Open and shut case
By Dave Reardon
Coach Greg McMackin “opened” the QB position after today’s 56-10 loss at Florida. Then he quickly pulled back, saying he had to look at the film first. I am of the belief that Inoke Funaki should be the starter, at least this week against Weber State, and the reasoning will be in my column that drops Sunday a.m. … I realize Funaki did his thing against Florida backups. But will Weber State’s first stringers be better than the substitute Gators? … Provide your thoughts on UH QB and I’ll post ‘em on the way to the Orlando airport at 5 a.m. tomorrow (If Jason’s good to drive).
August 30th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Inoke definitely should be starting…he has the chemistry with teammates, knows the system best, and showed his athletic ability in the game. The other qbs were ok, but at this point in time, they are just too raw and inexperienced. Too bad Graunke wasn’t there, could’ve been a different outcome….oh well
August 30th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
ok? the other QB’s were ok? I’ve never seen such a mess in my life. Totally unprepared. Not their fault, but you have to remember, they have two years of college ball already under their belt. I dont know how Funaki would have held up against the first string but the rest of the season thank goodness is not against the SEC so Funaki should be able to hold his own against every team the rest of the season. The other two Im not so sure about, and Im very sorry to put that on paper.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Like the sugar bowl I blame the coach? Dont these guys watch the game Jones let Colt get pounded before deciding Georgia knew more about Colt than his Mom and this new guy takes the cake for letting this run for 3/4s of the game? Bet he leaves his turn signal on all day also? Inoke is the man and he proved it today, he should have been put in in the 2nd quarter
August 30th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Aloha Dave, hope all is well.
Inoke’s mobility and maturity level is a plus. In contrast to previous outings IF was consistently looking downfield for the open guy even when he was scrambling. Too early for a knee jerk reaction from me, gotta trust the coaches and their ability to evaluate talent in their system.
looking forward to the season, many positives from the game and may lessons from the film.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I agree, Inoke knows the offense. Wish Tyler had been available. The new guys got to start in the Swamp against a pretty good defense, and their inexperience showed. They need time to adjust to D-I and a difficult offense.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I agree. As a player you do the best you can when given the chance. Inoke made the most of his opportunity. I have always like Inoke since his days at Kahuku. You only need one more point than your opponent to win the game. I thought UH showed some good things when they ran the ball. With a quarterback who can run it will give a defense more to think about. I had thought that is what UH was going to do this year? Run more with Tyler and Inoke. I thought with those weapons they would have adjusted the offense to suit their style of play.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Coach Mac has a lot to look at. Offense, defense and special teams. The only one he does not have to worry about is Dan Kelly.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
What really gets me, is how all the quarterbacks were graded. I read that every pass they threw in practice was graded. If that was the truth, then how come funaki was at the bottom? Maybe he has the intangibles like scrambling but his passes were on the money most of the time. You can also say that he was playing with backups but only by playing him earlier would of answered the question. I also think that Pilares should be playing more. Bain, waited all these years for his chance but sometimes you just got to put the better athlete on the field.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Without intenting to be too harsh, I thought QB play was horrible. With that said, Inoke should definitely be the starter and should have been the starter, or come in a lot sooner, because of the amount of pressure that Florida presented. Funaki was the only QB that had the presence to roll out of the pocket during tense situations while the other two folded and made poor decisions. Maybe he has a tendency to give up on the pass a bit too soon, but come on! Where the heck were the ARMS that we heard touted all off- season and during camp? I hate to sound like I’m picking on the QB’s but the defense really held its own early on and got absolutely no support. Let’s not forget the poor reciever play either. Today definitely reminded us that Colt and crew were no longer here.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Oh yeah, one more thing. . . Thanks a lot Tyler Graunke. Had you valued your position on the team you would have taken care of your business. You could have started that game and probably given us a much better performance and result. But hey, at least now it looks like you might get a shot. Really could have used you in Florida, and I’m sure you really wanted to be there.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I also agree with the both of you that Inoke SHOULD be starting! Aside from his amazing escapability, I also think he’s much better at making reads quicker. Greg Alexander had one of the most horrific UH QB performances I csn remember=slow, indecisive, flat-footed, telegraphing,big & slow wind-up, ball-dropping,ec. I was exasperated Coach Mack refused to take him out until the 3rd Quarte when the game was already out of hand. Rausch als was not sharp. Inoke was inspiring & it would’ve been interesting to see what he could have done in 3 Quarters. Slexander & Rausch (so far) illustrate how guys can look good in practice, but just aren’t Game-time Performers like Colt, etc. Inoke & Tyler ARE game-day performers & both should be re-considered. I don’t care if Greg & Brent PRACTICE perfectly!!! They cn’t translate it on the field with the cameras on them
August 30th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Inoke or Tyler, probably Inoke should start against Weber State. He is the steadiest. Greg and Brent had stage fright having not played in Division IA, not to mention against the Gators. Too bad. I said all along that the key to winning is not beating yourselves and that’s what Hawaii did. Inoke is not flashy, but he seems to have the maturity, composure, and leadership to rally the team. That’s what we need from our quarterback. Somebody who will not make stupid mistakes. I was very inpressed w/ Inoke in the Florida game. He made plays. And he did the same thing in the spring game too. He was very steady then and very efficient.
