The U of Hawai’i football team won its third game of the season this afternoon in San Jose. The victory broke a 17-game road losing streak. It was also its first shutout in 10 years.

Good for the kids. Maybe the coach can breathe a little more easily as well. He’s Norm Chow, a longtime assistant coach around the college ranks. This is his first head coaching job after 30 years bouncing around as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, first at BYU and later at UCLA, Utah and USC. This is his third season with the team, and it’s had losing records each of his first two and will again this season.

Given his history, I don’t think Chow’s forgotten how to coach. I think the quality of player that the University of Hawai’i gets to play football for it is slightly lower talent-wise than those who play for the UCLAs and USCs of the world. Granted, the Mountain West conference isn’t the Pac-12 either, but it’s not full of cupcakes. Unfortunately, the local press doesn’t think that way. It’s been baying for his blood all season long. The fact that he’s got two more years on a contract doesn’t matter to the press; the columnists are taxpayers, sure, but any buyout would be split among all of us.

I say let him finish out his contract and see if he can make the team respectable again.