Michigan Football: Behind enemy lines with a Hawaii expert
By Josh LaFond
In this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines, we sat down with Tony Gomes, a long-time fan of the Hawaii Warriors who will face Michigan football Saturday.
Welcome back to our second iteration of Behind Enemy Lines, our weekly Q&A with experts on the team Michigan football is playing.
This week we are previewing the Hawaii Warriors.
These Warriors are not the team that you and I remember from the early 2000s. Legendary coach June Jones is long gone, and the last regime to consistently piece together winning seasons was Nick Rolovich, who once garnered success, and fled for Washington State.
Head coach Tony Chang is looking to reignite the magic in Honolulu but is having a tough go of it.
Hawaii enters the game in Ann Arbor with a 0-2 record, losing by a combined 85 points in Week 0 against Vanderbilt (63-10), and Week 1 against Western Kentucky (49-17).
Hawaii fans hope to see continued fight against the Wolverines on Saturday, and for a better showing at minimum from the offense in Michigan Stadium.
That’s it for me, though. Allow me to introduce our guest for this preview.
This week we had the privilege to interview Tony Gomes, a long-time fan of the Hawaii Warriors.
While this isn’t a game most Hawaii fans are looking forward to, Tony still took the time to answer some questions for us, and we thank him for that.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What’s the condition of the Hawaii fanbase?
The conditions of the fans: Reeling!
Two blowout defeats (week one against the Vanderbilt Commodores 63-10, and week two against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 49-17) have created a lot of questions about the season moving forward.
Where would Hawaii fans like to see their team year to year?
Competitive at the very least.
Hawaii fans want to see a winning record at a minimum every year.
Who are three Hawaii players Michigan football fans need to know about heading into the game?
Two on offense and one on defense.
On defense first:
Senior, starting linebacker Penei Pavihi who wears #1, and senior starting defensive tackle, #55, Blessman Ta’ala.
In regards to the offense:
Senior, starting running back #31 Dedrick Parson.
What are some things you want to see the Warriors do on Saturday?
I want to see them compete [against Michigan].
Make them punt… get the defense off the field.
Complete the first Warrior touchdown pass of the season.
What are your game and score prediction?
Michigan 55, Hawaii 14
Next. Game-by-game predictions for Michigan. dark
Again, special thanks to Tony Gomes for taking the time to answer our questions. We at GBMWolverine want to wish him, and the Hawaii Warriors the best this season.