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Kalani Takase | ScoringLiveDecember 13, 2020, 2:27am
Sat, Dec 12, 2020 @ Aloha Stadium [ 6:00 pm ]
HALAWA — Maestro Muasau.
Following the masterful lead of its sophomore linebacker, the University of Hawaii orchestrated a strong finale to its 2020 football season Saturday night with a 38-21 win over visiting UNLV at Aloha Stadium.
Darius Muasau, a 2019 Mililani graduate from Ewa Beach, racked up a career-high 18 tackles to help the Rainbow Warriors complete coach Todd Graham's first season in Manoa with an even record of 4-4.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Muasau recorded 12 solo tackles and 2 1/2 for losses, including one sack and a pass break-up. By halftime he already had eight solo stops and 12 total tackles.
Muasau reflected upon the impact of the win over the Rebels (0-6) for the UH program.
"Just going into next season this is a very big step for us. This is ending the season on a positive note turning towards next season, so we're really looking forward to next season now," said Muasau, who led the team in tackles in all eight games. For the season he posted 95 total tackles, including 63 unassisted tackles and 8 1/2 for losses.
"He's kind of a throw-back," Graham said of Muasau, who earned All-Hawaii Open Division First Team honors as a senior in 2018.
"He loves playing this game and he is so talented and he is so instinctive. He's really a special player. … He's just enjoyable to watch because he loves the game and he plays it with great passion," added Graham, who has had plenty of praise for the linebacker all year.
But even Graham couldn't help but be impressed by Muasau during a four-play sequence in the fourth quarter.
UH had just missed out on an opportunity to build on its 35-21 lead after Matthew Shipley's 34-yard field goal attempt missed wide right. The Rebels picked up chunks of yards on the first three plays of their ensuing possession to cross midfield. However, a false start pushed them back five yards and on first-and-15, Muasau dropped running back Charles Williams for a 1-yard loss.
Muasau dropped into pass coverage on the next play and broke up quarterback Max Gilliam's pass intended for Zyell Griffin to set-up third-and-16, when he teamed with Michael Washington to make the tackle after a short pass completion. The Rebels opted to go for it on fourth-and-9, but Muasau chased down Gilliam from behind and two-hand shoved him out of bounds well shy of the yard to gain, resulting in a turnover on downs.
"It just shows his versatility. He'll tell you how I am though, I walked into the locker room after the game and talked to him about the few missed tackles he had at the end of the first half," Graham quipped. "I try to tell him every day that his goal should be to be the best linebacker in the country. 2021, I mean his goal ought to be to make First Team All-American because he has that kind of ability and you can have all the ability you want, (but) this guy has a heart of a champion. He has the heart of a lion. He loves the game, he loves what he's doing, but he's just a special guy. He's a guy that I wish we had a whole bunch more like him."
Five of UNLV's first eight drives ended with punts; another resulted in a turnover on downs and the two others were fumbles lost on back-to-back possessions. The Rebels did not get on the scoreboard until Gilliam dropped a 19-yard rainbow perfectly into the hands of Kyle Williams in the back left corner of the end zone with 53 seconds left in the first half. But by then the ‘Bows had build a three-score advantage off of three rushing touchdowns and took a 21-7 lead into the break.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter — two apiece — but UNLV never got closer than 14 points.
After Muasau's fourth-down tackle of Gilliam, UH's offense took over at its own 45-yard line with 5:44 to play and eventually turned it into a career-long 44-yard field goal by Shipley to close out the scoring with 3:05 remaining.
The Rebels were held to 5 of 14 on third downs. Two of UH's three sacks came on third downs.
Cameron Lockridge tallied seven tackles, Khoury Bethley had six, including one sack, and Jonah Laulu added four stops; Justus Tavai had the other sack. Donovan Dalton registered his first career interception in the game's final minute to give the Rainbow Warriors a Mountain West-best nine picks on the season.
"We dominated a team that we should dominate, so lots of positive things and that's what we wanted to do going into the offseason was finish," Graham said. "And now we go to work on 2021."
RUN THE ROCK
Offensively Hawaii's 46 rushing attempts for 278 yards and average of 6.0 yards per carry were its best marks since the season-opening win at Fresno State back on Oct. 24.
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro paced the ‘Bows with 12 carries for 88 yards and finished as the team's leading rusher for the fourth straight game and sixth time this season. Cordeiro, the 2017 All-Hawaii Open Division Offensive Player of the Year while at Saint Louis, opened the scoring with his 54-yard touchdown run off of a read-option on UH's second play from scrimmage.
"I read the (defensive) end," Cordeiro said of the scoring play, which tied the longest run of his UH career and also represented the longest running play for the ‘Bows this season. "He crashed down on the running back and I mean, the O-line blocked good."
Cordeiro found the end zone for a second time when he executed a similar play that resulted in him going untouched for a 12-yard TD run around left end. That score gave UH a 35-14 cushion with 1:16 left in the third quarter.
Dae Dae Hunter scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter and Calvin Turner turned on the jets on a 28-yard TD jaunt later in the stanza.
Miles Reed carried a team-high 17 times for 79 yards, Turner had six rushes for 55 yards and Hunter seven carries for 34 yards.
As a team, UH entered Saturday's game averaging 3.9 yards per rush and 137.6 rushing yards per game. Hawaii scored a third of its 15 total rushing touchdowns for the season on Saturday night.
CHEERS FOR KOALI
UH's only other score was a 4-yard TD run on a jet sweep by true freshman Koali Nishigaya, who earned All-Hawaii Open Division First Team utility honors at Saint Louis a year ago.
