Hawaii Warriors Football

On the heels of its sixth straight loss, the University of Hawaii announced it has fired head coach Norm Chow effective immediately. 

The 69-year-old head coach was in the midst of his fourth season with the Rainbow Warriors, with whom he compiled an overall record of 10-36. Hawaii is 2-7 this season with victories over the Colorado Buffaloes and UC Davis Aggies.

Hawaii athletics director David Matlin thanked Chow for his service in a statement:

I'd like to thank Coach Chow for his dedication to our football program for the past four years. Ultimately, we feel this decision is in the best interest of the University and Athletics Department and we need to move in a different direction. Coach Chow should be commended for helping our football program achieve all-time highs in APR scores and graduation rates.

This was the first head coaching job for Chow, who began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at BYU and remained with the team in some capacity for 27 seasons. He spent three seasons in the NFL as the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. In addition, he also served as an assistant coach for North Carolina State, USC, UCLA and Utah before taking the Hawaii job.

Chow certainly didn't have the talent to work with previous Hawaii teams had, but the administration had seen enough losing after the team's relative success prior to Chow. Hawaii played in seven bowls between 2002-2010.

The school announced assistant coach Chris Naeole will take over interim duties for the remainder of the season.   

Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post reacted to the fact there are now 10 vacant FBS head coaching jobs:

Norm Chow out at Hawaii. We have more coaching openings than officials suspended by the ACC.

— Tom D'Angelo (@tomdangelo44) November 1, 2015

The Rainbow Warriors have no chance at the postseason, but with teams like 2-6 Fresno State and UNLV still on the schedule, they have a shot at making this season respectable. Firing Chow now as opposed to after the season will give the school more time to search for a coach and talk with recruits about the process.

Engage warp drive, set a course for “semiconsciousness” and PUNCH IT, CHEWIE.

That’s essentially the scenario that took place when Hawaii quarterback Taylor Graham blasted into a USC cornerback during Thursday night’s game between the Trojans and the Rainbow Warriors.

Business Insider’s Cork Gaines crafted a GIF of the block. Be warned, as you could lose an afternoon just staring into this dimension of pain.

The hit occurred late in the first quarter when an impromptu reverse set up Graham’s big moment. Hawaii's Bubba Poueu-Luna received a handoff in motion but reversed field after running out of real estate.

Improvising in the backfield is seldom rewarded in football. However, in this case, Graham saved Poueu-Luna's proverbial bacon when he stepped in and jackhammered USC’s Kevon Seymour before the wideout was taken down out of bounds.

The hit was legal, although there are undoubtedly a few people in Southern California who might believe otherwise. To say that Hawaii fans were excited by the block, however, would be an understatement. 

This is the kind of block that earns a quarterback the respect of his teammates—something Graham, a transfer from Ohio State, could use in his first season with the Rainbow Warriors.

The block was about the only time Graham found himself with the upper hand against the Trojans, however. The Buckeye transplant struggled mightily against USC’s blanketing defense. He threw four picks and was sacked seven times over the course of the game, and the Trojans went on to win handily, 30-13.

It wasn’t the best start for the Rainbow Warriors, but all isn’t bleak for Hawaii fans.

You have a quarterback who isn’t afraid to get his shoulder pads dirty, and that’s more than most teams can say.

Join me on Twitter for more football news.

Follow @Dr__Carson

A dismal first year for head coach Norm Chow ended on an up-tick as the Warriors finished with two strong wins, leaving fans and alumni eager for the start of the 2013 campaign. With a multitude of offseason changes, Hawaii has been actively recruiting on the mainland as well as within the state of Hawaii.

Defense was a problem area in 2012 (ranked 107th in points-against), as was the stagnant offense (No. 101 in passing and No. 114 in rushing). Not unexpectedly, defense and quarterback were the first areas addressed by Norm Chow's 2014 recruiting class, with verbal commitments from four prospects:

Larry Tuileta - QB - The 6'2", 210-pound native of Honolulu is the most recent prospect to give his commitment (April 12, 2013). In 2012, Tuileta's arm helped take his team to the state final, with a season that saw him throw for 2,588 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was also named the Hawaii's 2012 Gatorade State Player of the Year. 

Daniel Lewis - CB - At 5'11" and 194 pounds, the Louisiana prospect has good size at the cornerback position. Lewis also posted a 4.40 time in the 40-yard dash and is rated as a 3-star prospect by Scout.com.

