Hawaii Football: 'Great Rivalry' Awaits Warriors, Not QB Controversy

Honolulu, HI—After Hawaii's 35-23 football win over Tulane Saturday night at Aloha Stadium, four Warriors sat elbow-to-elbow behind a small table, answering questions about the game.

Two of the four were quarterbacks—sophomore David Graves, who started, and senior Shane Austin, who relieved him.  The other two were linebacker Corey Paredes and safety John Hardy-Tuliau.

Though Austin came into the game at a crucial time in the third quarter, executed Hawaii's offense to near perfection and orchestrated the final touchdown drive that sealed the win, the first question he answered was preempted by his own personal declaration to the man sitting next to him.

"First of all, I just want to say, Dave, in his first start, I got to give my hat off to him.  Because he played a great game," Austin said, much like an older brother.  "I know it's tough going in there in your first start, so I just got to say Dave played a great game."

Paredes and Hardy-Tuliau nodded at Austin's comment in approval, like a big family.  That's a direct reflection of head coach, Greg McMackin, to whom family is everything.

So it comes with no surprise that at Monday's press conference, McMackin revealed what every ardent Hawaii fan already knew: Either Graves or Austin could be called on to start Saturday's season finale game against Brigham Young, and it will be no sweat off anyone's back.

"I'll just throw it out there, that either one of them could go," McMackin said, "because that's sort of how we played it last time.  We'll play whoever gives us the best chance to win.  And if David's doing good, then he'll play, and we know that Shane can help us also.  He came in (against Tulane) and did a great job.  So I'm confident with either one of them."

No controversy, just a team with a HUGE game on Saturday.

If Hawaii wins, it will be rewarded with a berth in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24.

If Hawaii loses, its season will be over and it will have been at the hands of its arch nemesis, BYU.

Understand this about the two teams that will square off at 2:30 p.m. HST on ESPN2: If there are ghosts lurking around Aloha Stadium late at night when the lights are turned off, they are surely the ghosts of past players from the rivalry between the Hawaii "Rainbows" and Brigham Young Cougars.

Garret Gabriel.  Kyle Morrell.  Jamal Farmer.  Ty Detmer.  Jeff Sydner.

There is nothing more meaningful for Hawaii football than its rivalry with BYU—June Jones and Colt Brennan notwithstanding.

A series that dates back to 1930, its heyday was in the '80s and '90s when both schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

BYU holds the all-time edge in the series, 19-8, dominating it from 1978-1988 when they reeled off 10 consecutive wins—one of which was paramount to the Cougars' lone national championship in 1984.

That, of course, all changed with Hawaii's epic back-to-back wins in 1989 and 1990.  A stunning victory in 2001 was the cherry on top of a long-awaited treat for Warriors fans in a series that has always tilted in the Cougars' favor.

"It's good to start the rivalry again," McMackin said.  "It was a great rivalry and we're scheduled for a long time in the future, so it's going to be exciting to start that rivalry again because it's two great programs."

The schools announced in May an agreement to play up to nine games between 2011 and 2020. This Saturday's game will be the first since 2002.

"We have to play the best game we can possibly play because this is a very good football team that's coming here," McMackin said.  "BYU is well coached, has good athletes and plays very physical.  They're as physical of a team as we will have faced this year; they're very similar to Washington."

If only someone could bring two signs to the game: "RAIN" and "BOWS."  Maybe the chant will help awaken the ghosts from games past.

Kevin Riley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.  Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.