At halftime, this one looked like it was going to end up really ugly. And the third quarter didn’t provide much in the way of lipstick for the pig, as Oregon State built its lead to 31 points.
Hawaii was on its way to frittering away all its equity from the week before … the promise of a better future for the hope-starved fan base it had garnered in the season opener against Washington a thing of the past.
The operating words on social media from vast corners of Warrior World near and far were terms like “deflating” and “embarrassing.”
But then the third phase, the oft-forgotten one, made its presence known and got the Rainbow Warriors back into a game most everyone had chalked up as a loss by sunset.
Yes, the 38-30 setback still leaves an empty feeling that any defeat does, but UH’s 0-2 is a better 0-2 than most envisioned before the season — if not for Lance Williams and the rest of UH’s punt-block and kickoff return units the Rainbow Warriors would be much worse off right now.
It shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise that the UH special teams provided a spark, since Chris Demarest’s crew has often been the bright spot for the Rainbow Warriors in Norm Chow’s two-plus seasons in which UH has suffered through a 4-22 record.
And thanks to a furious fourth-quarter rally — this one largely spurred by a blocked punt and an Oregon State fumble on a kickoff — UH beat the point spread again. A lot of true fans in the islands remain frustrated, but the Rainbow Warriors are last-chance cover boys in Vegas again.
Of course, that won’t mean anything to the players and coaches. All they want is wins — real wins — any way they can get them.
And the kicking game has to be a big part of that. UH makes too many mistakes and does not have enough depth, team speed or experience to win games without some big plays from the third phase.
“Our goal is always to play good special teams,” Chow said. “Now we’re trying to play winning special teams.”
There’s a general misconception that this part of football is all about speed and insanity. But there’s a lot of discipline and unselfishness involved, and that’s what Demarest wanted to talk about afterward.
“Calen Friel, Penitito Faalologo, Benny Fonua, Josh Donovan. All those guys did their job,” he said of the blocked punt by Williams.
And then just a few minutes later, after Joey Iosefa cashed in, Williams came up with the ball again on the kickoff, thanks to Dee Maggitt stripping the ball.
“Dee told me he was going to strip the ball,” Williams said. “I believed he would and made sure I was in the right place. We don’t ever give up.”
Demarest said Donovan was a key on that play; he contained Rahmel Dockery, forcing him to slow down and making him vulnerable to a big hit.
Hawaii made too many mistakes to win Saturday, but once again the Warriors battled all the way to the end. It’s a refrain everyone involved is tired of, but that’s what it is for now. In its last four games going back to last season, UH has averaged just 1 1/4 points less than its opponents … but has just one win to show for it.
“I’m proud of what they’re doing, but I need a win for these guys. The players, the coaches, everyone needs a win,” Demarest said. “Eventually this thing is going to turn around.”
You can choose to believe it or not, and you’re surely tired of the mistakes that lead to the losses. But the fourth quarter Saturday showed these Warriors — especially the special teams — are worthy of the name.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
