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After a practice this week, the University of Hawaii football team gathered in a circle to discuss coming full circle.
"This," coach Norm Chow said of today’s retro game against San Diego State, "is for all the former players. We’re playing for everyone who ever played for the University of Hawaii."
UH is bringing back the 1960s-inspired style. The Rainbow Warriors will wear kelly-green jerseys with white pants and white helmets. There will be rainbow stripes on the side of the pants and one down the middle of the helmet. The shoes are dark, but at a certain angle, a rainbow logo will appear.
After a recent practice, a student manager modeled the complete uniform, drawing praise from the players.
"They’re nice," quarterback Sean Schroeder said. "I think these uniforms are going to honor those former players well. I think it’s our job to honor them with our play."
The Warriors (0-9 overall, 0-6 in Mountain West Conference) remain one of five winless FBS teams this season. Three losses were decided by one possession. They also are coming off a strong offensive performance against Navy last week.
"Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades," Schroeder said, repeating special teams coordinator Chris Demarest’s mantra. "We have to find a way to punch through and break through. We have to keep fighting."
Against Navy, running back Joey Iosefa, who entered with two carries this season because of a foot injury, rushed 35 times for 191 yards. Schroeder completed 29 of 33 passes, a UH single-game record for accuracy (88 percent). One of the passes was dropped, another Schroeder discarded intentionally to avoid a sack. Schroeder downplayed the performance, noting: "It’s not about stats, it’s about wins."
The Warriors face a rejuvenated San Diego State team (5-4 and 4-1 MWC) that would become bowl eligible with a victory today.
The Aztecs lost their first three games, including an upset by the FCS’s Eastern Illinois. Adam Dingwell was displaced as the No. 1 quarterback after the second series of the second game. He has completed 39.7 percent of his passes, with no touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Aztecs are 5-1 with Quinn Kaehler as the starting quarterback.
"We believed in each other when we were 0-3, 0-1, 0-0," SDSU cornerback J.J. Whittaker said. "We knew what we were capable of doing. As we come down to the end of the season, we’re still fighting, because that’s what we do."
Whittaker said the bond has no break.
"We’re around each other all year," Whittaker said. "We know what we have to do to prepare for the football season. When this season ends, we’re going to start right back up the next day."
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