Ferd Lewis: Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich rewarded for keeping his faith in kicker Ryan Meskell

Proposing what has essentially become a “Pac-12 Conference” bonus provision in his latest contract, it turns out, was one of University of Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich’s best decisions this year.

Because the unprecedented contract clause for a UH coach and the accompanying 2-0 start into the 2019 season with victories over Arizona and, now, Oregon State has already earned him a tidy $15,000 in bonuses.

But it took another prescient call, giving place-kicker Ryan Meskell a further shot at redemption late in the fourth quarter with a 28-yarder to make Saturday night pay off for him and the Rainbow Warriors in a 31-28 triumph over the Beavers.

This latest in the now growing series of down-to-the-last-play endings had its own drama, keeping the assembled 25,141, the largest crowd since the 2018 home opener, on the premises.

>> Click here to see photos of the game between Hawaii and Oregon State.

The usually reliable Meskell missed wide left on three earlier attempts from 47, 27 and 48 yards in a game in which the Rainbows had never held a lead.

With the game tied at 28 and UH staring at a fourth-and-8 situation at the OSU 10-yard line and 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining, Rolovich had a decision to make.

Go with Meskell again or let quarterback Cole McDonald, he of the 421 yards passing and four touchdown night, try to place the ball in the capable hands of receiver Jo Jo Ward, who had already caught a game-high 10 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns, picking up where Cedric Byrd II had left off last week.

Or, perhaps the emerging Jared Smart, who had six key grabs for 81 yards. Maybe kick returner extraordinary and receiver Melquise Stovall.

For many coaches it woudn’t have been much of a question. But as he frequently reminds us in myriad ways, Rolovich isn’t your average coach. He is, after all, a coach who throws out the coaching manual and often flies by the seat of his BVDs in disdaining punts on fourth down. Remember the out-of-the-box onside kick in his inaugural game as a head coach against California in Australia three years ago?

On this night he had already gone for it on three previous fourth-down situations and the Rainbows had converted on all of them.

Meskell, the one-time college soccer player, had been in a similar situation before. Last year at San Jose State he had missed twice in a game that had gone to a school-record five overtimes before kicking the game winner.

But that was San Jose State. This was Oregon State, a team that Rolovich and UH had more reasons than just bonus provisions to want to beat.

And who knew how much longer a UH defense that had pitched an admirable second-half shutout and helped contain the damage of two turnovers (and eight in two games), could continue to hold out?

When Rolovich chose to let Meskell trot onto the field for the go-ahead attempt the move was not universally endorsed by some of the more vocal patrons at Aloha Stadium.

But it paid off for Meskell, the Warriors and Rolovich, who now cash a potentially even bigger one against Washington in Seattle next.

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