AUG. 30: WARRIORS ALLOW BIG PLAYS IN FALLING TO FLORIDA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As the Hawai'i football players walked from the locker room to the sidewalk, where the charter buses were idling, each received rousing applause of encouragement from Warrior supporters.

It was a gesture of appreciation for fighting the good fight, and that lessons are to be learned from seasons that do not have happy beginnings, such as the 56-10 thumping from fifth-ranked Florida.

"You can't give up big plays like that — and scoring plays," said Greg McMackin, who was making his debut as UH's head coach. "Three non-offensive touchdowns? Give me a break. You're not going to win that game. We have to clean that up. That's what coaching's all about. There are only six or seven plays that decide a game, and they got all of them, and we didn't get any of them."

Linebacker Solomon Elimimian, one of four newly named captains, said: "It's disappointing. No matter what happens, you don't ever want to see a score like that."

HAWAI'I 0 0 0 10 — 10

FLORIDA 0 28 28 0 — 56

UF—James 1 run (Phillips kick).

UF—Wright 32 interception return (Phillips kick).

UF—James, B. 74 punt return (Phillips kick).

UF—Rainey 33 run (Phillips kick).

UF—Demps 62 run (Phillips kick).

UF—Murphy 48 pass from Tebow (Phillips kick).

UF—Newton 1 run (Phillips kick).

UF—Black 80 interception return (Phillips kick).

UH—FG Dan Kelly 30.

UH—Greg Salas 13 pass from Inoke Funaki (Kelly kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 4-35; Leon Wright-Jackson 7-33; Inoke Funaki 4-14; Jayson Rego 2-12; Khevin Peoples 1-minus 1; Brent Rausch 1-minus 4; Greg Alexander 5-minus 29. Florida—Demps, J. 2-76; Rainey, C. 6-58; Tebow, T. 9-37; Moore, K. 7-33.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 11-21-2-57; Inoke Funaki 8-11-1-110; Brent Rausch 2-7-1-14. Florida—Tebow, T. 9-14-0-137; Newton, C. 1-2-0-14; Brantley, J. 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Leon Wright-Jackson 4-39; Greg Salas 4-33; Michael Washington 4-18; Jovonte Taylor 2-38; Jon Medeiros 2-32; Aaron Bain 2-7; Malcolm Lane 1-6; Daniel Libre 1-6; Kealoha Pilares 1-2. Florida—Murphy, L. 2-51; Casey, T. 2-36; Cooper, R. 1-14; Moore, C. 1-13; Rainey, C. 1-10; Demps, J. 1-10.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—David Veikune 5-1; John Fonoti 4-1; Solomon Elimimian 3-2; Jameel Dowling 3-2; Ryan Mouton 3-1; Erik Robinson 2-2; Keao Monteilh 2-2; Brashton Satele 3-0; Joshua Leonard 1-2; Adam Leonard 2-0.

SEPT. 6: GRAUNKE, WARRIORS COME BACK FROM THE BRINK

Quarterback Tyler Graunke went from the abyss to bliss in rallying Hawai'i to a 36-17 comeback football victory over Weber State at Aloha Stadium.

The Warriors were down 17-7 at the intermission when Graunke was summoned to open the second half in place of Inoke Funaki, who had suffered a concussion.

Graunke, who received a rousing ovation when he walked onto the FieldTurf, led the Warriors to touchdowns in four of their first five drives of the second half, completing a spectacular comeback for the Warriors (1-1) and himself.

Graunke, who had only three full practices this season, completed 13 of 20 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. He was not intercepted.

"I'm so proud of him," said Greg McMackin, who earned his first victory as UH's head coach.

Graunke has resurrected his career and image after a tumultuous summer. Two days before the start of training camp, it was announced that Graunke would be withheld from team activities until he resolved "academic issues."

WEBER STATE 3 14 0 0 — 17

HAWAI'I 7 0 22 7 — 36

UH—Leon Wright-Jackson 4 run (Dan Kelly kick).

WSU—FG Jon Williams 28 .

WSU—Trevyn Smith 1 run (Williams kick).

WSU—Smith 3 pass from Cameron Higgins (Williams kick).

UH—Malcolm Lane 42 pass from Tyler Graunke (Kelly kick).

UH—Kealoha Pilares 2 run (Kelly kick).

UH—Aaron Bain 8 pass from Graunke (Michael Washington pass from Graunke).

UH—Bain 1 pass from Graunke (Kelly kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Weber State—Trevyn Smith 18-46; Justin White 3-0. Hawai'i—Jayson Rego 9-54; Leon Wright-Jackson 6-34; Kealoha Pilares 10-30; Inoke Funaki 7-20; TEAM 1-minus 1; Khevin Peoples 1-minus 4.

PASSING: Weber State—Cameron Higgins 24-40-2-233. Hawai'i—Tyler Graunke 13-20-0-218; Inoke Funaki 7-14-0-87.

RECEIVING: Weber State—Tim Toone 9-135; Mike Phillips 4-25; Bryant Eteuati 3-34; Cody Nakamura 3-19. Hawai'i—Michael Washington 5-109; Aaron Bain 4-35; Greg Salas 3-68; Malcolm Lane 3-59; Kealoha Pilares 3-24; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-8; Jon Medeiros 1-2.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Brashton Satele 6-3; Calvin Roberts 8-0; Joshua Leonard 5-3; Erik Robinson 5-2; Adam Leonard 4-0; David Veikune 3-1; Solomon Elimimian 3-1; Ryan Mouton 2-1; Keala Watson 2-1; Jeramy Bryant 2-0; Victor Clore 2-0; Jameel Dowling 1-1; John Fonoti 1-1; Desmond Thomas 1-0; Dane Porlas 1-0; Keao Monteilh 1-0; Po'okela Ahmad 1-0.

