Hawaii takes no blame as it seeks to turn the tide

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HTH and wire services

Todd Graham is a 56-year-old football coach who has traveled extensively and made 11 saves in his career before landing in Hawaii.

Along the way, he developed thick skin, and it came in handy once when he was coaching at Arizona State.

“This lady was just giving it to me,” Graham told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser this week. “We returned the ball nine times and we just got beaten. … I stopped and looked at her. She thought, ‘Oh boy, Coach is going to say something mean.’ I said, ‘No, I agree with you.’ “

And for all the Rainbow Warriors loyalists who are worried about their team leaving 1-3, Graham is okay with you now.

“I don’t want to be in a place that doesn’t want to win,” Graham said. “I don’t want to be in a place where the fans aren’t passionate. You deserve the criticism. We accept this, take responsibility for it, and work tirelessly to improve. “

In a winless squad clash against the FBS competition this season, Hawaii faces New Mexico State (1-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Hawaii time – the game that will not be televised. The Rainbow Warriors departed for the Land of Enchantment on Thursday, and if history is any indication, they were ready for a soft landing.

UH has never lost to its former Western Athletic Conference rival in eight games, including a 3-0 record at Las Cruces. The Aggies, an independent, are a 17-point underdog and are coming off their first win of the season, a 43-35 home win over South Carolina State.

Quarterback Dino Maldonado completed 24 of 32 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first New Mexico state player to exceed 300 yards in nearly 14 years.

“They’re not an irresistible team, we have to take them seriously,” said Hawaii junior linebacker Darius Muasau. “Of course we have to stop the race. They have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Their quarterback is a playmaker.

UH’s defense just posted their best overall performance of the season against defending Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State, although that wasn’t enough to avoid a 17-13 loss to Honolulu. A partially blocked punt set up a 44-yard touchdown for the Spartans in the second quarter. On the possession of SJSU that followed, backup tight end Dominic Mazotti broke away for a 46-yard reception on 1. And while UH wondered if Mazotti had dabbled near the goal line, Nick Starkel threw a pass from 1 yard. “So we gave them those seven,” Graham told the Star-Advertiser.

The second-year coach came away encouraged by his team’s determination during solid training earlier this week, and he took the blame for his team’s offensive shortcomings. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw for 242 yards on 18 passes against 39 against the Spartans, but four passes were abandoned and Cordeiro took 12 pushes.

“It’s not a Chevan problem, it’s a preparation problem,” Graham said. “It all starts and ends with the coaches and what we do. We have to do a better job of getting our guys to perform. We do not perform.

While freshman Brayden Schager is a qualified quarterback and is ready if needed, Graham said, “Chevan is our starter. We believe in him. I’ve been in it long enough to know when we have a good product in it. It’s not him, it’s us. We have to run. We don’t have a quarterback controversy, we have a winning controversy. We have to win.

Hawaii needs six of them, in fact, in its last nine games if the program is to produce its fourth consecutive winning season.

The Rainbow Warriors will get two shots against the Aggies. Saturday’s contest is the first in a rare series at home in season. The teams are scheduled to meet again on October 23 in Honolulu. To win on the road on Saturday, the Rainbow Warriors want to avoid the slow starts that plagued them in previous road losses in which they were outscored 45-3 in the first quarter.

“What are you made of?” Graham said to react to setbacks. “If you get knocked over and lose a game you should have won, and you didn’t play well, and you’re 1-3, what do you do?” If you are a winner, you go back to work, take ownership and empower yourself. I am responsible for everything. … You go to work. At the same time, you need to consider what you have done well and what you have not done well. We must do better. We are not doing things to our potential. It is our responsibility.

Tribune News Service contributed to this report

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