It took a few practice reps this week for Hawaii to finally shake off a stunning 28-21 home loss to New Mexico last weekend — a second straight heartbreak at home for the Rainbow Warriors that made the journey for bowl eligibility an uphill battle.
It took a few practice reps this week for Hawaii to finally shake off a stunning 28-21 home loss to New Mexico last weekend — a second straight heartbreak at home for the Rainbow Warriors that made the journey for bowl eligibility an uphill battle.
“I told them this one hurts. I told them we didn’t execute to our ability,” Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich said after the loss. “We don’t control our own destiny anymore, and that hurts.”
The loss was a big blow to UH’s bowl hopes, but it’s still a possibility for the ‘Bows, who fell to 4-5 for the season and 3-2 in conference play. The team needs to win three in their final four regular season games to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. Due to bowl game qualification stipulations, Hawaii would not be at the top of the pecking order for postseason play even if they hit six wins. The Warriors can earn an automatic berth into the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve with seven wins.
The remaining four opponents on the schedule include Boise State (7-1), Fresno State (1-8), UMass (2-7 FCS), and this weekend at defending Mountain West champion San Diego State.
The general consensus heading into the Aztecs’ house: buckle up the chinstraps.
“We know it’s going to be a physical ball game. Our guys need to prepare themselves for that,” Rolovich said. “San Diego State plays very disciplined, run to the ball and want turnovers. There are plenty of challenges on both sides of the ball.”
There’s little doubt SDSU will be hungry. With a win, the Aztecs can clinch at least a tie for the MW West Division title for the fourth time in five years. If Nevada loses at New Mexico later in the evening, it would clinch the division outright for the Aztecs, giving them a berth in the Mountain West Championship Game.
Last week, San Diego State’s standout running back Donnel Pumphrey plowed through the Utah State defense for 223 rushing yards on 32 carries on the way to a 40-13 win. Expect more of the same against Hawaii.
The Warriors rank 122nd in the nation (out of 128 FBS teams) at stopping the run, allowing opponents to rumble for 255.1 yards per game on the ground. That bodes well for the Pumphrey and the Aztecs top 10 rushing attack.
“There’s no scheme,” UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. “It’s about effort. We have had really good effort the past couple of weeks, and I don’t expect it to be any different.”
The Aztecs have won 15 straight games against Mountain West opponents. That is the longest active streak nationally by a team against conference opponents and dates back to Nov. 15, 2014. During that stretch, SDSU has outscored its opponents, 509-161.
Hawaii has had its troubles the last few seasons — not cracking the four win barrier since 2012 — but the Rainbow Warriors upward trend is not being ignored by other teams in the conference.
“They’re a team that’s coming in here with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of confidence compared to the Hawaii teams we’ve played in the past,” San Diego State head coach Rocky Long said in a press conference this week. “We’re respectful of what they are and how they’re playing and hopefully we can play well enough to win the game.
“I think the most surprising thing about our league is that two teams who were picked to finish last in their division are the two most improved teams in this league: Wyoming and Hawaii.”
Notes: UH seeks its first win against San Diego State since joining the Mountain West in 2012. The Aztecs have won all four meetings with three coming by double digits. The last UH win against SDSU came in a non-conference showdown in Honolulu in 2005…The Rainbow Warriors have won their last two road games (at San Jose State and Air Force) and a third win would give them their longest such road streak since 2007…This is the third straight game in which the Rainbow Warriors will face a top 10 rushing offense. UH has already faced Air Force (6th) and New Mexico (1st) and now face an Aztec run game that ranks 9th in the FBS….Senior running back Steven Lakalaka has scored at least one rushing TD in each of the last seven games, tying a school record for consecutive games with a rushing TD. The UH record for consecutive games with a TD scored is eight, held by wide receiver Chris Roscoe (1988)…UH is averaging 33.0 points in five MW games. San Diego State has allowed just 26 points total in four MW games…The Aztecs have won the last seven meetings in San Diego with UH’s last win coming in 1988 (32-30) when the teams were Western Athletic Conference rivals.