Hawaii Warriors Football

The University of Hawaii announced Tuesday that Todd Graham will be its next head football coach.

Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Hawaii will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon to officially introduce Graham.

Graham will replace Nick Rolovich, who left the Rainbow Warriors to lead Washington State. The WSU job opened up after Mike Leach left to coach Mississippi State.

The 55-year-old has been the head coach at Rice (2006), Tulsa (2007-2010), Pitt (2011) and Arizona State (2012-2017). He has a lifetime 95-61 record and has led his teams to 10 bowl games (five wins).

The new Rainbow Warriors coach is no stranger to success, having found some level of it in each of his four college football stops. Five of his teams won 10 of more games, and three of them finished in the Top 25 of the Associated Press poll.

Graham's best season arguably came in 2014, when he led ASU to a 10-3 record, a Sun Bowl win and a No. 12 finish in the AP rankings. He also took ASU to the 2013 Pac-12 title game.

However, his final three seasons in ASU did not fare as well, with the Sun Devils going a combined 18-20 under his watch. The two sides parted ways after the year.

Graham takes over a Hawaii team that went 10-5 last year, including a Hawaii Bowl win. The Rainbow Warriors made the Mountain West Conference championship game but lost to Boise State.

Hawaii's first game under Graham will be against a team its new coach knows well: the Arizona Wildcats. That one will take place on Saturday, Aug. 29.

A Honolulu Star-Advertiser photographer alleged Friday that University of Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich and a Hawaii staffer assaulted him at the end of last week's game against San Diego State.

In an article published by the newspaper, photographer Jamm Aquino said Rolovich shoved him and that another University of Hawaii employee pushed him to the ground.

Aquino said he was left with a concussion, bloody nose, sore shoulder and split upper lip as a result of the alleged assault. Aquino added that his camera lens was damaged as well.

Per the article, multiple people corroborated the allegation off the record. An Associated Press photographer was reportedly also shoved.

After San Diego State missed what would have been a game-tying field goal, Hawaii players rushed the field to celebrate, but there were still two seconds remaining on the clock, so they returned to the sidelines. Aquino had followed the players onto the field and was allegedly attacked on the way back to the sidelines.

The University of Hawaii released a statement regarding the incident, noting that while Rolovich regretted coming into contact with Aquino, the photographer violated protocol:

"We are disappointed that a Star-Advertiser photographer violated sideline protocol by entering the field of play Saturday night. Coach Rolovich acknowledges that he came into physical contact with the photographer as he was attempting to clear the field to avoid being penalized because, with two seconds left on the clock, the game was not over.

"Coach Rolovich regrets the situation occurred. He contacted the photographer late Saturday night and apologized. The university is addressing the situation with Coach Rolovich regarding the matter and will have no further comment."

Honolulu Star-Advertiser editor Frank Bridgewater also released a statement condemning Rolovich's alleged actions: "Our photographers are representing our readers and deserve to be treated as professionals. Swearing at and, worse, physically assaulting them, will not be tolerated. We will take whatever steps are needed to protect our photographers' rights and to ensure that those who abuse them are called out."

Hawaii went on to win the game against San Diego State 14-11. It will look to improve on its 8-4 record when it faces Army on Saturday before going on to face the No. 20 Boise State Broncos in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game next week.

Rolovich is 26-26 in four seasons as the Rainbow Warriors' head coach and has them bowl-eligible for the third time during that span.

The University of Hawaii announced Scheyenne Sanitoa, a linebacker for the Warriors' football team, died Thursday at the age of 21. 

"It's always heartbreaking to lose a member of our UH 'ohana, particularly when it's one of our young student-athletes," athletic director David Matlin said in a statement Friday. "Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, his teammates, and to all those who knew and loved him."

A cause of death was not immediately announced.

Sanitoa was set to become a redshirt junior for the Warriors this fall.

After playing three games in 2017, his involvement in the defense increased last year en route to 30 total tackles, two sacks and two passes defended across 12 appearances.

Sanitoa was a 2-star prospect when he committed to Hawaii as part of the 2016 recruiting class.

He was a native of American Samoa.

Hawaii football moved to 6-1 with Saturday's 17-13 win over Wyoming, but the Warriors used some gamesmanship to give themselves an advantage before the game. 

