In 1992, the University of Hawaii football team came off a four-win season and was predicted to finish eighth in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Rainbow Warriors went 11-2, including victory in their first real NCAA postseason game, the Holiday Bowl, 27-17 over Illinois.

Some say it is the best team in UH football history. It certainly is among them, and also one of the most improved from the year before.

Michael Carter, the quarterback who engineered that magical season 24 years ago, looked on Saturday at Aloha Stadium as the Warriors — who won three games in 2015 — scrimmaged two weeks before their season opener against Cal in Australia.

What traits must a quarterback possess to turn a loser into a winner?

“Leadership. Tough skin. Heart,” Carter said. “Rolo will take care of the rest. Like (1992 offensive coordinator) Paul Johnson did for me.”

“Rolo,” or Nick Rolovich, the first-year head coach, still wasn’t saying who will be his starting quarterback. That might happen today, and most of us still think it’s going to be the veteran Ikaika Woolsey. But Aaron Zwahlen — the freshman who hasn’t played in a game in three years due to missionary work and a redshirt last season — had a few heads turning at the scrimmage Saturday.

Woolsey has consistently taken the first snaps of practice and in scrimmages usually gets two series for every one of the other remaining contenders.

Rolovich said there was still a lot of tape to review, and the named starter will be “who gives us the best chance to win.” What’s left unsaid is if that means the best chance for this season or future years. If we’re talking 2016 — at least early on — that’s got to be be Woolsey because of his experience as the only QB in camp with Division I game experience. If we’re talking long-term, beyond this season, that means one of the young guns … obviously, as Woolsey is a senior and won’t be eligible to play beyond this year.

Cole Brownholtz is another interesting possibility for the future. He’s a JC transfer with three years of Division I eligibility remaining — as were Colt Brennan and Bryant Moniz when they arrived at UH. Brownholtz doesn’t possess close to their level of accuracy, at least not yet. But he is 6-feet-4 and moves well. He’s only been with the program a few weeks, and should continue to get better as he gains familiarity with the receivers and the scheme.

It’s all about communication. Or, at least a lot of it is.

And Rolovich was excited about how well that went in Saturday’s dress rehearsal that was the closest thing to game conditions yet.

“Emotions were level,” he said.

That wasn’t about the players as much as the coaches.

It’s an afterthought for most fans, until something goes wrong. But the ability of coaches watching from up above the field to communicate with those at field level is huge.

“There were no hiccups,” Rolovich said, thanks to the preparation efforts of long-time team manager Al Ginoza and other staff. And play-calling and adjustment information was smooth despite the newness of the coaching staff and fast pace of the running-clock timed scrimmage.

“We got 110 plays in, and this is going to be a big evaluation,” offensive coordinator Brian Smith said. “For a lot of positions.”

And, officially at least, starting quarterback was still among those open positions after Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.