SEPT. 13: GRAUNKE HURT, WARRIORS STRUGGLE IN LOSS

CORVALLIS, Ore. — In the gloom of the one-sided 45-7 loss to Oregon State, the Hawai'i football team is heading back to the proverbial drawing board.

The question is: Who will be the artist?

The Warriors' third starting quarterback in as many games — right-handed Tyler Graunke, a fifth-year senior — suffered an injury to his right thumb and right wrist. He will undergo X-rays this afternoon, when the Warriors return from the Mainland. They stayed overnight in Oakland.

"I can't move my thumb, or put any pressure on it, like to shake a hand," said Graunke, who exited after the Warriors' second possession of the second half. "I can't grip a ball."

Long before that, the Warriors lost their grip on the game. After running back Kealoha Pilares scooted 16 yards — untouched — to the end zone, capping their first drive, the Warriors did not score again.

The Beavers, who entered 0-2 with the accompanying 110th-rated defense against the run, scored 45 unanswered points.

OSU freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers — the so-called "Quizz Show" — finished with 110 yards on 26 carries.

HAWAI'I 7 0 0 0 — 7

OREGON STATE 7 14 17 7 — 45

UH—Kealoha Pilares 16 run (Dan Kelly kick).

OSU—Jacq. Rodgers 3 run (Justin Kahut kick).

OSU—Shane Morales 8 pass from Lyle Moevao (Kahut kick).

OSU—Sammy Stroughter 15 pass from Moevao (Kahut kick).

OSU—Rodgers 1 run (Sean Sehnem kick).

OSU—FG Sehnem 32.

OSU—James Rodgers 56 pass from Moevao (Sehnem kick).

OSU—Moevao 1 run (Sehnem kick) .

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Kealoha Pilares 8-36; Daniel Libre 5-11; Inoke Funaki 3-8; Jayson Rego 2-5; Tyler Graunke 2-minus 3. Oregon State—Jacq. Rodgers 26-110; Ryan McCants 14-60; Jeremy Francis 4-27; Sammy Stroughter 2-11; James Rodgers 2-5; Moevao, Lyle 2-4.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Tyler Graunke 12-27-2-118; Inoke Funaki 4-8-1-36. Oregon State—Lyle Moevao 20-34-0-268.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Michael Washington 7-71; Greg Salas 3-42; Kealoha Pilares 3-17; Aaron Bain 2-19; Jon Medeiros 1-5. Oregon State—Shane Morales 5-93; Sammy Stroughter 5-42; James Rodgers 3-76; Jacq. Rodgers 3-13.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Keao Monteilh 5-5; David Veikune 4-6; Solomon Elimimian 0-10; Jameel Dowling 3-6; Ryan Mouton 5-2; John Fonoti 1-5; Adam Leonard 1-5; Erik Robinson 1-5; Brashton Satele 0-6; Joshua Leonard 3-2; Calvin Roberts 2-2; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 2-2; Desmond Thomas 1-3; Keala Watson 1-3; Tuika Tufaga 1-2; Mana Silva 1-1; C.J. Allen-Jones 1-1; Tyson Kafentzis 0-2.

SEPT. 27: TURNOVERS DOOM UH IN LOSS TO SAN JOSE STATE

San Jose State's night to remember was Hawai'i's nightmare to forget.

The Spartans made the most of the Warriors' six turnovers — five in the second half — to rally for a 20-17 victory in Aloha Stadium.

The Warriors (1-3 overall) stumbled in their first step toward defending their 2007 Western Athletic Conference championship.

In their somber locker room, quarterback Tyler Graunke said: "We lost as a team. It sucks."

Center John Estes added: "We can't turn the ball over six times. That's what it came down to. They didn't beat us. We beat ourselves."

To be sure, the Spartans took advantage of every second chance.

Jared Strubeck, who had struggled with his placekicks through the season's first four games and three quarters, provided the tying and decisive field goals — from 50 and 47 yards, respectively.

"It felt great," said Strubeck, who entered the game unsuccessful on five of eight attempts this season.

SAN JOSE STATE 7 0 7 6 — 20

HAWAI'I 7 10 0 0 — 17

SJSU—David Richmond 77 pass from Kyle Reed (Jared Strubeck kick).

UH—Kealoha Pilares 34 run (Dan Kelly kick).

UH—Pilares 1 run (Kelly kick).

UH—FG Kelly 37.

SJSU—Jeff Clark 10 pass from Reed (Strubeck kick).

SJSU—FG Strubeck 50.

SJSU—FG Strubeck 47.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: San Jose State—Brandon Rutley 10-44; Yonus Davis 16-33; Ina Liaina 1-6. Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 12-55; Kealoha Pilares 3-43; Inoke Funaki 10-36; David Farmer 1-9; Jayson Rego 1-5; Tyler Graunke 2-minus 17.

PASSING: San Jose State—Kyle Reed 14-28-0-152. Hawai'i—Inoke Funaki 16-27-3-173; Tyler Graunke 5-9-1-52.

