RENO, Nev. >> Norm Chow did not make a good case for keeping his job as University of Hawaii football coach Saturday. He has rarely done so in his four years, with just 10 wins and 35 losses.
This 30-20 loss of a game UH led 17-0 late in the first half is nearly as appalling as the previous week’s two-minute-warning choke at New Mexico.
After this latest defeat, a dejected Chow said, "I’ve never quit anything in my life," and, "I’ve been fired before."
Although I really doubt UH officials will do it right now, more than ever I stand by my earlier assertions that UH should replace Chow immediately if Hawaii lost both of the last two road games, following the home defeat to San Diego State.
And that is what has happened; with both losses coming in spectacularly disappointing fashion.
Actually, Chow should have been let go after the third-consecutive losing season last year; UH officials said they couldn’t buy him out for financial reasons … but that’s if you’re only considering expenses and not revenue. Now, there should be no doubt.
Now it’s a bad situation that gets worse and worse with no relief in sight.
Like the previous week, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory. UH had Nevada on the ropes, but the Wolf Pack slipped away, regrouped and took over the game.
Once again, Hawaii inexplicably gave away a game it should have won. And now the Rainbow Warriors are 2-6 after losing their fifth in a row.
The strange and infuriating things about this train wreck are too many to count. One is that UH actually has enough raw football talent where it could conceivably win its remaining five games and go to the Hawaii Bowl. You might not believe it, but it’s true … look at the schedule of what’s left.
But not with Chow as coach. To his credit, he’s tried everything. Even loosening things up with a dance contest with the soccer team to remind the players they should have fun. But he hasn’t turned this program around in four years of trying, and with each loss, more and more fans are tired of waiting for it.
UH needs a coach who puts his team in the best position to succeed. Not one who gets called for a penalty that leads to an onsides kick and field goal for the other team.
Play-calling, choice of starters, clock management and any number of other aspects of his coaching can often be debated. But the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Chow got for arguing with the officials in the waning moments of the first half is inexcusable.
He’s supposed to set an example for the players about being disciplined and under control. Well, perhaps he succeeded, because they saw the result when you’re not, like everyone else did. This was a don’t-do-as-I-do moment, but it came at a very steep price — not just the three points of the field goal, but also the momentum going into halftime.
"I think that whole sequence of punching it in and then recovering the onside kick and kicking the field goal and instead of going in at halftime down 17-0, going in at 17-10, I think was a really big lift for the team," Nevada coach Brian Polian said.
Meanwhile, it was a huge blow to UH, a team for which finding ways to lose has become a major part of its identity.
This time the meltdown didn’t start in the last two minutes of the game, as it did the previous week at New Mexico. This time the Rainbow Warriors’ self-inflicted problems began at the end of the first half.
Hawaii performed superbly against Nevada — for 28 minutes, that is. For most of the first half, Hawaii was in control. Offense, defense and special teams all played competently, making the other parts better, and UH owned a 17-0 lead against the Wolf Pack.
But, in this game just past the midway point of the season, Hawaii gave it away … again.
"We just don’t do the things we need to do to win," defensive coordinator Tom Mason said.
Different week, different mistakes. Same result.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
