University of Hawaii officials announced earlier this week that there will not be a Spring football game at the conclusion of the Rainbow Warriors' spring practices, due to injuries and other factors.
Instead of the annual "Spring Fling Warrior Bowl", UH will have a normal practice on the final day of Spring camp, May 2.
On one hand, the absence of a spring game this year will give the Rainbow Warriors an extra practice for teaching and growing purposes. It will also prevent potential disasters. Take two years ago, when Senior FB/TE Justin Vele fractured his ankle during the Spring Fling, limiting him to just two games in 2013. A more recent example would be former Rainbow Warrior Jeremy Higgins, who was considered a serious candidate for the starting quarterback position last season. Higgins injured his ankle on the spring game's final play, thus severely damaging his chances of taking snaps at QB1. (Higgins would end up suffering a season-ending hand injury early in the season)
A big downside to the cancellation of the Spring Fling is the lack of a game-like scenario to decide position battles for the upcoming season, especially at the quarterback position with USC transfer Max Wittek coming in for his final year of eligibility. Beyond the position battles, the fact that a spring scrimmage is off the table due to a lack of bodies is a little concerning toward the depth of this team for 2015. At the end of the day, no spring game is another missed chance for a head coach who is running out of chances.
Hawaii opens the regular season against Colorado on September 3.