College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Hawaii Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 10-5 overall, 5-3 in MW
Head Coach: Todd Graham, 1st year
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 44
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 32
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 89
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Offense 3 Things To Know
– New head coach Todd Graham isn’t going to totally change things around, but there’s going to be a bit of a rebranding with the new run and gun offense under coordinator and former Tulsa quarterback GJ Kinne.
There will still be lots of throwing, and the attack will still want to operate at a high tempo, but there will be a bit more for the ground game while also looking to control the clock just a wee bit more.
And if the turnovers can slow down, that would be nice, too. More on that in a bit.
CFN in 60 Video: UCLA Preview
UCLA at Hawaii, Sept. 5
– The passing game that finished fifth in the nation for an offense that led the Mountain West and was 13th in the country loses a ton of talent. QB Cole McDonald is gone along with three of the top four pass catchers.
However, 87-catch senior Jared Smart is back, senior Melquise Stovall is a great option when healthy, and on the way is North Texas transfer Rico Bussey to likely be the No. 1 guy. Texas Tech transfer Tyler Carr gives the Rainbow Warriors an immediate option at tight end.
Sophomore Chevan Cordeiro is the likely main man to step in for McDonald. He knows what Graham and company want to do, and he has the starting experience to ease the transition. There are several other options, with 6-3 junior Justin Uahinui the likely backup as last year’s No. 3.
– The offensive line was solid in pass protection and was fifth in the nation – a function of the offense – in tackles for loss allowed. All five starters are expected back, there’s a ton of depth. and around junior left tackle Ilm Manning there’s a whole lot to like.
It’s not going to be Wisconsin running the ball, but junior Miles Reed is coming off a tea-leading 908 yards and eight scores, but No. 2 RB Fred Holly is in the transfer portal. Cordeiro can run, too, but 225-pound Hekili Keliiliki is the only other running back on the roster as this is being written.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defensive coordinator combination of Victor Santa Cruz and Jacob Yoro get a defense that wasn’t miserable considering past problems for the program, but there were massive issues against the run and the team was last in the nation in total first downs allowed.
But there’s an overhaul happening up front, and seven of the top 14 tacklers are done overall.
– There isn’t a ton of size to work around, but 6-3, 275-pound Vega is back with a shot at playing a bigger role on the nose. Sophomores Andrew Choi and Jonah Laulu bring a little experience to the outside, and 225-pound senior Derek Thomas is coming off a 34 tackle season in the rotation at one end.
It will take a bit, but the line will be fine in time. Now the linebackers have to clean up everything else, starting with sophomore Darius Muasau coming off a 61-tackle season along with 210-pound junior Paul Scott. In the middle – depending on the alignment against a specific team – 225-pound Jeremiah Pritchard needs to be a rock after coming up with 34 tackles.
– The secondary wasn’t bad, especially when it came to picking off passes. Creating turnovers was a problem for a few years, and the 14 interceptions last year was a boost.
Three starters return to the back five, and that doesn’t include sophomore Kai Kaneshiro, who tied for the team lead with three picks. Khoury Bethley led the team with 83 tackles with two picks with one of the safety jobs, but the spotlight will be on the corners. Cortez Davis made 53 tackles and should be set at one corner, and it’ll be a fight for the other job.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Players
Best Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Offensive Player
WR Rico Bussey, Sr.
It’s a bit of a projection and a call, but landing the North Texas transfer might push him into instant No. 1 WR territory. The 6-2, 193-pounder was a deep ball playmaker for the Mean Green – averaging over 15 yards per catch with 128 grabs for 1,941 yards and 21 scores his 31 games.
He dominated two years ago with 1,017 yards and 12 scores, but he missed most of last season. Now he’s ready to fill in and be a part of what should be a high-octane attack.
2. QB Chevan Cordeiro, Soph.
3. WR Jared Smart, Sr.
4. OT Ilm Manning, Jr.
5. RB Miles Reed, Jr.
Best Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Defensive Player
S Khoury Bethley, Jr.
The 5-10, 200-pounder was strong as freshman – making 40 tackles in his role in the safety rotation – and then last season he took over with a team-high 83 tackles with two picks.
