Like many trips to Las Vegas, Saturday’s tilt with UNLV was exciting with numerous highs and lows, but ultimately ended with a disappointing flight back to Hawaii. When the ‘Bows showed some feistiness early in the season, it was mostly
Like many trips to Las Vegas, Saturday’s tilt with UNLV was exciting with numerous highs and lows, but ultimately ended with a disappointing flight back to Hawaii.
When the ‘Bows showed some feistiness early in the season, it was mostly because of a rough and tumble defense and the emergence of Paul Harris as a shifty running back. One of those things resurfaced as Harris had a monster day in game one of the post-Norm Chow era, though Hawaii still struggled to move the ball through the air and gave up some big plays in a 41-21 loss to fall to 2-8 on the season.
While I was one to note the team’s lack of a “winner’s mentality” this season and throughout much of Coach Chow’s tenure, many of the same issues crept up Saturday in Chris Naeole’s debut as interim head coach. Turnovers, penalties and surrendering the big play have all been problematic and essentially lost the game this week.
Hawaii lost a pair of fumbles and saw one Woolsey pass picked off. The penalties weren’t so numerous, but they were ill-timed. Of five flags against the ‘Bows, one was a key defensive hold that aided a late Rebel touchdown drive, one was an offensive hold to begin Hawaii’s ensuing drive and put them in an early hole in their own territory, and one was a personal foul against Kennedy Tulimasealii that essentially closed the door on any potential comeback bid.
Harris bounced back from just a three-carry, four-yard performance last week against Air Force to have by far his best game as a Rainbow Warrior. The junior finished with 20 carries for 190 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 26 receiving yards.
But the Warrior passing game didn’t get off the ground until the fourth quarter, when quarterback Ikaika Woolsey connected with Makoa Camanse-Stevens for a 55-yard strike as part of a touchdown drive to get Hawaii within six points at 27-21. That shifted momentum once more in a game that neither team seemed willing to fully own until UNLV took control late. Any time Hawaii crept back within striking distance, UNLV had a quick counter to separate itself.
The final score is a bit deceiving as Hawaii wasn’t badly outplayed, but the errors made it a game they couldn’t win. They were outpossessed, outgained and outexecuted by a UNLV team that came in just 2-6, but is better than their record — though Bill Parcells may disagree.
If Parcells’ famous “you are what your record says you are” quote is to be believed, then the ‘Bows, now 0-6 in conference, have to be considered the Mountain West’s worst team. Yet they still have those moments when better results seem possible, though those moments are becoming few and far between.
Harris is a very good player. Woolsey has shown great leadership and a flair for the dramatic throughout his career. Tulimasealii can be a disruptive force and displays flashes of electric potential. But none of those individual performances have come together to render a full four quarters of winning football. That’s where a coach’s touch can show itself.
I feel like a broken record at this point, but Hawaii will take some good things away from Saturday’s loss. It just seems that they haven’t figured out how to build upon any of those positives, starting each week from scratch.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
