# 2018 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team

The 2018 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rainbow Warriors played their home games at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. They competed in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference and were led by third-year head coach Nick Rolovich. They finished the season 8–6, 5–3 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Hawaii Bowl where they lost to Louisiana Tech. The Rainbow Warriors clinched their first winning season since 2010 with a 31-30 overtime win at San Diego State, while also clinching a winning conference record in the process.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | John Ursua | WR | JR |
| Butkus Award | Jahlani Tavai | LB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Jahlani Tavai | LB | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Noah Borden | LS | SR |

### Mountain West media days

During the Mountain West media days held July 24–25 at the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip, the Rainbow Warriors were predicted to finish in fifth place in the West Division.

#### Media poll

West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Fresno State | 126 (16) |
| 2 | San Diego State | 116 (6) |
| 3 | UNLV | 78 |
| 4 | Nevada | 72 |
| 5 | Hawaii | 45 |
| 6 | San Jose State | 25 |

#### Preseason All-Mountain West Team

The Rainbow Warriors had one player selected to the preseason all-Mountain West team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at Colorado State | Canvas StadiumFort Collins, CO | CBSSN | W 43–34 | 31,007 |
| September 1 | 5:00 p.m. | Navy* | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | CBSSN | W 59–41 | 29,702 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Rice* | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | SPEC HI | W 43–29 | 23,112 |
| September 15 | 6:00 a.m. | at Army* | Michie StadiumWest Point, NY | CBSSN | L 21–28 | 31,133 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Duquesne* | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | SPEC HI | W 42–21 | 26,175 |
| September 29 | 1:00 p.m. | at San Jose State | CEFCU StadiumSan Jose, CA (rivalry) | SPEC HI | W 44–41 $^{5OT}$ | 16,363 |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | Wyoming | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI (rivalry) | SPEC HI | W 17–13 | 23,907 |
| October 13 | 4:15 p.m. | at BYU* | LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT | ESPN2 | L 23–49 | 52,354 |
| October 20 | 6:00 p.m. | Nevada | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | SPEC HI | L 22–40 | 24,475 |
| October 27 | 4:30 p.m. | at Fresno State | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 20–50 | 33,659 |
| November 3 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 18 Utah State | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | SPEC HI | L 17–56 | 21,476 |
| November 17 | 6:00 p.m. | UNLV | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | SPEC HI | W 35–28 | 25,697 |
| November 24 | 4:30 p.m. | at San Diego State | SDCCU StadiumSan Diego, CA | ESPNU | W 31–30 $^{OT}$ | 28,014 |
| December 22 | 5:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech* | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI (Hawaii Bowl) | ESPN | L 14–31 | 30,911 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Hawaii time |||||||

## Staff

| Name | Position | Alma Mater | Joined Staff |
| Nick Rolovich | Head Coach | Hawaii (2004) | 2016 |
| Brian Smith | Associate head coach / offensive coordinator / running backs | Hawaii (2005) | 2016 |
| Mark Banker | Assistant Head Coach / Inside Linebackers | Springfield (MA) (1978) | 2018 |
| Corey Batoon | Defensive coordinator / Safeties | Long Beach State (1991) | 2018 |
| Michael Ghobrial | Special Teams Coordinator | UCLA (2011) | 2018 |
| Craig Stutzmann | Passing Game Coordinator / quarterbacks | Hawaii (2002) | 2016 |
| Mark Weber | Offensive Line | Cal Lutheran (1980) | 2018 |
| Andre Allen | Wide Receivers | Ashford (2014) | 2018 |
| Ricky Logo | Defensive Line | North Carolina State (1992) | 2018 |
| Abe Elimimian | Cornerbacks | Hawaii (2004) | 2015 |
| Jacob Yoro | Outside Linebackers / Nickelbacks | Hawaii (2008) | 2017 |
Coaching Source

