Ride Home Rants
Ride Home Rants
Hawaii Bowl 2025 Preview: Culture, Travel, And The Run And Gun
Christmas Eve, 80 degrees, and a football game that doubles as a tradition—this Hawaii Bowl breakdown brings together coaches, players, and diehard fans to unpack what makes Honolulu in December feel electric and unforgiving at the same time. We walk through the Bowl’s history, memories of late-night kickoffs, and the tug-of-war between island wonder and competitive edge.
We dig into Hawaii’s identity on offense—fast, wide, and relentlessly rhythmic—tracing its roots from June Jones to Timmy Chang. You’ll hear why the run-and-gun thrives in the island climate, how it lures quarterbacks and receivers who want touches, and where it can backfire if the QB isn’t decisive and accurate. Our coaches explain the real defensive cost of tempo, how short drives can wear down your own unit, and why precision in the red zone decides bowl games. We spotlight playmakers like the “Tokyo Toe” on special teams and the Human Hammer at running back, plus how staff continuity and bowl-week structure can neutralize paradise-level distractions.
We also talk recruiting reality. Geography narrows the pool, NIL dollars tilt the map, and live evaluation is harder from the middle of the Pacific. Still, Hawaii’s pitch is strong: national TV moments, a quarterback-friendly system, and immediate opportunity in a competitive Mountain West. Then it’s prediction time. With Cal in transition and Hawaii at home, we call the game script, the key possessions, and how a late kick could swing the final margin.
Settle in after your holiday plans and press play. If you enjoy the show, follow, share with a friend, and leave a quick review so more fans find us before kickoff.
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Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home Rants Podcast. This is your special guest, Fiddy, on the ones and twos today. Spinning the mic as we talk about all things Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl 2025. We're previewing our first Hawaii Bowl of 2025. I got my hat on here. Big Rainbow Warriors fan for people that don't know. I got an illustrious panel of guests. Six guys coming from every single direction, talking about all things Hawaii football, the state of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Bowl. Before though, we jump into the show, make sure you peep all of our sponsors in the pre-roll and the post-roll as most, if not all, are small business owners, and they would love your support. They support us here at Riot Home Rants. We want to make sure we're throwing the love back and supporting them. Also make sure you keep all of these guests on their individual shows and all the roundtables that they've been on throughout the years. We're rounding out season five here and approaching season six here in 2026. So we're really excited about that. So without further ado, here to talk about all things Hawaii football, all things Hawaii Bowl kicking off on Christmas Eve on the islands at 8 p.m. Eastern time and 3 p.m. Pacific time is this great panel of guests to break it all down. So first and foremost, guys, when when you dive in, you're gonna say your name, where did you go to college, and who is your favorite college football team? And we're gonna start with the head coach himself, Drew McLaughlin.
SPEAKER_05:Hey guys, what's up? Drew McLaughlin here. Um I went to Youngstown State University, and my favorite uh college team is the Ohio State Buckeyes. Good bucks.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Uh we're gonna introduce Soon to Be Dad for the second time and Mr. Notre Dame College himself, TJ.
SPEAKER_04:I can't take that big of a name. But yeah, uh TJ Ludd, glad to be back on here. It's always a blast being here. Uh yeah, I went to Notre Dame College, Division II, up in Cleveland. Um, and also my favorite uh college team is the House Day University. I think just by proxy, I think that's just kind of how that happened. But you know, I love college sports, so everybody's in except for that one team that can't beat us and whatnot.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Coming to you from the West Side, Mr. Cleveland himself, West Side Bill.
SPEAKER_03:Hello, what's going on, everybody? Uh, name's Bill. Uh, as always, good to be back here. Um, as far as college, I went to Kent State. Uh, they're not too uh fond of watching their, I'm not too fond of watching their football team. Uh, not too good. Would love to see them get a little bit better here, but my team as well is the Buckeyes, oh H. So um hopefully a good fun playoff ahead of us after the uh Hawaii Bowl here.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. A future head coach in training and a many-year defensive coordinator, Chris.
SPEAKER_01:Chris Marsco. Uh I went to Ohio University my freshman year, and then I transferred back to Youngstown State where I got my degree. And then uh dark times in Ann Arbor, but I'm still a proud uh Michigan fan. Go blue.
SPEAKER_06:All right. Uh coming to us from originally Virginia, now in Pittsburgh, um, assistant head football coach, Jordan.
SPEAKER_02:What's up, guys? Jordan DeMarco. I uh I played football down at Wingate University, a Division II school in North Carolina, and then uh finished up my schooling at Bethany in West Virginia. Uh sadly, I am a Pitt fan, and I say sadly, because there's not much to cheer for these days. It's a fraud every single year, eight and one, and then it's eight and four. So sadly a Pitt fan, but I'm partial to the Buckeyes, so I'm rooting for the Buckeyes in the playoffs.
SPEAKER_06:Well, you know what, though, all these Youngstown State guys here are connected somewhat to, you know, Pat Narduzzi, especially because of his dad being in Youngstown, being the coach there, and now Pat being connected at Pitt. So a lot of Youngstown State and Pitt connections there. And finally coming via Maryland, Florida, and now Cleveland, Cole Hey, what's up, everybody?
SPEAKER_00:This I'm Cole. Uh I grew I went to Johns Hopkins University and I grew up a Syracuse Orange fan.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. So we have guys coming from literally all over here, a lot of Buckeyes fans and a couple guys who aren't. But you know me, I'm Fiddy. Of course, I went to Bethany College in West Virginia, and I am the only Hawaii fan on the mainland of the United States, probably in the continental 48 states. Maybe there's somebody in California and Arizona, probably the only Hawaii fan in Ohio. But hey, you know what? That's okay. Let's go bows. So, guys, we're gonna break down all things Hawaii football today and the Hawaii Bowl. So let's dive right into it, all right? So the Hawaii Bowl has been around since 2002. For all of us older guys on the podcast, we probably grew up watching this, but it's not been affiliated with any other bowl like the Aloha Bowl, the Pineapple Bowl, or many of the other bowls before it have been a lot of bowls in their history. So some of the Hawaii Bull former MVPs come from uh winning and losing teams, which is really interesting. But they included some former and current NFL players such as Jimmy Clausen, Chris Johnson, Golden Tate, Zach Wilson, Greg Solace, Brandon Marshall, Cole McDonald, and current Hawaii head football coach Timmy Chang, aka Timmy the Machine Gun Chang, who's also the only two-time MVP of the Hawaii Bowl in history. Hawaii has nine appearances all time in the Hawaii Bowl, which is in first place, and in second place with three appearances each is Fresno State and Nevada. So just to note though, in 2020 and 2021, the Hawaii Bowl was not played due to COVID restrictions. So, regardless, guys, of who's been playing in the game any single year from when it started in 2002 up through now, except for the two years of COVID, uh, what are your thoughts on this game being played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Uh, in the history of the game, only three games were never played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, as this traditionally has been a Christmas Eve type of game. So, Stoy, let's start with you. What are your thoughts about this game being played on Christmas Eve?
SPEAKER_03:Uh, yeah, I mean, I think you got positives and negatives to it. I think um obviously gonna be taking time away from home, but um, hopefully there's some opportunities for some families to kind of tag along, have a really cool Christmas experience kind of down there um with some of the players and stuff. But um could definitely see it you know being tough on some of the coaches, players, being away from family. But I think it definitely kind of puts out you know unique opportunity if money allows to kind of get down there. Hopefully they're able to put some fun together, get some families down there to spend kind of a cool holiday with them, but um could definitely see some positives and negatives to it. But I think it makes for a fun watch um for the viewer kind of being able to be um kind of maybe around family. Um I feel like growing up, holidays always had some type of sports on the TV. So um definitely makes for a fun viewing experience for the viewers as well.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, cool. What do you think of this? You're a warm weather guy being uh being from Florida for a good period of time. What are your thoughts about the Hawaii ball on Christmas uh Eve?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, the distance has got to be rough, right? Doing that flight and then having a game probably a few days later. Probably would rather play in Florida or Southern California. But yeah, I think I agree with uh Bill Stoy with it being like more of an adventure for these guys, getting to get out there and check out Hawaii. You know, how often do you get to go to Hawaii that you might never get another chance to go again? Uh and then as a viewer, yeah, it's great. I mean, uh all the bowl games are so much fun, but this one's a little different because now we don't even have the Pro Bowl over there, so it's probably, you know, it's really probably the only main event over in Hawaii at this point. So yeah, it's pretty cool. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Drew, what about you? What are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I agree with a lot of what uh Cole and Bill said. Um, you know, a negative way forwarded is it probably sucks for the players and the family going out there on Christmas Eve, kind of it's you know a different way from being from family, but for myself, I know we talked about this video. One of my fondest memories, um, really first times getting into football was watching uh the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve and my dad. We we'd sit there and you know it was always like a 7:30, 8 o'clock start. And him and I, when all the chaos was going on upstairs, we'd just sit down and watch football. And it didn't matter who was playing or you know, Hawaii, whoever it may be. We just we just love watching football. So that's really kind of what started getting me into the game and really enjoying it. So, you know, I I never forget that. And I was every time I watch it, I always think back to those times.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, okay. Coach Marshall, what about you on this one?