RECEIVING: San Jose State—David Richmond 5-83; Jeff Clark 3-27. Hawai'i—Aaron Bain 6-94; Michael Washington 5-19; Greg Salas 3-34; Royce Pollard 2-30; Leon Wright-Jackson 2-12; Kealoha Pilares 1-23; Malcolm Lane 1-12; Daniel Libre 1-1.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Adam Leonard 4-5; John Fonoti 5-3; Jameel Dowling 7-0; Solomon Elimimian 4-2; Ryan Mouton 3-1; David Veikune 2-2; Brashton Satele 3-0; Calvin Roberts 2-1; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 2-1; Desmond Thomas 1-2; Joshua Leonard 2-0; C.J. Allen-Jones 1-1; Fale Laeli 1-0; Keao Monteilh 1-0; Elliot Purcell 1-0; Spencer Smith 1-0; Greg Salas 1-0; Inoke Funaki 1-0; Erik Robinson 1-0; Keala Watson 1-0; Cory Paredes 0-1; Rocky Savaiigaea 0-1.

OCT. 4: WARRIORS OVERCOME ODDS TO UPSET NO. 22 FRESNO

FRESNO, Calif. — Against all odds — and the oddsmakers — against a red sea of smack-barking fans, the Hawai'i football team willed itself to an improbable 32-29 upset of 22nd-ranked Fresno State.

It concluded with Dan Kelly connecting on a 33-yard field goal in overtime. "I didn't even think about it," Kelly said. "I just kicked it."

But there were many storylines that led to the emphatic finish — the Warriors' first road victory over a nationally ranked opponent.

There was the Warriors' defense, which entered as the co-defendant as the nation's worst in turnover margin (17 giveaways against two takeaways). The Warriors forced collected five turnovers — three fumbles and two picks.

There was the resurrected special teams, which produced one touchdown (Ryan Mouton's 90-yard kickoff return) and denied a potential tie-breaking, field-goal attempt (Antwan "Tua" Mahaley's gravity-defying block in the final minute of regulation).

And then there was the offense, and its much-doubted quarterback, which ate up yards and minutes with a revised spread attack.

Quarterback Inoke Funaki was in tears as he sat in front of his locker, absorbing the emotions of his first victory as a starter since the 2001 state high school championship game.

HAWAI'I 9 10 10 0 3 — 32

FRESNO STATE 3 6 13 7 0 — 29

FS—FG K. Goessling 24.

UH—Ryan Mouton 90 yd kickoff return (kick failed).

UH—FG Kelly 36 .

UH—FG Kelly 30.

UH—Malcolm Lane 28 pass from Inoke Funaki (Kelly kick).

FS—Lonyae Miller 7 run (rush failed).

UH—Michael Washington 2 pass from Inoke Funaki (Kelly kick).

FS—Miller 80 run (Goessling kick).

FS—FG Goessling 32.

UH—FG Kelly 41.

FS—FG Goessling 33.

FS—A. Harding 1 run (Goessling kick).

UH—FG Kelly 33.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Inoke Funaki 14-79; Kealoha Pilares 8-58; Daniel Libre 7-31; Leon Wright-Jackson 3-3; David Farmer 1-1. Fresno State—Lonyae Miller 20-161; A. Harding 23-157.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Inoke Funaki 17-25-0-170. Fresno State—T. Brandstater 12-24-3-204.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Michael Washington 6-25; Greg Salas 4-41; Kealoha Pilares 3-22; Malcolm Lane 2-65; Aaron Bain 1-11; Daniel Libre 1-6. Fresno State—Bear Pascoe 4-60.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 8-3; Brashton Satele 3-6; David Veikune 6-2; Keao Monteilh 3-4; John Fonoti 5-1; Erik Robinson 2-4; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 3-2.

Oct. 11: Warriors click in all facets in topping LaTech

For homecoming, the Hawai'i football team brought a potluck of big plays.

The Warriors made an impact in all three phases for a 24-14 victory over Louisiana Tech in Aloha Stadium.

A crowd of 36,765 watched the Warriors win their seventh homecoming game in a row, and improve to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference.

Quarterback Inoke Funaki scored his first touchdown since his high school senior season in 2001 and also threw scoring passes to wideout Greg Salas and slotback/running back Kealoha Pilares.

Funaki had a career-best 224 passing yards on 14-of-26 passing. He was intercepted once.

"It's definitely a better feeling than a loss," said Funaki, who improved to 2-1 as a starter. Both of his victories came against teams nicknamed Bulldogs.

But if this were a pie chart, equal slices of credit would go to the defense and special teams.

Dan Kelly continued his run of focused kicking, converting a 30-yard field goal. He has made five of his last six attempts.

"I wanted to get back to that consistency that everybody expects out of us," Kelly said.

The Warriors' kickoff unit also forced a fumble, which was parlayed into a Funaki's 25-yard scoring pass to Salas. Defensive tackle Keala Watson blocked a field-goal attempt.

And the Warriors' defense forced another three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble. The Bulldogs scored their final touchdown, when running back Myke Compton picked up a fumble in the backfield and ran it in from the 8, with 19 seconds to play.

LOUISIANA TECH 0 7 0 7 — 14

HAWAI'I 7 14 3 0 — 24

UH—Inoke Funaki 6 run (Dan Kelly kick).

TECH—P. Jackson 5 run (B Oestriecher kick).

UH—Greg Salas 25 pass from Funaki (Kelly kick).

UH—Kealoha Pilares 20 pass from Funaki (Kelly kick).

UH—FG Kelly 30.

TECH—M. Compton 0 fumble recovery (Oestriecher kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Louisiana Tech—D. Porter 15-82; P. Jackson 13-49; M. Compton 1-21; R. Stuart 2-19; R. Jenkins 5-11; P. Livas 1-9. Hawai'i—Kealoha Pilares 9-54; Daniel Libre 10-45; Inoke Funaki 12-43; Leon Wright-Jackson 7-24; Michael Washington 1-12; TEAM 1-minus 1.

