FRESNO, Calif. >> With fans not allowed at University of Hawaii home football games this season, the Rainbow Warriors will add cutouts to their games at Aloha Stadium, athletic director David Matlin said.
Cutouts have been prominent at Major League Baseball games, some college football contests and other sports as a fundraiser since play resumed during the pandemic.
The price is $50 for the four-game home schedule.
Approximately 500 were in attendance in the end zone seats at Saturday’s UH game at Fresno State’s Bulldog Stadium. At $60 apiece, they are estimated to bring the Bulldogs $30,000 for the season with sales continuing.
Graham preaches ‘discipline,’ not happy with penalties
Head coach Todd Graham has preached “elite discipline” and “accountability” in trying to reform the Rainbow Warriors from their heavily penalized recent past.
Their average standing over the previous five years has been 105th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with an average of 7.4 penalties per game.
>> PHOTOS: Hawaii beats Fresno State
So, seven penalties Saturday night for 44 yards didn’t sit well, especially the combination of targeting and unsportsmanlike conduct calls on safety Kai Kaneshiro, who was removed in the third quarter and will have to sit out the first half of Friday’s game at Wyoming.
“I had only one targeting foul in the last six years as a head coach and this was my second,” Graham said. “This is something for everyone to learn from and something we don’t need to happen again.”
Shipley has Graham’s confidence
Matthew Shipley made a strong first impression for the Warriors.
Shipley, a freshman from Liberty Hill (Texas) High, converted field goals from 34 and 24 yards. His first field goal put the Warriors ahead, 10-7, their first lead of the season.
Shipley missed both of his kicks from 49 yards. One appeared to have been tipped. The other struck the right post.
“He missed that one and hit the goal post on the other, I told him, ‘we’re going to keep kicking them,’ because he’s talented,” Graham said. “He reminds me a lot of Zane Gonzalez that I had at Arizona State (and now with the Arizona Cardinals). He’s young. He can see now that I have confidence in him. We get to that 33-yard line, we’re kicking it.”
