2018 Hawai’i
8–6 (5–3 Mountain West Conference), coached by Nick Rolovich. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Duquesne 42–21Sep 22
By 21 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat San José State 44–41Sep 29
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | at Colorado State | W 43–34 | 24% |
| Sep 1 | vs Navy | W 59–41 | 39% |
| Sep 8 | vs Rice | W 43–29 | 72% |
| Sep 15 | at Army | L 21–28 | 30% |
| Sep 22 | vs Duquesne | W 42–21 | 67% |
| Sep 29 | at San José State | W 44–41 | 66% |
| Oct 6 | vs Wyoming | W 17–13 | 57% |
| Oct 13 | at BYU | L 23–49 | 45% |
| Oct 20 | vs Nevada | L 22–40 | 65% |
| Oct 27 | at Fresno State | L 20–50 | 15% |
| Nov 3 | vs 18Utah State | L 17–56 | 31% |
| Nov 17 | vs UNLV | W 35–28 | 63% |
| Nov 24 | at San Diego State | W 31–30 | 22% |
| Dec 22Bowls & playoff | vs Louisiana TechHawai’i Bowl | L 14–31 | 39% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Louisiana Tech 31–14 in the Hawai’i Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Mountain West Conference.
In program history: The 35th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 97 on file).
Led the nationJohn Ursua: receiving touchdowns (16 TD)
- Record
- 8–6
- Conference
- 5–3 tied for 4th in Mountain West Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 431–491
- Coach
- Nick Rolovich
- Elo
- 1391 +24 this season
- SP+ rating
- -10.4 No. 103 of 130; offense No. 63, defense No. 118, special teams No. 80
- SRS
- −9.6 No. 102 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 30% of last season’s EPA, No. 115 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 96 roster talent No. 120 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Brian Smith
- Defensive coordinator
- Corey Batoon
- Offense
- Run and shoot
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.13 | 44% | 1.27 | 50th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.22 | 46% | 1.23 | 114th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.22 def | 44% off 48% def | — | 55th off 124th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.0 | own 28 | 18% allowed |
| Defense | 3.9 | own 34 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -9.6, 104th of 130 (offense 2.7, defense 12.2).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Cole McDonald QB | 3,875 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cole McDonald QB | 36 TD |
| Rushing yards | Freddie Holly III RB | 466 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Cole McDonald QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | John Ursua WR | 1,343 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | John Ursua WR | 16 TD |
| Tackles | Ikem Okeke DB | 85 tkl |
| Sacks | Kaimana Padello DL | 8.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Eugene Ford DB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2018 class
| Michael Washington WR | ★★★ | No. 1069 |
| Blessman Taala DT | ★★★ | No. 1283 |
| Jonah Kahahawai-Welch WDE | ★★★ | No. 1435 |
| Solo Vaipulu OC | ★★★ | No. 1574 |
| Jovan McConico S | ★★★ | No. 1864 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2018 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 2.5 | 0.783 |
| Running backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.759 |
| Receivers | 6 | 2.5 | 0.781 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 2.3 | 0.780 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.795 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Whole class | 20 | 2.5 | 0.787 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2019
The 2019 draft| Rd 2 | Jahlani Tavai ILB | Detroit Lions |
| Rd 7 | John Ursua WR | Seattle Seahawks |
Roster 115
The 2018 roster115 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster
2018 Mountain West Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State | 7–1 | 12–2 | 18 |
| Utah State | 7–1 | 11–2 | 22 |
 Boise State | 7–1 | 10–3 | 23 |
| Nevada | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Hawai’i | 5–3 | 8–6 | |
| San Diego State | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Wyoming | 4–4 | 6–6 | |
 Air Force | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| UNLV | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Colorado State | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 New Mexico | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
| San José State | 1–7 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.