SPEAKER_01:I love it. Um, you know, I have fond memories also. I always seem, you know, I had the little uh 19-inch box TV with the VCR under it in my bedroom. And uh, you know, you had to go to bed early because Santa was coming, but uh, you know, the the Hawaii bull was always on. So a very many consecutive years in a row where that was my last memory before walking down the stairs to see what presents I got. So uh always holds a special place in my heart. Still on in the background uh to this day. I have a son now. So I'm sure whether he likes it or not, he's gonna have Hawaii bull memories too. So hopefully they're fun like mine. But uh I think it's great because it's unique, you know, there's a lot of magic surrounding Christmas. Uh Hawaii is a magical place. Um, getting to live the life of a college coach for three years, the opportunity to go to Hawaii, like Cole said, doesn't come about for many of these kids, if it ever, uh down the road in their life. So an opportunity like that. You've already signed up to be a college athlete, so giving up your holidays is kind of uh a formality. So the opportunity combined with the uh magic of that night and time and location, it's a beautiful combination. So I think they shouldn't even think about moving it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:What about you, Jordan?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I agree. I think um from an at-home viewing standpoint, if you're a true football addict, uh you're looking for anything to watch on Christmas Eve football-wise, and that's something you can always bank on. And I think it's good to keep it on Christmas Eve. And then kind of how everyone else mentioned, you know, as a from a playing standpoint, you know, I don't think you you're already foregoing your holidays, kind of what Marsco said. You know that's coming. Why not go to Hawaii rather than Detroit or or somewhere freezing for a bowl game, you know? Um, and then from a coaching standpoint, it's gotta be tough on the coaches. I mean, how do you get those players that have never been to Hawaii to focus in on a game on Christmas Eve in Hawaii? You know, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those kids. They may never go back to that island ever again. It's got to be a little bit nerve-wracking as a coach to reel them in and hey, we got a job to do and focus on it, but it's got to be an awesome experience as well to go down there for Christmas Eve, something you won't forget, you know, as a player or coach.
SPEAKER_06:And that's gonna be a good point to bring back up here in a couple questions, Jordan, because uh we have something like that on the agenda. But TJ, let's round this out with you. What are your thoughts about this game traditionally being played on Christmas Eve?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, uh, you know, my first thing is that it's bold, you know, not any not many people are signing up to do it, uh, just for all the reasons that have been stated before, you know. Uh you do you have players backing out? Do you have people, you know, I'm gonna go spend time with my family. The season's over, it's a bold game, you know. Um it you can run into some of those issues. But um, you know, I love the the comment, you know, bringing up, you know, you kind of give up your holidays. Uh somebody asked me a lot to say, hey, uh, so what kind of vacations did you go to uh go to growing up? I'm like, when I was playing, that's the the places I traveled were my vacations. So I mean, you give some of these kids just something that they can, you know, may never even have had the opportunity to even think about doing. So, and that's the beauty of sports. Um, you know, it's the beauty of travel. Uh, just going to places that you might not have even thought about going to and or have the opportunity to have done. Um, so I mean, for these kids, they're gonna look back on it, they'll remember it for the rest of their lives. So, I mean, that's kind of what we do these the sports for. So, I'm okay, I'm good with it.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, guys, which leads me into a great next question. Now, you're all uh different ages, right? Some of you are in your 20s, some of you are in your you know mid-30s, um, you know, and you some of you are married, some of you have children, some of you are single. So I want to kind of get your opinion on this. So, would you consider attending the Hawaii bowl, like right now in your life, you know, no matter who is playing, to go to the game and spend Hawaii or spend uh a couple of days in Hawaii over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on the sandy beaches of you know 80 degrees. So uh TJ, let's start with you because you're gonna be um a dad here in a you know next couple of days. So would you do it right now?
SPEAKER_04:Absolutely not. Uh you know why, you know, the the pleasant nature that my wife is in right now and night months pregnant. I don't know if traveling on a plane and walking around and having a toddler and all that fun stuff. But I I I tell you, if it was a couple of years from now and both my kids are young, we we would definitely do it. Um, and I think that the football game would kind of be a byproduct of the family trip. Um, but yeah, I mean, let's go, let's do it. Again, you're talking about experiences. People remember these things for the rest of their lives. So, you know, I'll do it. I convince them to drag into a football game. It's like, hey, we're going to Hawaii.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Jordan, would you uh would you convince your wife Michaela to go with you to watch the Hawaii bowl and spend Christmas on the beach? What are you what are you thinking?
SPEAKER_02:Uh she's so easy. Like, I she would definitely be like, we're going to Hawaii. Absolutely. You got to drive into a football game for two hours, two and a half hours. Absolutely. That's fine. I'll stop for two and a half hours with the rest of the experience. That'd be like the easiest uh convincing job of all time. It would take no work at all. She'd be like, all right, let's buy the plane ticket, let's go.
SPEAKER_06:Marsco, what about you?
SPEAKER_01:You gotta ask a clarifying question. Do the kids have to come or no? I mean, you can do whatever you want to do. All right, well, I've got a lot of really qualified baby figures within 10 minutes of the house. So yeah, I'd go right now. I think now's a great time to go. It's funny because my wife was asking me what I was reading on my phone leading up to the episode. I was like, I'm researching the Hawaii bowl a little bit. And I was like, I know you don't know anything about the Hawaii bowl. I said, That's why I'm reading about it myself. Said, you want, would you want to go to Hawaii and talk about how long the flight is? We're like, yeah, you know what? We would want to go to Hawaii. So yeah, right now, absolutely. The Nona and Mugga are real close. They could tandem the babysitting, and me and my wife would go to Hawaii Bowl. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, and then you know what? You can just like be on the beach, you know, it could be like you guys were just like dating all over again, right? Just enjoying the vacation, back, you know, and then like family and football, right? You know, and then probably after probably after a day you'd miss your kids and be like, man, I really wish they were here, but you know what? Hey, you it's it's a it's a good thing to to want to do. So um, Drew, what about you? Would you go watch the Hawaii Bull and spend a couple days and Christmas in uh Hawaii?
SPEAKER_05:100% without a doubt, absolutely. I don't know how many more times I could say yeah to that question. Um three years ago, uh my buddy got married in the Bahamas for New Year's Eve. Uh when I got on the plane to Pittsburgh, it was negative two degrees in Pittsburgh. When I got off the plane in the Bahamas, it was 78 degrees in the Bahamas. So uh yeah, I am going wherever it's warm. Sign me up. I don't care if it's Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, uh it doesn't matter to me. I am going. And football's involved, so it's that much better.
SPEAKER_00:Cool. What about you, man? Yeah, I got no reason not to, right? I mean, I haven't been, I'd love to go. Um, I don't know if I'd come back, is the only problem. I might just stay out there at this point, especially during uh these tougher months in in the Great Lakes. But uh yeah, that what an experience that would be. Also, football, like it would be so much fun.
SPEAKER_06:You know, and and Bill, before we get to you, you know what, Cole? I always said, like, if I ever wanted to like just move to Hawaii, right? Like, I would grow a beard, wear an eye patch, name myself Lefty. I'd sleep on the beach and like dock boats all day. Because like you would make so much money, like docking boats, like you know how easy that job would be? You pay no tax, you just I live live under uh eight coconuts off the beach, like it'd be the greatest thing ever. And I'll fish like Tom Hanks and castaway with a spear, like it'd be the greatest life ever, you know. Um, so I'm right there with you. So if I ever am real desperate, I think I want to go do that in Hawaii for the rest of my, you know, hopefully last half of my life. So, but Stoi, what about you? What do you what are you doing? You going to Hawaii to to watch the Hawaii bowl and spend it on the beaches?
