An announced crowd of 25,551 at Aloha Stadium saw running back Michael Brewster weave 8 yards for the decisive points, safety Leonard Peters make the game-winning defensive play, quarterback Tim Chang return to glory with five scoring passes, and freshman receiver Jason Rivers break out with seven catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

But the nationally televised game also will be remembered for an ugly brawl between the teams in which tempers flared, and punches and helmets flew.

While police and coaches tried to restore calm on the field, several spectators pelted Houston players with trash as they approached the tunnel leading to the locker room. Police said there were no immediate arrests, although several complaints were filed.

Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier said he will review videotapes of the fight "to see what happened. There's no place for that in collegiate sports. We all know that. Everybody has to be able to keep their emotions under control and be able to walk away with good sportsmanship."

Houston coach Art Briles also vowed to review the matter "and see what got it going and who got it going."

He added: "That's what happens when you don't mind your own business."

The fight smudged what should have been a grand conclusion to the Warriors' longest game and season. There were six ties the most significant at 34, after Cougar wideout Vincent Marshall turned a short pass into an 81-yard scoring play with 22 seconds remaining in regulation.

The 5-foot-7, 170-pound Marshall said he made eye contact with quarterback Kevin Kolb after a Warrior linebacker vacated an area in the middle. "I knew (Kolb) would throw it to me," Marshall said. "I knew there was nobody but me and the safeties. I wasn't worried about the safeties. They weren't too fast."

Although Dustin Bell made the ensuing — and tying — extra-point kick, Houston's Briles said: "I probably should have gone for two right at the end because we had momentum and we were an underdog and I made a coaching mistake in my opinion. I should have tried to finish it right there, get on the plane and go home happy."

The Cougars only were in that position because, 36 seconds earlier, the Warriors' Nolan Miranda hooked a field-goal attempt from 29 yards that would have widened the lead to 10 points.

"The snap was a little bobbled," Miranda said. "It happened throughout the night, but it shouldn't bother me. I just opened up my body."

In defense, holder Jason Whieldon — Hawai'i's starting quarterback — dislocated his left shoulder on the first play of the second quarter. As the Warriors' only holder, the right-handed Whieldon said, "I was willing to do anything. I just sucked it up."

But Whieldon, who completed 3 of 5 passes for 52 yards, was not able to play quarterback.

The Warriors turned to Chang, who had started all but two of the 13 regular-season games.

Chang adjusted instantly. His first play was a 48-yard scoring pass to Clifton Herbert. Chang, a fourth-year junior, finished 26 of 42 for 475 yards. In the process, he moved into third place in the NCAA career passing list with 12,814 yards.

In the overtime periods, in which each team receives a possession 25 yards from the goal line, Chang was at his most efficient, throwing two scoring passes.

His first was an 11-yarder to Britton Komine in the first overtime, giving the Warriors a 41-34 lead. Komine played left slotback in place of Chad Owens, who did not play because of a sprained big toe on his left foot.

The Cougars tied it at 41 on Anthony Evans' 6-yard run in the first overtime, then went ahead 48-41 on Jackie Battle's 4-yard run in the second extra period.

But the Warriors tied it when Chang threw 18 yards to Rivers, who celebrated his third scoring reception by striking a pose in the end zone.

"Me and Jason have a tight relationship," Chang said. Both are graduates of Saint Louis School.

"We practice when nobody else is practicing," Chang added. "I take him home if he doesn't have a ride home. He's going to be a special player to watch in the years to come."

But the Warriors were not done. On third-and-6 from the 21 in the third overtime, senior wideout Jeremiah Cockheran made a leaping catch for a 13-yard gain and a first down.

On the next down, Brewster took a handoff on a power sweep to the right and juked his way for an 8-yard touchdown.

As he entered the end zone, Brewster, a native of Houston, recalled "feeling a whole lot of relief. It feels good to score a touchdown, period. It's even better in overtime."

In accordance with NCAA rules, the Warriors were required to go for two points beginning in the third overtime.

Chang's conversion pass was intercepted.

"We sent our defense out there," Brewster recalled, "and told them, 'Win this game.' "

Two Houston rushes netted 5 yards — gains that were negated by an ensuing false-start penalty. Kolb's 5-yard pass to Brandon Middleton set up a fourth-and-5, from the 20.

The next pass was designed to go into the end zone, but with the deep patterns covered, Kolb spotted Marshall near the right sideline. Marshall caught the pass, for a 2-yard gain, before being knocked out of bounds by Peters.

"I happened to be open, but I didn't get my 5 yards," Marshall said. "I didn't get far enough to get the first down. I thought I caught it about where the first down was, but they pushed me out, and I didn't make it."

Peters said: "I was looking toward the first-down (marker), and I noticed he was trying to run up field. I pushed him out, and the game was over. He wasn't my guy. He was somebody else's guy. But he was wide open and the quarterback was looking at him a long time. I picked him up."

It was the 12th tackle for Peters, who started only because the Warriors switched from the usual 4-3 alignment to a nickel defense involving five defensive backs.

Peters, a sophomore, said the underclassmen wanted to deliver a parting Christmas present to the eight senior starters on defense.

"We wanted to send them out on a good note," Peters said. "Some of them won't play again. Some of them will go to the (National Football) League. But for some, this is just memories to tell their kids. We wanted to give them good memories."

Keani Alapa, a senior linebacker, said, "It felt so good. We had so many seniors on defense, and we wanted to win it on defense, on that last play."