He’s older than the other guys and he’s paid his dues. Give em a chance. We won’t be disappointed.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I agree that Inoke should get the start against Weber St. because he showed a lot of composure. Can’t take Weber St. lightly because they’ve shown they can score a lot of points; our new QBs don’t have enough grasp of the offense yet to play at full speed, much less Florida speed. With the kind of not-even-close INTs that were being thrown today early, Weber St. ’s starters wouldn’t need to be as good as Florida’s backups and they’d still make big plays.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Inoke all the way
He has the chemistry with teammates, knows the system best, and showed his athletic ability in the game. PERIOD
August 31st, 2008 at 4:38 am
Do we really need to give the coaches reasons why Funaki should start?
First off, this young man is a class act, taking it upon himself to work with the JC transfers during the off season, knowing full well that they will be his competition for the same starting job.
Secondly, he’s got the most experience, aside from Graunke, in this system. They may have been graded on each play during spring and summer ball, but did the QB’s get evaluated on improv ability once a play breaks down too? Didn’t look that way during yesterday’s game. Inoke is the only one who possesses that Michael Carter ability to make things happen… the same quality that has the nation drooling over Tebow.
Thirdly, Inoke did things against Florida backups, as everyone will say. Well, those backups would be starters in any other program around the country. They are still coming full on, trying to make enough of an impression to take a starting spot from a team mate. Comparatively speaking, our thrid string QB went up against their second- and third-string defense, and pulled a Tebow on them on two scoring drives.
Unless Inoke gives a reason to be pulled out, he should be the man. If Graunke was the leader that he always wanted to be, he would’ve taken care of his responsibilities and we quite possibly wouldn’t be having this discussion.
And on a side note… our receivers need to learn to come back to make plays on the ball, come back to help out our QB’s when they are scrambling around, and most of all STOP DROPPING THE BALL! Can’t catch short and run long without the ball!
That was our first game, and we still have a whole season to go and grow. I have faith in our coaches and players to really learn from this excursion to the other side of the world.
Go, Warriors!
August 31st, 2008 at 6:17 am
Graunke and Inoke should have been the guys for Florida. Mac should have been riding his top prospects since he was tapped for the head coach position, knowing the Warriors were opening against another SEC team.
The 2 JC transfers need time to develop and had no business being thrown in to that game with the limited experience they had. I was furious when I heard Inoke didn’t get tapped for the start against the Gators.
Moving forward, should be Graunke and Inoke fighting for starting QB, possibly Inoke starting against Weber and Graunke #2 for that game. The other guys need to develop a lot more.
We can have a decent season still, so we can’t let the last 2 games against the SEC pull us down.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:01 am
Sad to say, but that was the most pathetic showing at QB I have ever seen. I hope Graunke has a tutor with him at all times. I agree that Funaki should have started, but Tyler should have never put the team in this position.
After today’s showing I can see why Davone & Ryan left. Hopefully Inoke & Tyler can round up the troops after this.
