Naeole’s big boys have kept Rainbow Warriors in the game

It was a good week for University of Hawaii offensive line coach Chris Naeole. Thursday he was named one of 25 finalists for the next induction class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. Saturday the Rainbow Warriors got their first win of the season, 27-24 over Northern Iowa.

UH was sacked three times, but for the second time in its three games a rusher gained more than 100 yards. It was two different players — so that means the blocking is the common denominator.

Despite the offense’s woes that include inexperience at quarterback and losing three wideouts for the entire season — and now Iosefa for a month — UH is ranked sixth among the 12 Mountain West Conference teams with 377.7 yards per game of total offense.

The line has been fairly steady, and this despite losing center Kody Afusia to injury in the season opener. Naeole, who played 11 NFL seasons, obviously has a lot to do with this, and it’s easy to expect continued improvement.

This week’s game will be a homecoming for Naeole, who was an All-American at Colorado before the Saints drafted the Kahuku grad with the 10th pick of the 1997 draft.

“I’ve never been back (to Boulder, Colo.) since college,” he said.

It’s been four years since the Warriors were there, when UH’s last winning team suffered one of its four losses and went on to be WAC co-champions.

When Hawaii beat San Jose State that year, the Spartans’ first-year head coach replacing the retired Dick Tomey was Mike McIntyre; he is now in his second year at Colorado.

THE BUFFS ARE early 7point favorites with a 1-2 record and coming off a 3824 home loss to Arizona State.

Do the Rainbow Warriors have a chance in their third game against a Pac-12 opponent — but this time on the road, at altitude? Sure, if UH’s offense plays with more efficiency (especially on third down) and the teams’ current trend in turnovers continues.

Hawaii is on the plus side in takeaways-giveaways for the first time in Norm Chow’s three years, and Colorado was plagued by two interceptions and a fumble against ASU.

While many UH fans were distressed by bland playcalling and a poor passing game Saturday, the defense and especially the special teams came through. It’s scary to think where UH would be without punter Scott Harding.

Sometimes it seemed like Aloha Stadium was a time machine, taking us back to when Tomey was coach in the 1970s and early ’80s. His offenses were generally conservative, with defense and special teams wreaking havoc.

The style was somewhat successful, and allowed UH to stay in the game with some very talented opponents. But it drove a lot of fans crazy.

Chow must make decisions according to the talent he has available. But that means Hawaii should have punted (or faked one?) near the end of the first half instead of allowing UNI to get the ball back near midfield and drive for a score. You have to use your best weapon, and for better or worse at this point, that is Harding.