Niumatalolo wins hometown battle

Ken Niumatalolo came out on top in the first FBS college football game pitting both head coaches from Hawaii as Navy beat visiting Hawaii 42-28 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Niumatalolo and UH coach Norm Chow were both born in Hawaii, graduated from Hawaii high schools (Radford and Punahou) and are both of Polynesian ethnicity (Samoan and Hawaiian).

Also, Niumatalolo is a UH alumnus and he got his coaching start at Manoa. When asked what it meant to beat his alma mater, Niumatalolo praised the Rainbow Warriors, who were on the second game of a two-week road trip.

"It was hard. You look at the guys over there, and (if) you’re from Hawaii you recognize how far those guys had to come and the travel, logistically," he said. "I get nervous when we gotta go down to North Carolina. I make that trip (to Hawaii) every summer and it takes you two weeks to get acclimated."

Niumatalolo tied former UH offensive coordinator Paul Johnson for third on the Navy all-time coaching wins list with 45.

Samia out next week

Hawaii nose tackle Moses Samia is expected to miss at least one game because of a high ankle sprain suffered in the third quarter of Saturday’s 42-28 loss to Navy.

Samia suffered the injury when he was cut-blocked on a Navy running play that should have resulted in a penalty.

The Rainbow Warriors already are understaffed on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Saui Matagiese did not play on Saturday because of a sprained MCL in his right knee. There is a possibility Matagiese will be available for Saturday’s game against San Diego State.

Calen Friel and Marcus Malepeai alternated at nose tackle in Samia’s absence.

Hadden kicking himself

Tyler Hadden accepted responsibility for being wide left on field-goal attempts of 35 and 27 yards in the first half.

"It was on me," Hadden said. "I needed to make an adjustment. On both kicks, I wasn’t able to."

He said he tries not to dwell on other factors — wind, angle — on kicks.

"You start over-thinking too much when you take all that in," Hadden said. "I just needed to kick it through the uprights."

The first kick was the result of a bad snap that kept holder Ikaika Woolsey from spinning the laces. But the second miss was all on Hadden.

Big game for easy Ryder

Navy safety Wave Ryder saved his most productive game for the one with the most emotional meaning for him.

Ryder, a senior from Kaneohe and Kamehameha, posted a career-high 12 tackles, including one for loss.

UH gained 464 yards, but just one explosive play of 20 or more yards, a 40-yard touchdown pass from Sean Schroeder to Keith Kirkwood.

"It was a big win for us and for me especially," Ryder said. "I guess you could say since I never got offered a scholarship (by UH) I kind of had something like a chip on my shoulder. … I just came out and had a job to do and a game to win, just did all I could."

Ryder’s brother, Blaze, a backup center, also participated for Navy.

On second thought …

Hawaii benefited from a replay review, at least momentarily.

In the second quarter, the Hawaii coaches in the box upstairs alertly called for a timeout after an apparent 17-yard pass completion by Navy before the Midshipmen could rush upfield to run another play. Replays showed receiver Jamar Tillman’s foot was out of bounds and the play was ruled incomplete. But Navy ended up scoring on the drive anyway and going up 14-7.

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