University of Hawaii coach Todd Graham said he expects quarterbacks Chevan Cordeiro and Brayden Schager both to play in Saturday’s nationally televised football game against Nevada in Reno.
Against Fresno State on Oct. 2, Cordeiro missed his first start of the season because of an injury suffered while attempting a tackle in the previous week’s game against New Mexico State. Schager, a freshman from Dallas, started and led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter in the Rainbow Warriors’ upset of then-No. 18 Fresno State. The Warriors did not play last weekend.
Following Tuesday’s two-hour practice, Cordeiro and Schager exited the Ching Complex together, with Cordeiro waving greetings to reporters.
“I expect Chevan to be ready to go,” Graham said. “He’s really made some great progress. We plan on probably using both of them (against the Wolf Pack).”
Defensive end Jonah Laulu said there is confidence in both quarterbacks. “We’ve always known Brayden can go,” said Laulu, who has worked against Schager in practice. “Even in fall camp, we were saying, ‘OK, he can throw some really good dots.’ ”
Laulu acknowledged there are some technical tuneups Schager still needs. “Once he gets on it,” Laulu said, “he’ll be really good.”
The Warriors are preparing to play one of the hottest teams in the cold. Laulu recalled the previous meeting in Reno, when the Warriors stormed to a 54-3 rout in 2019,
“That game was terrible,” Laulu said of the conditions. “It was hailing when we came out. I’ve never played in hail before. You couldn’t hear nothin’ because it was like, dink-dink-dink-dink.”
There was snow on Monday, according to a Nevada official, and temperatures could be in the low 40s at Saturday’s kickoff.
“That’s (air-conditioning) weather,” Laulu said. “That’s good. I don’t have AC in my house, so I’ll be sleeping with no blankets. It’ll be good playing in that with some nice little AC weather.”
Graham indicated the Warriors were refreshed in the first full practice after the bye weekend. While last week’s practices focused on fundamentals, Tuesday’s session was more specific to preparing for Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, a power running game, and an aggressive defense. Nevada coach Jay Norvell was an assistant coach under Graham. Nevada defensive coordinator Brian Ward and Graham are friends.
“You’re not going to out-scheme these guys,” Graham said. “These guys are very good football coaches. … You’ve got to do what you do.”
Graham noted the UH coaches used the bye week to recruit extensively. During a two-day period, Graham visited nine schools and watched junior college games. Graham who serves as the defensive coordinator and oversees special teams said recruiting “is my No. 1 job.”