Manly Williams - OLB - A 3-star prospect (per Scout.com), Williams is another product of Hawaii. At 6'2" and 225 pounds, Williams is likely too small to be converted to defensive end. Williams was the second player in the 2014 class to commit to the Warriors.

Fitou Fisiiahi - MLB - A versatile athlete, the 6'2", 240-pound Fisiiahi plays middle linebacker as well as fullback. Another Hawaii native, Fisiiahi was pursued by both Oregon State and Utah but snapped up an early offer from the Warriors in October of 2012.

Currently, Hawaii's 2014 recruiting class ranks at No. 61 according to Scout.com but is second-best in the Mountain West Conference (behind Boise State). Although it is early in the 2014 recruiting hunt, the newest crop of prospects is already out-distancing 2013's group, which ranked No. 80 according to Scout.com.

Going into the 2012 season, the Hawaii Warriors were ranked No. 105 in the nation. After a difficult first season at the helm, head coach Norm Chow was able to rally his team for two late-season victories, giving hope to fans and alumni for the 2013 season. Perhaps more importantly, the team's success at the end of the season may have swayed those 2013 recruits who were on the fence about accepting offers to come to Hawaii.

With his first successful recruiting class now signed, Norm Chow is set to get to work on changing the culture and face of Hawaii football. Towards that end, the Warriors are looking to solve the issue of their anemic offense by hiring former UTEP offensive coordinator Aaron Price.

In addition, the team has hired Chris Naeole as an offensive assistant and received permission from the University to hire a strength and conditioning coach.

One area that Chow and Price will need to address is the offensive line. Last season, the Warriors surrendered 40 sacks, leading directly to the team's dreadful 62-of-183 on third down conversions.

Making this repair more difficult is the fact that starting offensive lineman Blake Muir has decided to transfer to Baylor University. At 6'5" and 290 pounds, Muir will not easily be replaced. However, due to NCAA regulations, Muir will be forced to sit out this upcoming season for the Bears.

The talent drain at Hawaii is a concern, as junior CB Mike Edwards—arguably the team’s most exciting player—has decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Edwards, in addition to his skill as a defender, had three kickoff returns for touchdowns last season.

“I'll miss him not only as a player but as a young man,” said Hawaii head coach Norm Chow. “We wish him all the best.”

But Chow's commitment to finding talent for his team remains unfettered. Recently, the team added walk-on wide receiver Justin Lopez to the 2013 spring roster. Lopez, a 5'9", 195-pound graduate of Waialua High School recently ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.

After a dismal 2012 campaign, the Hawaii Warriors' fans and alumni could finally take stock in their team, as it ended the season with a late-market rally, finishing on an up-tick. A two-game winning streak began with a convincing 48-10 romp over UNLV on Nov. 24, followed by a 23-7 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 1. It is likely no coincidence that nine of Hawaii's recruits committed immediately following both of these victories.

After months of slow developments on the recruiting front, the holiday season came to the Aloha State, with Norm Chow receiving a bumper crop of prospects to build the Warriors beginning in the second year of his program. At present, the 2013 recruiting class shapes up with these promising prospects (all ratings per Scout.com):

Dejon Allen: 2-star, guard

The 6'2", 265-pound Allen played both offensive and defensive line at Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif., and was rated as the 36th-best guard nationally by Rivals.com.

Rashaan Falemalu: 2-star, linebacker

At 6'2", 210 pounds, Falemalu has nice size and is rated as the 83rd-best middle linebacker in the nation by Scout.com. Falemalu also plays tight end.

Ronald Fields: 2-star, cornerback

Coming from junior college, the 6'2", 180-pound Fields is listed as the 17th-best corner in the country by 247Sports.com.

Julian Gener: 2-star, linebacker

A JUCO product, the opportunistic 6'1", 230-pound Gener had one interception, three fumble recoveries, four sacks and 102 tackles this season.

David Griffin: 2-star, tackle

After receiving offers from three other schools, the 6'7", 290-pound lineman chose Hawaii as a transfer from Mesa Community College in Arizona.

Vasquez Haynes: 2-star, wide receiver

Another JUCO transfer, the 6'2", 200-pound Blinn College recruit is one of four receivers who have committed to the Warriors for 2013.

Tigi Hill: 3-star, linebacker

Sought after with offers from seven other programs, the 6'3", 215-pound LB chose Hawaii over Arizona State, Kansas and Oregon State (per Scout.com) and Auburn (according to 247Sports.com).

