By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist

A rainbow stretched propitiously above Aloha Stadium before the game.

Then, quarterback Tim Chang, who was celebrating his 21st birthday this week, arched a 72-yard touchdown pass to slotback Britton Komine in stride on the first offensive play of the game.

And, 51 seconds later, safety Hyrum Peters returned an interception 64 yards for another touchdown.

Was this some kind of an enchanted evening for the University of Hawai'i football team or what?

"Coming into the stadium today, seeing that rainbow, then seeing the black jerseys all laid out for us, it seemed like everything was there for us," said linebacker Matt Wright. "Everything clicked for us tonight."

Indeed, on a night when the Warriors dug out their "big game" black uniforms for the first time since their season-ending blowout of Brigham Young 10 months ago, just about everything they touched turned to points in a rousing 59-34 triumph over Nevada.

Everything, maybe, except for a what-the-heck 60-yard field goal try by Justin Ayat that fell short, landing in the end zone, in the fourth quarter. That and the concern over a knee injury suffered by receiver Chad Owens.

But, for the moment, there was visible relief that a Warrior team, badly in need of a pick-me-up after a one-sided battering at Boise State a week earlier, supplied its own early fireworks in a 180-degree turnaround. There was exultation in discovering renewed confidence in not only improving to 4-2 (3-1 in the Western Athletic Conference) but in how it was accomplished.

"What the offense did in that first quarter got the whole team pumped up and ready to get after it," said linebacker Chris Brown. "It picked us all up."

What Boise State had done to UH 58-31, the Warriors laid on the Wolf Pack in spades and with stunning quickness. Faster than you could hum the alma mater on this homecoming occasion, the Warriors were staring with some incredulity at a blur of a 42-point first quarter.

Well, maybe not THAT fast. It took a remarkable 75 minutes to dispense with the 43-play first quarter, but when it was finished it had become one for the books. The record books, that is.

Never before had the Warriors put up some much offense (674 yards) or scored so many points in one period, approaching the NCAA record of 49 by Houston in 1968.

"This is a real explosive offense when we get it going, but — wow— 42 points in one quarter was a lot," said Komine who was responsible for two touchdowns and 238 yards in receptions.

"We had to show our real selves because that wasn't us last week," Brown said . "We're not like what you saw last week. We're a better team than that."

Of that there would be no doubt last night.