Starting quarterback Cole McDonald—who has 24 touchdowns and two interceptions in six games this year—did not play due to an unspecified injury. However, there was someone wearing his No. 13 uniform on the field during pregame:

Hawaii starting QB Cole McDonald's injury was kept a secret up until kickoff, and even went as far as having a backup wear his jersey during pre-game warm-ups: (h/t /u/Jah-Eazy) https://t.co/bo7xZaFBir

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 8, 2018

https://twitter.com/chavramz/status/1048874226063532037

The team announced McDonald was ruled out immediately before kickoff at 9 p.m. PT, with true freshman Chevan Cordeiro making his first career start instead.

With little information about the injury during the week and the quarterback appearing to be on the field in warmups, it's safe to assume Wyoming didn't prepare for the quarterback switch.

Considering this is a conference battle, Hawaii might need to prepare for some similar trickery as payback the next time these teams go head to head.

Where did that quarterback putting up video-game stats at Hawaii come from? Is the Herm Edwards renaissance for real? What are the must-watch games for Week 3? Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer has the answers to those questions and more in his weekly college football notebook, the Thursday Tailgate.

      

The breakthrough came deep into the night, when all hope had been lost. Cole McDonald was putting the finishing touches on a school project sometime around 1 a.m. when his phone rang. A number bearing an 808 area code appeared on his screen.        

It was the eve of national signing day in February 2016, and McDonald, then a senior quarterback at Sonora High School in La Habra, California, a small school 45 minutes east of Los Angeles, had made up his mind. With zero Division I scholarship offers, McDonald had emotionally committed to playing the following season for a junior college.

He would prove himself there, he told himself. It made sense at the time, in part because he didn't have much of a choice.

On the other end of the phone line, 2,500 miles away, was the voice of Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich. The conversation was casual at first—a mix of small talk and football conversation. Then, after getting to know one another, Rolovich did something that would change McDonald's life: He offered him a scholarship and a football home.

"I knew the team had a poor record, I didn't know a single person on the roster, and I hadn't even made a trip out there," McDonald said earlier this week, hours before jumping on a 13-hour flight for his team's game at Army this Saturday. "And I committed right away. I signed my letter of intent, and that was that. I was going there to succeed and help bring that program back to life."

Fast forward two-and-a-half years, and McDonald is doing things most quarterbacks couldn't do in a video game.

Through Hawaii's first three games and his first three starts at the collegiate level, McDonald has accounted for 15 touchdowns and thrown zero interceptions. His 13 passing touchdowns and 1,165 yards are tops in the nation—this from a player who came into this season with a grand total of nine pass attempts in college.

Hawaii has played a game more than most schools at this point in the season, but it doesn't make this startling, out-of-nowhere production any less remarkable.

Hawaii also is 3-0 for the first time since 2007, doing so despite massive underdog status in its first two games of the year, against Colorado State and Navy. They are rapidly and unexpectedly looking like the Rainbow Warriors of old: offense-centric and wildly productive, especially at quarterback.

McDonald arrived in 2016 as a project. His freshman year was spent adapting to life on the island—the magnificent views, the laid-back lifestyle and the occasional bout of homesickness early on. Little was expected of a 2-star quarterback 247Sports ranked as its No. 2,258 recruit nationwide and No. 248 in the state of California.

During his senior year at Sonora High School, McDonald was productive but did not post blistering numbers. He threw for more than 2,000 yards, ran for more than 1,000 and scored 29 touchdowns.

Division II schools showed some interest. So did JUCOs. Alabama A&M made him an offer—his biggest before Hawaii came in at the 11th hour. But there was little buzz about the 6'4," 205-pound quarterback.

"It was kind of hard to just get my recruiting started," McDonald said. "Really, it never started for me. All I needed was one shot."

Things are different now, even beyond the sudden success. McDonald ditched his clean-cut California quarterback look for something new when he arrived at Hawaii. It started with bleach-blond hair that he eventually grew out into a mullet.

"I was letting it flow out the back of the helmet," McDonald said. "I was feeling it."

But during his sophomore year, he grew close with former Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz, and McDonald's look once again evolved. For the past nine months, he has been growing dreadlocks in honor of his friend and mentor.