Stacey Howard: 2-star, wide receiver

A 6'3", 185-pound JUCO transfer, Howard reportedly runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, which should help stretch the field for the Warriors' anemic passing game. In 10 games, Howard had 64 receptions for 1,082 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Marcus Kemp: 2-star, wide receiver

The 6'4", 180-pound prospect from Layton, Utah, should help the Warriors' passing game as a possession receiver, as he can reportedly jump six feet, five inches. Kemp committed in October despite receiving a competing offer from Utah State.

Tevita Lataimua: 2-star, linebacker

After giving strong consideration to BYU, the 6'2", 225-pound linebacker chose the Warriors. In 10 games, Lataimua had 89 tackles and 5.5 sacks while at San Mateo.

Joshua Long: 2-star, tight end

As a 6'4", 255-pound Riverside City College transfer, Long had 15 receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He will need to compete with existing TEs Craig Cofer, Ryan Hall, Clark Evans and Harold Moleni.

David Manoa: 2-star, linebacker

The 6'3", 210-pound Aragon High School product was recruited as an outside linebacker who draws high praise from his coach. "He's a terrific pass-rusher," said Aragon coach Steve Sell (as quoted by ESPN.com). "Hawaii is getting a high-character, high-energy player who loves the game."

Drake Miller: 2-star, linebacker

"It seemed like a great opportunity," said Miller of his offer from Hawaii (as quoted by The Salt Lake Tribune). "I think I can go in there and compete for a spot right away." The 6'2", 210-pound prospect reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds.

Anthony Pierce: 2-star, cornerback

Committing on Dec. 12, the 5'9", 170-pound defensive back is another Norm Chow find from the state of California. Pierce comes with a pedigree: His father is former New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Terrance Polk: 2-star, wide receiver

Transferring from Los Medanos College in California, the 6'0", 180-pound recruit had 49 receptions for 1,084 yards and 13 touchdowns this past season.

Ualesi Sale: 2-star, defensive end

Despite offers from Utah, Kansas and San Diego State, the 6'3", 225-pound Sale chose Hawaii, reportedly due to his desire to play in front of family and friends (per Stephen Tsai's article in The Star Advertiser).

Charles Tuaau: 2-star, defensive end

With offers from Fresno State, Nebraska, New Mexico State and USC, the 6'4", 265-pound DE chose the Warriors. Tuaau reportedly runs the 40 in 4.9 seconds.

Kennedy Tulimasealii: 3-star, defensive tackle

At 6'1" and 300 pounds, the Waianae High School prospect is on the smaller side. But rated as the fifth-best at his position in his home state (per ESPN's Recruiting Nation) was good enough to get the young DT offers from Colorado, UCLA and Utah.

John Wa'a: 2-star, guard

At 6'3" and 279 pounds, Wa'a was the earliest (March 11, 2012) high school player to commit to the Warriors, despite the fact that the Oahu, Hawaii native claims (per Stephen Tsai of The Star Advertiser) that he was "not really" a fan of the Warriors as a youngster.

Aaron Zwahlen: 2-star, quarterback

The 6'3", 195-pound QB prospect said (per Stephen Tsai of The Star Advertiser) that "Hawaii felt like home," and made the commitment to Chow's program despite offers from Idaho and Washington State.

“This is just the start of what we think is a tremendous recruiting class,” Chow said (UH Athletics press release). “We realize there’s a lot to get done and this is just the beginning."

At 2-10 on the season, the UNLV Rebels travel to Hawaii to face a 1-9 Warriors team that has had a difficult season under first-year head coach Norm Chow. After their 38-35 victory over Air Force on Sept. 22, the Rebels have won one game in the last eight weeks.

Hawaii's defense, currently ranked No. 121 in the nation in points-against, is surrendering an average of 41.1 per game. Against that defense, UNLV offensive coordinator Todd Berry will look to deploy the Rebels' primary ground weapons, junior running backs Tim Cornett and Bradley Randle.

Cornett has been a prolific rusher this season, having amassed 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, while Randle has rolled up 617 yards and eight touchdowns. To a lesser extent, the two are also utilized as receivers out of the backfield, where they have combined for 21 receptions.

Distributing the ball is freshman quarterback Nick Sherry, who leads the Rebels passing offense (ranked No. 72 nationally). Sherry, 209-of-383 with 15 TDs this season, has a quarterback rating of 112.3. Among his favorite targets are WR Devante Davis (57 receptions), WR Marcus Sullivan (55 receptions) and TE Jake Phillips (22 receptions).

