Hawaii pulls off an impressive 36-7 victory over Northern Iowa

On “Disco Night,” the Hawaii football team found its rhythm in a 36-7 victory over Northern Iowa Saturday at the Ching Complex.

A crowd of 9,678 saw the Rainbow Warriors rebound from consecutive losses to defeat an FCS opponent for the 22nd consecutive time. The Warriors improved to 2-2. Because only one FCS victory counts toward bowl eligibility, the Warriors, who previously beat Delaware State, need to win five of their final eight regular-season games to qualify for a postseason game.

The Warriors appeared to make all the right moves. For the first time this season, running backs coach Anthony Arceneaux worked from the coaches booth, where he relayed observations to head coach Timmy Chang on the sideline. Chang and Arceneaux were Saint Louis School teammates.

The Warriors rolled up a season-high 528 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per play.

“I have really good young coaches up there,” Chang said of the offensive coaches in the booth. “But having Anthony up there, he’s a veteran, he sees it. I thought our communication was good. I like the style we played. It was right.”

After a year at receiver, Tylan Hines moved back to running back, where he excelled as a freshman in 2022. And the Warriors broke out the shovel pass, run-pass option, and a trick play on the point-after attempt.

But the most notable difference was the resurgence of Brayden Schager. Seemingly healthy after dealing with an ankle issue in back-to-back losses to UCLA and Sam Houston, Schager put the hurt on the Panthers’ defense. Schager, in the pocket or sliding away from the pressure, completed 35 of 43 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns. He was true on his first 12 passes.

Flushed from the protection in the third quarter, Schager scrambled upfield, then double-gripped the football as he barreled past two would-be tacklers and into safety JJ Deril. Both fell in a heap; Schager was the first to stand. “I’m going to have to start sliding,” said Schager, who averaged 9.3 yards on three rushes.

Chang said of Schager: “We think the world of him, and I was really proud of him. He’s taking a beating physically. And if he allows it, he’s taking a beating mentally. His spirit was getting tested. I love that kid. I’m loyal to that kid. And he showed why we play him.”

The Panthers, ranked 19th in the FCS coaches poll, entered with a power running attack averaging 245.3 yards per game and 5.9 per carry. They were held to 72 yards, an average of 3.1 per rush, and lost two fumbles. Tye Edwards, who averaged 115.7 yards in the first three games, was held to 13 yards on eight carries.

“All week, our coaches made it a point to stop the run,” mike linebacker Jamih Otis said. “We had to key our eyes. That was the biggest thing. My D-line helped so much. I’m so grateful for them. It made it easier for me. It made it a party in the backfield tonight.”

The Warriors dominated the first half in seizing a 22-7 lead.

In the first two quarters, Schager was 22-for-27 for 283 yards. After hitting his first 12 passes, Schager misfired on his 13th. But he connected on the next three, including his third scoring pass — a 20-yarder to slotback Nick Cenacle for 22-0 lead with 9:10 left in the half. It was the first of two scoring catches for Cenacle, a junior from Montreal.

Schager was intercepted twice in the first half. The first when a deep pass was snagged by the cross winds; the second when a receiver stopped his route. “At the end of the day, that falls back on me,” Schager said. “I’ve got to fix that. We could have had a perfect night.”

Rebounding from last week’s uneven performance, Schager was perfect in the opening quarter, completing all 10 of his passes, including two for touchdowns. “It just felt good from the jump,” he said.

It appeared the Warriors, who committed 14 penalties last week, would be self-sabotaged after being assessed a personal foul on what would have been a third-down stop on the Panthers’ first drive. But after advancing to the UH 37, Amauri Pesek-Hickson was stripped of the football by cornerback Caleb Brown. Otis recovered at the 31. The Warriors then went 70 yards on six plays, with Schager firing 24 yards to Jonah Panoke for a 7-0 lead with 7:53 left in the first quarter.

On the Warriors’ next drive, Schager launched the self-styled “Schager bomb” to wideout Dekel Crowdus, who secured the pass at the end of a go route for a 59-yard gain to the 2. Two penalties and two plays later, Schager threw 6 yards to Pofele Ashlock for a 13-0 lead. On the PAT, running back Landon Sims took the direct snap, then threw to snapper Hunter Higham, who aligned on the left of the formation and was announced as an eligible receiver, for the 2-point conversion and 15-0 lead.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Sims said. “Schag’s gave me some lessons here and there. And it worked at the end of the day.”

The key? “Praying,” Sims said. “It was a great celebration for (Higham), a cool memory.”