Three takeaways following Hawai’i’s Week 7 loss against No. 17 Boise State

HONOLULU – No moral victories. 

(…But still takeaways.) 

After a rough road loss the week prior, it appeared that Hawai’i (2-4, 0-2 Mountain West) was up to the challenge Saturday night as the Rainbow Warriors held No. 17 Boise State (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) to the lowest scoring output of the season. It did not matter, as the offense could not get going and BSU’s Ashton Jeanty galloped for 217 yards on 31 carries, scoring twice (1 rec, 1 rush) as UH fell at home, 28-7. 

Following another tough loss, here are three takeaways for Hawai’i football entering Week 8. 

Defense is very good – even when depth fills in 

Hawai’i has leaned on the defensive side of the football all season, ranking among the top 30 units in the country through six games according to PFF. With usual names like Cam Stone and Peter Manuma having good seasons and the emergence of players like Jackie Johnson III and Jamih Otis, Hawai’i has been able to compete week-in and week-out with an offense that has struggled to find any real rhythm. 

Week 7’s loss to Boise State came with many absences on both sides for Hawai’i, who lost Manuma after four plays and saw leading receiver Pofele Ashlock disappear after taking a brutal hit in the first half. Caleb “C-Bo” Brown, UH’s starting cornerback across from Stone, did not dress for the game and defensive lineman and captain Ezra Evaimalo was ejected for targeting in the opening quarter. 

Despite the key missing pieces to the unit, Hawai’i’s defense embodied the “Next Man Up” mantra to the max while holding their own against the nation’s top scoring offense. Defensive lineman Tariq Jones enjoyed a nice night for UH as his snaps continue to increase week-over-week while redshirt freshman Deliyon Freeman had a quality performance across 16 coverage snaps, allowing two catches on four targets. 

The 28 points for Boise State marked a season-worst scoring output for the Broncos, who were elevated to 15th in the latest AP rankings after the win over the Rainbow Warriors. Coming into the weekend, BSU was averaging 50.6 points and 537.6 yards per game, both marks that UH was able to hold the Broncos under despite the absence of some top personnel.  

The absence left by Steven McBride will not be filled this year 

The defense was not the only side of the ball to be missing significant contributors for the date with the Broncos as the offense dealt with Dekel Crowdus not suiting up and Pofele Ashlock getting banged up early against Boise State. Add in the season-long absence of Steven McBride, who led the Rainbow Warriors with 1,024 yards and nine touchdowns on 63 catches in 2023, and you get a Hawai’i offense without the three top targets for Brayden Schager over the past 1.5 seasons. 

Nick Cenacle continued his nice season as a reliable option with seven catches for 59 yards against BSU and sophomore Alex Perry posted season-highs with six catches for 57 yards in 53 snaps (44 pass). While both have developed as quality depth pieces for the Run-N-Shoot, the dynamic nature that the ‘23 Rainbow Warriors showed at times with the McBride-Ashlock pairing has not been there. 

Even with Crowdus healthy, the 1-2 punch has not been the same. The depth at receiver is extremely nice to have, especially for games where you lose multiple contributors like this past weekend, but you need top-end talent and players to make plays if you want to compete at a high level. 

After Ashlock was unable to go to his usual workload after sustaining the targeting strike midway through the 2nd quarter, Hawai’i saw the offense punt two times and turn the ball over on downs twice as the offense stalled in the red zone. A fully depleted wide receiver core stood no chance. 

Halfway through the season, it feels unlikely that anyone in the Hawai’i receiving core will breakout in the same way that Ashlock and McBride were able to in time for it to be meaningful. There are pieces that could potentially get there with a good offseason and connection with whoever the next quarterback is after Brayden Schager graduates, but that won’t help the program get back to a bowl this year. 

Dion Washington has arrived 

A transfer from Nevada, Dion Washington has slotted in nicely to the Hawai’i defensive front. The 6-foot-2 defensive tackle is one of the best run defenders on the entire Rainbow Warriors unit and posted his best overall game of the year against UH’s highest ranked opponent with two sacks and the highest run stopping grade of the year from PFF (84.1). 

He started the year off slowly, getting acclimated to the UH scheme while working on a majority of passing downs. Since playing at Sam Houston, Washinton has played 63 of his 97 snaps against the run, seeing his play take off along with the switch in deployment. 

That does not mean he has stopped rushing the passer, but his run stuffing and tackling has helped Hawai’i close gaps up front that have long been leaking. With his ability as a run stopper, it can help others on the line be more effective in running and passing downs. 

For Hawai’i to come close to running the table, Washington will need to continue his rapid development while the multitude of players out with injuries heal quickly. Oh, and the offense needs to score more, allow sacks less and find some sort of running game. 

It is a long road to a bowl, but the journey back up begins in Pullman.