If the Warriors can contain the run to make the Rebels throw the ball, they will look to rattle the freshman quarterback. This season, Sherry has been sacked 19 times and intercepted on 14 occasions. But defense has been a major issue with Hawaii this season, as the Warriors rank No. 118 against the rush and No. 101 against the pass.

The quarterback issue for the Warriors has become a question, as head coach Norm Chow finally gave a start to sophomore Jeremy Higgins last week. However, Higgins was pulled in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to Air Force in favor of junior QB Sean Schroeder. Regardless of who starts, they will look to get the ball into the hands of leading receivers Billy Ray Stutzman (27 receptions), Jeremiah Ostrowski (26 receptions) and Chris Gant (20 receptions).

Hawaii leads the series with UNLV, 13-8, and the advantage is even greater at home, where the Warriors lead the series 8-2. The Rebels are 0-5 on the road this season, which may afford the Warriors the opportunity to snap their current eight-game losing streak.

It is UNLV's final game of the season, whereas Hawaii has one remaining game on Dec. 1 against South Alabama. This week's game has been declared "Military Night" at Aloha Stadium, and the Warriors will wear their alternate red, white and blue uniforms.

Game Time: Saturday, Nov. 24, 6:00 p.m. HST, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Without throwing a single pass in the entire game, the Air Force Falcons beat the Hawaii Warriors on Saturday night to earn an invitation to the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl. It is the sixth straight year that Air Force has earned a postseason bowl berth under head coach Troy Calhoun.

Air Force ran the ball 68 times in the game, controlling the clock for just over 31 minutes. Seven different Falcons ran the ball on a night when the Falcons' receivers did not need to suit up.

"It was a gutty, gritty win," said Calhoun (as reported by the Associated Press on ESPN.com) following the game. "An absolute gut-check of a win."

For the first time this season, someone other than junior Sean Schroeder started at quarterback for Hawaii. Sophomore Jeremy Higgins led Hawaii to a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter with a 28-yard touchdown pass to junior TE Clark Evans. From there, however, Air Force scored once in the second quarter and twice in the third on its way to the 21-7 final score.

"We weren't able to move the ball very well," said Higgins (per the Associated Press). "We weren't good on third downs in the second half, and it was just a lot of mental errors on my part."

Higgins (14-of-23 for 123 yards) was pulled in favor of Schroeder in the fourth quarter. Hawaii quarterbacks spread the ball around to seven different receivers in the game, with WR Chris Gant (4 receptions), Clark Evans (3 receptions) and RB Joey Iosefa (3 receptions) the leaders for the Warriors.

The loss dropped the Warriors to 0-7 in the Mountain West Conference and 1-9 overall. Hawaii will try to halt its eight-game losing streak on Saturday, Nov. 24 when they host UNLV (2-10).

Reeling from their 1-8 record this season, the Hawaii Warriors look to salvage the balance of their season this week when they head to Colorado Springs to face the Air Force Academy Falcons. The 5-5 Falcons come into the game with the second overall rushing offense in the nation, but are themselves on a two-game slide.

Coming off the 28-9 loss at the hands of San Diego State, Air Force will look to turn loose their two primary rushing weapons, running back Cody Getz (1006 yards, eight TDs) and quarterback Connor Dietz (606 yards, five TDs). Dietz (1,095 yards and seven TDs) rarely throws the ball, but has a QB rating of 167.4 this season. The elusive QB has only been sacked three times all year.

Now on a seven-game slide, the Warriors may be changing things up against Air Force this week. Backup QB Jeremy Higgins, who played well against Boise State is the anticipated starter against the Falcons. While Chow revealed at his weekly press conference that Higgins has a somewhat weaker arm than quarterback Sean Schroeder, he also feels that the second-string sophomore compensates for that shortcoming with good footwork and anticipation.

The first season of Norm Chow has been a tough one, with a difficult travel schedule, a rash of injuries and 28 turnovers handcuffing the efforts of the Warriors this season. Add to that the inability to maintain offensive drives, and it has given the Warriors' opposition the advantages it needs to beat Hawaii.

"We have to be prepared offensively to stay on the field a little bit," Chow stressed earlier this week (UH Athletics channel on YouTube.com). We can’t get those three and outs and expect our defense to hold up all afternoon long."

Missing from this week's game will be Hawaii running back Will Gregory. The talented freshman is in Chow's dog house for throwing a punch at an opposing player last week and subsequently being ejected from the contest.

"What he did was uncalled for," Chow explained to reporters (UH Athletics channel on YouTube.com).  "I’m not going to condone those kind of activities."

