MARCO GARCIA / SPECIAL TO THE STAR ADVERTISER UH quarterback Brayden Schager accounted for 402 yards in a 36-7 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday. But coach Timmy Chang was most impressed with Schager’s 81 % completion percentage.
MARCO GARCIA / SPECIAL TO THE STAR ADVERTISER UH quarterback Brayden Schager accounted for 402 yards in a 36-7 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday. But coach Timmy Chang was most impressed with Schager’s 81 % completion percentage.
The Hawaii football team’s 36-7 victory over Northern Iowa was plotted from several meetings.
After the Sept. 14 road loss to Sam Houston, a players-only meeting was convened to discuss that game’s 14 penalties, including 10 on offense ; the missed assignments, and missed tackles. Meanwhile, the coaches met to discuss new tactics for the Northern Iowa game.
It was decided to quicken the offense’s tempo against an opponent that traveled 4, 000 miles and five time zones.
With the infusion of more Air Raid concepts to the run-and-shoot offense, running backs coach Anthony Arceneaux, who was experienced in running both schemes, agreed to work the game from the coaches’ booth. Arceneaux would relay observations to head coach Timmy Chang on the sideline.
“I have really good young coaches up there, ” Chang said of the analysts and graduate assistants in the booth. “But having Anthony (also ) up there, he’s a veteran. He sees it. I thought our communication was good.”
The uptempo pace, the run-pass option blended with the four-wide attack, and more disciplined assignments resulted in the Rainbow Warriors’ most efficient production of the season. Directed by quarterback Brayden Schager, the Warriors rolled up 528 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per play. Schager produced 402 of the yards—374 on passes, 28 on rushes.
“What’s better, ” Chang said of Schager’s performance, “is 81 % completion.”
Schager completed all 10 of his first-quarter passes, his first 12 of the game, and finished 35-for-43. He connected on throws across his body, on a shovel to running back Landon Sims, and deep to wideout Dekel Crowdus for a 59-yard gain. He was not sacked. Of his picks, the first was a result of an arcing pass snagged by the cross winds ; the second came when a receiver stopped his route short of the target area.
“We think the world of him, and I was really proud of him, ” Chang said. “He’s taking a beating physically. And if he allows it, he’s taking a beating mentally. His spirit was getting tested. I love that kid. I’m loyal to that kid. And he showed why we played him.”
Chang said Schager, who played through an ankle injury that led to uneven performances against UCLA and Sam Houston, has unfairly absorbed the brunt of criticism when the Warriors struggle. But as a former record-setting quarterback for UH, Chang empathizes with Schager and every other QB1.
“The quarterback takes the brunt of everything, ” Chang said. “That’s what’s very difficult about the position. I took the brunt. Colt (Brennan ) took the brunt. Cole McDonald took the brunt. Even Bryant Moniz took the brunt. We all take turns taking the brunt for the biggest team game. For us to complete the ball, we need 10 other guys to do the job.”
Chang said Schager is a leader and clear No. 1 quarterback.
“He’s a good kid, ” Chang said. “He’s tough. He’s trying to do his best. Is he perfect all the time ? No. No one’s perfect. But he keeps trying. … (Saturday ) night was a better showing. We played a little different. Our style was different. We tempo’d them. All those (pass ) attempts and no sacks ? That was impressive. We’re proud of him for bouncing back and handling that.”
In last week’s practices, freshman Micah Alejado, who is on track to redshirt this season, took snaps as the No. 2 quarterback. The NCAA allows a player to maintain his redshirt status if he plays no more than four regular-season games. Chang said he hoped there would be a situation that would allow Alejado and second-year freshman John-Keawe Sagapolutele to gain game experience in the event Schager cannot play because of an injury. That situation arose on UH’s final possession against Northern Iowa.
Chang said Alejado and Sagapolutele are “a snap away from playing. (Alejado has ) four games to play. There’s some time in there to feel the experience of playing. We put John at No. 2, but those guys are like co-No. 2s. They’re going to battle it out. It’s a close battle.”
Sagapolutele, who played three snaps in opener against Delaware State, was in for four plays on Saturday. In four snaps against UNI, Alejado completed his only pass for five yards.
