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Hawaii’s Quarterback Situation Is Not Looking Great With Chevan Cordeiro
The starter could be out for a month?
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Get to know Brayden Schager
Leading up to the Fresno State game there were no talks of Chevan Cordeiro potentially missing time with an injury. We found out minutes before kickoff that he would be out and Freshman Brayden Schager would get his first career start. Schager went 11-27 for 116 yards and two touchdowns but most importantly, led the team to a victory over previously 18th ranked Fresno State.
https://twitter.com/MountainWest/status/1445059675775504393
Obviously, part of the decision to keep things quiet was a strategy to not show their hand before necessary but it makes you wonder how close Chevan was to taking snaps last Saturday. He was suited up so would he have been available in an emergency situation?
On Tuesday, KHON’s Rob Demello reported the good news that injuries to Cordiero and defensive back Cameron Lockeridge were not serious and had a recovery time of 10-30 days.
If Cordeiro’s injury is closer to the 10-day mark, it is possible that we will see him return in the next game against Nevada. If it is closer to the 30-day timeframe, we might not see him play until after the New Mexico State game. Either way, it is nice to know that we have a backup quarterback in Brayden Schager that is capable of handling the big-game pressure.
https://twitter.com/RobDeMelloKHON/status/1445480995856080902
Schager has appeared in three games this season (UCLA, Portland State and Fresno State) meaning that he can play in one more game this season if he and the coaching staff want to retain his ability to redshirt. This is significant because he is the future of our program and losing him for a year earlier in the future over another game this season would be something to think about (although if we are still in contention for a West division championship, there is nothing to think about.).
Is there a QB controversy?
Although Cordeiro has not been as sharp as expected this season, I do not think there will be a quarterback controversy. If he is healthy to return against Nevada I believe he will start. I thought Schager did a great job in his first collegiate start, but he wasn’t exactly lights out and I don’t think he did enough to take Cordeiro’s job yet.
If Cordeiro isn’t ready to play against Nevada and Schager leads Hawaii to a victory over the Wolfpack, then the coaching staff will definitely have a decision to make. It could be similar to the quarterback situation Hawaii had with Cole McDonald when it was Cordiero the young gun challenging for the position.
That year coach Nick Rolovich played the hot hand and when one quarterback struggled the other got a chance. The positive to that situation is if the game flow is not going our way, changing the quarterback could sometimes flip the script. The negative would be that the quarterbacks might feel like they have a short leash and are always looking over their shoulder afraid to take chances and make a mistake.
Going forward this is could be a positive for the program. There is a glimpse into the near future and saw that Brayden Schager is ready to play college football and we also have an experienced vet in Chevan Cordeiro that we do not need to rush back from injury. We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation leading into the Nevada game as well as going forward for the rest of the season. Enjoy the bye week and as always, let’s go Bows!
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