"The look definitely took some by surprise," McDonald said. "This 6'4" white guy with blue eyes and loose dreads. I've definitely got that, and I love it."

The new look and the big stats have are a start, but McDonald isn't resting on them. He knows he has to keep the changes coming.

"I've always been the guy to press myself," he says. "And I feel like how I am playing now is the standard for me."

On Saturday, that standard will be tested against Army. Hawaii, perhaps appropriately, is once again an underdog, per OddsShark.

                      

An open apology to Herm Edwards

I'm going to be completely honest here. When Arizona State announced Herm Edwards as its next head coach—announcing a move toward a cryptic, NFL-like model—I was bewildered.

Jokes were had. Doom was broadcast. Social media burned the news to the ground, as it often does when something unexpected transpires. Edwards had been out of football for a decade and hadn't worked at a university in 30 years.

But after Arizona State upset Michigan State this past weekend, I need to walk this one back. That is not to say this hire will work out in the long run. It has been a grand total of two games, and most coaching hires ultimately fail over time.

But so far, Edwards' team is looking more than just competent. The Sun Devils currently lead the nation in sacks and will enter the weekend at No. 23 in the Associated Press poll. Even in the infancy of a season, that is significant when you consider how the school struggled to find itself over the past few years.

Will it last? I have no idea. But things will be better under Edwards than they have been, and the hire suddenly doesn't feel inexplicable or outrageous. Different, sure. And that is what I love about this, the more it sets in. ASU did something completely unexpected, breaking free of a hiring process that can feel predictable at times. And right now, heading into a Week 3 game against San Diego State, it has broken the school out of a rut that saw it go 18-20 over the past three seasons.

I hope that holds true, and Edwards personally digs up our jokes (there were many) and posts them around campus. It's not supposed to look this way when television analysts return to a profession a few decades later.

With all that said, before any regression can take place, I have one thing to say:

My bad, Herm. I apologize. Keep doing your thing. Right now, the joke's on us.

                                

Five games to watch this weekend

Here's what you should watch this weekend, in tweet-length form (all times Eastern):

No. 1 Alabama at Ole Miss (Saturday, 7 p.m.): The good news for Ole Miss is that it scored 76 points last week. The bad news is it gave up 41 to Southern Illinois, along with more than 600 yards of offense. The Grove has produced magic in this matchup before, but this one might require the highest powers of football wizardry.

No. 17 Boise State at No. 24 Oklahoma State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.): Boise State ran up an 810-yard bar tab against UConn last weekend, which should have Oklahoma State mighty concerned. Yes, it was UConn. Yes, this is a step up in class. But don't be surprised if the Broncos make things weird here. (Locks spoiler, nudge, nudge.)

No. 22 USC at Texas (Saturday, 8 p.m.): I can't help but let my nostalgic excitement take over, even if both programs are shells of what they were when they played the greatest game of our lifetime in 2006. This one isn't so much about title aspirations. It's actually kind of desperate, and I mean that in the best way possible.

No. 12 LSU at No. 7 Auburn (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.): The trenches of this game are going to look like a glorious wreck, and if defensive line play is your passion, then please carve out your Saturday afternoon to take this one in. Whether LSU can muster enough offense is another story entirely.

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 15 TCU (Saturday, 8 p.m.): If he can go to Arlington, Texas and play well against a quality team, this will be the game that kickstarts the "Dwayne Haskins for Heisman" chants in earnest. At the moment, he looks like one of the best football players in America, albeit against weaker opponents. That changes on Saturday.

                                    

What else to watch for this weekend

First, the weather is shaking up Week 3: There are more important things than college football. That shouldn't have to be said when it comes to Category 3 hurricanes making landfall, but let's say it anyway. As well as impacting those other, bigger things, though, Hurricane Florence has already put a massive dent in the college football slate, forcing cancellations and a scramble to reschedule games. The reality is that many of these games probably won't be made up.

I love college football more than I love most people on this earth, but there should be absolutely zero complaints about scheduling or about how schools handle an impossible situation.

More than anything, please stay safe, y'all.

       

Second, the game that is so bad it's brilliant: This Saturday, Kansas and Rutgers will play a football game. It's an out-of-conference matchup between two programs that have won a grand total of 15 games (two this season) over the past three-plus years. Rutgers, by the way, has done the heavy lifting there.

