Hawaii Football: Warriors outgunned by Louisiana Tech in Hawaii Bowl

Quarterback Cole McDonald was benched as Hawaii football sputtered to a season-ending Hawaii Bowl loss to Louisiana Tech.

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Early this season Cole McDonald set the college football world ablaze, throwing for 24 touchdowns with just two interceptions in the Warriors’ first six games of 2018. He came crashing down to earth in the second half of the year, throwing 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final six regular season contests. His struggles continued into the Hawaii Bowl where he was quickly benched in favor of freshman Chevan Cordeiro.

McDonald and Cordeiro would split reps throughout the game, but neither made significant progress at the helm of Nick Rolovich‘s offense. The Warriors lone ray of hope came midway through the second quarter when Cordeiro led the Warriors on a touchdown drive. The score gave them a narrow 7-3 lead at halftime, the only lead they’d see the entire game.

Louisiana Tech answered emphatically in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns and silencing the pro-Hawaii at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night. Those scored proved to be enough as the Bulldogs’ defense was suffocating for the rest of the night, preventing a once prolific offense from developing any sort of rhythm from start to finish.

The win serves as a meaningful confidence booster for Louisiana Tech and the rest of Conference USA. After starting out 0-2 in bowl season behind blowout losses suffered by Middle Tennessee and North Texas, the nation’s lesser-touted conference has reeled off four straight victories.

Louisiana Tech had stumbled down the stretch themselves but clinched their fifth consecutive bowl victory and their first ever win in the Hawaii Bowl. Things continue to look up for Skip Holtz and the Bulldogs, who’ve now won eight games or more in four of his six seasons as the head coach.