Preview 2019: Previewing 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 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 8-6 overall, 5-3 in Mountain West
Head Coach: Nick Rolovich, 4th year, 18-22
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HAWAII OFFENSE
– Well that was fun. It’s not like the Hawaii passing game went away, but it wasn’t the Hawaii passing game like it was when it ruled the planet under June Jones. Last year, with the move back to the true run-and-shoot, the air show went up by almost 1,500 yards as it finished ninth in the nation averaging over 300 yards per game. Most of the pieces are back.
– All Cole McDonald did was throw for close to 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns as he made the air show go, but he’s getting more than just a hard push from redshirt freshman Chevan Cordeiro for the starting job.
They can both move the offense, but Cordeiro – who threw for 384 yards and six touchdowns – can run a little more and took over the attack late in the season. It’ll be Game On for the job throughout fall camp.
– Leading receiver John Ursua left early for the NFL, but the receiving corps is more than fine. Cedric Byrd is a smallish-quick volume catcher who made 79 grabs with nine scores, and called smallish-quick volume catcher JoJo Ward made 51 grabs and was more of a big play threat.
It’s Hawaii, so the JUCO transfers will come in to make an impact. Melquise Stovall will almost certainly be a 40-plus catch target out of the box, Jared Smart is a decent-sized big play threat, and 6-3, 180-pound true freshman Mekel Ealy might be the most talented new guy on the lot.
– The running game was along for the ride, but at least most of the top parts are back. 5-11, 250-pound Dayton Furuta averaged close to five yards per carry, and the quicker Fred Holly led the team with 468 yards and four scores. On the plus side for the running game and the rest of the O, the line returns with all five starters after going way young – and struggling. The pass protection has to be better, but the size and experience are there.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HAWAII DEFENSE
– It was a rough year for a defense that gave up 440 yards per game and was ripped apart on the ground, and now it loses star LB Jahlani Tavai to the Detroit Lions. But he missed the late part of the season, and now all of the parts of the linebacking corps are back, starting with leading tackler Solomon Matautia and 87-stop running mate Penei Pavihi. Now this group needs help from the front.
– The pass rush fizzled over the second half of the season, but the parts are there get into the backfield. KK Padello is a smallish 215-pound speedster on the outside – finishing with 8.5 tackles – and 245-pound Manly Williams is a decent playmaker on the other side.
The Rainbow Warriors need 300-pound Blessman Ta’ala and 280-pound Samiuela Akoteu are veterans inside, and they need to hold up. JUCO transfer Mason Vega comes in to add depth on the outside, and Djuan Matthews is for the interior.
– The secondary only came up with five interceptions last season for one of the nation’s least-efficient pass defenses. Four starters return, starting with the safety tandem of Ikem Okeke and Eugene Ford – and they can hit.
Okeke came up with 87 stops – tying for second on the team – and 6-3, 215-pound senior Kalen Hicks will work somewhere in the mix after making 76 tackles as a corner. There are pieces – this is a BIG group of defensive backs – but now they have to make plays.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP HAWAII PLAYERS
Best Hawaii Offensive Player
QB Cole McDonald, Jr.
Or put in Chevan Cordeiro – whichever one ends up starting and holding down the job. The 6-4, 220-pound McDonald came out red hot with two straight 400-yard games followed up by two straight 300-yarders, but he was too inconsistent and too inaccurate over the second half of the season.
Cordeiro saved the day against UNLV with three touchdown passes on five throws, and he was the main man in the win over Wyoming. McDonald is a better passer and should solidify his spot in fall camp, but … it’s still going to be a fight.
2. WR Cedric Byrd, Sr.
3. QB Chevan Cordeiro, Soph.
4. WR JoJo Ward, Sr.
5. OG Solo Vaipulu, Soph.
Best Hawaii Defensive Player
LB Solomon Matautia, Sr.
He might not be Jahlani Tavai, but he’s the team’s new linebacking star. He followed up an 84-tackle, three-interception sophomore season with a team-high 92 stops with a sack and four broken up passes.
At 6-1 and 230 pounds he’s got the size to bring the thump, and he can move. Good enough to make plays against the pass, and with the upside to get into the backfield from time to time, he should be one of the Mountain West’s top statistical stars.
2. CB Rojesterman Farris, Sr.
3. DE KK Padello, Sr.
4. S Ikem Okeke, Sr.
5. LB Penei Pavihi, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Hawaii Offense
This thing needs time to work. The run-and-shoot is supposed to get the ball out of the quarterbacks’ hands in a hurry, and the Rainbow Warrior passers can do that. However, the offensive line has to do its part to give Cole McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro even more time to allow the downfield passing game roll after allowing 46 sacks.
On the plus side, the underclassmen who got the call at tackle last season should be stronger with the experience, and with all five starters back, the line has to cut the sack allowed total in half.
Biggest Key To The Hawaii Defense
The run defense has to show up. Overall, the experience has to translate into production for a D that couldn’t come up with enough third down stops, getting hit for 40 points or more over a rough mid-season run of five games in six, with the run D the main culprit.
It wasn’t just only a problem against the Army and Navy ground attacks early on; the D got ripped apart for 200 rushing yards or more six straight games to close out the regular season, allowing 20 TDs over that span. Which is why …
Key Player To A Successful Season
NT Blessman Ta’ala, Soph.
The line has the smallish speed and quickness on the outside to get into the backfield, and now it needs the 6-1, 300-pound Ta’ala to gum up the works. He got thrown to the wolves as a freshman, and he did okay making 32 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss. Now he needs to be an anchor.
Key Game To The Hawaii Season
Oregon State, Sept. 7
With a week off after starting out the season against Arizona, the Rainbow Warriors get to go against an Oregon State program that got in trouble for pitching Hawaii players. This is a winnable home game against a Power Five program before having to go to Washington the following week. There are a whole lot of tough battles overall to get to seven wins in the 13 games, and this needs to be one of them.
– Hawaii Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Hawaii Fun Stats
– Field Goals: Hawaii 15-of-18 – Opponents 13-of-24
– Sacks: Opponents 46 for 266 yards – Hawaii 30 for 185 yards
– Onside Kicks: Opponents 1-3 – Hawaii 0-5
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. HAWAII WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
There’s a whole lot more experience, and the Nick Rolovich era should start to blossom in its fourth season, but the line play still has to be better.
The offense will throw for a bazillion yards, but the defense has to not give up a bazillion and one, especially on the ground. The defensive line rotation has to be nastier, there has to be more third down stops, and …
The offense has to keep on cranking on a consistent basis.
And that’s what it all comes down to. The defense will always be a bit of an issue, but with the scheme in place, and the parts there who know how to run it, it has to go from fantastic to unstoppable. It can, but again, the line has a lot to do with that.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Can the team pull off a few big road wins?
It’s not going to win at Washington, and it’ll be a struggle to hang with Nevada and Boise State, but beating New Mexico and UNLV on the road could be a must considering how many good teams are coming to Honolulu.
Arizona, Oregon State, Air Force, Fresno State, San Diego State and Army are all going to be good enough to beat the Rainbow Warriors, but going at least 4-3 against that group is a must to be assured of a bowl game.
No matter how the final record turns out, it’s going to be another fun ride.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