PASSING: Louisiana Tech—T. Bennett 11-29-2-152; R. Jenkins, R 4-9-0-15. Hawai'i—Inoke Funaki 14-26-1-224.

RECEIVING: Louisiana Tech—P. Livas 6-80; H. Tuminello 2-19; P. Beck 2-8; Adr. Linwood 1-34; A. Harrison 1-12; D. Mitchell 1-8; P. Jackson 1-5; M. Compton 1-1. Hawai'i—Kealoha Pilares 5-52; Greg Salas 3-87; Aaron Bain 2-14; Michael Washington 2-6; Malcolm Lane 1-53; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-12.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 4-3; Erik Robinson 6-0; David Veikune 5-0; Desmond Thomas 4-0; Brashton Satele 4-0; Tuika Tufaga 3-1; Ryan Mouton 3-1; Keala Watson 3-1; Mana Silva 3-0; Adam Leonard 3-0; Keao Monteilh 3-0; Jake Ingram 2-0; Mana Lolotai 2-0; C.J. Allen-Jones 2-0; Jameel Dowling 1-1; Joshua Leonard 0-2; Po'okela Ahmad 1-0; Keahi Watson 1-0; John Fonoti 1-0; Calvin Roberts 1-0; Dane Porlas 1-0; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 1-0; Vaughn Meatoga 0-1.

OCT. 17: BOISE STATE ENDS UH'S HOPES FOR WAC REPEAT

BOISE, Idaho — The Hawai'i football team's quest for a second consecutive Western Athletic Conference title disappeared into thin air.

At 2,704 feet above sea level, the Warriors fell in a self-inflicted 27-7 loss to 15th-ranked Boise State.

The Broncos seized control of the tempo, and then the Warriors, to remain unbeaten in 30 WAC games on college football's only blue turf.

BSU freshman quarterback Kellen Moore threw three touchdown passes, and the Broncos intercepted Inoke Funaki five times, including four picks in the second half.

"We're obviously not in the WAC race anymore," said UH head coach Greg McMackin, whose team dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the WAC.

The Broncos (6-0 and 2-0) had won five WAC football titles through 2006. Last year, they were dethroned by the Warriors' perfect regular season. UH had sealed the title by defeating Boise State in the final WAC game of 2007.

"Last year left a really bitter taste in my mouth," BSU defensive end Mike T. Williams said. "It was at their house, and we had to watch them celebrate. We're used to winning WAC championships around here, and they took it from us."

On the grease board in the Broncos'' meeting room, beneath the word "Hawai'i" was this: "WAC champion."

The Warriors, in turn, treated this as a championship game. Thursday, the Warriors were shown a video of the boxing match between welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

"That's what this (game) was about," McMackin said. "We felt it would be like two guys duking it out."

HAWAI'I 0 7 0 0 — 7

BOISE STATE 3 7 14 3 — 27

BSU—FG Kyle Brotzman 31.

BSU—Richie Brockel 2 pass from Kellen Moore (Brotzman kick).

UH—Daniel Libre 3 run (Dan Kelly kick).

BSU—Julian Hawkins 12 pass from Moore (Brotzman kick).

BSU—Austin Pettis 16 pass from Moore (Brotzman kick).

BSU—FG Brotzman 43.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 7-27; Kealoha Pilares 7-15; Greg Alexander 5-14; David Farmer 2-11; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-1; Michael Washington 1-minus 3; Inoke Funaki 12-minus 9. BSU—Jeremy Avery 9-45; Ian Johnson 12-41; D.J. Harper 4-13; Kellen Moore 4-6; Doug Martin 1-4; Vinny Perretta 1-2.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Inoke Funaki 17-34-5-188; Greg Alexander 3-4-0-44. BSU—Kellen Moore 25-33-0-256; Tanyon Bissell 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Aaron Bain 6-47; Greg Salas 5-75; Michael Washington 3-52; Malcolm Lane 2-21; Royce Pollard 1-29; Jon Medeiros 1-8; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-0; Daniel Libre 1-0. BSU—Vinny Perretta 6-82; Jeremy Childs 5-33; Julian Hawkins 4-34; Austin Pettis 3-42; Kyle Efaw 2-24; Richie Brockel 2-10; Ian Johnson 2-4; Jeremy Avery 1-27.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Jameel Dowling 5-2; Solomon Elimimian 4-3; Calvin Roberts 6-0; Adam Leonard 2-3; David Veikune 2-3; Ryan Mouton 3-1; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 3-1; Joshua Leonard 3-1; Keao Monteilh 2-2; John Fonoti 2-2; Erik Robinson 2-1; Keala Watson 1-2; Desmond Thomas 0-2; Fale Laeli 1-0; Mana Lolotai 1-0; Spencer Smith 1-0; Michael Washington 1-0; Jake Ingram 1-0; C.J. Allen-Jones 0-1; Elliot Purcell 0-1; Mana Silva 0-1; Vaughn Meatoga 0-1; Cory Paredes 0-1.

OCT. 25: ALEXANDER HOOKS UP WITH LANE TO SINK NEVADA

On a seldom-used wing and a prayerful catch, Hawai'i willed itself to a pulsating 38-31 football victory over Nevada at Aloha Stadium.

What remained of a rain-drenched crowd of 33,020 watched wideout Malcolm Lane soar for the decisive 24-yard scoring pass from Greg Alexander with 20 seconds remaining.

"I just wanted to end it right there," Lane said of the catch that broke a 31-all tie. "The team had worked too hard. They didn't deserve to go into overtime. The team was tired. Luckily, the coach called my name."

