Hawaii’s defense tightens up after halftime

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STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Hawaii defensive lineman Derek Thomas tackled Washington wide receiver Aaron Fuller during the first half of Saturday’s game in Seattle.

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STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Washington running back Salvon Ahmed was tackled by Hawaii defensive back Kalen Hicks (3) and defensive lineman Azia Se’ei (69) on Saturday at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Hicks tied for a team high with eight tackles in the Rainbow Warriors loss to the Huskies.

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This football season, Hawaii’s defense is making a good second impression.

In Saturday’s road loss to nationally ranked Washington, the Rainbow Warriors followed a familiar sequence of playing better in the second half than in the first 30 minutes.

The 2-1 Warriors have allowed 87 points in the first half and 31 after the intermission. This past Saturday, Washington scored 38 of their 52 points in the first half. A week earlier, Oregon State went from 28 first-half points to zilch after that.

“We’ve got to do a better job of starting better,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “We didn’t start well (against Washington), and it steamrolled from there. They’re a good football team, and we’re a good football team. We just have to learn from these mistakes and get ready for the next one.”

The Warriors have shown to make in-game adjustments. In the first three games, opponents are averaging 8.4 yards per first-half play, but 5.6 yards after that. The rushing split is this: 6.9 per carry, six touchdowns in the first half; 4.9 yards, three ground TDs in the second half. The Warriors have not allowed a third-quarter point the past two games.

“The kids who are in there are able to see what’s going on, they’re able to make the adjustments,” Batoon said. “We practice against all those formations. The way (opposing teams) disguise and get to those formations changes every week. You’ve got players who are young out there trying to formation-ally adjust. Once they settled down and saw how they were going to disguise their motions and shifts and formations, they played better.”

The Warriors have had to improvise this season because of ailments. Middle linebacker Penei Pavihi suffered a season-ending knee injury three days before the opener. His immediate backup, Jeremiah Pritchard, has not played the past two weeks. Two key defensive linemen — Makai Manuwai and Eperone Moananu — were not available against Washington. Khoury Bethley started in place of safety Ikem Okeke, who was limited to only a few snaps.

When Bethley was ejected for a targeting violation on the second play, third-year sophomore Donovan Dalton was beckoned. Dalton tallied eight tackles.

Nalu Emerson, Jonah Kahahawai-Welch, Foi Shaw, Michael Washington, Tauivi Ho Ching and Noa Kamana made their season debuts on Saturday.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who got to play for the first time, extended minutes, so it’ll help us down the road,” Batoon said. “There’s a lot of season ahead of us. This will allow us to build from our depth. And guys will learn more by doing than just practicing. You have to look at it from a positive standpoint. We’re building depth for the future with guys like Donovan, who’s going to have to play a key role for us this year.”