HONOLULU — For the Hawaii football team, a mistake here and a mistake there have added to a pocketful of concerns.
In six games, a leaky pass pocket has resulted in 25 sacks, or one every 10.8 pass plays. In a 44-20 loss to UNLV, quarterback Brayden Schager was sacked six times and hit nine more times.
“I don’t like seeing all those hits on him, ” center Eliki Tanuvasa said. “It definitely adds up even though (Schager ) won’t admit it. We have to do a better job as an O-line. It starts with me. I definitely take the responsibility of getting everybody on the same page and working harder at practice and being able to ID everything.”
Schager said : “I think a lot of it is on me. Some of those throws I need to get the ball out quicker. At the end of the day, I can save the O-line. I can get the ball out of my hands quicker. I can make the reads quicker. It falls back on me.”
During Wednesday’s practice, the first of this bye week, Schager worked on unleashing check-down throws rather than waiting too long for deeper pass routes to ripen.
“Maybe waiting for things sometimes you don’t have time for, ” Schager said of holding onto the football too long. “You’ve got to get the ball out of your hands quicker, know where my quick throws are. And that’s been an emphasis. And really just taking what the defense is giving us. It’s just one day at a time. I’m focused in committing to getting better at that.”
Tanuvasa said the willingness to accept blame shows “how selfless Brayden is. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders. He has so many other things to worry about in pass (protection ). That’s my job. I’ve got to worry about that more for him. I take it personally when I see the clips (even if it ) might not be my individual guy hitting him.”
Tanuvasa marveled at Schager’s grit when a pass rusher bursts into he pocket.
“It shows his toughness, ” Tanuvasa said. “That guy can take a hit. He’ll just get up. ‘I’m good.’ It doesn’t even bother him. He doesn’t get shaken by it. It shows his leadership qualities.”
Schager has not lost a fumble from a direct hit to the body. One turnover came when the ball slipped when he was transferring it to his right hand, the other when he was struck on the arm while throwing (in what should have been ruled an incomplete pass).
Another concern is the Warriors’ struggles on their opening drives, when they are averaging 1.1 yards per play (23 plays for 26 yards ).
“I think it’s a lot mental, ” Schager said. “We’ve just got to come out and start faster. That’s really been a problem.”