Two names, in fact, were called. Alexander, who received only a minimal amount of snaps in the past week's closed-to-the-public practices, was summoned in place of woozy Inoke Funaki.

"Hey, whatever works," UH offensive coordinator Ron Lee said. "Inoke was seeing stars. He might have got his bell rung again. ... We tried Greg Alexander. For the amount of reps he got, he competes. It wasn't pretty, but we got what we needed."

The Warriors improved to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. With five games remaining, they need to win at least three to finish with a winning regular season and earn the accompanying berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

NEVADA 7 3 7 14 — 31

HAWAI'I 7 7 10 14 — 38

UH—John Fonoti 9 fumble recovery (Dan Kelly kick).

NEVADA—Colin Kaepernick 61 run (Brett Jaekle kick).

UH—Michael Washington 26 pass from Inoke Funaki (Kelly kick).

NEVADA—FG Jaekle 32 .

UH—FG Kelly 41 .

NEVADA—Vai Taua 79 run (Jaekle kick).

UH—David Farmer 9 run (Kelly kick).

UH—Washington 16 pass from Greg Alexander (Kelly kick).

NEVADA—Marko Mitchell 5 pass from Kaepernick (Jaekle kick).

NEVADA—C. Wellington 34 pass from Kaepernick (Jaekle kick).

UH—Malcolm Lane 24 pass from Alexander (Kelly kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Nevada—Vai Taua 16-160; Colin Kaepernick 18-139; C. Randall 6-9. Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 9-21; Daniel Libre 7-10; David Farmer 1-9; Leon Wright-Jackson 2-2; Inoke Funaki 6-1; Ryan Mouton 1-0; Tyler Graunke 1-0; TEAM 1-minus 1.

PASSING: Nevada—Colin Kaepernick 14-28-0-173. Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 17-22-0-205; Inoke Funaki 6-12-1-84; Tyler Graunke 0-2-1-0.

RECEIVING: Nevada—Marko Mitchell 6-55; Mike McCoy 4-64; C. Wellington 2-53; Virgil Green 1-5; Vai Taua 1-minus 4. Hawai'i—Malcolm Lane 6-63; Michael Washington 5-100; Ryan Mouton 5-58; Daniel Libre 3-23; Greg Salas 2-36; David Farmer 1-10; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-minus 1.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 5-5; Adam Leonard 6-3; Brashton Satele 6-1; Calvin Roberts 6-0; John Fonoti 2-3; Jameel Dowling 4-0; David Veikune 4-0; C.J. Allen-Jones 3-1; Desmond Thomas 2-1; Erik Robinson 2-0; Mana Silva 2-0; Richard Torres 1-0; Kaleo Wong 1-0; Ryan Mouton 1-0; Po'okela Ahmad 1-0; Francis Maka 1-0; Fale Laeli 0-1; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 0-1.

NOV. 1: FORTUNE FROWNS ON WARRIORS IN LOSS TO UTAH ST.

LOGAN, Utah — In analyzing the rubble from the implosion that was the Hawai'i football team's stunning 30-14 loss to Utah State, the most telling segment came in the final minute.

UH's Malcolm Lane was about to complete a kickoff return for a touchdown when, at the "Welcome" mat of the end zone, he lost his grip on the football. Utah State recovered the bouncing ball, triggering the countdown to an against-all-oddsmakers outcome and ensuing celebration.

"It's the sickest feeling," Lane said.

Lane's unforced error had no bearing on the final score, but it was symbolic of a game in which little — except misfortune — went the Warriors' way.

Credit Utah State and elusive receiver-turned-quarterback Diondre Borel for a gritty performance that provided a stay of persecution for embattled head coach Brent Guy. The Aggies (2-7, 2-3 in the Western Athletic Conference) had never won more than three games in each of Guy's first three seasons as head coach.

Borel threw two scoring passes, and he broke away for a 61-yard run to set up a decisive fourth-quarter field goal that sabotaged the Warriors' frenetic comeback attempt.

"I must have hit him eight or nine times, and he took every one," defensive end David Veikune said. "You've got to respect that"

HAWAI'I 0 7 0 7 — 14

UTAH STATE 3 10 7 10 — 30

USU—FG Peter Caldwell 34.

USU—Nnamdi Gwacham 62 pass from Diondre Borel (Caldwell kick).

UH—Michael Washington 34 pass from Greg Alexander (Dan Kelly kick).

USU—FG Caldwell 34 .

USU—Robert Turbin 23 pass from Borel (Caldwell kick).

UH—Alexander 9 run (Kelly kick).

USU—FG Caldwell 21 .

USU—Turbin 6 run (Caldwell kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 7-59; Greg Alexander 9-57; David Farmer 5-17; Inoke Funaki 5-8; Ryan Mouton 1-0. Utah State—Diondre Borel 14-87; Ronald Scott 4-27; Robert Turbin 5-15; Marquis Butler 9-15; S. Morrison 2-8; Josh Flores 1-2; Curtis Marsh 3-minus 4; TEAM 2-minus 5.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 13-27-0-186; Inoke Funaki 6-10-0-47. Utah State—Diondre Borel 14-19-0-223; Setzer, Sean 0-1-1-0.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Malcolm Lane 7-77; Greg Salas 6-71; Ryan Mouton 3-13; Michael Washington 1-34; Aaron Bain 1-33; Daniel Libre 1-5. Utah State—Marquis Butler 3-30; Xavier Bowman 3-24; Robert Turbin 2-31; Otis Nelson 2-26; Nnamdi Gwacham 1-62; S. Morrison 1-22; J. Mitchell 1-20; Curtis Marsh 1-8.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—David Veikune 5-4; Jameel Dowling 6-2; Adam Leonard 6-2; Solomon Elimimian 2-6; Erik Robinson 5-1; John Fonoti 2-3; Keao Monteilh 2-2; Calvin Roberts 2-1; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 2-1; Vaughn Meatoga 0-2; Spencer Smith 1-0; Francis Maka 1-0; Dane Porlas 1-0; Keala Watson 0-1; Desmond Thomas 0-1; Tim Grasso 0-1; C.J. Allen-Jones 0-1; Ryan Mouton 0-1; Tyson Kafentzis 0-1.

