The University of Hawaiʻi football team seemed to lose a crucial part of their team when former QB Dru Brown transferred to Oklahoma State University for his last remaining year of eligibility. Thankfully, no one could have predicted the success of the Rainbow Warriors’ offense with sophomore QB Cole McDonald under center. Within UH’s first six games, McDonald has broken school records and set a place for himself at the table of Hawaiʻi football greats- completing 156 of 240 pass attempts for 2,100 yards with 24 TDs and only two interceptions. He also added 58 carries for 227 yards and two TDs. Under head coach Nick Rolovich’s run-and-shoot offensive scheme, McDonald and the 2018 Rainbow Warriors have thrived, going 5-1 and 2-0 in the Mountain West conference. McDonald is the spark of this suddenly-successful offense, one that has some UH fans reminiscing about the infamous 2007 team led by head coach June Jones and Heisman-contender QB Colt Brennan who led the Rainbow Warriors to a perfect 13-0 season and an appearance in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Hawaiʻi is lucky that McDonald not only has a dual threat dynamic, but also consistently connects with three UH receivers who are ranked in the top 30 nationally for receiving yards: juniors John Ursua (No. 1), Cedric Byrd (No. 6), and Jojo Ward (No. 30). Ursua and Byrd have also gained recognition for their dominating receiving performances, landing spots on the Biletnikoff award watch list, which celebrates the most outstanding receiver in the country. McDonald is finding fans with his own extraordinary play, ranking No. 1 in the nation for TD passes, No. 2 for total offense, No. 10 for passing efficiency, and No. 1 for total points responsible. Going 7-7 and 3-9 with Rolovich as head coach in the past two years, respectively, the Rainbow Warriors look like they’ll have their most exciting season in 10 years thanks to Cole McDonald.
