UH gets a visit from a former teammate who suffered a spinal injury last year

FORT COLLINS, COLO. >> For University of Hawaii football player J.R. Hensley, this is the most wonderful time of the year.

“It’s Christmas in August,” Hensley said of the Rainbow Warriors’ season opener against Colorado State today at Canvas Stadium. “This is the best thing that can happen now. This is what we’ve been working for. I think everyone is ready to go.”

Hensley said he tracked the countdown-to-kickoff clocks on social media.

“I follow the fan base pretty good,” said Hensley, a co-captain who will start at left guard. “Every time they talk about football, I always think it’s right around the corner.”

It has been an emotional week for the Warriors, who departed for Colorado as Hurricane Lane advanced into the Central Pacific.

Following Thursday’s practice on the Northern Colorado campus, the Warriors received a visit from Kalepo Naotala. Naotala was a freshman defensive tackle when he suffered a spinal injury in an accident off Waikiki Beach in July 2017. He was transferred to Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation facility in Colorado that specializes in spinal-cord injuries. He then returned to his family home in Virginia. He returned to Colorado this week for a follow-up appointment.

“I’m glad the timing worked out,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said. “He’s going to be able to watch his brothers on the field Saturday. It was great for all of us, his teammates, to see him, too.”

The Warriors are entering this season, Rolovich’s third as head coach, with a resurrected offensive scheme (run-and-shoot), a reconfigured defense (4-2-5), six new coaches and a new starting quarterback.

“We want to show everyone what we can do this year,” said Cole McDonald, a third-year sophomore who is expected to open behind center today.

The Warriors were 3-9 last season. “You don’t always want to talk about it, but you want to learn from it,” McDonald said of the past. “We did some things we shouldn’t have. Even though it was a bad year, it was a good experience for the young guys and the older guys. Sometimes you have to lose to learn how to win. … Sometimes you need that check to put you back in line.”

The Warriors’ rebuilt offensive line, added receiver speed and remodeled defense have caused the Rams to extend their preparation. At last month’s Mountain West Media Summit, CSU coach Mike Bobo said the Rams, for instance, have traced new UH defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s previous stops in search of clues.

“You have to watch film of where they used to be,” Bobo said at the summit, “and so you’re not watching personnel at Hawaii, you’re watching some (Florida Atlantic) film. (The Warriors) are going through the same thing.”

The Rams also have added six coaches, including coordinators for offense and defense. New offensive coordinator Dave Johnson’s background is in run-heavy schemes. Defensive coordinator John Jancek has switched the base from a 3-4 to 4-3. K.J. Carta-Samuels, a graduate transfer from Washington, will start at quarterback.

A significant concern for CSU was the health of Bobo, who missed eight practice days while being hospitalized for peripheral neuropathy, which caused numbness in his feet. He returned for Wednesday’s practice. He is expected to be at today’s game.

The Rams are coming off a difficult season in which they lost four of their final five games. “I think it was lack of energy,” CSU running back Izzy Matthews said. “It was something we realized, and we need energy to finish games. This year, we’re bringing the energy and finishing out games like we should.”

This game will serve as a reunion for two Warriors. UH defensive line coach Ricky Logo was one of the CSU assistant coaches not retained after last season. Logo expressed gratitude he was able to join the Warriors. “I really enjoy coming to work every day,” Logo said.

UH slotback Cedric Byrd and CSU safety Jamal Hicks are cousins. “We’re not cool right now,” Byrd said. “We’re cool after the game.”