"Happy," as he is called for obvious reasons, got two takeaways that resulted in touchdowns in the first half in his first start of the season. All on his 23rd birthday.

"I got a couple birthday presents today," said the 6-foot, 197-pound senior from Albuquerque, N.M.

The turnovers were indeed presents.

Late in the first quarter, he recovered fullback Ed Bailey's fumble, which was caused by inside linebacker Chad Kalilimoku, at the UH 43. That, and Jeremiah Cockheran's diving 54-yard reception, led to an 8-yard TD pass from Tim Chang to Gerald Welch that put the Warriors ahead, 14-0.

On Rice's ensuing series, Gilmore alertly hauled in a pass off a Rice receiver's hands at the Owls' 32 with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. That turnover was eventually cashed in on Welch's second TD reception of the game, a 10-yarder from Chang that made it 21-0 with 14:10 left in the half.

"The thing popped up in the air and I was just lucky to be right there and catch it," Gilmore said.

Last year, the Warriors defense gave up four touchdowns in a 33-28 win at Rice.

Rice wide reciever Marcus Battle out jumps Warrior Abraham Elimimian (37) and sprints 63 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Warriors' defense has been on a roll since the second half of last week's loss at UNLV. The only touchdown UH has allowed in the past six quarters came midway through the second quarter. And even that was questionable, as replays showed that receiver Marcus Battle did not break the plane of the goal line to score on a reverse from five yards.

Gilmore wasn't the only happy Warrior. Cornerback Abraham Elimimian, started off slow, but made key plays after intermission to help shutout the Owls in the second half. He said the interception was sort of redemption for a first-half play in which he misjudged Henderson's pass that resulted in a 69-yard play to Battle that put the ball at the UH 5 and set up the Owls' only offensive TD.

"I was in position, but I just jumped early," Elimimian said. "Rice is a good team and they've been throwing our side every time. I was so down on myself."

But Elimimian, a 5-10, 173-pound junior from Los Angeles, used his speed to rush from the right side to block a potential game-tying 37-yard field goal attempt by Brandon Skeen. It would be the closest the Owls would come to scoring in the second half.

"I have a knack for blocking field goals," said Elimimian, who tied a school record with two blocked field-goal attempts in last year's Hawai'i Bowl. "It's something I do very well. I told Kelvin (Millhouse) I was going to get it. It was the least I could do because I didn't play as well as I would've liked."

Elimimian later had an interception, one of three by the Warriors on the night. That made his night because he said UH coach June Jones emphasized turnovers.

"It was one of the best things I ever felt," Elimimian said of the interception, his first of the season and fourth in his career.