The a-ha! moment came two weeks ago when everything clicked in quarterback Cole McDonald’s command of the Hawaii football offense.

The aah moment came on Monday when McDonald was named the Mountain West Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

McDonald was honored after completing 83.3% of his passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns in the Rainbow Warriors’ 54-3 beatdown of Nevada this past Saturday. It was the 18th start of his three-season UH career.

“It (felt) like a great team win all around,” McDonald texted to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “The defense handled business, special teams came out with energy, and the coaching staff called great plays and schemes.”

Head coach Nick Rolovich said McDonald has played exceptionally well the past two weeks. In the Sept. 21 game against Central Arkansas, McDonald was 25-for-32 for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

“This is how we expected him to play,” Rolovich said. “And he should expect himself to play this way. This should be two weeks of positive reinforcement for making the decisions he’s made the last two weeks, and how much more smooth the games go on offense.”

In the first three games, McDonald was accurate except when he strayed across the borders of the offense and tried to force throws. “He got out of his lane a little bit,” Rolovich said. “Why he did, we’re still thinking that through.”

Quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann said McDonald has different sets of checks for running, passing and run-pass-option plays. Each scheme has a common theme: make the read, then distribute the ball.

“When he’s making his reads and getting the ball out early, he’s really, really good,” Stutzmann said. “He just gets himself in trouble when he tries to chase plays. If he misses a read, or there’s a dropped pass or an interception, he tries to do something heroic rather than every play is a new play. Just go through the reads, go through the system, and distribute the ball.”

Last week, Stutzmann made McDonald watch video of the 2018 game against Nevada. McDonald was 19-for-37 for 259 yards in that game.

“He said, ‘Gosh, now I know why you guys were so frustrated,’ ” Stutzmann said.

On Saturday, the Warriors’ first drive ended in a punt. “He came off the field,” Stutzmann recalled, “and I said, ‘Remember, if they score a touchdown or we get a stop, nothing changes. Go out and play football and stick with your reads.’ He did that, and we went down and scored a touchdown. The next time, it was a touchdown. He said to me, ‘Coach, can it be this easy?’ It just clicked. He continued to stay focused and relaxed and not chase plays.”

McDonald said: “We’ve done nothing differently. Just had to get in the film room and clean some stuff up mentally with Coach Rolo and Coach Stutz.”

Stutzmann said McDonald has figured out it is not a true-or-false offense.

“It’s multiple choice,” Stutzmann said. “It’s choosing the best answer. When you’re able to choose the best answer, it’s a very potent offense. Cole McDonald has a very high football IQ. We’re able to put a lot on his plate. The game has slowed down for him. It’s fun to watch him play.”