Another week on the gridiron and another crushing loss for the Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii lost to Western Kentucky 49-17. The game was tough and physical and Hawaii dropped another game at home. Rainbow Warrior fans were hoping to leave the stadium celebrating a hard-fought victory against a solid football team. However, Timmy Chang’s team couldn’t find a way to win. Hawaii begins the season with a 0-2 record and a lot to work on.
Offense commits multiple turnovers
Another look at the 1️⃣…2️⃣…3️⃣…4️⃣…5️⃣…6️⃣ turnovers forced by @WKUFootball last night 👇#CUSAFB pic.twitter.com/bk4zhUDXHi
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) September 4, 2022
Entering Saturday’s game Hawaii knew they had to take care of the ball. Chang’s team turned the ball over six times and shot themselves in the foot. Quarterbacks Brayden Schager and Joey Yellen had a rough night. Schager played the majority of the game and finished going 22-33, passing for 230 yards, and throwing 4 costly interceptions. Yellen passed for 36 yards and also threw an interception.
Protecting the football helps teams win games. Defensive back Jalen Perdue fumbled the ball and Western Kentucky recovered. Fellow defensive back Riley Wilson fumbled the ball as well. Hawaii finished the game with six turnovers. Early in the season Hawaii has lost the turnover battle and helped their opponent win games. Chang will have to talk to his team and place a strong emphasis on protecting the ball.
Hawaii Defense doesn’t play well
📺 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 📺@SportsCenter is it too late for a #SCTop10 Nominee?#GoTops 🏝️ pic.twitter.com/P2rNAmNjjj
— WKU Football (@WKUFootball) September 4, 2022
Defenses can help struggling offenses. However, this wasn’t the case when Hawaii played Western Kentucky. The Rainbow Warriors gave up 412 yards of offense and couldn’t stop Austin Reed. Reed finished the game going 22-31, passing for 271 yards, and throwing 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Hawaii’s defense didn’t record a single sack in the game.
Timmy Chang’s coaching career at Hawaii hasn’t started well. Chang needs his defense to help his offense. Hawaii’s defense has to get off the field on third-down, take the ball away, and provide short fields for the offense.
Final Thoughts
Hawaii is a work in progress and it will take time for Chang’s team to gel together. On the gridiron, they need to play with more urgency and demonstrate the fundamentals taught during practice. If the Rainbow Warriors hope to win the Mountain West, Chang’s players have to play better and show they have what it takes to win football games.
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