Musings from Manoa: UH needs to re-establish ground game

HONOLULU — After the University of Hawaii’s painstaking 26-18 loss to Nevada last Saturday, many of the critical fingers pointed toward the Rainbows’ six dropped passes and the continued struggles of quarterback Ikaika Woolsey.

But upon closer review, the passing attack actually showed signs of improvement: Woolsey completed 18 of 32 passes (56.3 percent) for 201 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. Statistically, it was Woolsey’s best full game of the season (he played only the second half vs. Wyoming).

And yes, it would have been even better without the dropped passes, though head coach Norm Chow indicated that a lighter touch on the ball and more reps with the receivers/tight ends may have prevented a couple of the miscues.

And true, much of Woolsey’s numbers came on a single drive that started with only 2:19 remaining in the game — he completed six of nine attempts for 47 yards, so up to that point he was 12 of 23 for 154 yards. But hey, those stats and that drive do count, and in fact it ended up in a touchdown and two-point conversion pass from Woolsey to Quinton Pedroza to make it 26-18 with 40 seconds left.

If the Rainbow Warriors had recovered the ensuing onside kick — who knows?

But alas, UH was offside on the kickoff and fans again started pointing out the main reasons for the loss: the drops, Woolsey’s inefficiency, bad play-calling, etc.

No doubt, those were contributing factors, but really the most concerning aspect — not just last Saturday but also at San Diego State on Oct. 18 — is how the Rainbow Warriors have become less able to establish the running game.

Obviously, losing starting running back Joey Iosefa to injury and suspension was a damaging blow, but backup Steven Lakalaka did an admirable job filling in at first, producing 124 yards and one touchdown against Northern Iowa on Sept. 13, then 123 yards on 19 rushes the following week at Colorado.

But he was limited to 74 yards on 22 carries (3.4 yards per carry) on Oct. 4 at Rice. Hawaii rushed for a season-high 232 yards in the 38-28 home victory over Wyoming, led by Diocemy Saint Juste’s 135 yards on 17 carries, but was held to a season-low 90 yards rushing in a 20-10 loss at San Diego State one week later.

This past Saturday, the Rainbow Warriors gained only 102 yards on 29 team rushes (3.5 ypc) and Lakalaka was held to just 55 yards on 15 carries (3.7 ypc). Saint Juste finished with only 28 yards on seven carries (3.7 ypc). No other player had more than 11 yards rushing.

Those kind of numbers do not help a stagnant passing attack that has struggled for most of the season. UH now ranks 86th out of 125 Football Bowl Subdivision (NCAA Division I-A) teams in rushing offense, at 145.5 yards per game, while its passing offense climbed to 90th at 199.5 ypg.

Together, the Rainbow Warriors are 107th in total offense (345 ypg) and 108th in scoring offense at 20.6 ypg.

That all goes a long way toward explaining why their record is 2-6.

There is only so much Woolsey and the passing game can improve, especially considering two of UH’s top projected receivers (Vasquez Haynes and Devan Stubblefield) are out for the season with injuries. We saw glimpses of it working well in the second half against Wyoming, but more often than not, clearly the passing attack has limitations.

But the ground game — with or without Iosefa — was quite reliable and even impressive early in the season. The offensive line has been praised for its pass protection, but it will need to step up its run blocking this Saturday against Utah State if the Rainbow Warriors are to have any chance for an upset.

The Aggies rank No. 4 in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 89 ypg.

Iosefa is scheduled to return to action on Nov. 8 at Colorado State, so it will be up to the O-line, Lakalaka and Saint Juste to prove that will not be one week too late.