The fans who hadn’t been chased away by a lopsided score or the squalls blowing through Halawa on Saturday night probably didn’t expect much when Sean Schroeder jogged into the Hawaii huddle.
The senior quarterback had been passed over for the starting assignment against Fresno State, with Taylor Graham sidelined and his left arm in a sling. Schroeder was seemingly in for mop-up duty when he was summoned in relief with the Rainbow Warriors trailing by 39 in the third quarter.
Once he got onto the field, suddenly Schroeder was Roy Hobbs.
The lefty started connecting on long balls and gradually life returned to a previously moribund Knights Field … er, Aloha Stadium … as he led a run of 34 unanswered points.
Alas, Schroeder didn’t knock out the lights with his final swing, his desperation throw toward the end zone intercepted as time expired on a 42-37 loss. But having the game come down to the final play seemed to testify to his perseverance through an often rocky season-plus at UH.
Schroeder absorbed physical punishment as UH’s starter in last year’s 3-9 campaign. He sat out spring practice after having back surgery on April 1 and was on limited-contact duty deep into fall camp and was relegated to backup duty to start this season.
"It’s tough," Schroeder said of maintaining his mind-set through the trials. "You just gotta keep faith and stay mentally involved as much as you can. I’ve played a lot of football, so I just have a good amount of experience out there and I think I can rely on that."
There were plays he wished he could have back, including taking a sack on UH’s final drive with just under a minute left. Still, not a lot of folks in the park Saturday night had experienced a comeback quite like the one Schroeder nearly orchestrated.
He entered the game after Fresno State returned an interception for a touchdown on freshman Ikaika Woolsey’s final throw in his starting debut.
Schroeder’s first throw went for 60 yards to Chris Gant, and he went on to complete his first five passes for 168 yards with TDs to Keith Kirkwood and Vasquez Haynes, including another 50-yard connection with Gant.
To that point, UH had just two pass plays over 30 yards this season and hadn’t scored multiple TDs in its first three games.
After a three and out, his 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Billy Ray Stutzmann — making his first appearance of the season — brought UH back to 42-30 with 11:50 left.
"I think (Fresno State) got a little tense. It’s kind of how sports goes," Schroeder said "The team with the hot hand and is playing loose is going to have success.
"You kind of get in that zone."
Schroeder ended the night 17-for-27 for a career-high 321 yards and three touchdowns. Gant, a senior who hadn’t caught a pass in the game before Schroeder’s entry, accounted for 133 yards over the game’s final 21 minutes.
"We saw a lot of seniors stepping up and making plays, which was great to see," Schroeder said. "We’ve had our bumps and bruises over the last season and into this season, so it was good to see some of the veteran guys step up."
