A touchdown separated the football teams when the Hawaii quarterback threw interceptions on consecutive one-play possessions.

“I came back,” Nick Rolovich recalled of that 2001 game against Fresno State, “and we were able to win that game.”

The key then as it is now, according to Rolovich, is to trust the run-and-shoot system and learn from mistakes. It is why Rolovich, UH’s fourth-year head coach and play-caller, is sticking with Cole McDonald as the Rainbow Warriors’ No. 1 quarterback.

In Saturday’s season-opening, 45-38 victory over Arizona, McDonald completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns before being pulled in the third quarter after his fourth interception.

Rolovich said McDonald “made some unbelievable throws, some fantastic throws.” But whether it was pressure from Arizona’s defense or trying to do too much, Rolovich noted, McDonald went “outside the system” about six times.

“And four of them cost us picks,” Rolovich said. “In our mind-set, they cost us touchdowns. That’s how we live.”

McDonald acknowledged the interceptions resulted from forced throws. When he was in system, McDonald was 29-for-35.

“We should have destroyed Arizona, in my opinion, if I didn’t make those mistakes,” McDonald said. “We would have thrown for over 600 yards and 70 points, in my opinion.”

Rolovich said McDonald has “a great roll-off-the shoulder mind-set. He wanted to finish the game. That’s the competitor in him. This wasn’t about any one individual. This was about all Hawaii fans worldwide getting a win. Whatever it took to get that done, that’s how we approached it.”

Chevan Cordeiro entered on the final play of the third quarter, and eventually led two scoring drives. Rolovich said Cordeiro was mentally prepared to play.

“I believe Chevan took every one of those snaps in his mind when Cole was in there,” Rolovich said.

Cordeiro said his understudy’s job requires “standing by the coach, reading what signals he’s giving, knowing what play is about to happen, and reading the defense.”

Rolovich said Cordeiro “does that in practice, too. That’s his job. That’s what a quarterback has to do. I’m sure Justin (Uahinui, the No. 3 quarterback) does the same thing, too. He has to. They all have to be ready. That mentality helped me as a player. What if I checked out? I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

To continue the cycle, McDonald took mental reps and also offered observations when Cordeiro was in the game. “I try to stay locked in,” McDonald said.