The Fresno State football team took the field last night with one of its number, 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Kenny Wiggins, waving a sledgehammer to the crowd.

Maybe if the Bulldogs had thoroughly hammered Hawai'i into the eventual 42-17 submission it wouldn't have hurt as much as the way this one crumbled on a humid night at Aloha Stadium.

Instead, the Warriors fell to their third consecutive loss — and most lopsided home defeat by the Bulldogs in nearly 70 years — before an announced gathering of 35,533 largely on their own array of failings.

A blocked field goal, muffed punt return and two interceptions helped set up 28 of the Bulldogs' points while the Warriors continued to struggle in the red zone, dropped passes, had a touchdown called back by penalty and did not score a touchdown until the final 7 minutes, 25 seconds of the game. All in all much more than Fresno State (2-3) with its stable of high-powered running backs needed to keep the Warriors, 2-3 overall, 0-for-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.

It was that kind of a night for UH, which wore all-green uniforms for the first time since the Fred vonAppen era.

There would be plenty of historical reminders, few of them encouraging. For example, not since 2000, when UH finished 3-9, have the Warriors lost three games in a row. Not since 2005, when they went 5-7, have they started the WAC 0-2.

Notice a theme here?

It is that UH is skidding towards a losing season unless — and how is this for a leap of faith? — it can win five of its remaining eight games.

No enviable task with the Warriors heading to Moscow, Idaho Saturday, where the suddenly 5-1 Vandals will be looking to clinch their first bowl berth in a decade at UH's expense. Then comes unbeaten Boise State and resurgent Nevada in Reno.

Of course, Fresno State was a 10-point favorite and handful enough without UH digging itself a hole.

"I told them at halftime that we've given (the Bulldogs) two touchdowns," UH coach Greg McMackin said.

Actually, UH gave them that and a lot more. The game, probably, for all intents and purposes.

The block of Scott Enos' 43-yard field goal attempt was pretty much a 10-point turnaround seeing as how Ben Jacobs' block and 48-yard return set up Fresno State's touchdown. A 69-yard Fresno State drive and then an interception in the end zone that the Bulldogs drove back 80 yards for a touchdown had UH staring a 21-0 deficit through the second quarter and 28-3 at halftime.

Not exactly the kind of situation you want to ask a first-time starter at quarterback to have to dig you out of. Sophomore Bryant Moniz gave the Warriors all he had in an inspiring 52-pass effort, but it was all UH could do to end a seven-quarter touchdown drought in the fourth quarter.

"There's only been three wins here (by the Bulldogs) since the 60's," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "So, it's not an easy place to win ..."

Well, until last night anyway, when the Warriors helped out a bunch.