Hawaii football team will play its first campus game tonight with no spectators

History will be a mystery when the University of Hawaii plays host to Portland State today in the first NCAA football game on the Manoa campus.

Although work was finalized on the $8.3 million retrofitting of the Ching Complex this week, spectators are excluded from attending the Rainbow Warriors’ home opener because of pandemic-related restrictions on large gatherings. The ban will be reviewed as government officials continue to monitor COVID-19 cases and hospital occupancy.

It has been an emotional roller coaster for the Warriors since December, when Aloha Stadium officials declared the Halawa facility would no longer be available for spectator events because of structural safety concerns. The Warriors had played 45 seasons at Aloha Stadium. After considering several options, including playing games at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium, UH officials decided to transform Ching into a usable venue until a replacement complex is built in Halawa.

The Warriors were energized when 6,000 seating spaces were adding, bringing capacity to 9,000; prefabricated luxury boxes were assembled, and a new two-toned AstroTurf was installed. Bleachers from the makai sideline were moved near the Ewa end line, creating a close and unobstructed view for UH students.

“Like we actually have a student section where we can have that intense moment where a lot of people are cheering for you,” said hybrid defender Eugene Ford, who has been associated with the Warriors since signing a letter of intent in February 2016. “That was like the ‘wow’ moment for me.”

Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said: “From the bottom to the top, I saw it being built. It looks wonderful.”

But with the spectator restrictions, the Warriors will have to wait until Sept. 18, at the earliest, to play before an on-campus audience.

“Of course, no fans, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Cordeiro said on Wednesday. “We’re focused on what we can control, and that’s playing our game, being focused, watching film and just showing up on Saturday.”

The Warriors have vowed to rebound from last week’s nationally televised opener — a 44-10 clunker to UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Bruins led 24-3 after one quarter, dominating the trenches and cranking up their running attack.

In animated practices this week, the Warriors stressed improved tackling and positioning in their run defense. “You get knocked on your can, you get back up, and you go at it.” UH coach Todd Graham said.

Graham also is seeking productive starts. The past two seasons, the Warriors’ average first drive was 16.4 yards spanning 1 minute, 54 seconds. Of those 10 possessions, five ended in punts and two in lost fumbles. The Warriors scored touchdowns in two of their opening drives.

Portland State is playing its second game since Nov. 23, 2019. The Big Sky Conference, of which the Vikings are a member, postponed the 2020 season until the spring. PSU opted out of the spring season except for a single game against Montana in April.

“It’s going to be awesome,” PSU cornerback Anthony Adams said of today’s game. “I’ve been playing football since I was in the second grade. That (2020 season) was the first fall I didn’t have football in my life, which kind of was different.”

PSU coach Bruce Barnum is the creator of what his players call “BarnyBall,” in which quarterback Davis Alexander and a running back are in the pistol formation while the receivers are spread to the numbers. Alexander is a tough, strong-armed passer who has modeled his style after of the college version of Johnny Manziel.

Similar to the Warriors’ attack, the Vikings’ n0-huddle offense can play to a rapid tempo. But the Vikings prefer a steady pace.

“Hawaii’s faster than us,” Barnum said. “They’re going to be bigger than an FCS squad. We have to find some loophole to match them or be better. The tortoise and the hare? We try to be the tortoise. We want to make sure we can last through the whole game, through the fourth quarter going full speed. We might not be as fast as Hawaii, but we’re going be the same speed in the fourth quarter” as the first three periods.

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Portland State at Hawaii

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