Saturday was “D” day for the University of Hawaii football team.

“I think today was a defensive win, for sure,” coach Nick Rolovich said following the final open-to-the-public practice of this training camp. “They won from the start, even from warm-ups. In warm-ups, they had the energy. They controlled it, which was good.”

The Rainbow Warriors were held to one touchdown in 11 drives during the scrimmage-like session. Two of the possessions ended on cornerback Eugene Ford’s interceptions, including a pick in the end zone on the 65th — and final — play of the scrimmage.

“Here’s the play of the day,” Rolovich said of the fourth-and-goal situation in which the defense held a three-point lead. “Eugene makes this pick (in the end zone). A selfish player is going to try to return it so he can be on TV. But he took the knee because he knew we were up by three points. That’s a great sign.”

Ford said he envisioned several scenarios before the football was snapped.

“I knew what I needed to do if the ball came my way,” Ford said. “The ball came my way. I knew it was time to make a play and end the game, to play it smart. I knew I had my team, not myself, to think about. … I know if I got hawked down and fumbled, I wouldn’t want to risk that on the team and put us in a bad situation.”

Cornerbacks coach Abraham Elimimian said Ford “pays attention to details. … Playing the back end, you have to have confidence. I think he’s playing confidently.”

The defense produced four sacks. Safety Alaka‘i Mashima, a walk-on from Punahou School, delivered two impactful hits during the fully padded scrimmage.

“He gives everything he’s got,” Rolovich said of Mashima. “It was good to give him some reps.”

The scrimmage’s lone touchdown came on Cole McDonald’s 10-yard pass to wideout Devan Stubblefield. McDonald rolled to his right and fired to a wide-open Stubblefield.

“The offense gave me great protection,” said McDonald, who was 4-for-5 on the 70-yard scoring drive. “I was basically sitting back there. It was a good after-the-play scramble by Stubbs. The other receiver pulled the other defenders out of (Stubblefield’s) way. It was a good play all around.”

But Rolovich said there were not enough successful offensive plays.

“They’re going to be upset with themselves after (reviewing the) film just because there’s a lot of stuff we left on the field,” Rolovich said of quarterbacks McDonald, Chevan Cordeiro, Jeremy Moussa and Kolney Cassel.

McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro each completed 32-yard passes. “The thing is, guys will have a good day, and then somebody else will have a good day, and a guy will make mistakes,” Rolovich said of the quarterback competition. “It’s kind of up and down. It’s kind of a trend where we’ve got this cool line graph. … It probably correlates to what you install and what you’re familiar with.”

Ryan Meskell and Kekoa Sasaoka combined to convert all five field-goal attempts.

“We made more field goals today than we did all last year,” said Rolovich, noting the Warriors were 4-for-9 in 2017.

Meskell did not play American football until joining the Warriors in July 2017. He was used mostly as a kickoff specialist.

“I just kicked all summer,” Meskell said. “I was out here every day working on my field goals. It’s paying off for the moment in camp. But camp’s one thing. Taking it into the season is the next thing. I’m going day by day.”

He connected from 36 and 25 yards.

“It was tough conditions,” Meskell said. “It was windy. But we did well in situations. It’s good to make all the kicks. That’s what we’re out here to do.”

Sasaoka, who transferred from Snow College two weeks ago, hit three field goals, including one from 48 yards.

“I can do a lot better,” Sasaoka said. “I’m not close yet. I’m not critical, just real. It is what it is. I should be a lot better.”