It was a key fourth-and-1 situation in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s football game, and Hawaii’s offensive players on the field did not look to the sideline for the play.

“It was funny,” said UH head coach Nick Rolovich, who determines the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive plays. “The (assistant) coaches said: ‘What’s the play?’ And I said, ‘Cole’s calling it.’ There was a little bit of silence.”

Quarterback Cole McDonald scanned the Central Arkansas defense, and then called for a zone-read play. Running back Fred Holly got the ball from McDonald and rushed 5 yards for the first down.

Two plays later, McDonald threw to true freshman Lincoln Victor for the 11-yard touchdown that moved the Warriors out of reach, at 35-16, with 3:27 to play. That scoring pass, like Holly’s run, was a product of McDonald’s play selection.

“He’s earned that (play-calling) right when he plays the way he played (Saturday) night in terms of not forcing plays, letting the reads dictate what he’s going to do, and how he’s going to distribute the football,” quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann said. “We told him: ‘Whenever you do that, you’re a very good football player and quarterback. He was able to do that, and to do that in all four quarters, especially in crunch time. I think he developed that trust throughout the game with Rolo, and I think Rolo was comfortable with him.”

In his 17th career start, McDonald completed 13 of his first 15 passes en route to finishing 25-for-32 for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Five receivers had at least three receptions, with four catching scoring passes.

>> Photo Gallery: Game Day: Central Arkansas vs. Hawaii at Aloha Stadium

“I was more happy with that game with him than any game this year,” Rolovich said of McDonald. “I’m trying to think back. Colorado State (in 2018) was a pretty big one. I think he took a step (Saturday) night. To me, if he would play like that, within the system, he would be extremely, extremely productive.”

Rolovich accepted responsibility for McDonald’s interception on a deep pass. The intent was to stretch the Bears defense. Deandree Lamont made an acrobatic move to intercept in front of wideout Jared Smart.

“This is what we’re trying to do, and if the ball is intercepted, that’s more on us,” Stutzmann said. “He is mature enough to understand these kinds of things.”

As an offensive coordinator and then head coach, Rolovich has trusted the judgment of quarterbacks. Rolovich said he and former UH quarterback Bryant Moniz were “aligned fairly well for a good portion of his career.” But on homecoming night, McDonald was the first to earn play-calling responsibilities from Rolovich.

“Previously, he made a couple suggestions on things he wanted to run,” Rolovich said. “And they were successful. He was dialed in. … I was happy for Cole. He played his butt off.”