There’s hope for this University of Hawaii football team.

I know, that’s the same thing we (not just I) said after UH took it on the chin when it lost to USC to start last season — but without completely losing its dignity or its hope.

For the 2012 team, that happened later, and things got ugly.

Coach Norm Chow admits that next week’s opponent, Oregon State, may be better than the Trojans. Many of us agree, after USC did not look like the No. 24 team in the nation but still beat Hawaii 30-13 in the season opener Thursday.

Last year’s team got a bye and then a glorified scrimmage against Lamar after taking its lickings like men at the Coliseum. This year’s edition gets No. 25 Oregon State — at Corvallis.

Back to hope, and that comes in the form of the defense right now.

The scoreboard doesn’t show it, but this was UH’s best defensive performance against an FBS team in a pretty long time, maybe going back to that win over Navy in 2009 when the Warriors shackled the option.

At times, UH dominated the line of scrimmage, to the tune of nine tackles for loss. And the Warriors kept the best receiver in the country, Marqise Lee, at bay for most of it.

Lee had to struggle for his eight catches for 104 yards, and he never got into the end zone.

Everyone commented on how fast the Warriors looked on defense. Yes, they swarmed, and part of the reason they looked speedy was because they were in the right place so often.

"(The game plan) was huge," defensive end Tavita Woodard said. "Coach TK (defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer) stressed us on working vertical. We proved we could stop their run."

Perhaps most impressive was the Warriors’ performance in the red zone.

"You hold people to field goals in the red zone and you have a chance to win," Chow said.

Chow said it with a grimace, because the way UH played offense was as poor as the defense was excellent.

He said he expected growing pains and rust from quarterback Taylor Graham, but many of the fans were expecting the positive qualities of Colt Brennan, Timmy Chang, Nick Rolovich and Dan Robinson all rolled into one. That’s what happens over the course of nearly a year-and-a-half of hype. Everyone forgot all that time added to the years since the last football game Graham had played in.

It didn’t take long for the replace-the-QB crowd to get going, especially when Graham’s best play in the first half was a decleater of cornerback Kewon Seymour on a reverse (revenge 10 years later for a similar play perpetrated by Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart on UH corner Abe Elimimian).

It was a pick that basketball coach Gib Arnold would like. The other four, no one in Warrior World enjoyed.

Graham’s numbers were brutal, but at least he and the rest of the offense got something to build on at the end. There will be more 60-yard TD hookups with young receivers like Keith Kirkwood.

The sooner the better, because UH has a defense that deserves a good offense.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.