Lastly, I really miss Blaze. Any word on his status? Might this be a redshirt year? I hope not.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:08 am
Kimo, you brought up a good point. This game was against the #5 ranked team in the nation. Florida is an elite SEC team. It is NOT fair to judge newbies’ abilities based solely on this game. Colt didn’t look good at all against Georgia. If that was the only game I saw Colt play, I would have said that Colt wasn’t a good QB. So, folks, stay calm. Be reasonable. Give those two new QBs a fair chance against a lesser opponent like Weber State this Saturday. Maybe, they’ll play like All-Americans. As with baseball hitters performance depend on the caliber of their opposing pitchers, the QB performances in football depend on the opposing defense. Florida’s team speed was phenomenal. Most college QBs would look bad against that defense. I hope Inoke, Tyler, and two newbies will play at least a series or two during the game against Weber State. Then, we’ll all get to see how good they are. I think it is still too early to jump on the Inoke bandwagon.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:19 am
Allow me to provide a dissenting opinion:
Dave, a game #2 quarterback controversy was predictable weeks ago. It was inevitable that whoever started at Florida was going to be overmatched. Our offense stood no chance against the Gators, regardless of who was behind center. Trust me, if Inoke had started, everyone would have been calling for Alexander or Rausch by the 2nd quarter. Our memories of Colt’s success, an inexperienced offense and an overwhelming opponent doomed our starting QB to be disappointing, no matter who he was.
That said, with Weber St at home on Saturday, whomever starts is assured of turning in a vastly superior performance. You could start Alexander, Rausch, or Funaki and I would expect each to perform infinitely better. In other words, if Inoke is handed the starting role and plays well on Saturday, it wont necessarily mean he’s your best quarterback. This is far from a clear cut decision. If the coaches truly analyzed thousands of passes and came up with the depth chart, is it that easy to vault the 3rd QB all the way to #1 based on couple of drives in the final minutes of a 40-point blowout? Is it really prudent to demote your top two QBs before you’ve had a chance to evaluate them against reasonable competition? No, this is anything but a clear situation, and fear its one that may linger all season.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:09 am
Exactly how i feel. Every QB in the world looks good in practice. Its when its game time and the pressure comes that matters. Rausch and Alexander may have looked a little smoother in practice but Inoke got the job done come game time. WHEN IT MATTERS! Inoke has my vote.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:19 am
That mean that Generation GRAUNKE is still alive! I would like to know why did Coach Mac wait so long before he changed Alexander? After the first couple of series he should have been able to see that Alexander was not going to do anything exciting. Alexander is flat footed, locks on the receivers, and has very little mobility. Just because he has size and a strong arm doesn’t mean that he should be ahead of Funaki and maybe even Graunke for that matter even though Graunke has not taken a snap in the Fall so far. This is the state of Hawaii’s team, shouldn’t the people of Hawaii decide which OB we should live or die with? We are the one’s paying to watch? Like the rail project? They want the people to decide, so why can we decide who should lead our team?
August 31st, 2008 at 9:43 am
Dave,
Completely off the subject. I can understand why Oahu would pay more for home ppv games. Why do the pay more than neighbor islands to watch away games?
August 31st, 2008 at 10:00 am
It sure seems that there’s consensus as to who should start the next game. Unfortnately, the only thing that dictates that decision is the Coaches’ consensus. It WORRIES me that they are only looking at the empirical & tangible measures during QB practices. I guess if you look sharp, you must Be sharp…NOT! Actions (on the field, as in life) speak much louder than words (or superficial appearances). Inoke & Tyler HAVE it! Greg & Brent?? Not yet.
Cpmon Nick & Coach Mack. It should have been Inoke / Tyler NOW, with Greg & Brent learning during the season. I see Corey Nielsen & Steele Jantz having that needed mobility aong with the strong pre-requisite arms to trigger this offense. Greg Alexander, even weighing less & being better conditioned, will only be effective against slower, less-talented teams that can’t get a decent pass rush on. He can’t be payed against top=caliber teams. Even when he seemed to target the right receiver, he wasn’t smart enough to seek a clear lane or took so long winding-up, linemen would easiy bat it down. He should be no higher than #4, regardless of how nice he can throw the ball (wit a minimum of pressue).
August 31st, 2008 at 10:28 am
Hi Dave,
IMO Inoke should start against WS based on his few years experience, leadership, and what he did against FL, as well as what our others QB’s failed to do against FL. Jury is still out for me on TG because he lacks the proper leadership.
Defense played well enough and they should continue to get better and be the best D in the WAC wining several games while I hope the O gets much much better.
OL and RBs played well considering the excellent competition, as well being the first game with added new features to the running game.
