Timmy Chang Addresses Offensive Struggles, Late-Game Confusion Following Loss to North Dakota State

University of Hawai‘i football head coach Timmy Chang addressed the media following the Rainbow Warriors’ 21-13 loss to North Dakota State on Saturday night at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

Hawai‘i (3-7, 2-5 Mountain West) carried a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter before the Bison (8-2, 5-2 MW) scored 14 unanswered points to secure the victory, officially eliminating the Rainbow Warriors from bowl eligibility.

Despite holding North Dakota State to just 183 yards of total offense, Hawai‘i struggled offensively, managing a season-low 262 yards while committing two interceptions. UH was also limited to 31 rushing yards and converted just four of 17 third-down opportunities.

Chang discussed the team’s offensive struggles, the confusion surrounding the final possession, quarterback Micah Alejado’s injury timeout, and the challenge of keeping his team together with two games remaining.

The following is an edited transcript of Chang’s postgame press conference.

Opening Statement

Timmy Chang: What a great game. Hard-fought on both ends. I do appreciate the effort both teams put out there. I do appreciate the fans that came out from North Dakota. That was a great environment combined with our fans. It was a fun atmosphere.”

But we did fall on the short end, and that’s something that has to get corrected and fixed. Pretty tough for our guys right now, just understanding that bowl possibilities and chances of us being together for a longer period of time is setting in. That’s a tough situation for us.

What Changed in the Fourth Quarter

Q: You made adjustments and scored 13 unanswered points, but the fourth quarter didn’t go your way. What happened? Did North Dakota State do something differently?

Chang: I think the third quarter was ours. We ended up giving up the lead, and then we threw a pick-six. It was tough on that end.

Anytime you do that, even the turnover in the first quarter, backed up in that situation, we put our defense in a tough position there as well.

I look at it as 14 points are on the offense, and we have to be better. Just be better at taking care of the ball and better at executing. So we’ve got to go look at everything.

Settling for Field Goals Instead of Touchdowns

Q: How frustrating is it not maximizing opportunities and getting seven points instead of three?

Chang: It’s been tough in these 10 games getting in the end zone for us. That’s part of it. Those are things we’re finding different ways to try to help and try to get in there.

Really, just execute and eliminate negative plays. I think that’s one of the biggest things. If we can continue to eliminate negative plays, we’ll be in a better situation.

DeVon Rice’s Touchdown Before Halftime

Q: On the other side of that, what a great momentum boost going into halftime, right?

Chang: Yeah, it was a great executed play by the guys. They blocked their tails off, and DeVon did a great job of just finding the end zone.

Confusion During Hawai‘i’s Final Possession

Q: On that final play, did the coaching staff or Bjorn Jurgensen lose track of the situation?

Chang: It’s a tough situation for Bjorn to be in, understanding that it’s fourth down. We put him in that situation, fourth-and-18, with what the scenario was.

They lost track of downs with the intentional grounding penalty. Just kind of a whole overall tough situation to be in.

Because in some cases, if you know it’s second down, then some of the calls might be different, knowing that you had three downs to get 10, or whatever the situation was.

It was tough for Bjorn to be in that situation just coming off of that one play.

Q: What happened on that intentional grounding penalty? How did you lose track of two downs?

Chang: I don’t know. I think it just got caught up in the moment. Whether we did not see it, none of our staff saw it, none of the referees called it.

Tough situation. As the game goes on, in that situation, you’re looking for the next call. You’re wondering what the penalty’s going to be, going from first to third rather than it being second. It’s a tough deal.

Micah Alejado’s Absence for the Final Play

Q: Was Micah too hurt to be in the game at that time, and did Bjorn think it wasn’t fourth down?

Chang: In that last situation, Micah could not be in the game given that his helmet came off. Or sorry, it was actually the injury. It was an injury timeout.

Because it was an injury timeout, they didn’t allow him to come back in.

Bjorn, I believe, understood it was fourth down. He has to get the ball out of his hands. He felt bad after the game.

Struggles Establishing the Running Game

Q: Even though you outgained North Dakota State, what made it difficult to establish the running game?

Chang: They’re a really good front four. Solid up front. I thought their starting guys, 11, 9, 94 and 8, were pretty stout.

They don’t just cause us fits. They cause a lot of people fits.

I look at us, though. I think we can get better at staying sticky on our blocks and running our feet at contact and being in better positions.

Those are all things we’ve got to continue to work on to get better.

Keeping the Team Together for the Final Two Games

Q: With bowl eligibility no longer possible, how do you keep the team together and maximize the final two games with this group?

Chang: I think it’s really about our staff and our coaches and our players just understanding it’s a tough situation.

It’s really just about us, about being there for each other. Our faith is really strong in what we believe in and our Lord and Savior.

These guys have a different bond. I think when it comes to guys that love each other in the locker room, those guys are totally committed. That’s our culture. That’s our brotherhood.

When it comes to execution and putting our guys in the right position and making sure our guys are doing the right things, that’s a whole totally separate deal.

I think we feel the way we feel because of the second part of it, the lack of execution and putting our guys in the right situations.

Finishing the Season Strong

Q: The players seemed to take this loss particularly hard. With two games left, what do you want to accomplish so this stretch doesn’t define the season?

Chang: I expect our guys to go hard and go in. Send the seniors off correctly.

Big game up in Nevada. I know they’re still playing for bowl eligibility, and we were playing for bowl eligibility until that fourth quarter.

But I expect us to go up there and play hard and come back down here and send the seniors off correctly with two wins.

Punter Gehrig Heil’s Performance

Q: Your punter seemed to be one of the MVPs early in the game with the way he helped control field position. What did you think of his performance?

Chang: He did a great job. I think it starts with protection to allow him to get the ball out there.

Consistently, we pinned them down there, especially in that third quarter, and didn’t let them get out. We put six points up on the board because of it.

He did a great job. The whole punt team did a great job.

Defense’s Strong Performance

Q: The defense played exceptionally well tonight. What can you say about that group’s effort?

Chang: The defense has been solid all year, and they continue to be solid.

When you give up 183 yards of offense, you expect to win. I think that’s what hurts.

They’ve been playing their tails off. They’ve been playing for each other. They’ve been keeping us in games, and they continue to do a great job.

I feel for those guys.

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and readability. Questions have been condensed where appropriate. Game statistics are from the official postgame materials.

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