Tylan Hines scored on a 44-yard punt return and Jonah Panoke just missed blocking two punts. But what made the Hawaii football team rock on Saturday night was the roll. In the season-opening 35-14 victory over Delaware State, the Rainbow Warriors dominated the field-position battle.
The Hornets’ average start to a drive was their 20 following a Lucas Borrow punt. Three DSU possessions began inside the 10. “Lucas Borrow is unbelievable, and I think everyone could see that (on Saturday) night,” UH special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield said.
“It’s the way he controls the football, and puts it where we need it. ..
. Coach (Timmy) Chang really wanted somebody who could put the ball inside the 10 consistently. (Borrow) did it three times.
I felt it was more than we did the last three years.” Borrow’s first two punts traveled 55 and 50 yards. He averaged 44.
0 yards per punt, a statistics aided by the bounce or roll after the football touched down. His punts averaged an additional 10.1 yards per roll.
After the 2023 season, Matthew Shipley, who handled the placekicking and punting, transferred to Arkansas. While Sheffield and Chang appreciated Ben Falck’s powerful right leg on kickoffs, they sought a punter who “could control the ball.” The Warriors believed the answer would come from Down Under.
James “Thor” Rendell, one of the prized alumni of Prokick Australia, committed to the Rainbow Warriors in May. But a couple of weeks later, Rendell changed his decision, opting to join Notre Dame. “After the other kid de-committed, we went into the scramble mode,” Sheffield said.
The Warriors soon learned that Australia-reared Borrow, who started at Ball State for two years, had entered the transfer portal. “As soon as we lose (Rendell), Lucas is in the portal, wanting to go somewhere where they’d let him punt the way he felt he could punt,” Sheffield said. Ball State insisted Borrow should stick with rugby-styled punts.
“But he had more tools in the tool bag than Ball State realized,” Sheffield said. “In the whole recruiting process, the pitch to him was: ‘hey, I’m going to let you rip it.’ .
.. Here, he can be a little more traditional than a one-trick pony.
That’s how he was at Ball State. Now he has a lot of weapons in his bag.” Against Delaware State, Sheffield and Chang suggested where each punt should be aimed, but Borrow had the autonomy to choose the method of delivery.
Sheffield said Borrow “communicated with me every punt he felt he could get done, especially with that crazy wind.” Gusts reached an estimated 35 mph at the Ching Complex. “It was tough conditions, for sure, but both teams have to go out and do it,” Borrow said.
“We practice for those situations with the wind here in Manoa. In the mornings, when we go out at 5:50 to punt (in practices), it’s not beautiful weather at all. To be able to go out there in certain occasions is really important.
” On one Borrow punt, wideout Spencer Curtis knocked the ball out of bounds at the DSU 1. On another, wideout Karsyn Pupunu ushered the bouncing football across the sideline at the 7. During a brainstorming session in the offseason, Chang allowed Sheffield to use offensive and defensive starters on special teams.
“Any time we’re in the situation where we can down punts inside the 10, we replace our defensive guys with offensive guys because they’re used to handling the ball,” Sheffield said. “It was something we came up with in the offseason, and it paid dividends (Saturday) night.” It was several starters that opened the way for Hines, a wideout, to score on the punt return.
UH cornerback Cam Stone ran side by side with DSU’s Judge Morgan on the punt. When Hines grabbed the bouncing punt, Stone screened Morgan, Panoke set a backside shield, and safety Peter Manuma blocked a gunner. “With guys like that,” Sheffield said, “good things are going to happen.
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