Hawaii Football: It’s time for a Rainbow Warriors comeback

Hawaii football is looking to return to the glory days of high-flying offenses and national prominence. Can the Rainbow Warriors turn things around in 2018?

Remember back when Hawaii football was one to watch, racking up points and yardage by the bunches? Well, former standout quarterback Nick Rolovich hopes for a return to greatness starting this season.

Rolovich was part of that run from 1999-2007 under June Jones that saw the Rainbow Warriors play Georgia in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Jones left after that season, and the team has made just three bowl games since.

In 2016, Rolovich helped end a six-year bowl drought, winning the Hawaii Bowl over Middle Tennessee. Now, his task is continued success and the first league title since 2010.

Rolovich spent several seasons as the offensive coordinator under Jones before taking over in 2016. He is 10-16, but has yet to secure a winning record after going 7-7 that first season and just 3-9 last year including a 1-7 mark in the Mountain West Conference.

Several questions remain around the island program, so let’s take a look at the Rainbow Warriors.

Offense

It was expected that returning starter Dru Brown would give Rolovich an experienced signal-caller to direct the offense after throwing for 2,785 yards and 18 touchdowns with just eight interceptions a year ago. Brown completed almost 62 percent of his passes and also showed his athleticism by scrambling for two scores, but he decided to enroll at Oklahoma State as a graduate transfer.

That caused plenty of concern around the Hawaii offense, as Cole McDonald is next in line after completing 5-of-9 passes for 22 yards with a touchdown in limited duty as Brown’s backup. The sophomore has good size, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing over 200 pounds, but there is no substitute for game-day experience.

Many years ago, Hawaii brought in native son Timmy Chang, who reset passing records at the school and all-time in the NCAA. They are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the signing of Chevan Cordeiro.

Coming from the same Saint Louis High School as Chang, Cordeiro is well-familiar with the Run-and-Shoot offense Rolovich will implore. He was a winner in high school, leading Saint Louis to the Open Division State title and earning Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year honors.

Whoever wins the quarterback job will be without the services of Dylan Collie, as he also transferred, enrolling at BYU. Collie became the No. 1 receiver after John Ursua was injured, catching 47 passes for 667 yards. The team is hopeful that Ursua has recovered from his injury and will be healthy this fall.

Diocemy Saint Juste, who ran for a team-high 1,510 yards and scored seven touchdowns, also departs due to graduation. Second-leading rusher Ryan Tuiasoa, who had almost 300 yards and five scores, also departs, meaning Freddie Holly and his nine attempts for 27 yards are the most returning to the backfield.

Who is QB No. 1?

Whether it is McDonald or Cordeiro, the important decision for Rolovich and his staff to make will come weeks before opening night. If Hawaii is going to have a fluid and successful offense, they need to give control of the unit over to either McDonald or Cordeiro early enough during the preseason that the winner can gain plenty of experience on the practice field.

While McDonald sports the size, Cordeiro’s high school success could be the determining factor. If he’s already familiar enough with the playbook, he should easily be able to step in and lead the offense.

Craig Stutzmann, a former standout receiver for Hawaii, will be in charge of the passing game and work with the quarterbacks. He was a teammate of Rolovich’s and earned a pair of all-conference honors.

Defense

To say Hawaii needed help on defense would be a drastic understatement. For the past several seasons, the Rainbow Warriors have been anything but warriors on that side of the ball.

It all came to a head last year, as Hawaii ranked 105th-or-worse in the nation in all six major defensive categories.

Despite all that, Jahlani Tavai was able to earn second team all-conference honors, recording 124 tackles. That included 5.5 sacks, and the linebacker will return to anchor the unit for defensive coordinator Corey Batoon.

Batoon comes from Florida Atlantic and is a Hawaii native. He was part of Lane Kiffin’s coaching staff that turned the Owls around in one season to Conference USA champions and a bowl victory.

Along with Tavai, Solomon Matautia is back after making 84 tackles and recording a team-high three interceptions, along with Jeremiah Pritchard. Hawaii reached deep into the junior college ranks to repair its defensive line, with Rojersterman Farri II and Eugene Ford returning to the secondary.

Getting enough stops

If Rolovich and company can get the offense on track, Hawaii’s defense will not need to be perfect. Instead, they’ll just have to get enough stops to be ahead on the scoreboard when the final horn sounds.

Back when the Rainbow Warriors were a Top-25 program, they had playmakers on the defensive side of the ball that would force turnovers and create problems. A return to that could result in a winning season for Rolovich and another bowl appearance.

If the defense is constantly beaten, it will be another long season on the big island.

2018 Hawaii Schedule and Predictions

Seven games will take place inside Aloha Stadium, which can be a nasty trek for opposing teams. How do you focus on playing a football game with the waters of Hawaii right there for you to enjoy? Rolovich’s key to putting together a constant winner will be winning at home and he has several chances this season to do just that.

Of the first five games, three take place at home following a road opener at Colorado State. That will make for a long journey for the Rainbow Warriors, but they return home to meet Navy and Rice next before heading all the way to Army and New York in the middle of September.

Hawaii also gets Duquesne for Homecoming, which is definitely a winnable contest.

In November back-to-back home dates with Utah State and UNLV will likely be very important to any hopes of a postseason appearance before they conclude the season at San Diego State.

Next: Preseason Top 25 following spring practices

Prediction: 6-7

There are several swing-games this season for Hawaii, but getting above the .500 mark seems a very difficult task with so many new faces on the offensive side of the ball. Six wins and getting experience for the quarterback of the future should be viewed as a solid season for Rolovich and a step in the right direction.