## Game summaries
### At Colorado State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 10 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 43 |
| Rams | 7 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 34 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | HAW | CSU |
| 1 | 10:02 | 10 | 75 | 4:58 | HAW | John Ursua 4-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 5:26 | 14 | 85 | 4:26 | CSU | Bisi Johnson 10-yard touchdown reception from K. J. Carta-Samuels, Wyatt Bryan kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 1 | 1:18 | 9 | 72 | 4:08 | HAW | 21-yard field goal by Ryan Meskell | 10 | 7 |
| 2 | 11:32 | 9 | 67 | 3:53 | HAW | Cole McDonald 12-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed | 16 | 7 |
| 2 | 0:28 | 6 | 46 | 1:43 | HAW | Cole McDonald 6-yard touchdown run, Ryan Meskell kick good | 23 | 7 |
| 3 | 8:48 | 7 | 75 | 3:34 | HAW | John Ursua 19-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 30 | 7 |
| 3 | 3:35 | 3 | 70 | 1:24 | HAW | Cedric Byrd 55-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 37 | 7 |
| 3 | 2:20 | 3 | 75 | 1:15 | CSU | Preston Williams 7-yard touchdown reception from K. J. Carta-Samuels, Wyatt Bryan kick good | 37 | 14 |
| 3 | 0:08 | 2 | 72 | 0:24 | CSU | Bisi Johnson 58-yard touchdown reception from K. J. Carta-Samuels, 2-point pass failed | 37 | 20 |
| 4 | 8:15 | 4 | 99 | 1:06 | CSU | Preston Williams 26-yard touchdown reception from K. J. Carta-Samuels, Wyatt Bryan kick good | 37 | 27 |
| 4 | 6:42 | 5 | 63 | 1:33 | HAW | 30-yard field goal by Ryan Meskell | 40 | 27 |
| 4 | 4:42 | 8 | 75 | 2:00 | CSU | Izzy Matthews 9-yard touchdown reception from K. J. Carta-Samuels, Wyatt Bryan kick good | 40 | 34 |
| 4 | 0:44 | 9 | 58 | 3:58 | HAW | 35-yard field goal by Ryan Meskell | 43 | 34 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 43 | 34 |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 0 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 41 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 14 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 59 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NAVY | HAW |
| 1 | 9:12 | 12 | 75 | 5:48 | HAW | Cedric Byrd 7-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 3:13 | 10 | 71 | 4:00 | HAW | Fred Holly III 1-yard touchdown run, Ryan Meskell kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | 13:18 | 4 | 40 | 1:37 | HAW | JoJo Ward 34-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | 11:08 | | | | HAW | Maxwell Hendrie blocked punt returned 19-yard touchdown, Ryan Meskell kick good | 0 | 28 |
| 2 | 6:52 | 8 | 75 | 4:16 | NAVY | Zach Abey 3-yard touchdown run, Bennett Moehring kick good | 7 | 28 |
| 2 | 4:17 | 6 | 75 | 2:35 | HAW | John Ursua 50-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 7 | 35 |
| 2 | 4:02 | 1 | 75 | 0:15 | NAVY | Malcolm Perry 75-yard touchdown run, Bennett Moehring kick good | 14 | 35 |
| 2 | 0:00 | 12 | 71 | 4:02 | HAW | 23-yard field goal by Ryan Meskell | 14 | 38 |
| 3 | 8:08 | 12 | 75 | 6:52 | NAVY | Zach Abey 1-yard touchdown run, Bennett Moehring kick good | 21 | 38 |
| 3 | 6:35 | 3 | 9 | 0:58 | NAVY | Zach Abey 7-yard touchdown run, Bennett Moehring kick good | 28 | 38 |
| 4 | 14:07 | 7 | 71 | 2:11 | HAW | Cedric Byrd 31-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 28 | 45 |
| 4 | 12:06 | 6 | 75 | 2:01 | NAVY | Tre Walker 19-yard touchdown reception from Malcolm Perry, Bennett Moehring kick good | 35 | 45 |
| 4 | 14:07 | 2 | 78 | 0:54 | HAW | JoJo Ward 75-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, Ryan Meskell kick good | 35 | 52 |
| 4 | 4:45 | 9 | 60 | 4:26 | HAW | JoJo Ward 9-yard touchdown reception from Cole McDonald, John Ursua kick good | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | 2:46 | 11 | 75 | 2:46 | NAVY | Zach Abey 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed | 41 | 59 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 41 | 59 |
Sophomore quarterback Cole McDonald was named Mountain West Offensive player of the week. He finished 30–41 for 428 yards and six touchdowns.

### Rice

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 29 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 14 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 43 |

### At Army

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Black Knights | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |

### Duquesne

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |

### At San Jose State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | 5OT | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 3 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 44 |
| Spartans | 0 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 |

### Wyoming

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |

### At BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 23 |
| Cougars | 14 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 49 |

### Nevada

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 10 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 40 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 22 |

### At Fresno State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 50 |

### Utah State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Aggies | 28 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 56 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |

### UNLV

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 3 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 35 |

### At San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Aztecs | 14 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 30 |

### Louisiana Tech–Hawaii Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 31 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 2 | 43 | Jahlani Tavai | LB | Detroit Lions |
| 7 | 236 | John Ursua | WR | Seattle Seahawks |