Most of the improvements IMHO needed are ST coverages, and mostly everything to do w/QB and rvcrs. I believe the ST will be cleaned up. I hope but need to see w/my own eyes…QB and Rcvrs improve “a lot” for us in order to repeat as WAC Champs this year.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:49 am
Funaki should start for the simple reason that the players respect him and vise versa. The other QBs haven’t earned the respect of the players like Funaki has. They have seen Funaki all these years biding his time and doind all that was asked of him and even more. You cannot earn that kind of respect with a summer of training camps and you don’t earn it by getting in trouble academically or otherwise. Ask any player on the team who they consider the true leader(QB) on the field is and they will all tell you. He is the only unselfish one of the whole bunch. I believe character should be part of their equation when chosing the right QB for the TEAM. I would think Mac would know this.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Like the rest of the folks here, I agree Funaki has to start. He has the scramble dimension and the experience that the others don’t. Again, you don’t win starting jobs in practice, you earn them in the game. Plenty guys look good in sparring practice, but under the lights, things sometimes change.
Funaki played the best in the game, and he deserves the shot.
He can play.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Inoke gets my vote. GA was not mobile, lacked accuracy and a slow release. On the bright side I saw much upside potential which will be achieved more quickly with Funaki. And if TG can take care of business I envision him challenging for the starting position. We’ll fine as long as we put the best players to win on the field! Go Warriors!
August 31st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Even if Colt was the QB against Florida, the outcome would not have been different.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I don’t know about you folks out there, but I am developing huge inferiority complex toward the league called SEC. Their guys are faster and stronger than Hawaii and WAC guys. For this football season, my fantasy is for Hawaii to go 12-1. Then, Hawaii will play someone (anyone) from SEC and beat the @#$% out of them in Hawaii Bowl.
Only then, I think I’ll be over my sense of inferiority toward SEC. It seems like “years ago” when Hawaii actually beat Alabama at Aloha. What year was that??? The last two blow out losses to elite SEC teams convince me that WAC is just a minor league.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Just posted on Breaking News, Inoke Funaki will be our starting QB for the game against Weber State.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Yes! I’m glad the coaches reviewed the game tape and saw what fans saw. Even Florida fans were praising Funaki’s confidence, composure, elusiveness, and gustyness saying he was fun to watch and felt that Hawaii would be fine if he was the QB. When your opponents fans are stating it bluntly like this, that is saying something.
The job is Funaki’s to lose but I doubt it will come to that. He isn’t going to be perfect but right now, he is the teams best shot at being able to win the ballgames for Hawaii since the other players have his full respect and knows that he will play balls out until the game is over. Rausch and Alexander can now continue to learn without the pressure of having to start.
And while Graunke has his leadership issues to deal with, I’m hoping that he can work himself back into the mix to at least the number 2 guy because we are going to need an experienced number 2 down the road. I know many are upset with Tyler not having taking care of business and letting the team down twice in the last few months but his experience is valuable and will likely be needed as the season progresses.
September 1st, 2008 at 4:54 am
Funaki has calmness under fire…all the great ones have it. If all breaks down, he has the legs to motor away from trouble. The coaches have decided to let him lead this week…Let’s back him up as Team Warriors win the game! AlohaandOout…
September 1st, 2008 at 5:02 am
Once the offensive line gets their game down you should see improvements over the season. Timing and execution with the Quarterback and his receivers will be evident if the BIG “O” holds the line. Weber State will show the good, the bad and the ugly for how the season will wind up. Practice, practice, practice!!!!!
September 1st, 2008 at 5:27 am
Yes sir. I agree with the coaches. Funaki sparked the UH when he was in the game (even if it was against UF’s back ups)in the fourth quarter as did Leon Wright-Jackson did in the first. He even looked like the fastest player on field when he was in, didn’t he? He sure did. #11 demonstrated leadership and pride in the face of overwhelming odds. He earned his chance to take the “UH steering wheel” and drive this team offensively. Graunke, Alexander and Rausch, STAY SHARP!
Let’s Go to WAR-riors!
