For the Hawaii football team’s defense, a passing grade is an incompletion.
This season, the Rainbow Warriors have struggled to neutralize opposing teams’ passing. In 11 games, opponents have completed 63.4 percent of their passes, including 68.6 percent accuracy in the fourth quarter.
“Inconsistency,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said of the Warriors’ uneven pass defense. “I think that’s been the biggest thing. You look at games, like the San Jose State game, being undisciplined with our eyes, giving up some explosion plays (of 20-plus yards). And the ability to get people down in space, tackling.”
San Jose State had six explosion completions, including four that each exceeded 40 yards. Batoon acknowledged the Warriors have been burned on passes short (screens and hitches) and long (go routes).
“Just the bubble screen, that counts as passing yardage, but it’s really a perimeter run,” Batoon said. “We’re not fitting things up the right way on the perimeter. Just the consistency of the play has been the thing. And the explosion plays, where you’re just seeing a fade ball — one-on-one, 50-50 ball — we need to win more than our share, and we’re not doing that consistently. Those are the things you’re seeing. It’s not necessarily missed executions. It’s explosion plays. It’s those big plays over the top.”
The Warriors have relinquished 38 completions of at least 20 yards. Of the 2,741 passing yards allowed, 46.9 percent — 1,283 yards — came on explosion plays.
In the past four games — all losses — opposing quarterbacks completed 71.8 percent of their passes. In the past three games, opponents have completed 73.1 percent of passes with six touchdowns against no interceptions.
The Warriors have conjured four interceptions, or one every 85 pass plays. Defensive backs Eugene Ford, Rojesterman Farris II and Zach Wilson have accounted for the picks. UH linebackers have not produced any interceptions.
“We have to make more plays on the ball,” Farris said. “That’s something we’ve been working on. We showed it this week in practice. We have to translate it to the game.”
Cornerbacks coach Abraham Elimimian said the pass coverage has shown promise. But the Warriors are adjusting after the departure of three safeties with starting experience last year. Batoon is UH’s fifth defensive coordinator in four years, following Tom Mason and Elimimian in 2015, Kevin Lempa in 2016, and Legi Suiaunoa last year.
“It’s new,” Elimimian said of the schemes. “The biggest thing is we all stuck together We’re playing hard.”
Ailments and inconsistency have forced changes. Kai Kaneshiro, a true freshman who was recruited as a safety, played this past game at cornerback. Khoury Bethley, another true freshman, has played safety, amassing nine tackles in each of the past two games. An experiment is underway in which Ford, a sophomore cornerback, and nickelback Manu Hudson-Rasmussen have practiced at different spots.
“It’s always about putting the best 11 on the field,” Batoon said. “Sometimes it means moving guys around and juggling the lineup. You have to do what you have to do every week to put the best 11 out there.”
The goal, according to Batoon, is for the defense to become “automated.” Batoon is referring to players knowing how to identify and react to each formation and situation.
“It hasn’t been automated to this point,” Batoon said. “That part has been disappointing.”