Hawaii Warriors Don't Play to Their Strengths Against Notre Dame Fightin Irish

An outpouring of praise from the Notre Dame faithful, but no love for the Warriors? 

I watched this game well into the fourth quarter, at which point I became tired of the blowout.  I would have to call myself a college football fan in general, as I didn't favor either team, so I wanted to see a closer game for Hawaii's sake, especially given the fact the team was playing at home. 

Blowouts aren't good for anyone, especially the guys on the receiving end. 

Getting to the substance of my thoughts, however, I know Hawaii looked flat right out the gate, but I think the play calling was off.  I didn't get to see a lot of Colt Brennan and this offense last year, but I do know that Hawaii was competitive because of careful play calling and execution. 

If June Jones implementation of the run-and-shoot spread is only one year removed, then McMackin or his offensive coaches must've changed the recipe, because the ingredients are still around. 

Think about it: Hawaii plays in the WAC, a conference where the bottom half, annual doormats, might be dominant I-AA teams.  Maybe that is being too generous.  In any case, it is my understanding that Hawaii is competitive largely because of their system, not because they can get four and five-star recruits like the Irish, no matter how well they sell the island paradise angle. 

Colt Brennan mastered the slants and underneath routes that turn into big gains when secondaries aren't diligent.  I am not knocking his skills, but even Greg Alexander, a JC transfer, should be able to work defenses over with these staples of the spread. 

Instead of going with what is proven to work, I saw Hawaii's receivers routinely going 10, 15, or 20 yards down the field on almost every play.  This can't possibly play to Hawaii's strengths against an athletically superior team like Notre Dame. 

That is why Alexander was sacked eight times.  On virtually every play, he was flushed out of the pocket or tried to scramble away, but there was no one underneath to throw the ball away to; they were all too far downfield and covered.  That is not how the spread flourishes. 

Against a faster, more athletic defender, a receiver's best chance to get separation is at his initial cut when the defender doesn't know what he's committed to running.  In this game, the offensive minds at Hawaii seemed to forget how they could still compete on short, quick routes. 

As a result, Alexander was left with the choice to:

(1) Throw 20 or more yards downfield into thick coverage against quick defenders that will have enough time to adjust to the throw at that distance, or

(2) Run for his life, getting sacked more often than making a play. Alexander had 13 rush attempts for -16 yards.

Notable is the fact that Alexander's backup, Inoke Funaki, had success in the fourth quarter making several throws underneath (finishing five of five for 65 yards and a TD), the ones that worked and gained yardage consistently throughout June Jones' tenure.

Irish fans can say what they will about second or third string defenders in at that point, but aren't those guys still more highly recruited and rated than Hawaii's starters?

I am merely wondering who on the Hawaii staff thought it was a good idea to try to run with or past the faster athletes of the Notre Dame secondary?  Why not use their speed against them when they over-pursue and are too aggressive defensively?  Why not give poor Greg Alexander a chance instead of feeding him to the dogs every play? 

Against top-tier talent, I wouldn't expect Hawaii's defense to win the game.  Scoring lots of points is what defines a Hawaii win.  At worst, short completions eat up the clock so the Irish offense isn't on the field enough to score 49 points, and the game at least stays within range. 

It's too bad for Hawaii they didn't remember the little things and implement what made them competitive on offense the rest of the year.