There is no sulking in football.
Hawaii’s quarterback duel between Chevan Cordeiro and Cole McDonald — good friends and competitors — continues on the road with Saturday’s game against UNLV.
Cordeiro made his first start of the season last weekend, accounting for five touchdowns—three on passes, two on rushes—in a 42-40 victory over San Jose State. Head coach Nick Rolovich has not announced this week’s starter, although indications favor Cordeiro.
But neither quarterback is easing on the proverbial pedal.
“I’m still preparing like I’m the starter, regardless, ” McDonald said. “I’m going to help the team out as much as I can. Be prepared mentally, physically, emotionally. Just control what I can control.”
Cordeiro said: “We’re still competing. Competing with him, both of us get better. That’s great about him. Shoot, he’s probably one of the best quarterbacks. Competing against him makes me better. And if I bring my ‘A’ game during practice, it gets him better.”
Quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann said it’s a nice situation to have two talented and competitive quarterbacks.
“Competition always breeds success,” Stutzmann said. “Just like Chevan was pushing for (McDonald’s ) job, now it’s time for (McDonald ) to do the same thing. They’ve been battling for the last two years almost. It’s nothing new. The good thing is both treat each other with respect. They’re playful with each other. Their relationship hasn’t changed at all. It’s still healthy. It’s still a good situation to be in.”
McDonald remains among the national leaders with 2, 796 passing yards (ninth) and 25 touchdown throws (eighth). McDonald was admittedly surprised when he learned he would not start on the eve of the SJSU game.
“I was ready,” McDonald said. “I was locked in, feeling great. But you’ve got to respect the coach’s decision. That’s the head coach. Control what you can control.
That’s what we always talk about. … I’m just worrying about what I can control, and helping the team out as much as I can.”
Cordeiro is familiar with roles as a starter and understudy. As a Saint Louis School junior in 2016, Cordeiro held the clipboard while Tua Tagovailoa excelled as one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Cordeiro did not consider transferring to another school.
“We were like a family over there, ” Cordeiro said. “I didn’t want to leave them. I wanted to play for Saint Louis my senior year.”
While waiting his turn as a junior, Cordeiro made strong pushes each practice. “He’d bring his ‘A’ game, ” Cordeiro said of Tagovailoa. When Cordeiro would have a better practice, “The next day, I’d have to bring my ‘A’ game again.”
Cordeiro added: “If you have two good quarterbacks competing against each other, you get good. Iron sharpens iron. It’s like in high school when I was with Tua. I always learned from him.”