What We Learned: Week 7

Well, that was wild.

In Bryan Harsin’s infinite wisdom, he was sending out backup QB’s a full quarter before Hank took a stinger to the midsection and left the game, so now we get a full week of wild speculation before taking on the Brigham Young Older Single Ladies...err, Cougars.

So before the wild speculation, let’s go over what we learned this week:

Dan Paul

The Hammer #47

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Hank Should Be OK

We’re not medical doctors here at OBNUG, but word on the street is Hank should be back, probably after BYU and BYE. Good vibes to the golden boy, and may he return fully healthy (and ready to run slightly more conservatively).

The Backups are REALLY GOOD

You’d be forgiven for not realizing Hank was out (if your TV was on mute and you were not real observant), as Chase Cord came in and did exactly the same things, but...better? Be it faster read progressions or pocket awareness, it felt like Hawaii was not getting the same pressure to Cord, and he was getting the ball downfield beautifully.

Then, Jaylon Henderson popped in and did good things, too. The Bronco Offensive Machine just worked, no matter who was pulling the strings in the back. Three Bronco QB’s with a TD pass, and about half a heartbeat away from a John Hightower deep ball? It’s like 2004 all over again!

Can You Have Too Many Receivers?

John Hightower might have been the big target on Saturday, but eight guys hauled in a pass, and we barely scratched the surface of the backup pool. Poor Octavius Evans and Stefan Cobbs didn’t get catches...and all those other dudes. SO MANY DUDES.

There’s so many receivers that now they’re even...taking over at QB?

Holani is the Second Coming of...Somebody?

There’s some fierce Twitter debate over which famous Bronco back best correlates to Holani’s fierce-running style, but everyone is convinced he’s gonna be the Next One of somebody. His determination to finish runs and reach the pylons was on full display Saturday night, and he would not be denied.

Defense: Don’t Look At The Scoreboard

A couple late scores while the backups were in shouldn’t take the polish off a very solid defensive effort. Hawaii does offense like few others can, and while there were one or two busted coverages, for the most part Schmedding’s gang threw Hawaii’s rhythm off enough to keep them in check. Curtis Weaver was denied his sacks, but still got his snacks and a lot of facetime with Cole MacDonald.

Managing to force two early punts put the Rainbow Warriors behind the power curve and let the Bronco offense build a lead. A few defense-created short fields later, and the game felt solidly in hand by halftime.

Attendance, Moore-Years Style

The record sellout crowd was awesome, assisting in false starts and general energy...right up until halftime. Apparently the brisk 40*F night was a bit much for the tailgate crew, and the rest of us hardcore 15k or so had to hold it down for the second half. It felt like a throwback to 2009-2012 when the starters got benched midway through the 3rd and everyone went home with a 4-score lead.

Still, attendance records are nothing to sneeze at (unless you caught a cold from staying for the whole game) so props to all of you in attendance.

So, what’d we miss? Let us know in the comments below.