He was sprinting at the 40 yard line, then the 35, then the …
Diocemy Saint Juste?
Well, sure, the University of Hawaii running back did a lot of that, too, on a record 202-yard rushing, two-touchdown night. But in this case we’re talking about head coach Nick Rolovich’s third-quarter attempt to go stride-for-stride down the sideline for a while with defensive back Trayvon Henderson’s 89-yard return of a blocked field goal for a touchdown Saturday.
On a night when the Rainbow Warriors got bogged down by penalties and an inconsistent passing game, it was a 299-yard ground game and school-record three blocked kicks (two by Meffy Koloamatangi) that propelled them past Western Carolina in a tougher-than-necessary 41-18 victory.
“Just trying to get a little cardio in,” Rolovich said afterward. “I wanted to remind (Henderson) of ball security.”
Though the ’Bows are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2009 and have won five games in a row for the first time since 2010, Rolovich has a lot more than ball security to remind his team about today.
Atop a long list — “I don’t want to keep you up all night,” Rolovich told 1420-AM’s Mark Veneri afterward— is penalties. The ’Bows committed 11 for 104 yards, two more than the season opener at Massachusetts. And, for the second week in a row they had a touchdown called back by penalty.
“We can’t lose control of our emotions,” Rolovich said, shaking his head in deepening frustration.
Progress this isn’t, especially after a spring practice and fall camp dedicated to reducing a propensity for penalties that ranked UH 127th in penalties per game (8.29) and 122nd in penalty yards (1,003) for the 2016 season in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
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While UH could endure them and still manage to win at UMass and against Football Championship Subdivision foe Western Carolina, it is bound to cost them when they step up some levels in competition over the next three games with UCLA, Wyoming and Colorado State.
The ’Bows had enough trouble containing Catamounts quarterback Tyrie Adams, who ran for 107 yards and passed for 270 yards and a touchdown in a performance notable for his toughness as well as talent that drew raves from the Aloha Stadium turnout of 22,725.
And he isn’t even the best quarterback UH will see this month.
“He’s not?” Rolovich said.
Not with UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen, a projected high NFL Draft pick, the next two up on the schedule.
UH’s Dru Brown had an uncharacteristic inconsistent night, completing just 11 of 21 passes for 154 yards while authoring two touchdown passes and getting picked off twice.
Fortunately, Dylan Collie made up for the absence of injured John Ursua with seven catches for 104 yards and a TD. And Saint Juste picked up his game from a 78-yard effort last week and became the first UH running back to exceed 200 yards twice in a career. “There were definitely a lot more opportunities (for yards) last week, and I tried to make up for it this week,” Saint Juste said.
After a career-high-tying 25 carries, Saint Juste, who claimed he left briefly due to dehydration, said, “I could have done a few more.”
With Ryan Tuiasoa carrying 16 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns, he didn’t need to.
As for Rolovich. “He moves pretty good for his age (38),” Collie said.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