NOV. 8: WARRIORS PUT IT ALL TOGETHER TO TOP N.M. STATE

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The philosophy of Dr. Phil — communicate with each other — was the key element in Hawai'i's 42-30 victory over New Mexico State.

By talking the talk, the Warriors walked away with a performance that salvaged their offense, confidence and, most significant, their season.

"We knew we were making strides," UH head coach Greg McMackin said. "We finally put a full game together."

The Warriors improved to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Aggies fell to 3-6, 1-4.

The Warriors, who had struggled offensively in a stunning loss to Utah State the previous week, this time accumulated 447 yards, including 303 through the air.

Greg Alexander's third UH start was his best. He completed 81 percent of his passes (26 of 32) for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown and somersaulted for a two-point conversion. Excluding the four times he was sacked, Alexander had nine scrambles for 47 yards. Five of his rushes resulted in first downs.

"I think Greg has really come along," quarterback coach Nick Rolovich said. "He made smart decisions."

HAWAI'I 14 21 7 0 — 42

NMSU 14 3 7 6 — 30

NMSU—Chris Williams 84 pass from Chase Holbrook (Kyle Hughes kick).

UH—Aaron Bain 17 pass from Greg Alexander (Dan Kelly kick).

NMSU—Williams 23 pass from Holbrook (Hughes kick).

UH—Daniel Libre 4 run (Kelly kick).

UH—Alexander 1 run (Kelly kick).

UH—Ryan Mouton 91 yd interception return (kick failed).

NMSU—FG Hughes 29 .

UH—Kealoha Pilares 6 pass from Alexander (Alexander rush).

NMSU—Williams 83 pass from Holbrook (Hughes kick).

UH—Libre 3 run (Kelly kick).

NMSU—Anderson, M. 23 pass from Holbrook (pass failed).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 13-88; Greg Alexander 13-37; Kealoha Pilares 4-19; Leon Wright-Jackson 1-4; David Farmer 1-2; Jayson Rego 1-1; TEAM 2-mi7-9; Chase Holbrook 9-minus 14.nus 3; Khevin Peoples 2-minus 4. NMSU—Marque Colston 5-11; Tonny Glynn7-9; Chase Holbrook 9-minus 14.

PASSING: Hawai'i-Greg Alexander 26-32-0-288; Brent Rausch 1-2-0-15; Inoke Funaki 0-1-0-0. NMSU—Chase Holbrook 24-38-2-394.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Kealoha Pilares 10-90; Greg Salas 7-91; Aaron Bain 6-64; Michael Washington 3-40; Malcolm Lane 1-18. NMSU—Chris Williams 7-221; M. Anderson 7-91; A.J. Harris 4-18; K. Buckley 3-51; Kyle Nelson 1-8; Todd Lee 1-3; Marque Colston 1-2.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 4-6; Adam Leonard 1-7; Francis Maka 3-3; Erik Robinson 2-3; Jameel Dowling 2-2; Calvin Roberts 1-3; John Fonoti 0-4; Ryan Mouton 2-1; Vaughn Meatoga 1-2; C.J. Allen-Jones 1-2; Desmond Thomas 2-0; Po'okela Ahmad 2-0; 2D 1-0; David Veikune 1-0; Joshua Rice 1-0; Mana Lolotai 1-0; R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 1-0; Joshua Leonard 0-1; Brashton Satele 0-1; Keala Watson 0-1; Elliot Purcell 0-1; Fale Laeli 0-1.

NOV. 22: DOMINANT SHOWING CARRIES UH OVER IDAHO

In a fast-and-furious display, the Hawai'i football team stormed to a 49-17 rout of Idaho at Aloha Stadium.

The expected rainstorm did not materialize, but the Warriors created a shower of power in their most productive game of the season.

"I thought we played a real total game," UH head coach Greg McMackin said.

Hawai'i improved to 6-5 overall and finished with a 5-3 Western Athletic Conference record. The Warriors need to win one of their final two games — Washington State Nov. 29 or Cincinnati Dec. 6 — to finish with a winning regular season and earn the accompanying berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

Hawai'i dominated Idaho in every phase in an efficient performance. It had three one-play scoring drives.

Greg Alexander, in his third consecutive start, passed for three touchdowns, including two to wideout Malcolm Lane. Alexander was 14 of 24 for 264 yards. He was not intercepted, extending his streak to 116 consecutive passes without a pick.

And the Warriors suffocated the Vandals (2-10, 1-7) into 170 total yards (3.0 yards per play).

IDAHO 7 3 0 7 — 17

HAWAI'I 14 14 14 7 — 49

IDAHO—Peter Bjorvik 6 pass from Nathan Enderle (Tino Amancio kick).

UH—Greg Alexander 1 run (Dan Kelly kick).

UH—Malcolm Lane 82 pass from Alexander (Kelly kick) .

UH—Kealoha Pilares 2 run (Kelly kick) .

IDAHO—FG Amancio 52 .

UH—Aaron Bain 3 pass from Alexander (Kelly kick) .

