On this day of thankfulness and ohana, there is one University of Hawaii football player worthy of carving the proverbial turkey.
“I’m going to put it on Chevan,” stud defender Khoury Bethley said of quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. “Chevan is QB1. I don’t know how his skills are in the kitchen, but we’ll put that on him. He’s the quarterback.”
Cordeiro appears to be back to his old self — an elusive scrambler with a bazooka right arm. He displayed his retro skills against Colorado State, his fourth game since missing three starts because of an arm injury. Cordeiro carved the Rams’ defense for 406 yards and two touchdowns. He also outraced a man hunt for a 15-yard touchdown.
“I felt healthy,” Cordeiro said of the 50-45 outcome that ended a three-game losing streak. “I felt I could sling the ball. Everything was going good on Saturday.”
Head coach Todd Graham said it was the first game Cordeiro was fully healthy since his return. “I’m not a guy who makes excuses,” Cordeiro said. “Last week, I took a break a couple practices. It felt good. Saturday, I felt like my old self. The offense was rolling. The defense was doing good. It was a good team game.”
Cordeiro said he did not participate in full drills on Tuesday. He was back in action during Wednesday’s 2-hour practice. “I’m feeling good,” Cordeiro reiterated.
Zion Bowens, who can align in the slot or wide, has re-emerged as a speedy target. Cordeiro and Bowens have formed a deep connection, averaging 24.8 yards when they collaborate on pass completions. “He’s fast,” Cordeiro said of Bowens. “He knows how to get open. And he uses his hands. Receivers like that, all I’ve got to do is put (the football) in the right spot, and they’ll go up and grab it.”
The Warriors were set to depart Wednesday night in advance of Saturday’s meeting against Wyoming, their seventh road game of the season.
The Warriors have embraced this mantra: Believe it, and you’ll retrieve it. They are seeking to reclaim the Paniolo Trophy, which they ceded after losing to the Cowboys last year in Laramie. UH’s locker room is barren of rivalry trophies. By winning their last meetings, Air Force has the Kuter Trophy, UNLV has the Island Showdown Trophy, and San Jose State is in possession of the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy.
Asked if he looks at the empty spaces in the trophy case, Cordeiro said, “I try not to. We know there’s no (rivalry) trophies. We’ve got one we can get back this year, and the next year get all the other trophies back.”
Cordeiro acknowledged the Warriors are sacrificing time with their families to travel on Thanksgiving weekend.
“That’s what we signed up for,” Cordeiro said. “Playing football, you’ve got to make a lot of sacrifices. Sometimes you’re missing holidays, missing people’s birthdays. (But) just hanging out with the team, we’re one big family. Spending time with them on Thanksgiving … nothing I can (better) ask for.”