Gregory's absence will place more of a burden on RB Joey Iosefa, and the likelihood that receivers Billy Ray Stutzmann and Jeremiah Ostrowski will have a larger role in the offense. Regardless of which quarterback starts for Hawaii, the offensive line will need to provide time to throw the football. So far this season, Warriors quarterbacks have been sacked 31 times this year.

"We need to pick it up," Chow admitted (UH Athletics channel on YouTube.com). "We need to pick it up offensively." The Warriors rank No. 98 in passing yards, No. 116 in rushing yards and No. 112 in points-for nationally this season.

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Friday, Nov. 16, Colorado Springs, CO. Television: ESPN2

The difficult season for the Warriors has turned to one of despair for Hawaii supporters. Now with a record of 1-8, Norm Chow's team has dropped seven straight after a 49-14 loss to Boise State at Aloha Stadium on Saturday.

After the Broncos took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, Hawaii responded when dynamic returner Mike Edwards took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards to tie the game 7-7.

But that was a close as the Warriors would come, as the Broncos imposed their will on Hawaii in all phases of the game. By the end of the third quarter, Boise State had a commanding 42-7 lead, due in large part to the three touchdown passes thrown by quarterback Joe Southwick (17-of-29, 209 yards).

As has been the case all season, the lack of a running game put the Warriors in a difficult spot, as Joey Iosefa (29 yards) and John Lister (16 yards, 1 TD) were held in check all game. The Warriors, who were without the services of RB Will Gregory for most of the game, had minus-14 yards rushing for the contest.

Starting quarterback Sean Schroeder fumbled once when sacked and also threw an interception, accounting for two of the Warriors' five turnovers in the game. Schroeder (10-of-19, 100 yards) was largely ineffective in the game, and was pulled in the third quarter for backup QB Jeremy Higgins (11-of-17, 154 yards).

While Higgins had some success in the game against the Broncos' defense, Chow cautioned in the post-game press conference (per the UH Athletics Channel on YouTube.com), "You always have to remember that he’s probably playing against the second group of guys. But nevertheless, he did play well and we need to look at the tapes and make some decisions, make some hard, tough decisions.”

Regardless of which Hawaii QB was slinging the ball, only seven different receivers caught passes in the game. Ryan Hall (five receptions for 70 yards) and Clark Evans (four receptions for 67 yards) led the Warriors' receiving corps.

Clearly it has been a long and rocky first year for head coach Norm Chow, but evidence of the frustration of both the team and the fans is becoming increasingly apparent. Whether it was the 29,471 in attendance that applauded and cheered when Sean Schroeder was pulled, or the fact that RB Will Gregory was ejected for punching an opposing player, it is clear that the stress of a difficult season is weighing upon the team and its supporters.

The loss to Boise State dropped Hawaii to 0-6 in conference play, and marked the sixth time this season that the Warriors have lost by 35 points or more. With three more games left to play, Hawaii will try to salvage the balance of the schedule against Air Force, UNLV and South Alabama in the coming weeks.

"We're going to recruit. Last night we got back and we spent all night recruiting on the telephone. We're going to recruit. We're going to recruit, recruit, recruit and recruit."—Norm Chow during his November 5, 2012 press conference (UH Athletics channel on YouTube.com).

With Hawaii on a six game slide, Norm Chow addressed questions regarding his team's shortcomings, and admitted that the Warriors did not measure up, size-wise, to the competition. He concluded (UH Athletics channel on YouTube.com) finally, "We have to get more depth."

On October 28, the Warriors picked up their third recruit from the state of California when defensive end David Manoa (Aragon High School) offered a verbal commitment to Hawaii. Overall, Manoa is the seventh commitment for Norm Chow.

Manoa, a 6'3", 210-pound prospect from San Mateo, CA (a 2-star prospect as rated by Scout.com) is an edge rusher who may end up splitting playing time between OLB and DE for the Warriors. "He's a terrific pass rusher," said Steve Sell, head coach at Aragon High School (via ESPN.com's RecruitingNation). "Hawaii is getting a high-character, high-energy player who loves the game."

"My dream has always been to play D-I football and Hawaii has given me that opportunity," Manoa announced (as per Brandon Huffman on Scout.com).

Manoa is the fourth defensive recruit for Hawaii, and along with Drake Miller and Rashaan Falemalu, he becomes the third linebacker to commit to the Warriors for 2013. All of Hawaii's recruits to date have 2-star ratings (as graded by Scout.com).