UH’s latest run-and-shoot QB fires away in a record start

STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Hawaii Warriors quarterback Cole McDonald (13) sets up to throw during the first half of the NCAA Mountain West Conference season opener on Saturday.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. >> Told that he had set the school record for passing yards (418) in a first start, Cole McDonald beamed.

Then, he quickly glanced over a shoulder at the former record holder (367 yards), his coach, Nick Rolovich, standing within earshot to see if he was listening.

“I’m not going to (gloat) about the record because I don’t want him to bench me or not play me,” McDonald said.

Not much chance of that after McDonald turned in a virtuoso performance in the season opener, passing for a school-record-tying three touchdowns for a first-time starter and running for two more in the Rainbow Warriors’ 43-34 victory over Colorado State on Saturday.

Of all the questions that surrounded the 2018 edition of the ’Bows, the implementation of the run-and-shoot offense in its latest form — and the man given first shot at running it — loomed the largest.

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>> Hawaii football team opens season with huge win at Colorado State
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>> PHOTOS: Hawaii defeats Colorado State

The answers in that regard, at least, were more than hoped for, especially for a team that came in as a 14-point underdog.

“I’m not gonna say I doubted him, but I really wasn’t sure what he was capable of,” said slotback John Ursua, who pulled in two of McDonald’s touchdown passes. “But he showed me he could lead the team, move the offense and display confidence. He always maintained a level head and locked in his (receivers).”

Indeed, by the third quarter, two-year starter Dru Brown, now at Oklahoma State, had become “Dru Who?”

You hardly knew there had been a six-year absence from the playbook for the run-and-shoot the way McDonald, who completed 26 of 37 passes without an interception, and the ’Bows smoothly applied it moving up and down Sonny Lubick Field against the Rams.

“(Friday) night I just tried to do what Rolo says and visualize success,” McDonald said.

Good thing, too, because the ’Bows needed all 617 yards of offense to hang on after what had been a 37-7 lead in the third quarter while yielding 460 yards to the Rams in the second half.

By leaving the door open for the Rams, they also closed it for backup quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. Rolovich said, “I would have loved to have given Chevan a quarter (of work). At one point I wanted him to get ready (to go in), but we just couldn’t put CSU away.”

While the ’Bows need to work on being able to put away an opponent and overcome false starts, the most egregious of their 10 penalties, they were able to make the 3,425-mile trip back home secure in the knowledge they are headed in the right direction with the offense, no small consideration for a team that had carried over a five-game losing streak from 2017.

Thanks to the offensive coming out party, the ’Bows were able to effect a 39-point turnaround from one of the most lopsided of their nine losses of the 2017 season 11 months ago, when they were buried 51-21 by the Rams.

Even before the pregame rainbow that graced the foothills around Fort Collins, Rolovich said he had an inkling things would be different this time. “On the plane, coming over, I could see this team was together. I could see how focused they were and how much they wanted this first game.”

McDonald said, “Everybody did their jobs. Me, I know I can do better. I can cut out the mistakes.”

He said, “I’ll enjoy (breaking Rolovich’s former) record. I’ll just let other people do the talking about it.”

After Saturday, there will be no shortage of us doing that.

GAME STATISTICS

FIRST QUARTER

HAWAII
>> John Ursua 4 pass from Cole McDonald. Ryan Meskell kick
>> Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:58 elapsed time.
>> Time: 10:02.
>> Score: UH 7, CSU 0

COLORADO STATE
>> Olabisi Johnson 10 pass from K.J. Carta-Samuels. Wyatt Bryan kick.
>> Drive: 14 plays, 85 yards, 4:26 elapsed time.
>> Time: 5:26
>> Score: CSU 7, UH 7

HAWAII
>> Field goal Meskell 21
>> Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:08 elapsed time.
>> Time: 1:18
>> Score: UH 10, CSU 7

SECOND QUARTER

HAWAII
>> McDonald 12 run. Stan Gaudion pass failed.
>> Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3:53 elapsed time.
>> Time: 11:32
>> Score: UH 16, CSU 7

HAWAII
>> McDonald 6 run. Meskell kick.
>> Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:43 elapsed time.
>> Time: :28
>> Score: UH 23, CSU 7

THIRD QUARTER

HAWAII
>> Ursua 19 pass from McDonald. Meskell kick
>> Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:34 elapsed time.
>> Time: 8:48.
>> Score: UH 30, CSU 7

HAWAII
>> Cedric Byrd 55 pass from McDonald. Meskell kick
>> Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:24 elapsed time.
>> Time: 3:35.
>> Score: UH 37, CSU 7

COLORADO STATE
>> Preston Williams 7 pass from Carta-Samuels. Bryan kick.
>> Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:15 elapsed time.
>> Time: 2:20
>> Score: UH 37, CSU 14

COLORADO STATE
>> Johnson 58 pass from Carta-Samuels. Carta-Samuels pass failed.
>> Drive: 2 plays, 72 yards, :24 elapsed time.
>> Time: :08
>> Score: UH 37, CSU 20

FOURTH QUARTER

COLORADO STATE
>> Williams 26 pass from Carta-Samuels. Bryan kick.
>> Drive: 4 plays, 99 yards, 1:06 elapsed time.
>> Time: 8:15
>> Score: UH 37, CSU 27

HAWAII
>> Field goal Meskell 30
>> Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 1:33 elapsed time.
>> Time: 6:42
>> Score: UH 40, CSU 27

COLORADO STATE
>> Izzy Matthews 9 pass from Carta-Samuels. Bryan kick.
>> Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:00 elapsed time.
>> Time: 4:42
>> Score: UH 40, CSU 34

HAWAII
>> Field goal Meskell 35
>> Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 3:58 elapsed time.
>> Time: :44
>> Score: UH 43, CSU 34

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Hawaii: C.McDonald 13-96, Holly 16-68, Furuta 7-35. Colorado State: Matthews 15-63, McElroy 4-28, Carta-Samuels 6-25.

PASSING — Hawaii: C.McDonald 26-37-0-418. Colorado State: Carta-Samuels 34-50-1-537, (Team) 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — Hawaii: Byrd 11-181, Ursua 7-123, Holly 2-38, Armstrong-Brown 2-34, Furuta 2-22, Sharsh 1-12, Ward 1-8. Colorado State: P.Williams 9-188, O.Johnson 6-157, Matthews 6-58, W.Jackson 5-72, Butler 5-26, Hammer 2-19, Fulton 1-17.

MISSED FIELD GOALS — Colorado State: Bryan 45, Bryan 48.

LEADING TACKLERS (solo-assist—total) — Hawaii: Solomon Matautia 6-4—10, Ikem Okeke 7-1—8. Colorado State: Josh Watson 3-10—13, Jordan Fogal 4-8—12.

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