He’s not that big, and he’s not a huge hitter, but he has great range and is strong in the open field.
2. CB Cortez Davis, Sr.
3. LB Penei Pavihi, Jr.
4. DE Jonah Laulu, Soph.
5. S Eugene Ford, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Offense
Stop with the turnovers. It’s always a high-risk, high-reward thing when it comes to the Hawaii offense that likes to throw and throw some more, and the current coaching staff will and to crank down the mistakes in a big way.
The 2019 Rainbow Warriors turned it over 21 times, and the 2018 version gave it up 14 times. Last year? 30, and that tied them with Central Michigan for the most giveaways in college football.
Turnovers didn’t always equal losses, but they made things a whole lot harder. On the flip side, Hawaii was 6-1 when it gave it up just once or less, and was 3-0 when it didn’t turn it over.
Biggest Key To The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Defense
Don’t give up so many first downs. Granted, Hawaii didn’t finish last in the nation in first downs allowed per game, but it did give up more than anyone in America by a lot.
Again, to be fair, it played two more games than anyone but Clemson and LSU, but the 341 first downs allowed were still 17 more than Kent State gave up and 26 more than Arkansas State allowed.
This isn’t anything new for Hawaii, and that’s been the cost of doing business considering the team’s style over the years, but it’s still an area to tighten up with more of a pass rush than the 2019 D generated.
Key Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Player To A Successful Season
QB Chevan Cordeiro, Soph.
Todd Graham has already stated that Cordeiro is the starter and one of the pieces of the puzzle he can count on considering there hasn’t been time or a chance to get everything going as normal.
Now the sophomore has to produce.
Cole McDonald left early and was picked up by the Tennessee Titans, and now it’s Cordeiro’s turn.
He didn’t exactly save the day in the win over Arizona, but he leveled things out when McDonald kept throwing picks. He’s not the most accurate passer – he only hit 58% of his throws – but he’s careful, he doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, and he can run.
Now he has to be fantastic as the main man for the new era.
Key Game To The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Season
Nevada, Oct. 3
While the Rainbow Warriors should certainly be dangerous enough to pull off a win at Arizona, and they’re not going to to concede anything to UCLA in Honolulu, they could be 1-3 to kick things off.
And then, after the trip to Oregon, they start the Mountain West season in a West battle with Nevada in a game to measure just how much things have changed under the new coaching staff.
Hawaii won 54-3 last season, but it lost seven of the previous eight games before that. With at Air Force, Boise State, and at Fresno State next in Mountain West play, beating the Wolf Pack is a must.
– Hawaii Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Hawaii Fun Stats
– Passing Yards: Hawaii 5,056 – Opponents 3,428
– Penalties: Hawaii 103 for 918 yards – Opponents 88 for 767 yards
– Fumbles: Hawaii 18 (lost 13) – Opponents 11 (lost 5)
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
Tulsa ten or more games with three bowl wins and three Conference USA championships in four years.
Rice one seven games in 2006, and Arizona State one ten games in back-to-back 2013 and 2014 seasons.
All of that happened under Todd Graham, the new Hawaii head coach who was off for a few years after going 18-23 in his final three seasons at ASU. With his ability to get offenses going, he might just be the right guy to keep all the recent success under former head man and current Washington State coach Nick Rolovich rolling.
As always, there’s work to do in certain areas at Hawaii – there are almost always wholesale changes considering all the transfers that come in – but this isn’t a rebuild in any way.
The passing game has enough parts to crank up the big numbers again, the offensive line is deep, and there’s just enough to work around on defense to be okay.
Set The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Regular Season Win Total At … 6.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 6
At the moment, it’s a 13-game season for Hawaii with question marks about its game against Fordham. That’s a must win slot with road games at Arizona and Oregon, and a home game against UCLA early on.
New Mexico State, New Mexico and UNLV all have to make the big trip over. Those have to be easy wins, and beating Nevada at home and hoping for a win on the road at San Jose State or Fresno State isn’t asking for much.
There are six wins built into the schedule. Even without a real offseason to get everything together, Graham and this coaching staff might just be strong enough to get to seven or more.
There’s no reason to set the bar any lower.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
