It was one of those strange, but good, senior nights … when aloha doesn’t really mean goodbye, not yet.
At least that’s what everyone was assuming after Hawaii held on to edge Massachusetts 46-40 in the regular-season finale Saturday, in front of a disappointing and nearly disappointed gathering of 19,402 at Aloha Stadium.
Athletic director David Matlin was taking nothing for granted, but he did acknowledge that he’d sent notice that if UH were to be bowl eligible, the preferred venue would be the Hawaii Bowl. Nothing else would make sense, of course, but you never know …
On a day when coach Nick Rolovich took the entire team to the blustery Pali lookout for inspiration, some thought the Rainbow Warriors might blow away the 7 1/2-point underdog Minutemen. But every time it looked like UH would pull away, UMass battled back. It turned into one of those imperfect but entertaining college football games where the team with the last big play left would win.
There were plenty of big mistakes by both teams, too. Hawaii’s atrocious penchant for penalties alone makes some question the idea of a bowl game. When a squad gets flagged 12 times for 101 yards it makes you think maybe some of them would rather turn in the gear than start thinking about playing another game.
In some ways, this was reminiscent of another year when UH had to win out to make a bowl. It’s also extremely different from 2004, when the Warriors were 4-5 before beating Idaho, Northwestern and Michigan State to qualify for the Hawaii Bowl, in which they beat UAB.
It was a bit more daunting than Fresno State and UMass, who combined for three wins all season.
“Not to take anything away from the teams we beat this year. … That year everyone thought, ‘If anyone can do it, it’s this group of guys.’ It was senior-led,” said secondary coach Abraham Elimimian, a senior fourth-year starter at defensive back 12 years ago. “We’d been around 4 1/2 years and were used to winning. For these guys, most of them are young and it’s about learning how to win close games.”
Back then, UH made it to its third Hawaii Bowl in a row — in the game’s third year of existence. It was invented after current head coach and then-quarterback Nick Rolovich torched BYU to end the regular season with the Warriors at 9-3 and no bowl.
Now, it’s Hawaii’s first postseason game since 2010. We can debate if the Rainbow Warriors belong in it based on the quality of their play. But maybe we can agree that they — especially the seniors — deserve it based on what they’ve endured.
And this edition of Hawaii football specifically? I’ll always admire the way they bounced back, their resilience. Yes, they lost games they probably should have won against UNLV and New Mexico, but consider it growing pains.
We saw them Saturday, too, as the Warriors alternated between looking really bad and really good against a team similar in gritty character.
“How about Ro making that play at the end? Especially what he’d been through earlier in the game,” Elimimian said, referring to freshman cornerback Rojesterman Farris II, who was burned early, but broke up the Minutemen’s final pass into the Hawaii end zone. “The life of a DB.”
So, let’s say UH is a lock for the Hawaii Bowl now … we’re all 99.99 percent sure the Rainbow Warriors are in. What about an opponent? What team with a mediocre record might be a good match and draw a few more fans.
Our Billy Hull has a great idea: Central Florida, with starting quarterback McKenzie Milton of Mililani. And yes, the Knights are 6-6, so they qualify.
Regardless what you think of a team under .500 playing in a bowl game, and how ragged UH looks at times, maybe it’s good to remember how far it’s come from a year ago. Rolovich and his staff didn’t just bring hope … they’ve now brought twice as many wins as last season.
“It wasn’t easy. As you know, it’s never easy,” Elimimian said. “It’s great for the program. Not just for football, but the whole program. How many people predicted we would win six games? Not many.”
Perhaps that’s worth celebrating on Christmas Eve — which, finally will be the real senior farewell again.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