SPEAKER_03:Hard to follow that up, Fitty, but uh absolutely I'm going. Uh, just the the thought of the experience of obviously the bowl game watching football be you know a blast having fun. But Christmas in Hawaii, I feel like it's just uh you know one of those experiences that only so many percent of people get to do. So um would love to obviously would like to have as much of the family and friends and everything that I can bring down there with me to do it, but um would I definitely be there? Uh I think it'd be a blast for an experience. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:So, guys, this kind of then leads into the third question here. So um, you know, for these players, you have qualified for a game on Christmas Eve we just talked about, right? It's probably the only football call, the only college football game, you know, really being played over probably the past few years that we can all remember. Not only that, but you're spending uh Christmas in Hawaii on the beaches with water temperatures at about 77 degrees. So valid want to be there, right? And the air temperatures 80 degrees with no humidity on an island of paradise and tourists, but yet there's no bugs and no humidity there, so you don't have to worry about mosquitoes. Um, but you know, as a coach, right? As a coach, how do you keep not just your players but your staff and your other members of your team focused on the game itself? So I'm gonna kind of start with the guys who are football coaches here. So um, Jordan, let's start with you from an assistant coach perspective. You know, how are you keeping everybody on task? Uh, not just the players, but the staff in this beautiful weather in paradise when there is a ton of temptation.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I think you gotta state the obvious. Like, listen, we're here. We're we're in Hawaii, you know what I mean? Like, let's not sugarcoat and go, you know, let's block out all distractions and and blah, blah, blah, and all and give that kind of rah-rah speech. You know, there's a time and a place is gonna be the main thing you gotta tell the guys. There's gonna be a time and a place where we kind of let you experience this for a little bit. But then when we are on the field practicing or we're in team meetings, we gotta be a hundred percent focused in and honed in on what we're doing, kind of go into that mode where you're blocking out everything for an hour, two hours, whatever it is, you know. And then when you're outside of that, enjoy the experience, you know. Let the kids have that experience, let the coaches have that experience to really appreciate where you're at and what you're doing. But when it's football time, it's football time, you know? And you gotta try to keep the kids focused on that goal when you're in that moment. Um, but at the same time, I think it is important to be real with the kids and go, listen, we're here, we're gonna do maybe a few things a little bit different. But when it's time to practice and time to meet, we gotta be a hundred percent locked in on that.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. What about you, um, Chris? You're an assistant football coach too. What what are you doing in this situation?
SPEAKER_01:Much like Jordan said, I have kind of maybe the Pete Carroll approach to it. Uh I don't know if work hard, play hard's the exact mantra that I'd use, but you know, we're we're in Hawaii. You gotta cut them loose, but I feel like having that kind of leeway there, especially with kids nowadays, kind of if you connect with them, that'll garner you the respect that they're in a work hard when they're There. I think you got to lean into it. There's going to be natural distractions. You know, there's a lot of pomp and circumstance around bowl games. It's a very fun thing. Guy got to go through the uh FCS playoffs once we made the national title game. It's very much like a bowl game experience. There were different things planned out for us, and it was very memorable time. I can only imagine doing it down in a place like Hawaii, you know, on time like Christmas Eve, that whole week leading up to it. So I think, but it's also you got to know your team. If you you have a team that you do that and you end up with uh people arrested or you know in trouble or breaking curfew, you know, maybe that's not the strategy to have. But you tell me I got the perfect circumstances, everything in a vacuum. I feel like you lean into being in a place like that in in a time like that, and that's normally compensated.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Drew, as the head football coach, you know, what's your approach um, you know, to this? You know, as the guy who has to oversee all these people, how is your approach to keeping everybody under control in this situation?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and just like uh Jordan and Chris said, it's it's a unique situation. Um my philosophy on it is if you're in the Hawaii Bull, it's probably your 12th or 13th game of the year. Um, your culture is already set. Uh you you know, you everyone knows what this the standard is, everyone knows what the expectation is. Um it's not like it's week one where you know it's all willy-nilly, you're trying to find your identity and who's who's the guys and who what's your culture and what what you're trying to believe in. Um so at this point of the year, these guys should know uh the rules and what's going on. Obviously, it's a different situation. You're not in Yungston, Ohio, you're in you're in Hawaii, so you're gonna enjoy it. You know, maybe on the planning side of things, you think, okay, let's maybe go down for an extra day and get all the all right, hoopla out of the way. You know, let's go to the beach one day as a team, let's enjoy that, and then you know, from there on we can start playing and thinking about football. Um, so you think about that that angle of it as well. But I think overall it's your culture of your team, and they they know they're there for the right reasons to play football and win a football game. Um, so it that's the biggest thing. And and it like I said, it by your 12th or 13th game of the year, these kids should know what's going on.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Now, you know, for Cole, um, TJ, and Bill, we're gonna have you answer this too. But you know, I want to also point something out as you guys are answering this. You know, this is Hawaii's home game. So there is no temptation with Hawaii, right? But you know, Cal is in this game. So, you know, if you're Cal and you're coming here, right, or you're any other team coming here, you're fighting a lot more distractions than Hawaii has because Hawaii's used to this every single you know week. So, Cole, if you know you're a team coming from the outside, how are you controlling them to uh keep them under keep them focused on a task at hand?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think that the coaches all made great points where you got to let them have a little bit of freedom. You can't just, you know, immediately go to you know work. I think that they need to a little bit of freedom as a player. Uh, you know, I think that's gonna be super important. The other thing is it's Cal. It's the time difference isn't that huge, but I would still be concerned about their bodies accolating to the time zone change and all that. Um, so yeah, I think I think the biggest thing is just making sure they're ready and it's a nationally televised game. You don't want to look like an idiot and uh, you know, try try to work as much as possible and and play hard like uh somebody who ref I think it was Chris referenced Pete Carroll. Like I think that's also, you know, kind of a good way to look at it.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. What about you, um, Bill? What are you saying about this?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean, I think all these these other guys got probably more experience thinking about that than I do, but uh I think, you know, what everyone said, I kind of have you know, serious time, have playtime. I think as you're getting down there, have a schedule um for you know the the full week or full few days you're there. Um stick to the schedule and make sure everyone kind of knows where to be and and when to be there. And um outside of that, definitely have a little fun and um get ready for the game as well. But um I think whatever we'll say kind of covers all of it.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Now, TJ, you know, your perspective of this, and you played at a you know pretty well-established um, you know, high school football program, you know, Willoughby South. Uh, you know, you played with um Cleveland's own Kareem Hunt there as well, right? You guys were part of some big games with a very uh passionate staff, uh, led by a great coach with with Coach Duffy. So with your experiences playing for someone like that and coaching with someone like that, you know, what's your message to everyone for this game with these distractions?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, um this all started, it's not just this game, it's not just this week. This all started in August. You know, you set the tone in camp, you set the tone in two a days. Um you you sit there and you make sure that you have the right players in front of you because you're not gonna win anyway, and you wouldn't be in this whole game if you didn't have the right players in front of you. So um that's a huge start to it. Um you know, and your coaches should buy in. Uh you know, that again, that's a lot of hours for not as much money, you know, and you wanna you don't want to go and travel across the country and waste it, uh, you know, getting embarrassed on on national TV. Um but yeah, just the goal at hand. Uh no matter what anybody says, your job when you go and you go on a road trip is to win that win that game. Um, you know, you get to experience a new city, that's great and all, but uh winning is the most fun you can have as an athlete. So um all the other stuff kind of subsides if you really put that first. You know, you put your family first, but then you put winning next. That's what an athlete is. So you really have to uh make sure your players understand that, understand that hey, uh there is structure. There's gonna be times where we have team meals, gonna be times where we have free time, or there's gonna be downtime. You you you set that into the schedule because they want structure too, um as players. Uh but uh I think that uh as long as you set that tone early on, and uh, you know, in August, you know, you're not gonna go and be disrespectful to a coach and a program that has given you everything, including that opportunity to travel across the country, travel to Hawaii. So uh, you know, setting the tone early is the biggest thing for me.