RENO, Nev. » If there’s a silver lining from Hawaii’s visit to The Silver State, maybe it’s that the Rainbow Warriors defense got some practice against the option in its 30-20 loss to Nevada.
Or, maybe, things just get even tougher for beleaguered UH as it returns home following two heartbreaking road losses.
Hawaii had many special moments early against the Wolf Pack offense, but eventually the attack orchestrated by former UH quarterback and offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich took advantage of lapses.
"We had some guys who got impatient," Warriors defensive coordinator Tom Mason said.
Air Force comes to Aloha Stadium on Saturday fresh off a 42-14 trouncing of Fresno State. Similar to the Warriors against the Wolf Pack, the Bulldogs went up 14-0 on the Falcons. But then it was Air Force all the way.
Quarterback Karson Roberts scored five touchdowns as the Falcons rolled up 586 yards. The defense more than did its part, holding the Bulldogs to zero first downs on the eight drives following Fresno State’s two first-quarter touchdowns.
Air Force (4-3) averages 32 points per game. It is tied with Boise State and Utah State at 3-1 for first in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference.
Meanwhile, Hawaii has lost its last five in a row and is winless in the conference. One more loss, and UH is out of the postseason for the fifth year in a row, and coach Norm Chow is likely out of a job, either at the end of the season or sooner.
Hawaii could be 4-4 and 2-2 in conference if not for squandering second-half leads at New Mexico and Nevada. If UH closed out those back-to-back road games, Chow would be getting plaudits now instead of questions about his job security.
Left tackle Ben Clarke, a team captain and four-year starter, said the head coach has deflected any controversy about his status away from the players.
"He’s done an amazing job of not letting the negative press get to the team," said Clarke, who has started every game Chow has coached at UH.
The Warriors haven’t won two consecutive road games since 2010 when they knocked off Fresno State and Utah State. Not coincidentally, that was also their last winning season, when they were WAC co-champions.
UH was outscored 20-3 in the second half at Mackay Stadium in Reno. No one was using altitude as an excuse.
"We need to forget about it and learn to finish games," Mason said.
Players and coaches said the Warriors emphasized the concept of "finishing" all last week in practice. Clarke agreed with the idea that the message might have been too much, that it could have the team playing tight. So did Mason.
"Sometimes when you make too much of it, it can get in the way," he said.
On offense, quarterback Max Wittek was the most effective we’ve seen him since the win over UC Davis, completing 27 of 40 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw two crucial second-half interceptions.
It makes you wonder if backup quarterback Ikaika Woolsey should be getting at least some significant time, especially if Wittek’s accuracy is still being affected by his injured left leg.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
