Hawaii road grader RJ Hollis knows a U-turn when he sees one, even if it all happened on a straight line.
The Rainbow Warriors’ apparent change in direction occurred when they simply kept moving forward, and downhill, and Hollis helped pave the way for it.
“The mentality of not wanting to lose,” said Hollis, a senior offensive lineman. “There are a lot of guys who are trying to turn it around, not just for this year, but for years to come.”
Suddenly, the next Saturday can’t come soon enough for UH, which was rejuvenated by blasting Nevada 38-17 last week in its Mountain West Conference opener behind 344 rushing yards at Aloha Stadium.
Next up is a trip to San Jose State, which on paper is forgiving – UH (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) has won six of the last times its visited the Spartans (1-4, 0-1).
It’s no wonder Hollis can’t wait for Saturday’s 10:30 a.m. HST kickoff (available on pay-per-view).
“We’re licking our chops at another game,” he told the media Tuesday in Honolulu. “Saturday is the best day of the week, but we never underestimate anybody, and as good as we did, we still have a lot to work on.
“We just have to keep improving, and when Saturday comes, party time.”
Hawaii (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) has visions of its first 2-0 league start since 2010 and of matching its win total from last season. To keep his team in check, coach Nick Rolovich might mention that UH hasn’t won in its past 10 games away from Aloha Stadium.
Still, the first-year coach called the decisive win against the Wolf Pack a “statement.”
But how do the Rainbow Warriors follow it up?
“They need to realize that (teams) aren’t going to take Hawaii lightly the rest of the season,” Rolovich said. ‘They need to practice much harder every day.
“In no way should they feel like they arrived. They should be proud of themselves, but they need to move on.”
Hollis said his teammates have done just that.
“I like the feel of today’s practice and I like the direction the team is going,” he said. “If we can keep this up, I feel like we can be deadly in the Mountain West.”
Making his first career start at quarterback, sophomore Dru Brown played well and wasn’t asked to carry the load, connecting on 15-of-18 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Rainbow Warriors jumped out to a a 38-3 lead.
Coming off a bye, UH’s greatest weapon was junior running back Diocemy Saint Juste, who rushed for a career-high 205 yards.
All told, UH ran the ball 40 times.
“I don’t have an issue handing the ball off,” Brown said, “but if we don’t run the ball as well, I’m ready to throw.”
While the Rainbow Warriors ran over Nevada, San Jose State’s defense was steamrolled last Saturday at New Mexico, allowing 446 yards on the ground in a 48-41 loss. Quarterback Kenny Potter passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, nearly erasing a 21-point third quarter deficit.
Rolovich praised Potter’s toughness and likened him to former Hawaii signal-caller Sean Schroeder.
“He gets hit a lot, but he gets back up” Rolovich said.
The Spartans’ lone win came in the form of a 66-35 victory Sept. 10 against Portland State of the FCS in which they forced six turnovers.
“Getting an identity (last week) was good for us,” Rolovich said. “There were a lot guys who contributed, and nobody cared who got the ball.
“San Jose State’s (defensive) scheme brings some issues. If our guys start thinking that they can just line up and run the ball, they’re crazy.”
Both teams have strong punters who rank in the top 15 in the nation. The Spartans’ Michael Carrizosa averages 47.2 yards while Rigoberto Sanchez is averaging 45.1 yards.
But with the way defenses have been playing, it’s unclear how busy they will be.
San Jose ranks No. 122 in points allowed (41.2) and No. 113 in total yards per game allowed (484.0). UH is No. 124 in scoring defense (42.8) and No. 123 in total defense (507.8).
“We’re going to try like we did last week,” linebacker Russell Williams Jr said. “Get aggressive, get to the quarterback. “Hopefully we get to third down … so we can come after them.”