chow said of the freshman from Baldwin, who worked out at cornerback Saturday. His interception was one of the highlights of the scrimmage.

"It was a tough catch. A lot of the stuff at corner is man-to-man, so you don’t have to understand the whole scheme," Chow added. "We haven’t made any kind of player evaluations. Maybe (today) after we look at the tape. I think he can help us."

Chow and defensive backs coach Daronte’ Jones said the staff is still trying to figure out where Ewaliko fits best.

"He’s only been (at cornerback) for a day or two," Jones said. "He’s still learning a lot. Being on the defensive side of the ball, having a chance to go through individuals, that’s what we’re looking to find out. Because he’s athletic and diverse we want to find where he can flourish.

"We’re trying to utilize his athleticism. We just want to do what’s best for him and best for the team."

Ewaliko, who was a dual-threat quarterback at Baldwin, entered camp as a receiver candidate. He moved to safety last week.

"Yeah, they’re moving me around a bit," Ewaliko said. "I’m just thinking just go out there and give it my all, do my best to try to contribute to the team. Right now it’s up for grabs and we’re still finding out where I can contribute the most."

Catches like the one he made on the pick might tempt the coaches to move him back to the white shirts.

"I was always told that if you can touch the ball, you can catch it no matter what. I try to go off of that," Ewaliko said.

But UH looks crowded with several promising newcomers at receiver, and Ewaliko’s home might remain the secondary because of his aggressiveness.

"He’s made a good transition to the defensive backs," senior DB John Hardy-Tuliau said. "Every new guy has a chance to get on the field if they keep improving, learn from the mistakes."

———

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.