In preparation for Saturday’s game against UC Davis, the University of Hawaii football coaches studied videos — and medical reports.
UH coach Norm Chow noted the after effects still were being “assessed” following the Warriors’ 38-0 road loss to top-ranked Ohio State the past Saturday.
After the game, the Warriors took a charter flight to Los Angeles, where they stayed overnight, then returned to Honolulu on Sunday. Several players underwent further medical tests.
There is concern about four starters — linebacker Julian Gener, strong safety Trayvon Henderson, tight end Tui Unga and wideout Quinton Pedroza.
Gener did not play after being taken to a hospital as a precaution because of bleeding. Gener was able to return to Ohio Stadium before the game ended.
Henderson and Unga were on the sideline most of the game because of apparent injuries. Pedroza did not appear to be at full strength because of a nagging leg issue.
The Warriors will have conditioning drills Monday evening, and then participate in their regular practice schedule the rest of the week.
Chow praised his team’s effort against the country’s best team, which entered as 41-point favorites.
Of the outcome, Chow said, “We’re 1-1. That’s all it is. I told (the players) after the Colorado game, all that was one (game). And all this was one. We have to play next week.”
Offensive coordinator Don Bailey breaks each game into a separate entity.
“We want to play every game to be 1-0 at the end of the weekend,”said Bailey, who said the offense cannot afford another mistake-filled performance. “With a performance like that, you’re not going to beat anybody,” Bailey said.
Quarterback Max Wittek praised the defense — which held Ohio State to two touchdowns through the first 50 minutes — while striving for a better offensive showing.
“The ball is going to bounce differently every game,” Wittek said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t bounce our way as much as we would have liked it.”
Wittek said the loss stings, but “we’ll put it behind us and be ready to go. It’s not always how you react after a win, it’s how you react after a loss. Do we want to be 2-1 or do we want to be 1-2? We’ve got a good team coming out to Hawaii. We’ve got to win the game.”