Back in quarterback Nick Rolovich’s playing days, a group of rowdy fans at Tulsa were giving some folks on the University of Hawaii sideline a particularly hard time.

A few moments later Rolovich buzzed a seemingly errant football into their midst. Situation rectified.

These days, the Rainbow Warriors’ 39-year-old head coach uses Twitter as his brush-back pitch, as it were.

Which is what the Twittersphere woke up to Friday morning when @NickRolovich took square aim at Oregon State’s football coaches for what he perceived as recruiting no-nos.

Rolovich alleged in his post that the Beavers had sent recruiting materials to some of his players at a school address, which would be a violation of NCAA rules.

The NCAA prohibits schools from recruiting players already enrolled or committed to another institution.

“My apologies for our players not being able to attend your Spring game,” Rolovich tweeted with dripping sarcasm. “Ours was the same day, bad timing. Quick question, in the 203 years of coaching (boasted of in a brochure), none of you realized you couldn’t actively recruit another school’s players? Sent to campus?”

In a statement, OSU said, “Oregon State Athletics and head coach Jonathan Smith became aware of unintentional mailings directed at a University of Hawaii student-athlete this morning. We are committed to following NCAA rules and are looking into this matter fully.”

Not that you could blame Rolovich for taking drastic measures. Hanging onto players — both those already at UH and prospective recruits — has become a difficult enough task for the Rainbow Warriors these days without a team on the schedule lobbing in promotional material.

So, Rolovich made sure that both Pac-12 and OSU compliance departments were addressed in his Tweet along with calling out the Beavers’ coaches.

All of which precipitated what an OSU spokesman said was an internal investigation into the charges.

Ever since two members of Rolovich’s 2017 coaching staff — wide receivers coach Kefense Hynson and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa — left for Corvallis after the conclusion of the season, joining 2015 UH special teams coordinator Jake Cookus, things have gotten a little frayed.

The Beavers signed some players UH was after, plucked linebacker Isaiah Tufaga out of Saint Louis School, and, one up-and-coming lineman, Brandon Kipper, transferred to OSU.

The Beavers are on UH’s schedule in 2019 and ’21, which makes it all suspicious to folks at UH.

Historically the Beavers have recruited Hawaii well and often. Mike Riley, a former Beavers head coach, used to sit in the back of then-Kahuku High head coach Siuaki Livai’s math classes when he came to campus.

And it paid off. Last year, for example, the Beavers had 11 players from Hawaii on their opening roster, the most of any Football Bowl Subdivision team other than the Rainbow Warriors.

Once upon a not-so-distant time the ’Bows could often hold their own with the Beavers, both in recruiting and on the field. But the advantages of Power Five membership — increased visibility, better-appointed facilities and bushels more of TV deal cash — have widened the gap.

As the Beavers attempt to climb out of the Pac-12 North cellar after four seasons of residence, the ’Bows want to make sure it isn’t at their expense.

And if it takes a pointed tweet or two, well …

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.