3 takeaways after Hawai’i gets back on track with big win over Northern Iowa 

HONOLULU – They answered the call. 

After a week of fans and media voicing worries around the team following an ugly Week 3 road loss, the University of Hawai’i (2-2) quieted many concerns with the best performance of the season in a 36-7 victory over the FCS’ 19th-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers. It marked the 22nd consecutive win over programs from the Football Championship Subdivision for UH and delivered the first win prior to a bye week in the Timmy Chang era. 

Parrying qualms about the physical, run-first style of UNI, Hawai’i posted a season-best 149 yards on the ground of their own while holding down the Panthers’ rushing attack to a season-low 72 yards. The Rainbow Warriors also held the edge in the time of possession battle, keeping the offense on the field for over 33 minutes of game action. 

Flying high on good vibes into the second of three bye weeks this year for Hawai’i, here are three takeaways following the Week 4 win for the Rainbow Warriors. 

The spring and summer camps were not mirages 

All offseason, excitement built around Hawai’i as over 80 percent of production from last year’s roster returned to the islands for another crack at getting the Rainbow Warriors back to a bowl together. During the spring, vibes around the program were different from the previous two seasons with an aura of confidence emanating from up and down the roster. 

The summer brought a little more of a business-like approach to training camp, preparing the team mentally and physically for the challenges lying ahead in 2024 with tactics like simulating game day for a 1:30 p.m. HT kickoff with a four-hour practice in the blazing sun. Confidence remained with Hawai’i as the Rainbow Warriors looked to build off a hot finish to the 2023 schedule. 

Things then got off to a bit of a shaky start in Week 0 when UH started slowly against Delaware State, entering halftime leading 14-7 after being favored by more than five touchdowns against the Hornets. While the 2nd half was better for Hawai’i in a 35-14 win, the offense left the weekend with more questions than answers after Brayden Schager completed just 50 percent of his attempts (17-of-34) and UH receivers struggled with drops. 

Despite the defense showing out in Week 1 against UCLA, Hawai’i posted just 13 points in a loss to the Bruins and mustered only a field goal after halftime as Schager and his receivers continued to be on different pages. Following the first bye of the year, things somehow looked worse for the Rainbow Warriors in a 31-13 smackdown on the road against Sam Houston. 

While Northern Iowa is not Boise State or UNLV, the Panthers entered Week 4 as the 19th-ranked team in the FCS and dominated the time of possession battle in a loss at Nebraska the week prior. Far from a pushover, UNI struggled from the jump as Hawai’i forced an early turnover and quickly jumped up by two scores, 15-0, behind an efficient passing attack and timely, productive runs.  

By the night’s end, Hawai’i had pulverized the Panthers with over 500 yards of total offense and two turnovers forced by the defense while allowing less than 200 yards total. All units clicked for the Rainbow Warriors, winning the time of possession battle and showing improved discipline defensively. 

The Hawai’i team that showed up to T.C. Ching Complex in Week 4 was the team that toiled through the spring and summer practices and gave fans heightened expectations in Timmy Chang’s third season. While the throttling of Northern Iowa was an excellent step forward, consistency becomes the bigger question for Hawai’i as the season progresses. 

This defense might end up as the top group in the Mountain West 

The Hawai’i defense has been as legit as it gets through four outings in 2024, using veteran leadership both on the field and in the coaching staff to take a group that was graded among the 15 worst defenses in the country last year and flip it into a top 15 unit in a single calendar year. The Rainbow Warriors’ defensive grade from Pro Football Focus was tied for 119th out of 134 programs in 2023 as the team struggled to tackle and tended to allow explosive plays. 

Enter veteran coaches Dennis Thurman and Jeff Reinebold, a duo that has made as significant an impact on the program’s defense as any player that joined Hawai’i in the offseason. Running a simpler, more aggressive scheme that allows players to show off talent, UH has PFF’s best score among Mountain West defenses with an 88.5 overall grade, more than 12 points higher than the next closest program (San Jose State, 75.8). 

Of course, the quality of opponents holds some weight in the conversation as Hawai’i has faced off against a pair of FCS opponents in four games to begin the season. Both of those contests have seen Hawai’i score highly, but the drop off against UCLA and Sam Houston both were not as significant as one may assume. 

Hawai’i’s defense gets a stop during a game against Northern Iowa on September 21. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The coverage scored above 70.0 in all four weeks while the pass rush had only one poor outing in Week 1 against UCLA. Even in a game that saw 31 points allowed against Sam Houston, the defense performed admirably while getting no support from the offense. 

The test is to continue the dominance into Mountain West play, but as Hawai’i’s tackling continues to improve and players like Jackie Johnson III and Jamih Otis continue breaking out and developing, it is hard to imagine the group taking a massive step backwards. For Hawai’i to make a bowl game, it is imperative that the unit does not. 

Hawai’i might have figured out the running back mystery 

The Rainbow Warriors ran all over the Northern Iowa defense on Saturday night, posting a season-high 149 yards on the ground as four different backs had an average of 5.0 yards or more per carry. It was the second time already this season that Hawai’i has posted more than 100 yards rushing, accomplishing the feat six games quicker than last year’s team. 

Landon Sims led the way with 35 yards on seven carries while Christian Vaughn saw late success in the 4th quarter, rumbling for 34 yards on only four touches. David Cordero added another 28 yards on four rushes and Tylan Hines made a return to the backfield, seeing a pair of carries go for 22 yards. 

It was not just the running success that was encouraging for Hawai’i, though. Sims recorded three receptions for a career-best 41 yards as UH leaked the back out after blocking initially, providing a check-down option for Brayden Schager. 

While it is unlikely the team becomes a juggernaut on the ground while dialing up the Run-N-Shoot offense, success in the running game will allow Schager to work against defenses that cannot key in on the passing attack as much. On top of running the ball, short passes out of the backfield can be used as an extension of the running game. 

Saturday against Northern Iowa was the best and most comfortable that Hawai’i’s offense looked since the regular season opened. Plenty of that has to do with Schager looking like one of the Mountain West’s best QBs once again while the success on the ground adds a heightened ceiling to the attack. 

Much like the defense, the conversation throughout the bye week for the Rainbow Warriors will be centered around maintaining that standard and creating the consistency of a winning program like the team set out to do back in the spring. The first chance at showing that change comes on October 5 when Hawai’i visits San Diego State to open conference play.