On Saturday afternoon, the University of Hawaii football team made a side trip to the Pali Lookout.
That evening, the Rainbow Warriors returned to the top.
In a 46-40 victory over Massachusetts, the Warriors finished the regular season 6-7 and appear to have earned a berth in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. No announcement was made during the senior night festivities. But with not enough .500-or-better FBS teams to fill the 80 bowl berths, all signs point to the Warriors playing in December.
It is an impressive turnaround for a team that had not played in a postseason bowl since 2010. It also validated coach Nick Rolovich to reclaim the past glory known as Pride Rock.
“When it’s ready, it’ll come,” Rolovich said of a potential bowl berth. “I don’t know anything other than we just won our senior night, and the seniors should be very proud of what they did this year.”
The Warriors prevailed in a story line that appeared to be lifted from a Disney script.
The Minutemen, on the last two hours of a 10-day road trip, went ahead 26-24 on Jalen Williams’ 26-yard scoring pass from Andrew Ford with 7:46 left in the third quarter. The Warriors’ ensuing possession fizzled, and the Minutemen regained possession.
But on third-and-6 from the UMass 11, center Fabian Hoeller skipped a shotgun snap past Ford into the end zone. Ford landed on the ball, and freshman defensive end Kaimana Padello landed on Ford for the safety to tie it at 26.
Soon after, the Warriors took a 33-26 lead on slotback Dylan Collie’s 31-yard scoring pass from Dru Brown. It was the second time Collie and Brown parlayed an inside fade into a touchdown.
“It’s a play that works for me,” said Collie, whose four career touchdowns have come on fades. “It’s a good time.”
The good times continued to roll for the Warriors, who faced a fourth-and-7 from their 46. With Rolovich’s blessing, special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari signaled for a fake. The Warriors had worked on the fake for three weeks, with long-snapper Noah Borden and protector Ben Scruton part of the decision-making. Borden snapped to Scruton, who was in the I formation in front of punter Rigo Sanchez. With Dakota Torres delivering a key block, Scruton dashed 14 yards for the first down.
“I would have started swearing if he didn’t make it,” Rolovich said. “How about we trusted an Australian with the biggest play of our season? He just got here (in late August). He just got to America. He made a hell of a play. Good for him.”
On the next play, running back Diocemy Saint Juste weave-sprinted for a 40-yard touchdown to extend the Warriors’ lead to 40-26.
But the Minutemen were not out of time. John Robinson-Woodgett, a 247-pound running back, scored on a 1-yard run, and Marquis Young tied it at 40 with an 18-yard dash with 5:29 to play.
“We could have folded twice,” Rolovich said.
Instead, the Warriors advanced to their 44 on their final possession. Offensive coordinator Brian Smith noticed the Minutemen had cloud coverages, bunching a corner and safety in the flats. Wideout Keelan Ewalko ran a go route through the cloud, caught the pass, and then darted the rest of the way for a 56-yard touchdown and a 46-40 UH lead after Sanchez missed the extra point.
“He’s a player, fortunately for us, once he gets behind you, you’re probably not getting him,” Smith said.
Ewaliko said: “Dru (Brown) was able to sneak it in there, a hole shot. After I caught it, the rest was on me. I was able to tippy-toe down the sideline, and all of a sudden, I was gone. I saw somebody come from behind, and I had to go even faster. As soon as I broke the plane, I was like, ‘Unbelievable. I scored.’”
But the Minutemen were not done, advancing to the UH 17. Then on second-and-7, Ford threw incomplete. On third down, defensive end David Manoa tackled Young for a 4-yard loss. After a timeout, Ford threw to Bernard Davis in the left corner of the end zone. But Rojesterman Farris II, a second-year freshman, was able to box out Davis and the football sailed incomplete.
“It was like any other play I had to make,” Farris said.
The Warriors then ran out the clock for their 13th game … but not their season.
“More gray hairs,” Rolovich said of the outcome. “That’s what this team has been. The ups and downs. They stay together and they love each other.”
After departing a Waikiki hotel, where the Warriors had stayed overnight, they headed to the Pali Lookout. It was there where Rolovich reminded the players of the Battle of Nu‘uanu, a historical even during King Kamehameha’s reign.
“I just thought we were coming to a cliff,” Rolovich said. “Somebody was going to have to go off. We were going to make our last stand. I thought it was pretty symbolic of the uniting of the islands and all things these guys have done all year. I told them I was proud of the way they brought Pride Rock back to all of the state.”
After the game, there was one more commitment to make. Running back Paul Harris took a knee, then proposed to his girlfriend Keisha Marie O’Brien. She accepted. On this night, there was a ring ceremony.
