Still alive
Sure, things aren’t appearing to be as hunky and dory for the Warriors following last night’s loss to New Mexico.
The dream is to win the MW West, finish with a winning regular season, and earn a berth in the Hawaii Bowl. The first will require a little help from some MW teams.
San Diego State’s remaining MW schedule:
11/5 vs. Hawaii
11/12 at Nevada
11/19 at Wyoming
11/26 at CSU
UH’s remaining MW schedule:
11/5 at San Diego State
11/12 vs. Boise State
11/19 at Fresno State
There are several please-please-please possibilities, with one requiring UH to win out and San Diego State to lose to Hawaii and one of the other MW teams.
UH would need to win at least three of their final four games, including the regular-season finale against UMass, to ensure a berth in the Hawaii Bowl.
Of course, UH’s math would be a lot easier if it won last night. But in perspective, at least there is some importance to November.
As holder/runner Ikaika Woolsey noted: “Usually by this time of the season, the season is done already. We have to win three, obviously. That’s the minimum. No reason we can’t win out.”
Ekahi, Ichi, Uno, One, Foist
One huge positive last night was that there was 1 holding on Tui Eli for 10 yards and no other penalties. This team just needs to put it all together.
Guud Morning Tsaikos…Bootiful Day!
Lots of boo boos last night. Wat Halloween effect?
Anyhoo, no time to cry. Got to get ready for the next one. Team is still learning how to win.
IMUA WARRIORS!
Wow nice punt return by for Warrior Trevor Davis!
I don’t know how you just let your opponent simply prance into the end zone. New Mex players got some kind of invisibility ring?
Wake up, football Warriors.
*former
And TD for Davis!
With an offense like last night they won’t even come close to winning one game! That offense last night was horrible. Kinda felt like the Chow era again. They seriously need a REAL offensive coordinator.
Morning Tsaikos!
Much mahalos ST!!!!
Defence gave up 21 points (the other 7 came on the turnover/fumble) and 14 were on the first two series. It was good to see the D starting to come into its own. If not for the one big second half touchdown run D would have looked even better. Watching the offense just seemed confusing to me. Seemed like they persisted with an approach that had been shut down over and over again. O line seemed like a bright spot for most of the season but not last night. Pass protection was not good and they couldn’t move the line of scrimmage enough to make critical short yardage plays. Offensive play calling was very uninspiring. Seemed like we had nothing novel for important situations. There were a few exceptions. The sweep to Ursua on third and short worked well. Why we went back to pounding the middle in similar situations when it had not been successful prior I don’t know. UNM did seem to have a significant edge in speed. They ran down QB Brown much more easily than prior teams seemed to. Dunno why Lakalaka is only saved for short yardage situations. With the tough running last night he may have been able to contribute much more if given the chance. It was good to see Ewaliko on the field. He made some nice plays. On balance my opinion is that UNM looked like a better team for most of the game but I still think we should have won. UNM made the key plays when they needed to and we didn’t. Our last offensive series was a heartbreaker. I hate to say it but the past few offensive plays did remind me of Chow time. It was not a pleasant memory.
*last few
Hope is not a plan, but if you have hope and will you have a chance-Go Warriors!!!
Good things to build on. Some things to work on. Main thing is that the Warriors work hard every practice, every game, every play, to get better.
You’ve surprised people, Warriors – but you not pau yet! Keep fighting!
GO WARRIORS!!!
Ball security
and the 4 min offense
Arghhhh!
Was that Chow calling plays?
Any chance Hawaii can get in with a 6-7 record? I think it would be a win/win all around for the State,University and The MWC to make an exemption for Hawai’i to qualify we have all seen the turnout with other schools competing,I’m sure Hawaii may be a little bigger draw
In the 2nd half, our offense became too predictable with runs up the middle (even with New Mexico blitzing)–why didn’t we fake the run & pass to our TE (like previous games); or do quick passes to the flats to counter New Mexico’s pressure up the middle?
Brown is a bit better than Woolsey, so we all got so excited. We are starting to see that he is very limited as a passer. He can win some due to what he can do with his feet, but overall very average at best.
I hope that there is some talent at the position with our freshmen. You could tell how limited the play calling is with Brown back there.
I thought for sure with Rolo we would see more elements of the run and shoot. I am wondering if we aren’t because we don’t have someone who can throw it.