UH—Lane 36 pass from Alexander (Kelly kick).

UH—Daniel Libre 9 run (Kelly kick).

IDAHO—Eric Greenwood 4 pass from Enderle (Amancio kick).

UH—Libre 4 run (Kelly kick) .

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Idaho—Deonte Jackson 17-49; Princeton McCarty 7-26; Corey White 2-10; Max Komar 1-5; Preston Davis 1-minus 3; Chris Joseph 1-minus 10; Nathan Enderle, 11-minus 28. Hawai'i—Kealoha Pilares 5-26; Daniel Libre 7-17; Greg Alexander 8-9; Jayson Rego 2-8; Alonzo Chopp 2-7; Brent Rausch 1-4; David Farmer 1-1; Jake Santos 1-0; TEAM 1-minus 2.

PASSING: Idaho—Nathan Enderle 19-31-3-164; Chris Joseph 1-2-0-6. Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 14-24-0-264; Brent Rausch 3-5-0-22.

RECEIVING: Idaho—Lee Smith 6-47; Preston Davis 3-35; Max Komar 3-26; Daniel Hardy 2-17; Peter Bjorvik 2-16; Jim Reuber 1-14; Marsel Posey, 1-9; Eric Greenwood 1-4; Deonte Jackson 1-2. Hawai'i—Malcolm Lane 4-144; Michael Washington 4-74; Aaron Bain 4-19; Jon Medeiros 2-15; Greg Salas 1-15; Royce Pollard 1-12; Nathaniel Nasca 1-7.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 10-3; Adam Leonard 7-4; Calvin Roberts 5-0; Jameel Dowling 4-1; Keala Watson 4-1; Joshua Leonard 4-1; David Veikune 3-1; Keao Monteilh 3-0; Spencer Smith 3-0; Richard Torres 2-1; Guyton Galdeira 2-1; Desmond Thomas 2-1; Fale Laeli 2-0; C.J. Allen-Jones 2-0; Tyson Kafentzis 1-1; Dan Kelly 1-0; Khevin Peoples 1-0; Cory Paredes 1-0; Ryan Mouton 1-0; Dane Porlas 0-1.

NOV. 29: WARRIORS TOP WSU, WRAP UP HAWAI'I BOWL BERTH

Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin could have danced all night.

In the party that was the UH locker room, surrounded by several defensive players singing, "We Are The Warriors," McMackin broke into a dance to celebrate the 24-10 victory over Washington State and accompanying berth in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

"Great technique," left cornerback Jameel Dowling said.

McMackin smiled, and said: "I think I hurt my knee."

Added McMackin: "I'm proud of our players and coaches. We had our ups and downs, but when adversity hit, we came through. ... It's been a thrill. These players really deserve it. My coaches have worked hard, and they've done it the right way. I'm so proud of them."

In the so-called "Santa Clause," the Warriors are assured a berth in the holiday bowl if they finish with a winning regular season. The victory improved the Warriors to 7-5 entering the Dec. 6 regular-season finale against Big East champion Cincinnati.

Quarterback Greg Alexander, the face of the united offense, completed 19 of 34 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 78 non-sack yards.

And the Warriors' energized defense held the Cougars (2-11) to 196 yards, a mere 3.6 yards per play.

WASHINGTON STATE 0 3 7 0 — 10

HAWAI'I 14 3 7 0 — 24

UH—Greg Salas 19 yd pass from Greg Alexander (Dan Kelly kick) .

UH—Daniel Libre 2 yd run (Kelly kick) .

WS—FG Grasu 26 .

UH—FG Kelly 22.

WS—Tardy 1 yd run (Grasu kick).

UH—Mike Washington 44 yd pass from Alexander (Kelly kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Washington State—Dwight Tardy 3-53; Logwone Mitz 13-52; Brandon Gibson 1-17; JT Levenseller, 4-2; Kevin Lopina 6-minus 4.

Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 14-43; Daniel Libre 11-17; Jayson Rego 4-6; David Farmer 3-2; TEAM 2-minus 5.

PASSING: Washington State—JT Levenseller 6-11-0-53; Kevin Lopina 2-6-0-23. Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 19-34-1-315.

RECEIVING: Washington State—Kevin Norrell, 2-33; Dwight Tardy 2-6; Brandon Gibson 1-18; Ben Woodard 1-14; Jar. Karstetter, 1-4; Logwone Mitz, 1-1. Hawai'i—Greg Salas 7-131; Aaron Bain 5-71; Mike Washington 4-81; David Farmer 2-21; Daniel Libre 1-11.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 6-4; Adam Leonard 5-5; John Fonoti 4-2; Brashton Satele 3-1; Desmond Thomas 2-2; Calvin Roberts 2-2; David Veikune 2-2; Keao Monteilh 1-3; J.P. Davis 2-0; Jameel Dowling 2-0; Richard Torres 1-1; Keala Watson 1-1; Dan Kelly 1-0; Josh Leonard 1-0; Po'okela Ahmad 1-0; Tua Mahaley 1-0; Spencer Smith 1-0; Fale Laeli 0-1; Vaughn Meatoga 0-1; CJ Allen-Jones 0-1.

DEC. 6: WARRIORS RALLY, THEN FALTER IN HEARTBREAKING LOSS TO NO. 13 CINCINNATI

In the silence of the Hawai'i football locker room, running back Daniel Libre grimaced from the pain that did not come from his bleeding left elbow.

A row away, wideout Malcolm Lane used a towel to try to wipe away the emotion from his crimson-colored eyes.

