Hawaii upset has Navy on high alert
Rainbow Warriors surprised Colorado State in opener
Ken Niumatalolo did not sleep as well as he hoped this past weekend. Navy's 11th-year head coach was a little restless after watching Hawaii upset Colorado State in Fort Collins late Saturday night.
Quarterback Cole McDonald led the way as the Rainbow Warriors built a big lead then held off a late comeback attempt to beat the Rams, 43-34.
McDonald was making his first career start while Hawaii was unveiling an updated version of the runand-shoot offense it employed to great success during the tenure of former head coach June
Jones.
McDonald completed 26 of 37 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for
96 yards and two more scores. The 6foot-4, 205-pound redshirt sophomore was on fire from the outset as the Rainbow Warriors took a
commanding 37-7 lead with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter. “To beat a good Colorado State squad on the road was very impressive,” Niumatalolo said. “McDonald played really well. Here is a guy that threw nine passes last season and he comes out to start this season by passing for over 400 yards and rushing for almost 100. He played great and (Hawaii) looked almost unstoppable on offense.” Third-year head coach Nick Rolovich brought the run-and-shoot offense back to Hawaii, which had suffered five straight losing seasons prior to his arrival. Rolovich was one of several record-setting quarterbacks developed by Jones, following in the footsteps of Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan. The Rainbow Warriors turned things around in Rolovich's first season at the helm, finishing with seven wins after beating Middle Tennessee State in the Hawaii Bowl. However, last season saw a regression as Hawaii finished 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the Mountain West Conference. National pundits did not think highly of Hawaii going into this season and it entered the Colorado State contest as a 14-point underdog. McDonald wasn't the only offensive star as tailbacks Frank Holly II and Dayton Furuta combined for 103 rushing yards while wide receivers Cedric Byrd and John Ursua totaled 18 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns. “Hawaii looks like a totally different team and has a lot of optimism for the season. They're a young team, but Coach Rolovich has done a really good job of getting them ready,” Niumatalolo said. Niumatalolo noted the core run-and-shoot principles are in place, but Rolovich has added some run-pass option elements. Quarterback bootlegs, sprint-outs and draws have been incorporated to take advantage of the athleticism of McDonald. Hawaii played Colorado State in what is known as the “zero block” weekend for college football. Most Football Bowl Subdivision schools open this weekend. Niumatalolo isn't too worried about opening against an opponent that has already played a contest that counts. “Having a game under their belt is obviously good for Hawaii. People always say that teams make the most improvements from the first to the second game,” Niumatalolo said. “That being said, it allows us to identify personnel and see some of the stuff they are doing. At least you get a sense for some of the schemes they are running and can get an identity for who they are. So I think there are pluses and minuses.” This is the fourth meeting between the schools with Hawaii leading the series 2-1. Both Rainbow Warriors wins came at Aloha Stadium while the Midshipmen captured the last meeting, 42-28, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Nov. 9, 2013. Niumatalolo still has bitter memories about Navy's 2009 trip to Honolulu. The Midshipmen were flat and sloppy in suffering a 24-17 loss on Nov. 28. That was probably the most disappointing defeat of that season for a squad that finished 10-4 after destroying Missouri (35-13) in the Texas Bowl. “I did a bad job of getting us ready last time,” Niumatalolo said. “I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen again.” Because that 2009 game was held during Thanksgiving week, Navy traveled on a Tuesday and spent several days on Oahu before playing on Saturday evening. This time around, the Midshipmen are flying from Dulles International Airport to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Thursday, taking a commercial flight that is expected to last just over 10 hours. “Last time was Thanksgiving so it was a totally different deal,” Niumatalolo said. “Just the way it falls on the calendar this time is totally different.” This contest marks the end of a contractual commitment between Navy and Hawaii. With the Midshipmen now a member of the American Athletic Conference, it is highly unlikely the series will be resumed any time soon. For Niumatalolo, a 1986 graduate of Hawaii, there will be a sense of nostalgia. Niumatalolo was a three-year letterman as a quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under head coach Bob Wagner. “It always means a lot to go back to Aloha Stadium. I have a lot of great memories there,” Niumatalolo said. “That being said, this isn't about me. It's about our players and our team.” Because of the long flight, time difference and certainty of jet lag, this season opener has worried Niumatalolo more than most. His son, Va'a, is a first-year graduate assistant at Hawaii and Niumatalolo annually returns to his home state for a July vacation. Bottom line, Niumatalolo knew this would be a tough game long before he watched the Rainbow Warriors run up and down the field at Canvas Stadium on Saturday night. “That's my alma mater so I know how much pride there is in that program among the players and coaches,” he said. “Besides, we're the Naval Academy. Who are we to overlook anybody?” Navy enters the season opener as healthy as it has ever been during Niumatalolo's 11-year tenure. The Midshipmen, knock on wood, have not suffered any significant injuries. “A lot of it was by design with the way we practiced. Just recognizing that we've got 13 games and it's going to be a long season. It's part of the way we designed our camp.” Navy has three Hawaii natives on the roster and they will all travel for this one. Senior Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa (James Campbell High, Ewa Beach) is the backup at right tackle, sophomore Alema Kapoi (Kamehameha High, Kapolei) is the No. 2 nose guard while sophomore Keoni-Kordell Makekau (Iolani High, Ewa Beach) is a starting slotback.