SAN DIEGO >> Second verse, same as the first.
On Saturday, for the second time at 2-year-old Snapdragon Stadium, the Hawaii football team seized a late lead and then lost late to San Diego State, a sequence similar to a meeting in 2022. But the setback accentuated some concerns for the Rainbow Warriors, such as:
>> Losing a Mountain West opener has more significance because the conference schedule is reduced from eight games to seven this year to accommodate Oregon State and Washington State, the two holdovers from the Pac-12. The Warriors play host to nationally ranked Boise State — and NCAA rushing leader Ashton Jeanty — this coming Saturday.
>> The Warriors will have to win at least five of their final seven regular-season games to become bowl eligible. The 2-3 Warriors elected not to use the “Hawaii exemption” that allows them a 13th regular-season game. For a 12-game season, the minimum bowl requirement is a 6-6 record. But of the Warriors’ two victories over FCS opponents, only one counts toward bowl consideration. For bowl purposes, the Warriors are not 2-3 but 1-3, meaning they need to win five more to meet the .500-or-better requirement.
>> The combination of moisture from a fog and Snapdragon’s soft winter-grass field led to several UH receivers and defensive backs slipping on Saturday. The winter-grass was planted with the intent of it being fully mature for the Holiday Bowl in December.
“The field was a little soft, but we both play on the same field, and footing is part of it,” UH coach Timmy Chang said. “We’ve got to get better and keep our footing.”
But that will be challenging because the Warriors no longer have use of a grass practice field on their campus. The track-and-field program was displaced from the Ching Complex when bleachers were added to turn the facility into a temporary home venue for the football Warriors. UH is building a soccer and track complex on the grass field where the Warriors had practiced. All of the Warriors’ practices now are cramped onto Ching’s artificial surface.
Thursday’s plans for the Warriors to have an “activation session” of stretching at Snapdragon were canceled because of a delay in deboarding at San Diego International Airport. On Friday, they practiced on the artificial surface at Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego.
The Warriors are believed to be the only FBS program without the availability of a grass practice field.
