Ready to play?
In Seattle on Sept. 14, Hawaii was punched in the mouth by a Washington team stinging from an upset at the hands of Cal the week prior. UH fell behind 38-0 quickly on the way to a 52-20 demise, the Warriors’ first loss of the season. It was over before it started.
Even though UH was playing a supposedly lower level of team this time in the Central Arkansas Bears, it was imperative it get off to a fast start. The Rainbow Warriors needed to prove there would be no letdown after what happened in their deflating first loss of the season after two victories.
And that is what the home team did in its 35-16 victory, after an early blip due to a lost fumble on the first possession that turned out to be harmless. UH’s defense picked up the slack and scored the game’s first points, with Kai Kaneshiro grabbing a tipped pass and returning it 55 yards for a touchdown. Offensively, Cole McDonald completed all seven of his first-quarter passes, including a 5-yard TD toss to JoJo Ward.
It continued in the second quarter, with McDonald finding Jared Smart and Cedric Byrd for TD passes as well. Hawaii led 28-0 after the latter, Byrd’s sixth touchdown of the season. At this point, the teams did look like programs from two different levels.
That’s deep
The biggest difference between FBS and FCS schools is the number of full scholarships they can provide — 85 for FBS schools like Hawaii and 63 for FCS programs like Central Arkansas. Theoretically, this means if an FCS team can avoid injuries its talent can be comparable to that of at least some FBS teams, like Hawaii. As a game wears on and some players leave with injuries or fatigue, the advantage is supposed to go to the deeper, more well-rested FBS team. But it was the FCS Bears who displayed more energy as the second half progressed, trimming a 28-0 deficit to 28-16 and threatening to upset the Warriors and improve to 4-0.
That is, until the final few minutes. UH receiver Lincoln Victor used fresh legs to churn his way into the end zone after a red-zone catch for a victory-sealing, 11-yard, touchdown reception with 3:27 left, making the score 35-16. The drive grounded out 89 yards in 12 plays and 6:33 of clock. It was close to a textbook lesson on how to close out a game.
More turnovers
Once again, Hawaii won a game in which it lost the turnover battle, and has now given the ball up 12 times for the season. If the Warriors expect to have a winning season this can’t continue. UH lost two fumbles by running back Miles Reed, McDonald was intercepted and Jared Smart muffed a punt near the end of the first half that resulted in a Bears field goal.
UH entered the game with a nation-leading 11 turnovers, and added four more.
Some turnovers are inevitable — especially in a wide-open offense like the the run-and-shoot. But UH will need to clean up this aspect of its game — especially taking care of the football — if it expects to contend for the Mountain West championship and a bowl game appearance..
Student support
Athletic director David Matlin and marketing director Brad Motooka were overjoyed with the okole-filled seats in the student section.
They’ve increased student giveaways, enhanced tailgates, and have just in general done a much better job with keeping students in the loop and engaged.
Overall attendance was pretty good considering lack of a marquee opponent and coming off a big loss: 23,465 tickets distributed and 20,252 turnstile.
Never underestimate the power of free pizza. Students were provided with 25 pies, plus plenty of (soft) beverages.
No QB shuffle
With Hawaii coming in as a huge favorite — and the way the game started — it appeared this might be another chance for freshman Chevan Cordeiro to get more experience. But other than the one pick, McDonald played a clean game, including some timely runs for a net of 31 yards. McDonald’s line of 25-32-1 with four TDs and 300 passing yards was solid.
