Minutes after Hawaii’s 28-21 loss to New Mexico, UH head coach Nick Rolovich could not find any consolation in the game’s statistical sheet.
A day later, Rolovich’s mood had not changed significantly after reviewing video of that crucial Mountain West game.
“I’m not very happy losing, period,” Rolovich said. “And I’m not happy losing at Aloha Stadium.”
The outcome dropped the Warriors to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West. They need to win three of four games to finish with a winning regular season and earn the accompanying berth in the Hawaii Bowl. This coming Saturday, they play a road game against West Division leader San Diego State and the league’s most prolific running back.
“Donnel Pumphrey is the best back in the conference,” UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. “He’s fast as hell. This will be a challenge this week.”
The Warriors are seeking to rebound from a game in which the offense struggled and the defense had a momentum-turning breakdown on the final play of the third quarter.
“That one hurt,” Lempa said of Tyrone Owens’ 72-yard sprint. Lempa also was disappointed the Warriors could not stop the Lobos from milking the final 2:29.
“We came up short,” Lempa said.
Until Owens’ touchdown, the Warriors held the Lobos to 52 yards on 25 plays over the previous six drives, an average of 2.08 yards per play.
The Warriors’ offense struggled for a rhythm from the opening snap. They were two of 13 on third down, failing to convert on all eight third-down situations through the first three quarters. They did not complete a pass longer than 19 yards in 28 throws. They averaged 4.4 yards per play, their lowest output in five MW games. The Warriors entered averaging 7.32 yards against MW opponents.
“We didn’t move the ball offensively and we didn’t execute on third down,” Rolovich said.
The highlight was holder Ikaika Woolsey’s 2-yard touchdown on a fake field-goal attempt. Rolovich said special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari designed the play, which required the Warriors to be on the right hash.
On fourth-and-goal with the ball on the 2 — and the right hash — Chaudhari and Woolsey were given approval to go with the fake. “Ikaika had the ability to call it on or off if we didn’t have the right look, and we could go for three points,” Rolovich said. “Excellent play design by Coach Mayur, excellent decision and effort by Ikaika.”
But there were precious other bright moments for the Warriors.
“I like that it hurts,” Rolovich said of the loss. “I like that it hurts them very much to lose a football game. It shows they care.”
Rolovich acknowledged the Warriors still are in control of their postseason chances. Paraphrasing Nevada head coach Brian Polian, Rolovich said: “When you’re playing for something in November, that’s what college football is all about. I think this team is playing for something in November, however you want to follow it.”
