We opened the inbox and read your questions. Here are some of the answers:
Maddog50: When will the streaming issue be resolved?
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You’ve got UH football questions? We’ll try to find the answers. Submit your questions to beat writer Stephen Tsai either on his popular blog — hawaiiwarriorworld.com/category/warrior-beat/ — or via email at stsai@staradvertiser.com. Every Wednesday during football season, Tsai will answer a few of the questions in the print edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Answer: Solutions are being pursued to a number of issues involving video streams of live UH pay-per-view telecasts. Although the situation has been worked on for a while, there is no timetable on when it will be resolved for UH football. The UH athletic department offers video streams of Rainbow Wahine volleyball matches using a single camera synced with a radio broadcast. That option is not available for UH football games.
Down With: Rolo, can you bring back Gaylord for all home games? Woot … woot. It really brought back some good memories of the past and UH football in general.
A: “That was kind of a special day,” head coach Nick Rolovich said. “We worked really hard to get it done for that day. I think he’s got some responsibilities that, at this point, I don’t know if he’ll be at every game or consistently. But that’s something we can always talk about.”
Da Punchbowl Kid: What is the status of running back Melvin Davis?
A: Davis has been hospitalized the past two weeks because of a non-football-related medical condition. Davis, a senior, is not expected to play this season. Davis was fortunate his condition was diagnosed early. “He needs thoughts and prayers right now,” Rolovich said. “It’s a freak deal. He’s had a rough two weeks in the hospital.”
Iwonderwhytheyhateme: What happened to wideout Devan Stubblefield?
A: He is recovering from an injury, and will be re-evaluated next week.
Derek: Coach, what are the top three things you look for in a winning quarterback?
A: Quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann offers these three: 1) Decision making. 2) Accuracy. 3) Consistency.
Rolovich said: “I like accuracy. I like presence. I like someone who takes the initiative upon himself to lead this football team. The secondary (preferences), I like athleticism and arm strength.”
Pono: Which freshmen will redshirt this season?
A: These true freshmen have played this season: Viane Moala, Kaimana Padello, Jeremiah Pritchard, Keala Santiago, Kalakaua Timoteo III, Davine Tullis, Zach Wilson. Of the other 23 true freshmen, Rolovich said: “I think the final decision will be in a couple weeks. There are a couple who are ready to play. We’re probably going to have to play a few more.” Safety Kalen Hicks and linebacker Ikem Okeke appear to be the most ready to play, if needed.
H-Man: Is wideout Isaiah Bernard going to redshirt?
A: Bernard, a senior, has a redshirt year available. He has not appeared in a game this season. “He’s not high enough on the depth chart at this point,” Rolovich said. “But I think he can do some things to contribute to us.”
Maddog50: Any plans to get fullback Kaiwi Chung some touches?
A: “Sure,” Rolovich said.
Jeezy33: Does Hawaii work on tackling enough during the week?
A: “We do tackling circuit twice a day,” Rolovich said. “We start with tackling circuit every practice since the first day of fall camp.” On Tuesday, the Rainbow Warriors had a 10-minute, scrimmage-like session involving live hitting. “Which you’d rather not do on a Tuesday in the middle of the season,” Rolovich said. “If we keep missing tackles, it doesn’t matter what we call if we don’t do the little things right.”
Clyde: With 2 minutes to play, trailing 63-3 and fourth-and-13 at the Michigan 36, you elected to punt. With nearly a full fourth quarter to play, leading Tennessee Martin 28-24 and a fourth-and-1 at your 29, you elected to go for it. Can you explain the reasoning behind both decisions, and which one is more indicative of your personality?
A: On the Michigan decision, Rolovich said: “I thought we weren’t moving the ball very well. … At that point, that game was not winnable.”
On the UT Martin decision, he said: “It was a big turning point for our team. I’m sure people thought I was crazy. I didn’t want to give them the ball back on fourth-and-inches. Our guys needed to know we believe in them. In hindsight, I’m sure a lot of people thought it was stupid. I’m sure a lot of people think a lot of things I do are stupid. … It was a big play for us. There was a lot of silence on the headset when I said to go for it.”
Warrior Fan: It seems that since we went back to being the “Rainbow” Warriors, we haven’t had much success. Do you think we’ll go back to us being called the Warriors and drop the Rainbow?
A: Athletic director David Matlin said there are no plans to change the nickname. “I think you have a brand and you stick with it,” Matlin said. “Obviously, things can change in the future. Anything’s possible. Right now, there’s no intention (to change). We are the Rainbow Warriors.”