"We gave them the game," quarterback Greg Alexander said of the Warriors' 29-24 loss to 13th-ranked Cincinnati at Aloha Stadium. "We (bleepin') gave away the game."

The Warriors had hoped to disrupt the Bowl Championship Series system that, a week earlier, had extended an automatic invitation to the Bearcats (11-2) as the Big East champion.

The Warriors had rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the first half to hold a 24-10 lead with 12:36 to play.

But Brandon Underwood's 20-yard interception return for a touchdown, Jake Rogers' 44-yard field goal and a safety drew the the Bearcats to 24-22 with 4:59 to play.

Following a free kick, the Bearcats took over at their 31.

Dustin Grutza, who had replaced a woozy Tony Pike, was at quarterback. Grutza had half his weapons; the Bearcats' leading receiver, Dominick Goodman, did not return after being injured on the game's opening possession.

"This is a hostile place to play," Grutza said. "The crowd really got into it. We were down. We had to handle adversity. We had to come through."

The plan was to look to speedy wideout Mardy Gilyard on a boundary route along the right sideline.

Gilyard weaved between nickelback Ryan Mouton, who was playing in front, and safety Desmond Thomas, who was fast approaching.

Gilyard caught the pass, pirouetted away from Thomas and stared at nothing but bare FieldTurf. Gilyard, who is capable of running 40 yards in under 4.5 seconds, sprinted the rest of the way to complete the 69-yard play and give the Bearcats the lead, at 29-24, with 4:42 to play.

"I had to make sure I made a play," Gilyard said. "They gave me an opportunity to make a play, and that's all I could do. That's what we do. We're playmakers. I trust my speed against anybody in the country. Coach (Brian Kelly) called the play, and it was run perfectly."

By then the Warriors, exhausted from their first run to the lead, were out of comebacks. The pocket, which had held up against the Bearcats' powerful pass rush in the third quarter, was now leaky.

"We beat ourselves at the end," Lane said. "We got too conservative. That's what hurts so much. We had the game won. It was right there in our pocket, and then we threw it away. We did everything wrong we could have done."

For the Warriors, small things became magnified. With a little more than three minutes left in the first half, Rogers converted his second field goal of the game, to make it 6-0.

But Antwan "Tua" Mahaley, the Warriors' back-row blocker, was whistled for a personal foul. The ruling was that Mahaley had landed on a Bearcat after leaping to try to make a block.

"I'm not sure about that penalty," Mahaley said. "It's whatever."

The Bearcats opted to discard the field goal, and continue the drive. On the next play, Pike threw 1 yard to wide-open Delbert Ferguson. Rogers' PAT kick made it 10-0.

Dan Kelly's 28-yard field goal just before the intermission made it 10-3, and triggered what would be a 24-point run. UH opened the second half with David Farmer's 1-yard scoring run, which was set up by Lane's 60-yard reception.

"Anything possible that could go wrong, we did," Lane said. "I give a lot of credit to Cincinnati. It wasn't meant to be. They're No. 13 in the nation for a reason."

Alexander said: "The No. 13 team doesn't need much help, and we helped them."

After the game, the sky was filled with a fireworks meant to mark the final regular-season game for 35 UH seniors. It was a symbolic moment.

"We wanted to go out with a bang for our seniors," defensive end John Fonoti said. "I guess it didn't go that way. But we played our butts off."

CINCINNATI 3 7 0 19 — 29

HAWAI'I 0 3 14 7 — 24

CIN—FG Jake Rogers 53 .

CIN—Delbert Fergson 1 pass from Tony Pike (Rogers kick).

UH—FG Dan Kelly 28 .

UH—David Farmer 1 run (Dan Kelly kick).

UH—Malcolm Lane 2 pass from Greg Alexander (Kelly kick).

UH—Jon Medeiros 16 pass from Alexander (Kelly kick).

CIN—Brandon Underwood 20 interception return (Rogers kick).

CIN—FG Rogers 44.

CIN—Drew Frey safety.

CIN—Mardy Gilyard 69 pass from Dustin Grutza (Rogers kick).

STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Cincinnati—Isaiah Pead 8-74; John Goebel 14-49; Jacob Ramsey 2-11; Dustin Grutza 1-4; Tony Pike 5-4; TEAM 3-minus 3. Hawai'i—Daniel Libre 8-36; David Farmer 2-6; Greg Alexander 14-3.

PASSING: Cincinnati—Tony Pike 13-21-2-108; Dustin Grutza 3-7-0-75. Hawai'i—Greg Alexander 28-42-1-275.

RECEIVING: Cincinnati—Mardy Gilyard 7-136; Marcus Barnett 2-9; Charley Howard 2-8; D.J. Woods 1-13; Ben Guidugli 1-12; Isaiah Pead 1-3; John Goebel 1-1; Delbert Fergson 1-1. Hawai'i—Michael Washington 7-64; Daniel Libre 6-34; Aaron Bain 5-34; Malcolm Lane 3-66; David Farmer 3-10; Jon Medeiros 2-36; Greg Salas 2-31.

TACKLES (UA-A): Hawai'i—Solomon Elimimian 6-5; David Veikune 4-3; Jameel Dowling 5-1; Adam Leonard 2-4; Desmond Thomas 4-1; Calvin Roberts 3-2; Brashton Satele 3-1; Ryan Mouton 1-2; John Fonoti 1-2; Guyton Galdeira 1-1; Joshua Leonard 1-1; Fale Laeli 1-1; Dan Kelly 1-0; Dane Porlas 1-0; Richard Torres 1-0; Francis Maka 1-0; Po'okela Ahmad 1-0; Mana Silva 1-0.