The University of Hawaii football team — coming off a 20-point win — was listed Sunday as a 28-point underdog for Saturday’s game at Wisconsin.
Two weeks ago Ohio State was favored by 41 over the Rainbow Warriors. While a 38-0 cover was nothing for the team to be overjoyed about, it did include a decent showing by the UH defense in that it allowed few big plays … the longest went for 24 yards.
Interestingly, a winless FCS team did what the No. 1 team in big boy college football failed to accomplish, and UC Davis quarterback Ben Scott found Chris Martin behind the Hawaii secondary for a 69-yard touchdown Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
Fortunately for the Warriors, the UH offense had already taken over the game with four consecutive touchdowns. Max Wittek found a great rhythm with receivers Marcus Kemp and Devan Stubblefield, running backs Melvin Davis and Paul Harris performed a thunder-and-lightning routine, and Hawaii was well on its way to a 47-27 win.
Yeah, the Aggies are from a lower level of competition, but the victory counts just as much as any others toward Hawaii’s bowl hopes. While the next two ventures at Wisconsin and Boise will be difficult, at this point the remaining eight after that all look winnable.
UH is off to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2009. Coincidentally, that’s the last time it played Wisconsin. Guys in red ran up and down the field as they pleased that December evening at Aloha Stadium, even a Santa Claus who found his way onto the turf. It was ugly … 51-10 ugly, and the Warriors finished 6-7, first losing season in four years.
That came a week after Hawaii defensive line coach Dave Aranda helped orchestrate a shackling of Navy’s dangerous spread option offense. The Warriors played solid assignment football and didn’t allow Kenny Niumatalolo’s Midshipmen a single point after halftime. UH won 24-17.
Now, Aranda is the Wisconsin defensive coordinator. In their last two games, the Badgers have yielded just three points, one measly field goal.
For UH to pull off a monumental upset, something will have to give in the trend department. Actually, at least two things.
Hawaii has not beaten a nonconference opponent on the road since a 31-28 decision at Army on Sept. 11, 2010. It has lost nine straight since then.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s record of success against non-Big Ten visitors is even more ominous. Saturday’s 28-3 win over Troy made it 34 in a row.
The Badgers do have a loss this season, but that was at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Alabama manhandled them 35-17 in the season opener.
They’ve rebounded nicely since, and Wisconsin is ranked 22nd in the nation.
The Badgers are a balanced team, not as flashy as Ohio State. But the Badgers aren’t UC Davis, either, not by a longshot.
After a week to lick their wounds and lick the Aggies it’s time for the Rainbow Warriors to get back into the no-mistakes mind-set they preached two weeks ago. That’s the only way they might have a chance to hang with the home team at Camp Randall.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
