McMackin not going anywhere, for now

By Fred Guzman
MauiNow.com

A growing number of University of Hawaii fans, frustrated by the team’s 2-5 record and five-game losing streak, are starting to believe that head coach Greg McMackin is not the man for the job.

Maybe, their theory goes, UH would be better off dumping McMackin and finding a better and less expensive coach.

My response to those fans: It isn’t going to happen for three reasons: Money, money, money. McMackin is only in the second year of a 5-year contract that pays him $1.1 million annually.

Given the cash-strapped status of UH’s athletic department, with an accumulated debt of $6 million, Hawaii lacks the financial resources to buy out the nearly $3.3 million remaining on McMackin’s contract and then coming up with the additional money required to land a successor.

So, for better or worse, UH fans have to hope that McMackin can turn things around.

Hawaii is coming off a 54-9 thumping at the hands of seventh-ranked Boise State and could be looking at another lopsided loss at Nevada this week.

The schedule softens after that, with games versus traditional WAC also-rans Utah State, New Mexico State and San Jose State, before regular season-ending home games against Navy and Wisconsin.

In other words, injury-depleted and turnover-prone Hawaii appears highly unlikely to win five of its remaining six games to become bowl eligible this season.

UH NOTES: QB Brent Rausch returned to practice yesterday after missing six weeks with a broken pinky on his throwing hand. He will be one of three quarterbacks included on the 64-player roster for this week’s game at Nevada. Bryant Moniz, who inherited the job when Greg Alexander suffered a season-ending knee injury, suffered a concussion in last week’s 54-9 home loss to Boise State and had to leave the game early. His replacement, Shane Austin, went 22 of 36 for 174 yards and one TD on a late 10-yard hookup with Jon Medeiros. But he was also picked three times, including once in the end zone.