Fittingly, the game will kick off at noon. It will probably not be particularly well played. If you're wondering why you should watch this, I don't have much ammunition here other than the fact that it's college football. Done.

Oh, and one of these two will enter Week 4 with a winning record. Unless they tie, which would be the most Kansas-Rutgers moment ever.

Third, the evolution of Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond: Of all the individual performances in Week 2, none were more eye-popping than Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and his 430 passing yards against Clemson, a defensive loaded with future NFL players.

This week, the Aggies draw Louisiana-Monroe. Not exactly Clemson, but a formidable, unbeaten opponent nonetheless. Regardless of opposition, it will be fascinating to see Mond develop under new head coach Jimbo Fisher—something he appears to be doing rapidly.

        

Gambling locks (OK...picks) of the week

Last week: 1-4 (gross)

Season to date: 3-7 (I don't even need to say it)

The good news is that I picked Arizona State to win outright in an upset over Michigan State. The bad news is that was the only game I picked correctly, which included taking Pittsburgh (+8.5) against Penn State—a game that ended in a 51-6 Penn State win. Say it once more with me: gross.

I cannot blame you for fading these picks at the moment. Fade away, friends. But they will turn at some point; this much I know. Hopefully. Anyway, the picks, which will be based off of the Westgate odds on OddsShark, have to happen no matter what:

Kansas (-2.5) vs. Rutgers: What do you do when you're on a cold streak? You bet on Kansas football. Tell my family members I love them.

Purdue (+6) vs. Missouri: Another contrarian pick to get us on track. Look for an exciting, points-centric Purdue cover.

Toledo (+10.5) vs. Miami: Don't sleep on this game; this is a really tricky spot for Miami against a quality offense.

Texas (-3.5) vs. USC: Texas hasn't looked great. USC has. On this day, Texas looks a touchdown better anyway.

San Diego State (+5.5) vs. Arizona State: We love you, Herm. We do. But this is a prime letdown scenario, and we say the Sun Devils win this with another field goal.

Bonus, erase-the-deficit lock: Boise State (+2.5) vs. Oklahoma State: I just feel like the Broncos are the better overall team at this moment in time. Simple as that.

               

Adam Kramer covers college football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @KegsnEggs.

Hunter Hughes, you gotta dance for it they say! Full scholarship handed out by @NickRolovich at #WWEHonolulu tonight! @HawaiiFootball pic.twitter.com/r7espcYrWw

— Brandi Higa (@bhiga12) September 14, 2017

WWE's New Day used the power of positivity to inform Hawaii walk-on Hunter Hughes of a scholarship offer.

During Wednesday night's live show in Honolulu, Rainbow Warriors head coach Nick Rolovich joined forces with Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E to reveal the news. At Woods' prodding, Hughes had to dance for his scholarship.

He later reflected on the surreal moment.

What a night #blessed #warriorforlife

— Hunter Hughes (@allaroundath_tv) September 14, 2017

Scholarship reveals have become increasingly elaborate, but swaying to a trombone with the newly crowned SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions can compete with any of them in terms of creativity.

[Brandi Higa, h/t SB Nation]

Sean Duggan may stick to congratulatory handshakes when commemorating big plays in the future.

The Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors blocked two field goals and an extra point during Saturday's 41-18 victory over Western Carolina. This hurt Duggan more than the opponents.

According to Hawaii News Now, the linebackers coach fractured his wrist and dislocated his elbow after getting knocked down by a Viane Moala chest bump. Head coach Nick Rolovich playfully questioned his assistant coach's decision-making.

"You advise against chest-bumping a six-foot-seven, 300lb. Tongan," Rolovich said. "That's just, as a new haole guy on the island, that's just not something you should make a habit of."

Per HNN's report, Duggan will travel with the team for Saturday's game against UCLA. He should expect his unconventional injuries to be a heavy talking point during the weekend and beyond.

"He'll be in a sling for a while. He'll never forget it," Rolovich said. "He's a young coach, but I know I'll never let him forget it."

[Hawaii News Now, h/t Deadspin]

University of Hawaii defensive lineman Kalepo Naotala is in "pretty serious" condition and faces a "long journey" to recovery due to injuries suffered in a weekend accident.