Sorry guys, but those balls that he throws up for Kemp are not indicators of someone who can put the ball where it needs to be.
We haven’t played too well whenever we have been the favorite. It might be a blessing we’ll be heavy underdogs in our next two games. The defense has bounced back with a better game after home losses. I hope this trend continues.
I can see the coaches’ point of view in calling our last series. The coaches went all in that the line could create a small crack or just a crease. That’s all Lakalaka needs to gain a minimum of a yard usually more.
I do think the coaches should rethink our running game. Our basic run game is predicated on hitting any of the four holes between the tackles and a fifth hole if the TE is lined next to a tackle. Outside of the tackles is reserved for the QB to read for himself or the rarely used jet sweep(I think we’ve used it less than 5 times all season). The team has found success with our base game when the line can dominate the D line and create gaps/lanes/holes. Defenses seem to have caught on on how to fill these gaps/lanes/holes when they read run.
I think the ball is in our coaches’ court. They have to take a good look at how defenses have made adjustments in defending our base game and how they have succeeded in slowing it down. I kinda noticed defenses catching up to our base offense run game going into the AF game and offered a simplistic suggestion that they use the pass to set up the run. Going into this game my simplistic suggestion was to try running the offense with Collie and Ursua in the slots. My thought was this formation would take more defenders out of the box giving the defense less people to fill the gaps/lanes/holes.
It may not be ideal at this point, but at least Hawaii is still in the conversation at this point of the season. A far cry from the previous few years
After last night loss, it comes down to a few mistakes the fumble, oline must sustain there blocks, (2 yards), and defense must not let these go out and score on there first two drives, playing catch up gets harder especially with the next two opponents.
I have been watching this young man out of Fullerton College, he is a stud, Hawaii should be talking to this young man.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1382256/jordan-hoy
The beverage of the day is whine.
Obviously things could be better but this is light years better than the last 4 years.
Mr. Tsai,
Do you happen to know if the helmets were in development prior to Rolo asking for ideas here?
What will become of those helmets? I would love to get my hands on one!
Tough loss… but as you mentioned there is still a chance! Something that could not be said at this point in previous seasons
#EXPECTTOWIN
If no bowl game, 5 or 6 wins is very good accomplishment. Next year will be expecting a bowl game. Go Warriors!!!!
defense did enough to win the game. Offense lost the game in my opinion. Browns lack of arm strength is evident. at some point teams realize it doesn’t matter if they get beat down field they just have to watch for kemp to stop and pluck the under thrown ball out of the air.
Tough loss, but I like the energy of this team and coaching staff. This is a work in progress, but with a lot of positives to build on. Most importantly is the attitude and optimism that was nonexistent the past 4 seasons. SDSU & Boise St had better not overlook UH.
UH holding UNM to 21 points was a good performance. UH held UNM well under their average run yardage, so overall the defense faired ok.
Offense was the problem. Partly due to poor playing conditions, but also do to poor OLine performance. Not counting the Michigan game, this was the OLine’s worst performance. Stagnant/predictable playcalling compounded the problems. UNM likes to jump around and move pre-snap, which clearly had an effect on the blocking assignments. The way you counter that is with audibles or going no huddle to either audible away for the defenses strength or go up tempo to not allow the defense time to shift and move.
UH rarely did either and UNM’s defense was getting consistent penetration all night.
The Sun is shining. It is a new day.
Like Scarlet Ohara, in Gone With the Wind.
Concentrate on what’s ahead.
Plow yourself out of the onion patch with
will and determination. Warrior Nation.
Go Bows!
Guud Morning Tsaikos…Bootiful Day!
I Roger Dat Ipu Man…
Taste is bitter but need to remember the taste and hope not to taste it again. Couple of games was very winnable but mistakes and mental lapses turned it into a loss.
So…IMUA WARRIORS!
btw…sun is shining today…
Great effort! Just a few mistakes. It could have gone either way against New Mexico. Move on, San Diego State can be beaten but Hawaii must play “Mistake Free” football and the coaches make the right decisions on offense and defense.
I’m thinking of attending game as I live in Los Angeles which is about 1 1/2 hour drive.
Not sure if the team can only be motivated when coming from behind but it would be nice to to score on the opening drive.