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. All right. Well, you know, it's a little bit about getting prepared for the Hawaii Bowl and the temptations that are there, and and you know, if we would spend the time there. Let's dive a little bit more into Hawaii. So Hawaii uh landed 11 players on the all-conference list uh on a team that finished eight and four this year, led by um Timmy Chang, former coach. Umly defeats that they had were to uh Arizona, which was just a bad loss, bad game for them. Um a tough two-point loss to Fresno State, touchdown loss to San Jose State, and they lost to a very talented UNLV team, uh, led by a Richard freshman um and freshman of the year, Michael Alejado, um, from Bishop Gorman High School in um Nevada. Um, great football program there. And um special teams player of the year at Kansai, Matsasawa, aka the Tokyo Toe, one of the best kickers in all of college football. Um lost out, I think, in the voting to the kicker um from Michigan or one other school. The three of them were finalists uh there. So um, you know, Timmy Chang's one of the most historic players, not just since Hawaii football history, but NCAA history with yards, touchdowns, and also sadly interceptions. Um, you know, he's right up there with the legend Colt Brennan, and we all probably remember Colt Brennan, you know, rest in peace. Now, while Olahado may not be Chang or Brennan, he put up 21 touchdowns this year with nine interceptions for 2,800 yards in 10 games. He missed a few with a with an injury. Um, Hawaii was led on the ground by the human hammer and legacy football player Landon Sims with 523 yards and three TDs. 15 players caught passes for Hawaii, which is very impressive, with seven of them scoring touchdowns. So led by Harris's 12 touchdowns and 963 yards, and uh Ashlock, six touchdowns and 62 catches. The offense really did hum at times. Where this is going into, guys, is Hawaii is known to have these offenses that move fast with the run and gun concepts behind them. You know, what are your thoughts on this type of offense? And for us older guys here, you know, this was June Jones that started this offense way back in the day with with Timmy Chang and Nick Rolovic, who we're gonna talk about here shortly, and going on the Cole Brennan, Cole McDonald, and a lot of other guys. So um, Drew, let's start with you on this. You know, what are your thoughts of this uh run and gun offense um, you know, overall as a as an offensive coach?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, um, I think there's you know pros and cons to cons to a lot of things. Um, one of the pros that sticks out to me is you know, you think about your climate, your weather. Um, you know, you're in Hawaii, you're you're not dealing with snow or uh really any crappy weather. So, you know, it's you're not like you're in Cleveland Brown Stadium trying to run the run and gun. You're you're in you're in Hawaii, so you usually have nice weather, and it's that you know, that also plays a factor into it. Um, you know, I I firmly believe it comes down to your players. Um if I if I got a group of guys that it's not gonna be a run and gun team, you know, I'm not gonna run the run and gun, but obviously they recruit who they want and they get those type of kids, and that's what that's their identity. That's been their identity for a long time. And you know, for a lot of the time it worked for them. So, you know, I know different coaches come and go, but having a guy there that played there, played in in that system, now he's coaching that system, a lot of familiarity there. Um, and they they have success doing it. So, you know, if the old the old line, if it's not broke, don't fix it, but you know, just try to keep getting better and better at it.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Cole, what are your thoughts of this? Now, you're a former, you know, uh offense and defense alignment, right? When you when you played um during your time. But what are your thoughts of this type of uh this type of offense, you know, especially from alignment standpoint?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, when uh so my high school went to the state championship my my freshman year, and I I got to play on defense, which was great. And uh the team we were playing, Damatha, they played a uh uh that style of offense, and it was pretty, pretty rough on us. We were all pretty exhausted and we got our butts kicked. So I think it's super effective if if your defense isn't really ready for it or athletic enough for it. Um, so uh like uh you guys were saying already, if you're recruiting for that type of player for offense, like it's gonna work out great because you're gonna be more athletic, you'll be able to um, you know, get those plays, plays done. Now, the only problem is I don't know how good Hawaii's defense is because they're gonna be on the field a whole lot more with an offense style like that. So um yeah, I think it's I think it's effective, but I also think there's a lot of other factors that could could hurt you going into it.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Bill, same thing for you. You know, you played for legendary football coach Phil Anarella and the Mighty Fitch Falcons. You know, you're an offense and defensive lineman, played with uh former NFL player, you know, Billy Price, um, as well. So, you know, what are your thoughts, you know, on the lineman perspective of this from your opinion?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think from the lineman perspective, um, you're you're running gunning, you're you're moving a lot out there. So for the the big fellas, you you better make sure. And as it started in August, you're uh in shape, ready to go, and um doing a whole lot of pass sets out there. So it could definitely be quite a bit of fun. But um as a lineman, um, especially playing uh at Fitch, we did a lot of running, uh a lot of running the ball. Sometimes it's fun to get after them, but um I think you know, definitely unique. And I think as uh, you know, thinking about Hawaii and their perspective on running it, I think it not that it's gimmicky, but I think it's very unique the style of offense. And I kind of equate it maybe to a little bit of like, you know, the wing T or the triple option that some of the academies run. Um and being Hawaii, you're you know, the recruiting is very unique there to try to get kids out there. You're recruiting a lot of obviously the state. So, you know, I think of talent equating and trying to make sure you have a little bit of an advantage. The defense has to prepare specifically for this type of offense. They're really only going to do that maybe once a year. So it's sometimes tough to defend. You can kind of talent equate if you feel like you might be at a um recruiting disadvantage. And I think if you kind of build your program around that, making sure you kind of have a specialty offense and everyone has to prepare for you kind of week in um when they get to you. Um, sometimes, you know, it could be advantageous down the line. Like I see, you know, a lot of times maybe big teams will struggle with some of the um academies running a triple option stuff. So kind of view it as a little bit of a talent equation, um, but kind of advantage there for them um running that type of offense.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, and you know, two quick things I want to point out here. You know, Hawaii's defensive coordinator, um, like with Cole's time on how good Hawaii's defense is, they're not great, but their defensive coordinator is Dennis Thurman, former defensive backs coach for the New York Jets, who's been a defensive coordinator in the NFL. I think that's the type of defensive coordinator you need out there because you're probably never gonna have the most outstanding defensive athletes. Your better athletes are probably always gonna be on offense, but you need to scheme it up the best um, you know, you can in uh in that sense. Now, Chris, I want to get your perspective on this because you are also a former offensive lineman in high school, but you are also a defensive coordinator. You know, what is the what is your thought about Hawaii running this? Because when you play a very talented defense like someone who has athletes like Arizona, you know, you can get shut down pretty quick. But if you don't have great athletes on defense, someone like um Air Force, when Hawaii played them, Air Force went on, or Hawaii went on a 21-play, 79-yard drive that went 12 minutes off the clock and 30 minutes of real time went between Air Force getting the ball, uh, between that. So, you know, Chris, in your opinion, as an offensive lineman and a defensive coordinator, what is your thoughts on this offense?
SPEAKER_01:If you can have the talent that a Damatha has all day long, uh you can run and gun them. Because you know at the end of the day, even if your defense is out there longer, you've got the dudes that you don't put up the points that it it's ultimately you're just gonna create too many possessions. Now, I'm I'm more of the Jim Trestle school of thought. We're gonna punt the ball and be a little stingy on D and run the clock. Um, you know, somebody who's uh got to call defensive plays for a couple years now. It's it's very frustrating when you do play a team of greater talent and that's your offense, and uh, you know, 40 seconds comes off the clock and your defense is back out on the field. Um, I think it's a great offense in certain situations. Coach McLaughlin made a great point for Hawaii to run it. I think it's awesome. They're the worst weather they're playing in is warm and rainy. You know, there's no, it's not really ever going to be windy down there. It's not um, you know, extremely adverse conditions, cold's not an issue. Um, but uh, you know, up here in Northeast Ohio, it's it's I'm not I'm not a huge fan of that offense unless unless you really have the guys to do it. I'm a little more ground and pound, control the clock, be efficient. But I understand what why, like like Coach said, pros and cons to everything. Personally, though, I'm a little more old school with my offensive philosophy.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Jordan, you're a former um, you know, division two and division three quarterback and assistant football coach right now. What are your thoughts on this run and gun?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think it makes all the sense in the world for Hawaii to do it. You know, a couple good points were made. Um, you know, McLaughlin talking about the weather, obviously. Um, and then my my second point is recruiting. You know, as a school like Hawaii, you're never gonna get the high-end recruits. Um, and especially for the big boys up front, you're probably not getting the big boys and the maulers up front that are gonna wear you down ground high. You're probably looking at more athletic lineman, is what you're gonna get from a recruiting standpoint. And you have that ability with the West Coast, you're probably find a little bit more athletic lineman to help run that type of offense. And it's fun. I think it's a recruiting standpoint is hey, if you're a if you're a big time quarterback with smaller division one offers, do you want to throw the ball a million times? Do you want to go up and down the field like crazy? I think it's a recruiting standpoint to go, we have fun at Hawaii. You're gonna love the weather, we're gonna move the ball and put up points, we we're gonna have a lot of fun on offense. Um, so I think you kind of nail on those three things, and that's how they get kids to to go there and maybe buy in a little bit with that type of offense. It's been there for a while now. It's a standpoint of it. Um, it's what makes Hawaii football fun. Um, there's pros and cons to everything. Like as a defensive coordinator, I would hate it if my if our offense ran it just because there's times where you could be looking at three-play drives after you just had a long defensive stand, you're back on the field, things like that. Um, and then going against a team like that would be very quite annoying. But I think it makes sense as well for the conference that they play in. You know, you're gonna put kids in space, it's it's gonna be tough to prepare for. I think Hawaii football looks more at, hey, can we win? Can we win our conference every year versus you know, going against a team like Arizona, we'll take our lumps when we take them, maybe, but let's be competitive in our conference play.
