MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. >> At the end of the University of Hawaii football team’s final practice of the season, several defensive players hoisted middle linebacker Penei Pavihi and carried him off the field at Saint Francis High.
While it was a gesture of respect for the senior co-captain, the UH coaches indicated the Rainbow Warriors were not getting carried away with emotion.
“It was like any other Friday practice,” defensive coordinator Jacob Yoro said of the final workout ahead of today’s road game against San Jose State at CEFCU Stadium. “We’ll worry about all the sentimental stuff after the game. Our job right now is to try to send these seniors off right, and try to catapult some of the momentum into the offseason as we continue to build this program.”
The Warriors and Spartans own different trends. The Warriors are 0-5 on the road in Timmy Chang’s first season as head coach. The Spartans are 5-0 at home.
“They’re comfortable at home, rightfully so,” Chang said. “They’re a good team. They make plays. We’ve got to make plays. We’ve got to match their plays, and come to play. It’s going to be tough. We watched their film all season long. They’re just better at home.”
This is the Warriors’ least complicated trip of the season. They practiced at the Ching Complex on Thursday morning, departed on a flight that afternoon, then enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner after arriving in the Bay Area.
“Then we went back to work in the morning,” Yoro said.
Jesse Sapolu, whose son Roman Sapolu is the UH offensive line coach; Ray Hisatake; and Francis Maka were among the former Rainbow Warriors who attended Friday’s practice. Chang said all Warriors on the travel roster are available to play.
“Whoever’s up is up,” Chang said. “That’s the mentality we’re trying to take for every game. From here on out, as long as I’m here, whoever’s ready to play and going to play, they have to do the job.”
The Warriors’ offensive line has combined to produce nearly 100 pancake blocks in the past three games. Dedrick Parson and Tylan Hines are a 1-2 punch as running backs. Quarterback Brayden Schager has employed more deep passes to lengthen the Warriors’ passing attack. As a starter the past five weeks, linebacker Logan Taylor has amassed 64 tackles, which is second nationally during that span.
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who transferred from UH at the end of the 2021 season, has helped the Spartans become bowl eligible. The Spartans are 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West. Cordeiro was among the Warriors to enter the transfer portal over concerns about then head coach Todd Graham’s leadership. Graham resigned in January, and Chang, a former record-setting UH quarterback, was hired as successor.
“Chevan’s a good player,” Chang said of the fellow Saint Louis School graduate. “He’s doing well all season. He has history here with our guys, and that’s a good thing. He’s had a lot of lifelong relationships he’s built here. For us, it’s just a game we’ve got to win. He’s a good player. We’ve got to do our job against him.”
Cordeiro recalled practicing against the Warriors for four years.
“During practice, they couldn’t touch me,” Cordeiro said, referencing the no-contact policy for quarterbacks. “Now I know the defense would love to hit me. It’s going to be weird, but it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun playing against them — they’re my boys. But in the game, we’re not going to be boys. After, we’re going to hug it out. They’re my brothers for life still.”
The Warriors, who are 3-9 and 2-5, have been eliminated from postseason consideration. But Chang said the Warriors would like to build on last week’s victory over UNLV that ended a four-game skid.
“We just want to win and continue our momentum of growing and self-growth and all those different things that add value to our program and the direction we want to head,” Chang said. “This is an all-out-goal-to-win type of game for us. We want this one. I want this one.”
