In a 35-year career as a college football assistant coach, quarterback controversies and fourth-and-goal situations were some of the toughest calls that confronted Norm Chow.

But the arrest of backup quarterback Cayman Shutter on suspicion of drunken driving last week poses a considerably bigger challenge for the University of Hawaii’s first-time head coach.

At USC, UCLA, Utah or North Carolina State, the head coach might have sought Chow’s opinion on a player who had run afoul of the law. But, ultimately, the man in charge meted out the penalties.

Chow is suddenly that man at UH and what he announces today as the Warriors resume practice after a week’s spring break will make for the most revealing read yet on an administration that has heretofore adopted a no-nonsense posture.

Early indications are that the “significant suspension” Chow spoke of to the Star-Advertiser’s Stephen Tsai on Monday is likely to be an immediate and indefinite suspension that could turn into a multigame — or longer — penalty in the fall, depending on how the criminal charges play out.

Already we’ve seen Chow draw a firm and early disciplinary line on several fronts, from how lockers are arranged to punctuality for study hall and practice, as the tardy can attest.

But a DUI conviction isn’t something you address by having the offending player hold a stack of books aloft for 20 minutes or having the entire team do up-down drills on the practice field. Though once upon a time, the punishment on many campuses wasn’t all that different.

These are more serious times, as too many recent headlines, including last week’s Makaha Beach bus stop tragedy, remind us. Driving under the influence can have horrible consequences, though. Thankfully, the case in front of Chow now wasn’t one of those circumstances.

The message to teammates that the next player pulled in by police at 3:30 a.m. might not be as fortunate is something you suspect will be factored into today’s equation, even as there is room left for a 21-year-old’s second-chance opportunity.

The visibility of the case renews the spotlight on drinking and driving, a problem that is particularly acute among teenagers and college-age students, according to studies. The proportion of college students ages 18-24 who drove under the influence of alcohol has ranged between 25 and 30 percent, according to a 2005 national study.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii chapter founder Carol McNamee, citing police arrest records, said an average of approximately 475 teenagers annually have been arrested on DUI charges statewide between 2009 and 2011. Disturbing statistics to be sure.

It is with those kinds of numbers in mind, perhaps, that Chow counseled the Warriors to act responsibly before releasing them for last week’s spring break, reminding them they represent the school and the state in and out of uniform.

“What you teach — and what young people have to learn — is that there are consequences to (their) actions,” Chow said. “Some of them harsh.”

Today we see how that message is delivered.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.