SPEAKER_06:Sure. TJ, round us out on this.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, so um, you know, when I played football in high school, we were spread offense the first three years, and then we realized handing the ball to Kareem was a better option. And then my senior year, we were pro-I. So I I I had fun my first three years playing wide receiver. Um, but uh think about this even at like a deep, you know, we have a few defensive coordinators, people have called plays. Not that you panic, but you can't get your plays in. You're just sitting there, you're running base, you're running base, running base. Hey, what is the what's my blitz off of base here? What's the one guy I can send? And it doesn't matter anyway, because a lot of times that ball comes out quick. They're running a lot of bubble screens or running a lot of hitches or running those. No, then it's a then it's a hitch and go, then it's a slant and go. Um, and they're trying to get the ball to their athletes. So, you know, calling plays against it can be really tough, but as Hawaii, you need an efficient quarterback because if you don't have an efficient quarterback, you're just giving the ball to the other team whenever they want it. Um, maybe you score 21 points, but at the same time, you now are gonna lose the um time of possession battle, which is a huge indicator. And if you win that game or not, and then you're gonna lose the fact that uh when your defense is spending that much time on the field, it just wears them down. Um so the you know, they obviously it's just high risk, high reward type of deal. Uh, you gotta have the people to run it, you gotta have the coaches to call the plays, you know, and and and have the the system and stay ahead of the chains and things like that to get the ball out of field. So uh there's there's a lot to it.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Now, guys, I want to get your opinion on this. Who wins the game between Hawaii and Cal? Right? So we're gonna start with Bill on this. Who are you picking, Bill? Hawaii or the Cow Bears?
SPEAKER_03:Uh yeah, I mean, getting right to it. Uh I guess after a little Hawaii talk and philosophy talk, hopping right into it. I think uh looking at the game, two good teams, eight and four, seven and five. Um, you know, for Hawaii, I think a great year for them. Cal um, you know, I think they just fired their coach, so maybe not as expected for them, but coming in, probably two different mentalities, philosophies, both I think like throwing the ball quite a bit, two pretty good quarterbacks. Um, I think Hawaii's number one wideout maybe sitting out via transfer portal. So I think that maybe comes into play a little bit, but um a lot of reasons kind of pulled towards Cal. I think they're trying to kind of get their program back in order, but this is Hawaii Bowl. We're having a Hawaii Bowl preview here, so can't be anyone but the Rainbow Warriors. So we'll go with Hawaii, I think, in uh hopefully a Big shootout, uh forward 45, 42, or something like that. Hawaii pulls it out, get a game-winning kick by the uh the kicker there from Hawaii. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:All right, cool. What are you what are you saying? You picking the the Bears of Cal or the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, I was looking at the the spread and and things like that just because I haven't watched Hawaii a lot this year. And um, you know, I've I've watched a couple Cal games, but yeah, I would I you know I think there's a lot of factors going against Cal. I do think that that could work against them, especially losing their coach. But um, yeah, I I think I'm gonna have to go with Hawaii as the the slight underdog winning it. That could that could be a lot of fun anyways for the game. Okay. All right. Uh Drew, let's go to you on this.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I think it's be a great game. Um two two teams that are uh really comparable to each other. Um this is why I love bowl season because you kind of get matched up with a a team you really don't see too often, and you kind of like have the same circumstance, same record, same type of player. So that's that's why these bowl games are always fun and interesting. Um I think it's you know, Cal's gonna come into the game with some with some momentum and they want to play, and you know, you lose their coach who want maybe they want to play for the the interim coach, but as soon as you get out the field and they see Hawaii do the Hakka Haka, it's it's it's game over. They're they're gonna be they're the fear gods to get into the Cal. Hawaii's gonna take over the game, and I'm going Hawaii 31, Cal 10.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. And for people that don't know, um Drew and I actually got a chance to see Hawaii play about 10 years ago at Ohio State, and watching them do the Hakka was the coolest, coolest thing you can ever, ever imagine. And Hawaii got rolled. That's when Norm Chow was the coach. Um, but Hawaii betum. It was 17-nothing Ohio State going into the fourth quarter. Then they just they just wore him out from there. But it was a really, really good game.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. I tell you what, a lot of fun. We had the the last the last seats possible. I think our backs were to the the top of the stadium, and we heard the haka haka from there. It was um it was unbelievable. We couldn't, it was like the whole stand went silent and just let them do their thing. It was a really cool thing to see.
SPEAKER_06:It was definitely awesome. Um, and for people that don't know, because this was breaking a few hours ago, the Tokyo Toe Um Kanzai Matsuzawa is the first consensus all-American in Hawaii football history. For people that don't know, he is from Japan originally, seen a YouTube video of an American person kicking a football, went to a community college in the Midwest, taught himself how to be a kicker, and now he is a 26-year-old consensus all-American for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, the first in history. So uh Chris, though, who is uh who was winning this game? Your prediction.
SPEAKER_01:I'd ask you a question first so you could fact-check me. What's Hawaii's record in the Hawaii bowl?
SPEAKER_06:Oh man, it is I want to say they've been in it, they've been in it nine times. I believe it's five and four.
SPEAKER_01:Even better, it's six and three, okay, according to my research. And for that reason, very Le Corso-esque, not too deep of a thought here. Hawaii's not gonna lose. Give me the Tokyo toe in Hawaii. They might kick six field goals if they need to. Not gonna lose at home to Cal.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Um Tokyo toe watched it off for Hawaii in the game. Jordan, who are you picking for this?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, hard to go against uh Hawaii at home in a bowl game. Um, this lefty from Cal has been coming on a little bit, coming on strong. He's got some he's got some pop off of his hand, man. He's kind of got that it factor in the last few games you've seen in him. Um, but they're in such turmoil right now. They got so much against them with the coach, coach being out and stuff, and kind of just what Marsco said. It's you can't bet against Hawaii in Hawaii for the Hawaii bowl, man. You can't do it. It's like that's like a sin. So give me the give me the Rainbow Warriors, man.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. And TJ, what are you gonna round this out with? What's your answer?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it should go against everybody, right? Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Hawaii all day long. Um, I think honestly, it seems this is gonna be weird. I think they run the ball better. I think it's gonna come down to a couple of those things just happening, where it's like, okay, need a first, need that three-yard first down here, and and they're gonna spread out and okay, here's you know, inside zone, and let's go get after, let's get another first down. So I don't know, I just think they're a little bit more balanced of a team. Um, but yeah, I mean it's a long travel, and I mean they're sitting there just waiting for them to come, so they're just they're ready to go. Um, so yeah, go represent. Little represent.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Um, you know, and and what I would I would say is here, you know, I mean, of course, I'm a Hawaii fan on this. I do think Hawaii has a slight edge uh in this game. I really do, because of Timmy Chang's experience with this, and the state of Hawaii is behind you. You're playing for the state. Um, you know, hasn't been to a bowl game in a long time, right? Um, but for people that don't know, you're talking about Hawaii's running game, Landon Sims, the human hammer. He has a legacy football player there. His dad played there in the uh late 80s, I believe. Only has 523 rushing yards, but it's a very punishing 523 rushing yards. He um, if he played in the 1950s, he would have been in the NFL Hall of Fame. He is the stiffest running, like stiffest, most upright running back ever. He's blonde. He looks like a surfer, but he's just a big dude, and he is literally the hammer when he comes through. There is no trying to juke anybody. He's like the very poor man's Larry Zonka, uh, for all of us old uh, you know, NFL fans right there. So watch the human hammer a little bit. Definitely look like he's gonna go surfing. All right, guys. So the Hawaii game is played or Hawaii Bulls played at eight o'clock, Eastern time zone, three o'clock, uh Hawaii time zone. If you can pick any other time for this game to be played at that's not eight o'clock Eastern time zone, what time would you want to see this game played, considering also there's a five-hour difference for Hawaii time? So what time would you pick? Um, TJ, let's start with you on this.
