On the heels of a humbling 34-point loss at Arizona, the University of Hawai‘i football team returned to practice Tuesday in preparation for a three-game homestand.
The Rainbow Warriors (1-1) open the stretch Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex against Sam Houston of Conference USA.
For a second straight week, the biggest storyline centers on the health of redshirt freshman quarterback Micah Alejado. He did not practice Tuesday and wore a boot on his right foot while watching Luke Weaver and Demarcius Davis take reps.
Head coach Timmy Chang said Alejado, who was injured in last week’s game, remains day-to-day and is considered a game-time decision.
“Yeah, right now he didn’t practice today, and we’re going to see how it progresses,” Chang said. “He did get stepped on during the game. Kids are kids, warrior kids, a fighter. So if he has an opportunity to play, we would love for him to play.”
When asked if he would have made a different decision about playing Alejado last week, Chang admitted he might have.
“Probably looking at where the situation was, we should have sat him,” Chang said. “We have a lot of trust in Luke. He comes from a background of winning football, and he’ll get a lot of the reps this week to prepare if Micah can’t go.”
Weaver, a junior, went 8-of-16 for 66 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble in relief against Arizona. He said he’s preparing to be ready again.
“Same thing as last week. Just prepare like a starter and be ready at any moment,” Weaver said. “Being able to get live game reps, see it on film, correct it and move on was good. Obviously, taking care of the ball is my biggest thing. Three turnovers is not acceptable. You’ve got to clean that up.”
Kickoff between the Rainbow Warriors and Bearkats is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.
Spectrum Sports will televise the game, with radio coverage on ESPN Honolulu.
As of Tuesday, Hawai‘i was listed as a nine-point favorite.