The election is over, but the state of the University of Hawaii football team remains a hot-button issue. Your favorite newspaper provides some answers.
Question: Which players will return this week?
Answer: UH coach Nick Rolovich said more players will be available this week than for last week’s game against San Diego State. He said cornerback Jamal Mayo, who has missed the past three games, might be available to play against Boise State on Saturday. Rolovich said it will be a “game-time decision.”
Mayo said he is hopeful about playing. “It was very frustrating because it was my first injury ever in football,” Mayo said. “It was something I had to cope with and realize I would get better and get back on the field in no time.”
Mayo kept busy helping the younger players, including second-year freshman cornerback Rojesterman Farris II.
Q: How is running back Mel Davis recovering from his health issue?
A: Davis, who attended Tuesday’s practice, said he will redshirt this season. He said he spent 21⁄2 weeks in a hospital recovering from a non-football medical condition. He lost a significant amount of weight, and now is 220 pounds.
Q: Has the quarterback thought about using a visor to not telegraph where he’s looking.
A: There is an NCAA rule against wearing dark visors.
Q: Does Coach Rolovich plan on working with the quarterbacks to use their eyes to move defenses instead of staring down their primary target?
A: Rolovich said the quarterbacks, who go through full-field progressions in dissecting defenses, do not usually lock into a receiver.
Rolovich added: “When people talk about looking off receivers, it’s not eyes, it’s body language, it’s mannerism. That’s what you need to use against people, not just your eyes. It’s more than just your eyes. It’s your shoulders, it’s your feet, it’s your head movements. Even pace of drops can influence people. We have to be dictating that. We can’t be reactionary. There has to be some anticipation by the quarterback position.”
Q: Any thoughts about running back Paul Harris motioning into the slot in a five-receiver set to get matched against a linebacker?
A: “Yes,” Rolovich said.
Q: How come UH doesn’t throw more bubble screens to the slotbacks?
A: That might have been a concern four weeks ago, but not last week. The Warriors threw three bubble screens against San Diego State. “You have to look for specific looks,” Rolovich said. “I thought we increased our bubble screens last week.”
Q: For Saturday’s 2 p.m. game, will UH be switching sides so Boise State will be on the mauka side (in the sun) for most of the afternoon?
A: “Yes,” Rolovich said.
Q: Is UH satisfied with the production from the tight ends?
A: Rolovich is pleased with the tight ends’ blocking in the run game. But Rolovich noted that the Warriors missed five potential touchdown passes to the tight ends this season. “That’s not the fault of the tight ends,” Rolovich said. “That’s more the quarterback and coaching because we weren’t ready to get it to (them) when they were open. I think the opportunities are there. But, no, I don’t like it when we leave four or five touchdowns on the field at one position. I don’t like that one bit.”
Q: Although this week’s game against Boise State will be played at Aloha Stadium, does Bronco Stadium’s blue turf provide an edge beyond the normal home-field advantage?
A: “I think they made it an advantage,” said Rolovich, who has played and coached against Boise State on the blue field. “It’s nothing you can use as an excuse to lose the game, but it is a very strong psychological movement by them. It’s smart. It’s not only the game day, it’s preparation. The (scouting) film’s different. I mean, ‘Where’s the safety? Oh, he’s hiding right in the logo.’ … Then there’s the blue walls behind them. At the quarterback level, you look through and, ‘Where’s the safety? He’s in the wall somewhere.’ … People do very smart things, and Boise is one of those teams. It’s the extra they do. They look for the little details to try to do everything right. And that’s why they are who they are. Not because of the blue turf.”
Q: What is Rolovich’s philosophy on receiver rotations?
A: Rolovich prefers using several receivers each game. “I think it keeps them hungry knowing that if they’re productive in practice and work hard, they’ll get on the field,” Rolovich said. “It keeps everyone involved.”
Q: Does UH have anybody else, besides center Fred Ulu-Perry, who probably would be a starter or play significant minutes if he were eligible this season?
A: Freshman quarterback Cole McDonald and running back Freddie Holly probably would be in consideration for playing time if they were not redshirting this season. Also, defensive end Max Hendrie, who is ineligible to practice until next year, would provide a boost because of his quickness and athletic skills.
Q: How do Michigan and San Diego State compare in terms of scheme and talent?
A: “I think Michigan is more talented player for player,” Rolovich said. “I think there’s no difference in how hard they play. You won’t see anyone loaf on San Diego State’s defense. They love getting 11 guys to the ball. Sometimes it seems there are 15 guys to the ball because that’s how they like to play. Schematically, they are different. But effort wise, I don’t think anybody could play harder than San Diego State, not that Michigan didn’t play hard.”
Q: What’s the best advice Rolovich received since the San Diego State game?
A: “The vegetation is in the valley,” Rolovich said. “Sometimes at the lowest point, that’s where you need to grow.”
Q: What is the message to the players following last week’s loss?
A: “If there’s one person in a 55-0 loss — a coach or player — that goes, ‘Well, I did my job,’ we have an issue,” Rolovich said. “Everyone needs to feel this. It can’t be, ‘I didn’t play, but I traveled right and I didn’t get into trouble on the road and I did my homework and went to study hall and I ate breakfast on time.’ No. Did you do something during the week that could have better prepared us? Everyone needs responsibility, and everyone needs to be humble about this and not, ‘Whoa, whoa, I should have played or whoa, whoa, why didn’t they do this, why didn’t they do that.’ If we’re not united, we’ll lose the last three (games of the regular season).”
