"Should we cancel the rest of the season?" he asked after the 20-0 - which could have been 120-0 - loss to the previously winless Bulldogs.
It's actually not a bad idea.
There are several advantages to waving the white flag for the rest of this wretched rebuilding year.
The Hawaii fans could make better use of their time. Instead of watching the Rainbows on TV, they could turn on a movie, although the UH games have been better than most horror flicks - or comedies.
And there are many alternatives to attending the home games at Aloha Stadium. There's the beach if you like the sun and sand, or nice cool libraries or bars if you prefer the shade.
Most taverns have the added advantage of televising real college football - and it's live.
Watching the Rainbows on a delayed basis is like putting off a root canal for four more hours.
There are many other alternatives: painting your garage, talking to your dog, staring at the clouds, hiking Diamond Head, bowling, throwing darts at your old Bob Wagner photo, chanting (one of my favorites), fishing for two-headed tilapia in the Ala Wai - hey, the list is endless.
In summary, there are many, many more fun and interesting things to do than watch the Rainbows chase after runners on the express route to the end zone - or their own blocked kicks, which are about every other punt or field-goal attempt.
Another huge advantage to canceling the rest of the season is right up vonAppen's alley. It would save a ton of money.
Forget charter flights. No more flights this year would save a lot of dough, not to mention the lack of meals and hotel rooms for the lads. Let's face it, the two remaining road games at San Diego State and Air Force are certain defeats for a team that barely beat Boise State at home for its only victory.
With all of the extra cash, next year's UH team could rent one of those supersonic Concordes and be at their road destination faster than an audible. Plus, the guys would be back in the islands within hours of the game and could use all of that extra time to lift more weights.
Hey, with more money, the UH football office could be decked out like the Taj Mahal. They could even hire a greeter, like those at the airport.
"Aloha and welcome to our beloved house of football operations," the grass-skirted woman could say before putting a lei around the visitor's neck. "Here, have a glass of pineapple juice, which was personally squeezed by Guy Benjamin.
"Or how about a nice coconut from Doug Semones' back yard? Please lay down in one of our luxurious hammocks and Coach vonAppen will see you in a minute."
And talk about a year-round food spread for the players. Why, UH could hire some of the folks who plan and put out those luxurious buffets in Las Vegas.
A couple of chefs dressed in white, maybe with tall football-shaped hats, would be at the end of the line to slice up huge hunks of prime rib - with extra helpings to beef up those undersized Rainbow linemen.
I doubt that the image-conscious WAC would mind. The forfeits would be automatic victories for Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV, Air Force, San Jose State and Brigham Young. Actually, the BYU coaches might object because they want all of their Hawaii recruits to come out to the game here.
And don't worry about Wisconsin. Most of their fans will be so drunk that they'll think the game is still being played, even in an empty Aloha Stadium.
So now we can see why Hugh Yoshida hired vonAppen. He sure comes up with some clever ideas.