SPEAKER_04:Oh boy. Um I see, this is beautiful for both sides. I mean, eight o'clock, I think you're about done wrapping up. I think the important things are done for Christmas Eve. Um, I know my Christmas Eve's church service is uh 5 30 to 6. So I I I mean if you bump it up an hour to save them, you know, maybe seven, uh that'd be fine. Get some people to stick around for, you know, because you know, the end of the game, the second half will be over. But I I think it's a beautiful time. I think they did that really well done.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, but you'd say seven. Okay, DeMarco, you agreeing seven or you picking another time?
SPEAKER_02:I'm with him on this. Like, I I don't know if I would really change it a ton. Um, I kind of like it right where it's at. Um you know, or you're doing a lot of stuff on Christmas Eve. Um most people tend to do more stuff during the day, middle of the day, so you don't want to see it then. It's more of a it's Christmas Eve, everything's done, we're sitting on the couch enjoying stuff unless you have a tradition at night. Um, so I would probably like I don't have much to say on this. I'd move it up to seven or I'd leave it right where it's at at eight. That's that's totally fine with me. I think that's a perfect spot.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, what about you, Chris? I'm one of those East Coast people that whine and moan about how late I gotta stay up sometimes now just to watch some stuff happening on the West Coast when my Cleveland teams are out there. So this might be surprising if you know me in that sense, but I'm good with them pushing it back an hour. It's not gonna change any viewership on TV. If you're watching football andor the Hawaii Bowl, you're still gonna watch football in the Hawaii Bowl. It'll last me a little longer while I'm putting kids' toys together. It'll end somewhere between probably midnight and one. Just last me, you know, burn that midnight oil a little better for me. So I'm gonna be selfish. I'm gonna say push it back an hour. And come on now, it's an extra hour of festivities for all the fine people in Hawaii. Kicks off at four instead of three. Everyone's a winner. Okay, since Christmas Eve, kick it off at nine. Even high and I go.
SPEAKER_06:Drew, what are you what are you saying here?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I I I agree with the consensus here. Um, you know, Christmas Eve, usually for myself and probably most families happens more later than later in the day. Um by by the time that kicks off, all the chaos is done with your family. You you vate and I'm probably on my fourth or fifth Christmas ale at that point. And um, you know, I'm sitting cozy in my chair. I don't have any kids yet, so I don't gotta worry about making the Christmas cookies are out, the milk is out. All I gotta worry about is if another Christmas Ale's gonna be next to me or not. I'm gonna sit there, probably put 20 bucks on Y and have a great old time. Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Cole, what are you uh what are you saying for this? And for people that don't know and Cole, please correct me if I'm wrong. Cole is a distant cousin of Rob Schneider.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks. I don't know what to do. Yeah, we're talking about famous people.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, we have somebody play with Billy Price, we have somebody play with Kareem Hunt. I gotta shout out, you know, Rob Schneider, um, deuce bigolo, Mel Jigalo on here as a as a relative. Um, you know, but what time are you? Uh what time are you gonna get a change of time?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, honestly, I'd go earlier. That way I don't have to talk to my family. I can just sit there and watch football while they're over on Christmas Eve so I can just avoid everybody and watch some football. So let's make it as early as possible. Let's do 12 o'clock start for them.
SPEAKER_06:So five o'clock has 12 for them.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Now, Stoy, what are you saying here? Man, these guys got all the time slots covered, I think. Not much else, there, not much else uh to go with, but I'll go with what Moyskar is saying. We'll go 10 o'clock. Uh, we'll go even an hour later. Uh, I feel like it's weird watching Hawaii at any time other than bedtime. So uh we'll put them on at 10 o'clock, let it run till 1 a.m. and uh we'll all fall asleep to uh Rainbow Warrior scoring touchdowns.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. You know, for me, I would I would pick probably I would say actually four o'clock our time, 11 o'clock their time, because for me, what we're doing stuff maybe a little bit later on Christmas Eve um sometimes, but then also you allow people in Hawaii to like have their game and enjoy the rest of their day. They're having it at three o'clock. You're almost in a weird time zone for them because if you think about it like our sense, how many people are going to a football game at three o'clock? You know, so think about it for them. If you move a little bit earlier, it may make it a little bit easier on them. And at four o'clock, hey, you know what the Cole's point, you can kind of just tune out your family and uh, you know, watch some football. So I would watch it if it was at 7 a.m. or three in the morning. You guys know me, big Hawaii fan here with that. So, all right, guys, we're gonna round out the show with these last couple. So, for anybody who doesn't know, you know, the Cal Interroom head coach Nick Rolovich is a former Hawaii quarterback who actually replaced current Hawaii football coach Timmy Chang after Chang graduated from Hawaii. Rolovich went eight and one as a starter his senior year and amassed 3,364 yards and nine and 34 touchdowns in nine games while breaking 19 school records and eight offensive records. Rolovic ended his career with three consecutive 500 yard passing games. He's also the former head coach at Hawaii. When he left, he went to Washington State, was ultimately let go there. He's the interim coach for this game and just re-signed with Cal to be the associate head coach and quarterback's coach. So just going a little bit off of some fun facts there. Now, this is gonna tie back onto a question we had a couple a couple of questions ago, but I want to get your guys' opinions. People say all the time the white quarterbacks are a product of their system. So Chang, Rolovich, uh Cole McDonald, um Colt Brennan, um, you know, and even Michael Alejado here. But they all and they because they all put up these monster numbers. But do you think anyone can run this type of offense? You know, or does it really take a special player to run this type of offense with the tradition Hawaii's had? Or can anybody step back down, step out there and run this offense? You know, or is it take a special player? So, Soy, let's start with you on this one.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think it takes a special type of player. I think you need to have someone that A has a confidence. Um, they're the show out there. Um, they're you know distributing the ball. Um, they're getting in everyone's hands, and you got to be able to do that with uh a lot of confidence. If you're hesitating back there, things change quickly on the route. So I think someone with a ton of confidence and someone with an incredible amount of vision to be able to see the spread around field, um, be able to kind of follow priorities. You got five people all out of times running routes, four times or four people running routes. Um, I think it takes someone who's very smart, calculated, and confident to be able to run an offense like that and do it with command. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Cole, what are your thoughts about this? You know, you're a big college football fan. You you've seen a lot of football um, you know, in your life as a as a player and and as a fan. You know, can anybody run this offense? Can you take, you know, one of the one of the playoff team uh quarterbacks and put them in there and have this success, or does this take a special type of QB to run this offense?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's a it's not a super standard offense. So I think that there is kind of a learning curve, right? I mean, uh it it's it's hard because you know the top-notch quarterbacks in in college are top-notch and they're gonna be good with what they got. So I I I kind of agree with Bill where it's like you need a guy that really understands the offense, but also, yeah, I mean, I think that the top-notch quarterbacks could be able to handle it after they figure out like what what the system is.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Drew, what about you? You're no, you're an offensive coordinator. Um, you've been you've been an offensive guy, right? You're you're really your whole coaching career, except for when you know you kind of started out, you're a little bit of a defensive guy there. But you know, does it take a special type of player to do this, or can anybody run this offense?
