Not even intermittent rain could douse the unabashed enthusiasm of the Hawaii football team’s first scrimmage-like practice of training camp.
“It was exactly what we wanted,” UH coach Timmy Chang said of the 72 scripted plays featured in the Rainbow Warriors’ simulation of the game-day experience.
The Warriors went through their 90-minute warmup of stretches and light drills leading to the situational scrimmage at the TC Ching Complex. The Warriors wore “spiders,” cushioned padding for their shoulders. Dennis Thurman, who was hired as defensive coordinator in January, brought the heat.
“The defense looked good today,” quarterback Brayden Schager said. “It was fun to have them out there flying around. It was good to see different looks from them. Coach Thurman does a great job with that. He always tells me I’m going to see every single look from him. I appreciate that. We’ll take that, and keep getting better.”
Thurman previously coached under Deion Sanders at Colorado and Jackson State. Thurman earned a reputation as an innovative coach as defensive coordinator with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. The Warriors have implemented only part of his playbook. They also were without injured cornerback Virdel Edwards and safety Meki Pei. But Thurman was able to mix different coverages in the 11-on-11 sessions.
On a screen pass to Oakie Salavea, middle linebacker Jamih Otis followed a path cleared by a defensive end to force a pop-up fumble. Otis dashed 30 yards for the touchdown.
“It was a point-of-contact play,” Otis said. “The ball fell into my hands. I ran with it. I finished the play. Coach Thurman is like a mad scientist. He cooks up a lot of good stuff. A lot of stuff isn’t even in yet. We’re scratching the surface. He puts the guys where they need to be.”
In the quarterback rotation, Schager, who is No. 1, took the majority of the snaps. He was able to stretch defenses with deep throws, as well as elude linebackers with scrambles. “I felt good out there,” Schager said. “It’s always good to get live reps.”
The Warriors had gone five months between the Feb. 25 end of spring training and last Wednesday’s start of training camp. Most of the player-run practices had been 7-on-7 drills that did not involve linemen. “It was fun having everybody out there,” Schager said.
Micah Alejado, the heralded left-handed freshman from Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High, threw the only scoring pass — a 14-yarder to Waipahu High alumnus Tama Uliata. “We always had that connection growing up,” said Alejado, who grew up in Hawaii before moving to Las Vegas. “We played on the same childhood teams. He was my dorm mate (during the spring) semester.”
Even at 5 feet 10 and 180 pounds, Alejado continually found windows to the receivers. “When the ball is actually snapped, all the linemen are moving when you’re getting the drop. Things always work out when you’re getting back there (in the pocket). You move around, the D-line moves around, and it opens gaps.”
Running back Cam Barfield, who transferred from Boston College, broke away for a 50-yard gain. Barfield is 5-7 and 190 pounds, but he can bench-press 315 pounds and back-squat 450 pounds, and can accelerate into the running lane. “I like to say I’m a quick dude,” Barfield said. “A lot of people have track speed but don’t know how to move with the football. I have a lot of football speed.”
The biggest hit of the day was delivered by H-back Matthew Bailiff, a second-year freshman from Kaysville, Utah. Bailiff caught a screen pass and pounded his way for another 5 yards. The play earned cheers … from some defensive players. “I first came in as a linebacker,” Bailiff said.
The Warriors were recruiting Layton Christian Academy teammate Zoram Petelo when they noticed Bailiff on videos. He accepted an offer to join as a preferred walk-on. “It was the best opportunity I had,” Bailiff said. “I ended up here.”
Petelo and Bailiff are now Warriors teammates.