September 1st, 2008 at 6:07 am
I will ask Jim Donovan next time I talk to him.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:42 am
I wouldnt judge Bain by this performance either – why? The ball was regularly thrown 3′ over his head and unless he has a 36″ vertical with pads on it was un-catchable. The receivers need the ball in the breadbasket – or at least make it catchable. That just was not done today. None of the receivers impressed me but that was because the ball rarely got to them.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:43 am
not to burst anyones bubble, but the WAC is inferrior to the SEC. They are a BCS and the WAC is barely a mid-major. I love the warriors but lets be real here.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
We name a starter at the start of the season. He is injured 1 weeks prior to game day, gets minimal practice leading up to game day. He gets thrown into the game which is well out of reach, and is demoted as the starter for the up and coming game. This coaching staff is really showing its inexperience on how to handle the quaterback situation. Are we going to play musical chairs in times we need to build confidence or are we going to work on the mistakes, move on and get better each week. I am watching the UCLA game right now, and Craft just threw his 4 interception of the half, but is he already going to be giving up on. I don`t think so, wake up coaches!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 am
we can all argue about this till were blue in the face! we all know the caliber of team Florida is and not to mention the fact they’re in the SEC which is without a doubt one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, conferences in the country. im not surprised of the outcome in that game, i was surprised at the Georgia game last year but not this one. the defense kept hawaii in it, until they got gassed by so many turnovers. i mean, who would have guessed at the end of the 1st it would be tied at 0? i’m not disapointed at the final score, i’m more disapointed in the decision making of coach mac to let alexander and rausch stay in for so long after they left the defense high and dry. i can understand that punt returns will happen sometimes, but if not for the 2 picks for 6 the score would have been 42-10, and if the coaching staff had decided to let inoke in sooner who knows, and if tyler had been eligible WHO KNOWS? but i do know this i have been a hawaii fan all my life, and i want the boys to get as much experience as they can playing against the caliber of teams as florida and georgia. but when you make the kind of decisions that coach mac and his staff made on saturday, its no surprise the game turned out the way it did.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 am
Coaches are doing the right thing. All along, the quarterback race has been close–no one really pulling away from the pack. That is why the coaches had to go off of potential and measurables. The JC qbs have stronger arms than Funaki. It is understandable that the coaching staff would select Rausch or Alexander based on arm strength, size, etc. In practice, they probably looked better than Funaki. However, what the ocaches saw on Saturday were the intangibles. Those are things that you don’t see in practice but show up at game time. Rausch and Alexander couldn’t do the job when the “lights” went on… Funaki did. That is why the coaches are going with Funaki. We need to get behind our coaches and support them. It is still way too early to start criticizing and second guessing the coaching staff. I think we will all be surprised at how this year’s team shapes up. We were romped at the Swamp but Hawaii will make a comeback this weekend with a blowout. The team will fall into rhythm.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 am
You guys watched the UCLA game? JUCO transfer and 3rd string qb (Craft) had 4 ints in the first half but reasserted himself and pulled out the stunning win over a highly ranked team. The UCLA coaches adjusted and won the game…plain and simple.
So what we stunk up the joint in the swamp. Maybe the UH coaches should take a page from the UCLA playbook and put some confidence on the JUCO players rather than demote them to water boy status. Follow your strategic plan and stick to it!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 am
Yes, exactly, UCLA/Craft is a classic case of why you dont demote your starter after one bad half. Neuheisel knows better than that. There’s a good reason you settled on your #1 guy (at least I’d HOPE so), and I dont understand how a bad half against a vastly superior opponent changes that so drastically. This situation should have been planned for weeks ago. Like I said, whoever started in the swamp was destined to look terrible, just like whoever starts this week is destined to look a heck of a lot better. So what happens when Inoke struggles at Oregon St? Are we just going to flip-flop back?
A lot of people are arguing that Inoke gives the team its best chance to win. OK, start him if you must, but this competition should be far from closed. No one wants an ongoing QB controversy, but icing out Alexander and Rausch at this stage is flat out limiting your team.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 am
I have certainly shared my thoughts on this, but I recognize how tough it is for the coaches to call it, because they will always be second guessed.
Take out Greg Alexander? Look at Norm Chow and Neuheisel at UCLA, their QB, ex Hawaii recruit Kevin Craft stinks it up with 4 INT’s, but they stick with him and he beats Tennessee for them in an OT game. Of course, that was because they had no other choice.
Coaches feel QB is a position you pick a starter and stay with him through the game at least, you don’t want them feeling the hook is coming, most ex QB’s coach that way.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Hey Dave,
Any feedback on that one reception fumble that the announcers thought should have been challenged? Would we have had a legit case on that one?