Nishigaya, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound walk-on from Waipahu, recorded his first catch in last week's loss to San Jose State. One play prior to his TD run — the very first rushing attempt in his career — Nishigaya caught a 10-yard pass from Cordeiro to set-up second-and-goal.
The touchdown run — which gave UH a 28-7 lead — prompted the loudest cheers from either team all night.
"Everyone on the sideline was pumped. We were all excited for Koali," Muasau said. "Koali came in as a walk-on and just to see him score that touchdown, it really — it was amazing. It was a good time for us on the sideline watching Koali get in the end zone. I just hope that Koali is given the opportunity to get his scholarship that is well-deserved."
Graham echoed Muasau's sentiments about Nishigaya.
"He's impressed this old coach, I'll tell you," said Graham, who recalled the conversation he had with Saint Louis School coaches regarding the diminutive Nishigaya.
"When he walked on, they said, ‘coach I'm telling you, this guy is a player,' and you know, over the years you hear that an awful lot, but let me tell you this, his coaches were exactly right because that guy is a baller. I love him and I'm gonna love coaching him in the future. He's a guy you can depend on. It matters what's in here," Graham said, pointing to his heart. "That's what matters."
Graham gushed about the "servant leader" attitude that is a common theme is players like Nishigaya, Muasau, Cordeiro and Blessman Taala.
"That's what it takes, and so we've got a whole bunch of that, we've got to build it, we need to train, we need to develop it — there's great days ahead because of the heart of the young men we have in these program and that's the guys that we have to be very, very diligent about going forward," Graham expressed.
EIGHT-FOR-EIGHT
There have been well over a hundred college football games that have been canceled this season due to COVID-19 issues. UH wasn't tied to a single one of them.
The Rainbow Warriors were one of just two teams in the Mountain West to play all eight scheduled league games (Nevada was the other). UH's only issues arose with the San Jose State game last week. The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Spartans' CEFCU Stadium but was moved to Aloha Stadium due to Santa Clara County restrictions.
UH's lone positive test result came back on the eve of the game against the Spartans. That player was never identified by the school, but the case did not lead to further players being out due to contact tracing or any breach in safety protocols — a fact that Graham is most proud of.
"We've been very, very cautious throughout the whole time. Pretty much anybody who had any symptom did not practice and that's frustrating and tough because you miss practiced and stuff — a lot of people miss practices — but the way our administration, our university, our state, our football program, trainers, coaches, players handed it, I'm very, very proud," Graham said.
But beyond just getting through the season and the difficulties that have come with it, Graham is of the belief that this whole ordeal is something to build upon.
"We played all eight games, we're very blessed to do that and I do think it's going to pay great dividends in the future because all the things we've been through, all the stuff we've been through, it's been a great teaching moment to teach our guys," he explained. "You know, it's just been utter chaos at times and a lot of challenges along the way and I couldn't be more proud of this organization, our university and our state."
HOLD IT RIGHT THERE
The ‘Bows appeared to have their first kickoff return for touchdown of the season when Turner took back the opening kick of the second half 96 yards to the house.
However, a holding penalty at the UH 27-yard line negated the touchdown and instead set-up Cordeiro and the offense with first-and-10 at their own 17-yard line. Two plays later — on third-and-7 — Cordeiro got the ball back into the hands of his playmaker and Turner turned a short pass into a 71-yard pick-up.
It was Turner's second reception of 70-plus yards this season (the other was a similar catch-and-run that resulted in a 75-yard TD against San Diego State). Two plays later, Nishigaya capped the 83-yard drive with his 4-yard TD run.
REBEL'S O-LINE CENTERED ON FAUTANU
UNLV redshirt freshman offensive lineman Leif Fautanu, a 2019 graduate of University Lab School, made his fourth start of the season at center Saturday. It was the fifth overall game that the former PAC-5 standout has appeared in this year.
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound Fautanu was an All-Hawaii Division II First Team offensive lineman for the Wolf Pack in 2018 and also earned first team honors in basketball that year for the Junior ‘Bows.
The Rebels have two other players from Hawaii on their roster in reserve running backs Josh Tihada (Lahainaluna '20) and Avery Miguel (Waimea '18). Tihada was last year's All-Hawaii D2 Offensive Player of the Year and ScoringLive's Distinguished Male Athlete of the Year.
In addition, UNLV defensive line coach Chad Kauhaahaa is a 1991 graduate of Baldwin High School and was head coach of the Bears from 2002 to 2004.
ODDS AND ENDS
Hawaii retained the Island Showdown Trophy with the win over the Rebels, its third straight win in the series. … UH has won 12 of the 15 meetings against UNLV in Honolulu and leads the all-time series, 18-12. … The ‘Bows' 7-0 lead after the opening quarter marked the first time they were ahead after the opening stanza all season. UH had been outscored 72-17 in the first quarter coming into the contest. … Cordeiro's 54-yard TD run on UH's second play from scrimmage represented just the second time this year that UH scored on its opening drive. Cordeiro finished the season with 450 rushing yards and is the first UH quarterback to lead the team in rushing since Michael Carter in 1991. … Muasau's 18 tackles were the most by a Rainbow Warrior since Solomon Elimimian's 20 tackles versus Utah State in 2007. … UH recorded at least one takeaway in seven of its eight games this season. … Hawaii finished with a .500 or better record for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons. UH sophomore safety Kai Kaneshiro was ejected in the third quarter after he was called for targeting.
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