On Monday, Brian McInnis of the Star Advertiser passed along an update from Rainbow Warriors head coach Nick Rolovich, who said the defender was with some teammates at Waikiki Beach on Saturday when he appeared to strike his head on a wall during a dive.

No details about the exact injuries were provided by Rolovich, who said: "We've seen improvement. We just know he's got a long journey ahead of him."

"We're...going to come together and push forward because of it," he added, per McInnis. "That's what I think this team will do. Because Kalepo means a lot to this team."

Naotala is the nephew of former NFL linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, according to his official bio on the Rainbow Warriors' athletics website, and waited until January to enroll at the school while recovering from a knee surgery. He's listed at 6'3'' and 300 pounds.

In 2016, he told Jackson Moore of Scout that a lot of interested schools backed off when he suffered a torn ACL, but Hawaii continued to recruit him.

"I'm very appreciative of Hawaii sticking with me, and I have a chip on my shoulder," Naotala said. "Especially when we play against other schools to play them harder because UH stuck with me."

Naotala was expected to fight for a place within the Warriors defensive line rotation, likely at tackle, heading into the 2017 season. The team is scheduled to open the campaign Aug. 26 against UMass at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.            

Titan Lacaden‏, an 11-year-old quarterback, announced that Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich offered him a scholarship Saturday in a post on Twitter:

Blessed with a D1 offer. Thank you Coach Rolo!! @NickRolovich #Future #defendpriderock #UHWarriors pic.twitter.com/FIbHrsxbBY

— Titan Lacaden 3⭐️ (@titanlacaden) June 11, 2017

"[Rolovich] said he likes Titan and what he does. We both agreed that he's different, he carries himself differently," his father, Frank Lacaden, said, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com. "They said they want to offer a scholarship and asked me how I felt about it. I know what my older son went through in the recruiting process and it's difficult, especially with us being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So when opportunity knocks, you answer the door."

Rolovich's relationship with the Lacaden family dates back to his time at Nevada. The Hawaii coach was the offensive coordinator at Nevada when Jake Lacaden, Titan's brother, was playing linebacker for the school.

Frank Lacaden took Titan and his All Blacks Crusaders team to Hawaii's football camp Saturday, where the parties all met.

Rolovich sent out a tweet to FAU coach Lane Kiffin, who'd recently made headlines by offering scholarships to a sixth- and seventh-grader:

Your move @Lane_Kiffin pic.twitter.com/eSS4l3nOj7

— Nick Rolovich (@NickRolovich) June 13, 2017

These types of offers are nonbinding from all sides and, for the most part, are about establishing relationships and creating headlines. The NCAA has strict guidelines for when formal scholarships can be offered, and even those can be pulled until the moment a national letter of intent gets signed.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii—who was already suspended from the team for a prior incident—was reportedly arrested on Monday night.

According to Manolo Morales of KHON2-TV in Honolulu, Tulimasealii was arrested and charged with criminal property damage on Monday. Morales also noted Tulimasealii “was arrested two weeks ago following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend.”

Tulimasealii was suspended from the team because of that first arrest.

The criminal property incident actually occurred in March before his original arrest, but he turned himself in on Monday, per Morales. Tulimasealii posted bail of $20,000 and has a court date set for Thursday.

Morales detailed the incident that led to the property damage charge. Tulimasealii and his ex-girlfriend were in a car when he allegedly punched the dashboard and also damaged the navigation system and radio during an argument. Morales cited police records that said the damage equaled more than $1,500.

Zach Barnett of NBC Sports' College Football Talk also described the initial arrest that led to Tulimasealii’s suspension. The defensive lineman was arrested on two counts of domestic abuse and contempt, resisting arrest and harassment. Barnett said officers had to use pepper spray because Tulimasealii was fighting with them.

As for the latest arrest, Morales said the University of Hawaii will let Tulimasealii go through the legal system before it makes any final decisions on his status with the team. The spokesman Morales cited said Tulimasealii is “technically off the team” for now because he is suspended.

On the field, Tulimasealii turned in an impressive 2015 campaign for the Rainbow Warriors and led the team with 18.5 tackles for loss. He also racked up 3.5 sacks.