Hawai'i Game Notes | Nevada Game Notes | VIDEO: Pre-Game Interviews

HONOLULU – Out on the road for the second consecutive week and fifth time this season, the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior football team makes its debut in the Pacific Time Zone, with a crucial Mountain West tilt slated for Saturday, Oct. 24, set to meet the Nevada Wolf Pack at Mackay Stadium. For viewers in Hawai'i, the game will be broadcasted on Oceanic Pay-Per-View (Digital Ch. 255 and HD Ch. 1255) and Hawaiian Telcom Pay-Per-View (Ch. 969).
 
Saturday marks the 20th meeting between the Rainbow Warriors and Wolf Pack, with Nevada holding a slight 11-8 advantage, going 6-1 in Reno. The Wolf Pack have won the last four meetings.
 
Coming off a tough comeback loss at New Mexico, UH now is seeking wins in five of the six remaining contests to earn a winning season and bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010.

Game #8
Who: Hawai'i (2-5, 0-3 MW) at Nevada (4-3, 1-2 MW)
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015
Time: 1:00 p.m. PT/10:00 a.m. HT
Where: Mackay Stadium (30,000)
Television: Televised live locally in O'ahu and statewide on Oceanic Pay-Per-View (Digital Ch. 255 and HD Ch. 1255) and Hawaiian Telcom Pay-Per-View (Ch. 969), with Robert Kekaula (play-by-play) and Rich Miano (analyst).
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM will carry the game live with Bobby Curran (play-by-play) and John Veneri (analyst). Chris Hart and Gary Dickman host the "Countdown To Kickoff" beginning at 8:00 a.m. HT, and also the halftime show. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona, KTOH on Kaua'i, and KNWJ in Pago Pago, American Samoa. In addition, the game is available on satellite radio on XM 203 and Sirius 93.
Steaming Video: Live video at www.theMW.com
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on www.espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided by Nevada
Series Information: 20th meeting, Nevada leads 11-8. Nevada has won the past four meetings in the series
 
Game Storylines: Hawai'i program record sits at 536-430-25 (.553), 89-156-3 (.365) on the road…Last week at New Mexico, with Ikaika Woolsey quarterbacking in relief, the Rainbow Warriors amassed 415 yards of total offense with three (3) touchdowns and two (2) field goals…Despite leading for nearly 50 minutes of last week's contest at New Mexico, the Rainbow Warriors succumbed to a UNM comeback in the final two minutes…With a resurging offense, the Rainbow Warriors will face a Nevada defense which allows 234.9 yds. passing (80th NCAA), and 190.7 yds. rushing (93rd), ranking 91st in total defense…A big part of the surging offense at UNM was a boosted ground game, as Paul Harris (125) and Steven Lakalaka (85) aided UH to a season-high 220 yards rushing…Against UNM, UH scored its first points on the road, putting up 27…UH must win five of final six games to avoid a fifth straight non-winning season…Over the past four seasons, UH is 1-21 on the road and 1-13 in Mountain West away games since 2011.

Series in Brief
Marking its 20th incarnation, the Wolf Pack holds a slight lead in the series, up 11-8 overall, and have been very successful at home, holding a 6-1 advantage in Reno.

One of the earliest collegiate opponents to make the trip to the Hawaiian Islands, the Wolf Pack shut out the Rainbow Warriors 14-0 in 1920, reeling off an additional pair of wins before UH tallied a pair of its own, winning in 1968 and again in 2000, when Nevada joined in league with the Western Athletic Conference, initiating 14 consecutive seasons of meeting UH in the regular season.

Meeting for the 15th consecutive season, the home team has been more prone to claim victory, but UH reeled off a three-game streak from 2006-08, and Nevada has won the last four straight and six of the last seven.

Last season, Nevada trailed 10-0, but launched into a 26-point run before the Rainbow Warriors answered in the fourth with a touchdown and two-point conversion, falling short in the 26-18 comeback loss.
 
Familiar Territory
Like many of the 2015 UH opponents, defensive coordinator Tom Mason has seen the Wolf Pack's operation from the inside. Mason spent two seasons on the Nevada staff, coaching defensive backs in 1998 and expanding his role in 1999 to include defensive coordinator duties
 
Looking Back to the Middle
The Rainbow Warriors open with a 2-5 record for the second straight year under Norm Chow, and in 2009 prior to 2014--finishing 4-9 (3-5 MW) last year, and 6-7 (3-5 WAC) in '09--the only previous seasons in the last 20 years.

Looking to move a step closer to .500, UH has opened 3-5 only twice in the last 20 seasons, in 2005 and 1997, under coaches June Jones and Fred Von Appen, respectively. 

Looking to move a step closer to .500 at 3-4, UH has been one-under four (4) times in the past 20 years—in 1994, '97, '05 and '08. In 2008, Greg McMackin's Warriors won three (3) of their final four (4) games to reach 7-6 and go to the Hawai'i Bowl, finishing 7-7 with a 5-3 WAC mark.
 
Facing the Alma Mater
Now in his fourth season at Nevada as offensive coordinator, UH alum Nick Rolovich will meet his alma mater for the fourth time. In three consecutive meetings, Rolovich's offenses have outpaced the Rainbow Warriors 26-18, 31-9 and 69-24, dating back to 2012.

In the first outing, Rolovich may have had the inside track, recruiting and coaching many of the players on the UH roster as the offensive coordinator for two seasons under then-coach Greg McMackin in 2010 and 2011, serving as quarterbacks coach from 2008-09.
 
As a player, Rolovich was a quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors and holds several standing records in the UH record book:
—Yards in two consecutive games: 1,048
    (505 vs. Air Force, Nov. 24: 543 vs. BYU, Deco. 8, 2001)
—Yards in three consecutive games: 1,548
    (an additional 500 vs. Miami (Ohio), Nov. 17.)
—Yard in four consecutive games: 1,806
    (an additional 258 vs. Boise State, Nov. 10)
—Most touchdowns in a quarter: 4 vs. BYU Dec. 8, 2001
—Most touchdowns in a game: 8 also vs. BYU Dec. 8, 2001
 
Playing from 2000-01 for UH, Rolovich started for much of the 2001 season, replacing an injured Timmy Chang and leading the team to an 8-1 record as a starter. During those nine games, "Rolo" threw for 3,361 yards and 34 touchdowns, ranking 10th nationally in passing efficiency with a 150.5 rating and broke 19-school passing and eight total offense records. He participated in the 2002 Hula Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. He finished his UH career completing 296-of-541 (54.7%) passes for 4,176 yards and 40 touchdowns.
 
In 2001, Rolovich was teammates with current UH secondary coach Abe Elimimian.