#28 – ” Hawaii mistake free” will never happen because of the lack of discipline
like the short pass over the middle where UH receiver had the ball in his hands and all the fans were hooping it up until the reality hit that he dropped the ball – not a defender within 5 yards
and OC call of 3 up-da-middle with Lakalaka for “no gain” – 1 yard shy of a 1st down — total lack of originality on OC part — why no fake to Lakalaka and throw short pass to TE beyond the yard they needed — NM had QB fake and around the end hands down — Brown tried it 4 or 5 times and maybe gained 7 yards total!
total lack of imagination in crafting plays — surely, UH must have more in their arsenal – who are they saving it for???
I will be looking for some tailgating at the SDSU this Saturday, let me know where you are and what to bring.
Let’s shock the college football world!
UPSET RAINBOW WARRIORS!!!
Anyone know how many
screen passes were attempted?
How many draws?
Play action calls?
It’s not whining, it’s disappointment. We expected a lot from this coaching staff because of all the positive attitude coach Rolo has infused into this team and the fans. The early conference wins made us believers and Dru Brown made the plays that excited the fans. The manner of the two losses (UNLV; New Mexico) have left us feeling flat and empty. Just hoping there’s enough left in the gas tank for the team to complete a winning season.
My apologies for butting in on this football discussion. I didn’t have the opportunity to see ST’s Fri blog until late Sat nite and no chance to respond all Sunday. My post has nothing to do with football but everything to do with family.
ST, it’s with tears welling up that I express my gratitude for taking the time and space on this blog to say those beautiful words about Betty. Tsaikos from EVERYWHERE have expressed support and kind words from the heart. My heart just over-filled my eyes when I saw you all at the services. It’s been more than 3 yrs since Betty had been able to attend any kind of Tsaiko event. Didn’t expect many would remember…was I ever wrong! In emails, texts, phone calls, cards, on the blog and in person, I heard the Tsaikos very clear. From the bottom of my heart, my eternal gratitude to you all! // bg
The team has had two very disappointing losses, but last year at this time we were hoping to just win another game. I hope all of us are not too critical for decision being made and how these young men that are out there giving it their best. If they go 6 – 7 and make it to a bowl game then that would be passing all of our expectations for this season. Then next season hopefully they win these close ones and possibly upset some of these teams that are predicted to win the conference. I am very proud of my son and what they have accomplished. Coach Rolovich and Staff has them going on the right path.
GO WARRIORS!!!
Rain was the downfall of DB. He can’t throw in it. Can UH get the volleyball play by play guy to call the football games on both radio and PPV?
No excuses about a wet football, the other team didn’t have a dry football.
My two cents.
Hindsight is, well, what you were supposed to do I guess. Or so it seems to some. It escapes me why people are questioning the call. Lakalaka has been money. Yes, it was predictable, but so has all his other carries. Can you imagine what people would have said if they called a pass play that failed? Oh, these same people would be crying, “WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST RUN LAKALAKA!!! STUPID!!”.
The real issue to me is the spot of the ball from his previous carry. From my vantage point, he clearly had the first down. The bad spots were a theme with the officials all game long. Also, I thought that the offensive line had a poor game. I also thought that a lot of credit should go to the Lobo DB’s who I thought did a tremendous job in man coverage allowing pressure up front.
In my mind, the play calling was not an issue. The team seemed flat from the get go in my opinion. The players and coaches shoulder the burden for that. We didn’t play well, but I don’t understand all the finger pointing by the fans. I am just glad the team has more sense than that.
Go Warriors!
Hard loss to take especially with the play calling by the OC! I wonder if Coach Rolo would take control of the play calling with 4 games to go? Wishful thinking that they can win out but with 2 top teams in the MW doesn’t look to good.
haka (#39) and FUHA (#25): Saw it exactly the way you two did.
Regarding the O-Line, RG #78 Leo Koloamatangi didn’t play the second half. BC mentioned on the radio during the game that Leo was taken to the hospital for undisclosed injury. Maybe Rolo might provide an update on Leo’s status during his Call the Coach broadcast. #56 Elijah Tupai replaced Leo Koloamatangi. He hasn’t played a whole lot this year so he was probably a little rusty although he was the starting RG last season. That may have accounted for a slight drop-off . But give credit to New Mexico’s D-Line. They played a good game and their DC figured out how to stop Hawaii from developing any kind of consistent running game.
New post: http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=39970