SPEAKER_05:Uh, I have two points here. I I think um it does um, you know, every every quarterback's different. Um you look at any quarterback throughout college, um, they they bring different kind of tools and abilities to your team. Um, so I I think you know, all these guys are division one athletes and top-tier players, but some guys are not uh, you know, don't excel in maybe reading a defense as quickly as somebody else, or maybe they're more of a you know, a pocket passer type of guy, you know, check read, check two, check three. Um so it's different. Um, I think it does take a special type of player. And taking back off that, I'm actually most people here know this. I'm a Tennessee Titans fan. And um Tennessee Titans quarterback for from two early 2010s was Marcus Mariota. And I was a big Marcus Mariota fan, and I kind of followed him, his story when he got when they got drafted from him and all that. And actually, uh so Mariota's from Hawaii, and he was gonna go to Hawaii and he went to a camp out there and got exposed. He he couldn't run the system that they had. So he had to go somewhere else, and uh, you know, eventually he went to Oregon and did what he did and became a second pick in the draft. But it just shows to you like a player has you know Mariota's ability, like you know, as starting quarterback right now, in year 10 and year 11, he still had struggles in a run and gun offense. So I think it definitely depends on you know what you got and what you can bring.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Marshal, what about you on this?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so I don't I'm not gonna bring up the kid's name because I don't know how old he is still, but uh Coach McLaughlin had runs the fun and gun with uh his stud quarterback, and there's four and five and six and seven and nine dudes out in the route, it feels like sometimes. And I I I'm as a defensive guy, I feel like it does take a special kid, you know. Uh that offense so perfectly fits him. I mean, the we compared him to little Johnny Manzell. I mean, it it really accentuates a kid that's able to make plays with his feet while his eyes are downfield and you know, distribute the ball equally. And, you know, it's it's when one guy tilts the field in some ways it's odd, it almost makes it easier to defend. Now, does it always work out? No, because sometimes that guy's a dude like uh Jeremiah Smith or somebody like that. But sometimes when you got a guy that tilts the field and you could kind of you know cross other guy off the game plan is irrelevant or not as much of a focus, you could still kind of D him up because you've given that proper attention. But when you got somebody back there that can distribute the ball properly and is accurate, I think the biggest thing is being accurate. You got to be efficient with the ball because you have to stay on schedule. You know, you run the ball efficiently in a fair amount, but you know, that offense predicated on distribution and completed passes. Throwing complete passes, you're not gonna be on the field very long. So um I I think it absolutely takes a special kid. Uh you ask anybody. I mean, I obviously wasn't a quarterback, but throwing the ball 50 times, that takes a certain amount of uh well moxie, if you will, and you're gonna take your shots too. So you're just you're putting yourself in harm's way. You know, you gotta be tough. So sure.
SPEAKER_05:And real quick, uh Chris had an excellent game plan against that kid, too. He did a great job. And we it was a battle, man. It really was.
SPEAKER_01:Appreciate you, coach.
SPEAKER_06:Um, for people that don't know, you know, Michael Alejado, the the quarterback at Hawaii is only five foot ten, one hundred and eighty pounds. So he is actually one of the smaller quarterbacks compared to the gigantic guys um, you know, they had in the past. So um, you know, Jordan, you're a former, you know, quarterback, as we mentioned earlier. You're bigger than 5'10, 180 pounds. Uh, that's for sure. So, you know, is can anybody run this offense or does it have to be a special type of QB?
SPEAKER_02:It has to be a special type of guy in a few ways. Um you gotta be mentally mature, I think, beyond um the the normal guys in terms of you gotta be so decisive in that offense. Um, things are happening quickly. You it's you can't have time to second guess. You gotta be so studious and film of what this team's gonna give you when you're running fast, and you gotta be decisive with the football. Um so I think more than than even the physical traits, it's it's more the mental traits when you're running so fast like that, being able to see things quickly and and getting through your pre-snap read and then your post-snap read all within you know 15 seconds of giving and getting a signal. Um, we face a team like that out here in Western PA called North Catholic. They, I mean, their quarterback threw for an insane amount of yards. I think he almost threw for 4,000 yards this season. Um and I think he threw the ball against us in the playoffs 56 times. Um, and it's it's it's extremely tough to prepare for um when you got five or six guys out in a route, it seems like almost every play. Um, so you you gotta have someone that's I think different up in the head, even more so than the physical traits. You gotta be accurate, everyone knows that, but you gotta be very mentally decisive when you're running that type of offense, and and you gotta have a guy that trusts what he's seeing, knows what he's seeing, and he's gonna execute.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Now, TJ, round us out on this one.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, big thing, short term memory, because you are gonna be tossing it around a lot. I mean, you have to be able to be okay with hey, uh I I know the next drive, it's not like we're going to the run next drive. You know, you're coming right back and they're doing it again. So uh just having that short-term memory, which is, you know, most quarterbacks, you know, they really need anyway. But, you know, knowing that, knowing the ball is going to be in your hands, knowing you're gonna be tossing it around, you know, game after game, drive after drive, just you know, so no, I I think yeah it takes a special person. It doesn't take a, you know, some people have the talent to throw the ball 70 yards downfield, and some people have the talent to be able to, you know, withstand an entire football game and be able to handle the rock like that and have that type of responsibility and that percentage of the ball in your hands. So, no, it absolutely takes a special player.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. All right, guys, two questions left. Now I want to start with Cole on this one because Cole works in the higher ed space, you know, he's worked in recruiting for a long time. So I want to hear this from his perspective. Um, and and being a former football player, going to Johns Hopkins and these things as well. Cole, what do you think the biggest challenge to Hawaii for recruiting football players is? What is their biggest challenge in your opinion?
SPEAKER_00:Uh I mean, that's that's tough right off the rip. Um, you know, I I think that obviously where it is is tough because you're gonna be, you know, unless they're recruiting directly in the state, uh it's hard to get a kid to go out there. So you might be uh picking up kids from California that maybe aren't as good, you know. Uh so it's just like I don't know, that's a really tough question. Uh you know, a lot of kids would probably be super stoked to live in Hawaii, but it's also expensive in Hawaii because you have to ship a lot of stuff there. So unless they have, you know, uh making money somehow, it's gonna be hard to to you know live and like buy things, you know, uh just outside of the school itself. Um but yeah, I think probably just where it is is probably the hardest part. Um if they're already in Hawaii, that's probably really easy. Um, you know, and then also the program if you're trying to get a a big time uh you know recruit. Uh you know, Hawaii's not necessarily known as like a big time division one program, you know, whatever you want to say there. Division one's hard to get into anyways, but they're not like a big time program, so they're not gonna get like the the big guys. But you know, I think placement program, those are probably the two biggest things.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. You know, TJ, you're a former scholarship baseball player at a division two level. Um, you know, what is your opinion on this? What is probably the hardest thing for Hawaii when it comes to recruiting for football?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I think even just getting the coaches out there, you know, getting the coaches from Hawaii to the states, to the different, you know, because are you uh how often are you gonna send a coach from Hawaii to go watch football in Florida? How often are you gonna send these guys to the real different parts of the countries where you're looking for these skill players? Um so even on the player standpoint, yeah, I think there's players everywhere. Yeah, finding players that will actually take that chance to go to Hawaii will be difficult as it is, but just getting the the exposure, you know, from your coaching staff outside of tape, because everyone sends you the best tapes, everybody sends you their best drills, but you know, getting in-game looks, you know, you got to see the kid get knocked down too. Uh, you know, see that reaction because that's a big part of it. You gotta see the moxie of the kid during the game. So um, you know, it's I just you you wonder, and I'm sure they find a way to do it, obviously, but you just wonder how often a Hawaii coach comes to Ohio to watch a Ohio football game on a Friday night. So that I think that would be really tough.
SPEAKER_06:Sure. Jordan, um, you know, you a or a former college quarterback who who's moved, you know, from one school to another, you know, and and you recruited or you coach at a high level in the WPIL in Western Pennsylvania. You know, what do you think the the hardest thing for Hawaii recruiting-wise is for football?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, location is the number one. You know, uh you're limiting yourself to certain states that you can really heavily recruit from. Um trying to get kids that don't live in Hawaii to come to Hawaii sounds always great at first thought. And then you think about family and travel and expenses, and those things are all complications that weigh into it. And then no one's really brought this up yet, but there's a lot of good football players that come out of the state of Hawaii, and the really high-end ones aren't going to Hawaii. They're going to USC, they're going to Oregon, Washington takes a ton. You think about all the great Polynesian players that have came out, like Mutt Mariota and all those guys, Paul and you know, they didn't go to Hawaii. They're they're not native to there, or to they're not native and staying home in Hawaii. So you're up against everything there when you can't even get the best from your home state to stay. Um, so it's just it's incredibly difficult. You know, I think they pull a lot of their kids from California, West Coast, obviously, but your your chances of you guys getting the top guy from Florida or Texas or places like that is so slim to none. Um, you're drawing thin. They probably have the hardest uh recruiting uh capabilities of any Division I school in the country, even though it is Hawaii, uh just from logistical standpoints. So their backs are up against the wall. It's it's it's tough, tough to do.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Now, but Bill, before I go to you on this one, I do want to point this out. You know, famous NFL uh football player Darrell Revis, former New York Jet, Aliquipa equip from Western Pennsylvania, WPIL player, uh, was teammates of Mike Washington, who is from Aliquippa, um same age as me. Went actually out to Hawaii to play, was one of the few people from Pennsylvania to ever go out there and play. Uh, one of their other teammates uh in high school for Aliquippa was Tommy Campbell, former Tennessee Titan right there. Um played for Cal PA and Pitt for a short period of time. So just making a few connections there for the people that don't know. Um a lot of great um, you know, football players out of WPIL there, but we did have one go to Hawaii. Um, but Bill, you know, you're a big sports guy, you follow a lot of recruiting. Uh, you know, what's Hawaii's biggest issue with recruiting athletes for football?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think uh as everyone said, location, it just cuts your percentage of kids that would even take it seriously down, you know, probably 10-20% of everybody. And I think those are probably more on the West Coast, so would take seriously going, you know, it's a long way, obviously, out there. Flights are hard. You want your family, friends to watch you play. Um, becomes a lot less realistic when you're that far away. So I think that's the biggest thing. And then another thing I would like to throw out. I'm not sure if I'm sure here. Yeah, you're good. You're good. My fault. I clicked a button over here, but uh just the NIO now. I think in the new era, um, you know, in the past few years, kind of being able to play or pay players, play um, you know, to bring recruits in. I'm not sure if Hawaii really has that support in the state. Um, I think obviously if you're, you know, Chang and you're trying to rebuild this program, I think trying to get some of the money in Hawaii, you're, you know, really the only big program in the state. Um, you know, hopefully get them being able to kind of chip in, um, you know, you know, pay some players adequately and be able to kind of compete in that market. It's a giant portion of college football recruiting now. And to be able to even touch some of those top players, you got to come with some money. So I think that's definitely something that's kind of, you know, a work in progress in Hawaii. I think it definitely something that needs to be kind of addressed and worked hard at by Chang to get you know the boosters involved with that.
