Ironman has shown his mettle.
Through aches and late hits, Brayden Schager has started 27 consecutive football games, a school record by a University of Hawaii quarterback.
“He’s one of the toughest quarterbacks I’ve been around,” said head coach Timmy Chang, a record-setting passer for the Rainbow Warriors in the 2000s. “People come at him. Sometimes I’m amazed he’s able to go the next week. But he does. It’s his mental toughness.”
Schager’s record is based largely on his on-field performance. He is fifth in program history in passing yards (7,833), total offense (7,989) and passing touchdowns (52). He is the Mountain West’s active career leader with 742 completions.
“He’s big, he’s durable,” Chang said of Schager, who is 6 feet 3, 225 pounds and capable of back squatting 450 pounds. “He stands in there and makes plays. When plays break down, he makes ‘em.”
Schager acknowledged his streak is “pretty cool. It’s cool the coaches believe in me through that long. And I’ve been able to stay healthy, God forbid any injuries. It’s a testament to that and a testament to these coaches. It’s really cool to have that (record).”
Growing up in the Dallas area, Schager always mixed daring with durability. “The worst injury I had was when I broke my jaw and chipped my teeth,” he said of his final game with Highland Park High in January 2021.
In the regional final against Denton High, Schager was hit in the face during a scramble. He stood up gingerly at the far sideline, where he spit out pieces from four chipped front teeth.
“I spit them out in front of the opposing head coach,” Schager recalled. “I think he was a little surprised. … I went and told my O-line to play. I didn’t have any (front) teeth in. I knew they were out, but I just knew I wasn’t going to come out of the game.”
Denton head coach Dave Henigan would tweet: “True. Right in front of me. TOUGH kid.”
Schager also realized his jaw was broken. “Not fun,” he said. “It was sore.”
Against a tough Denton defense, Schager finished with a touchdown pass and six rushes for 30 yards in the loss. Later, a dental bridge was placed in his mouth. The jaw healed on its own.
During his four-year career with UH, Schager has overcome several aches and sprains. “I’ve never been 100% healthy,” he admitted. “I’ve always been banged up a little bit. But it’s never been any point of wanting to sit out. I’d never want to sit out a game. If it were up to me, I’d never miss one.”
This season, he has been hit late after releasing passes or being down after rushes. Against UCLA, he played through an ankle ailment he suffered when he served as a landing pad for a defensive lineman. He still managed to successfully scramble.
In five games, he has absorbed late hits that resulted in three roughing-the-passer penalties and four personal fouls. Last week, San Diego State was penalized four times for late hits on Schager. On the game’s final play, he was thrown to the ground, an action that the referees did not notice as the final whistle sounded.
“I do tend to draw a lot of those late(-hit) penalties,” Schager said. “I don’t know what it is. I think teams like to hit me and try to take me out of the game. Whatever. I’ll take as many late hits as I can if we can get 15 extra yards.”
Schager added: “I just want to give it my all for my team. I’m going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got when I’m on the field.”
