On the “You Are Here” map, the University of Hawaii football team can be found at the outskirts of bowl contention.
At 4-7 overall and 1-5 in the Mountain West, the Rainbow Warriors are left to play for pride in their final two games of the regular season. It is a disappointing scenario for a team whose goals were to play for the Mountain West title and qualify for a bowl.
“Both of those are off the table,” head coach Todd Graham said after Saturday’s 27-13 loss to UNLV. “What you can do is control what’s in front of you.”
Six of the 12 MWC teams have already reached the Bowl eligibility requirement of having .a 500 record-or-better regular-season record. Even if UH wins its last two games, the Warriors can finish no higher than fifth in the West Division. They are currently in last place in the West.
This is how the Warriors got “here”:
>> Schedule: The Warriors played a schedule in which seven of 13 games were on the road. The first two were against Pac-12 members UCLA and Oregon State. Two others — Nevada and Utah State — were played in chilly conditions.
The Warriors’ lone road victory was in the first game of a bizarre home-and-home series with New Mexico State. UH won both games. But as an independent, the Aggies were able to design byes to book-end the matchup in Honolulu. For the game on NMSU’s campus, the Warriors traveled to El Paso, where they stayed during the three-day trip, then made the 45-minute drive to Las Cruces. UH and NMSU will meet six more times in the coming years, although not twice in the same season.
The Warriors had lapses when they appeared to be winded playing in 4,500-foot elevation at Reno and Logan, Utah. It will be challenging for the Warriors’ regular-season finale against Wyoming in Laramie (7,165 feet above sea level).
>> Relocation: A little after the conclusion of the 2020 season, the Warriors received what was essentially an eviction notice from Aloha Stadium. The Warriors were told their home site for 45 years would no longer be available for events with spectators because of safety concerns. They were left with two choices: play another season in an empty stadium or find a new home. Their new home actually was on their Manoa property — the Ching Complex. But with the state’s protocols, the Warriors were the last of 130 FBS schools to host a football game without attendance restrictions. The uncertainty of when restrictions were to be lifted was a distraction, as well as an irritation for parents wishing to watch their sons play.
>> Injuries: The Warriors were without three important players — quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, running back Dae Dae Hunter, and wide-side cornerback Cameron Lockridge — for a key stretch against Mountain West opponents. Running back Dedrick Parson and safety-linebacker Khoury Bethley recently practiced sparingly to rest ailments but performed productively in games. The Warriors lost two projected starters during the summer. Left guard Michael Eletise received a medical hardship. Linebacker Jeremiah Pritchard was injured in a car accident.
>> Offensive woes: From his opening news conference in January 2020, Graham set goals of an offense that would harbor a physical, defensive mindset and play with tempo (80-plus snaps per game) and discipline (minimal penalties and mistakes). At previous schools, Graham’s prolific system was rooted in an aggressive running game and complementary four-vertical passing schemes.
That approach appeared to click during a mid-season stretch when the Warriors went 3-1. The offense averaged 28.0 points and 75.3 snaps. Their running attack produced 241.5 non-sack yards per game on 7.3 yards per carry. But the last three games, the ground game went cold, dropping to 75.0 non-sack rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry, and the pace has slowed (61.3 plays per game). The Warriors managed one offensive touchdown apiece against San Diego State and UNLV. Execution, injuries, play-calling and tough opposing defenses are likely contributors to the slump. UH’s wish is Hunter’s return to the lineup, Cordeiro’s improved health, and an offensive line that has been intact for three games will benefit the offense in the next two games.