SPEAKER_06:So, Chris, you're a former student assistant at the Division I level at the FCS level. Um, you know, what's your opinion? What's Hawaii's biggest issue with recruiting?
SPEAKER_01:Maybe same issue, different way of wording it. I almost look at their recruiting situation. Unique is uh almost an Ivy League school or like a Cal or Stanford, uh, one of the extremely high-end academic schools. You have um such a small population that you're already selecting from um in terms of willingness and all the other things everyone's already touched on. But I think that's maybe the bigger issue than finding the talent. Um I forget who mentioned it, but there I mean there's a lot of talent at home that doesn't necessarily see the value of uh staying at home. Um even when Hawaii was great, they didn't get the high-end, high-end players, but they had enough staying at home that it had a very Hawaii feel to what was going on down there. And uh, you know, I mean I don't want to feed a fed horse. It's kind of they're they're choosing from a very select population. It's not uh, I mean, it's long from to get from Ohio to Vegas, for instance. I mean, going from where you gotta take off to get to Hawaii, it's it's like going across the pond angle, you know. So sure.
unknown:Sure.
SPEAKER_06:All right, Drew, round us out on this one.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I think everyone kind of touched on the the biggest issue there is the the location. Um but like kind of what Bill said, I like to you know really see what the NIL deal is there, if if they if they are supported heavily or or if they are they're kind of you know needing more to get get more successful. Um I will say though, they are 8-4, so it's not like they're you know two and ten or three and nine that they're they're having success. Um, you know, and I always I'll never forget when they played uh who they play in the Cotton Bowl, I think it was, or the Sugar Bowl. Is it Georgia?
SPEAKER_06:That was Georgia in 2008.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, so I mean it's capable, it's capable to get to get the players, and it you know, you get the right schedule, you win the right games, and you know, in this day and age with the playoffs going up higher and higher, and if they they stay around that eight-nine wins, you never know. They might sneak in at some point. And I'm sure if they do sneak in, it might be like a Cincinnati effect where the that they just boost them incredibly and they they become a not a powerhouse, but you know, a team that people will you know look at, you know, for future company. I see James Madison's in there now, uh Tulane's in there. So I I think you know Hawaii's on no bottom feeder. I think they can get some players out there, and if they they could at some point in the next few years make a playoff run, I think it just helps their cases even more.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. All right, guys. Last question, rounding out the Hawaii Bowl 2025 show. I'm so excited to hear you guys answer on this. All right, if you can turn back the clock and be 18 years old again, then Hawaii offers you a full scholarship to come play football for the Rainbow Warriors. TJ, are you going out to Hawaii to be a defensive back for the Rainbow Warriors?
SPEAKER_04:Oh, good lord. Here's the thing. Trick question. I got recruited at 17 and I was 135 pounds. 18 years old, I was 190. So maybe. Maybe I think I I think I I would have considered it. I'd have been like, you know, whatever. I just I didn't have didn't have a girlfriend here, nothing, nothing crazy. My parents were okay with me as long as I got my education. So, you know, I got the tan.
SPEAKER_06:Jordan, you going back to 18 years old being a gunslinging quarterback right out of Virginia? You coming out to Hawaii to play football?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah, just just shaking his head like I can probably speak for the rest of the group. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. Nice questions. Just don't get details. Give me the plane ticket. I'll see my parents when I see them. Love you guys. See you out there.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. No, Chris, you're not going as a center. You're going as a linebacker. You going out to Hawaii at 18 to play play football for them?
SPEAKER_01:On an unofficial visit and an official visit, sign me up right now. But uh if if I'm good enough to get a scholarship there, I'm I'm trying to walk on at one of the bigger programs around me or a Mac level school. Or, you know, I'm using that as a barometer and I'm taking my trips out there. I'm definitely getting my values worth out of being on the recruiting board. But I I will probably not be committing to the Rainbow Warriors on signing day.
SPEAKER_06:Bill, are you coming straight out of Austin Town as the starting left guard for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on the run and gun offense?
SPEAKER_03:Man, let me be the quarterback and I'm there. Uh we're living in a fantasy world. Let me be the quarterback and I'm I'm signing the papers. Get me out there.
SPEAKER_06:You know what, Bill, you could you could be like the next Johnny Manzel of Hawaii football.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly.
SPEAKER_06:You know, hopefully just not the Cleveland Browns version of Johnny Manzell, right? Um, but but but the AM version. Cole, you going out as a starting defensive tackle to the University of Hawaii?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, to be real, no. Uh I went to my dream school. So um, you know, I I did what I wanted to do for college. I I loved playing in high school and I had a great time, but I don't I was never gonna be a Division I or Division III athlete for for sports. So um no. I I want to play music and go to school for that. That's what I wanted to do.
SPEAKER_06:All right. Uh Drew, you going out as a as a tight end to the University of Hawaii? You can be in a being also, but you can also be you can also be like their H back.
SPEAKER_05:Well, yeah, here's the problem. They're in the running gun. I'm gonna be a tight end, I'll be twining my thumbs on the sideline all day long. Uh I I you know what? As much as I love the weather, I gotta agree with Chris. I go out there, I visit two, three, four times, but if I ever committed out to Hawaii, I I don't got the speed for that. You know, I'm I'm I'm I'll watch it from afar, but I'll I'll I'll go sign up and play for freaking Cincinnati or if I'm if I'm if I'm not good or you know, I'll get max.
SPEAKER_02:Crazy. This is preposterous. You're getting the full ride to Hawaii. I'm gone. Gone. That's my only offering.
SPEAKER_04:I didn't think about it, but catch me in all the blue owls, man. Yep. Preposterous.
SPEAKER_06:Uh that's that's funny. But guys, that's gonna do it for this week's episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. I would like to thank Cole, Jordan, Bill, Chris, TJ, and Drew for hopping on and talking all things Hawaii Bowl 2025. I was so, so excited. Um, you know, for talking about this this game. Uh, it was, you know, a great time breaking all things down about the weather and the offense and the teams. Um, I hope people can definitely tune in on Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. to check out the Hawaii Bowl because they're going to show the beach and people are gonna go, wow, I'm sitting in 20 degree weather in the snow, and these people are on the beach in 77 degree water temperature. Maybe I should go out there next year. So, you know what, man, maybe we got Hawaii some tourism uh by free tourism um promos by just being on this show. But thank you guys so much for talking about it. Uh, you know, we definitely wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season. Um, you know, definitely make sure you tune in and check out these athletes, probably playing for the last time for a lot of these seniors, you know, in the Hawaii Bowl. The next episode you're gonna hear from us after this show airs is our Christmas Eve show, talking about all things Christmas with a great panel of guests. So make sure you tune in for next week's episode. As always, if you enjoyed the show, be a friend and tell a friend. And if you didn't enjoy the show, tell them anyways, because I bet they like it just because you did it. This is Fitty signing off, and we will see you next week.
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