After an "embarrassing" first half, it was slots of fun for Hawai'i's four-receiver offense.

Warrior slot receivers accounted for 13 of UH's 21 receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns in their 25-20 come-from-behind win against Central Arkansas last night in the season opener at Aloha Stadium.

Although a wideout, Rodney Bradley, a newcomer from Navarro JC in Texas, made what turned out to be the game-winning catch on an eight-yarder from QB Greg Alexander, it was slot Greg Salas' 66-yard reception to the Bears' 8 that set up the play.

"I thought I had a DB behind me, so I tried to swerve," Salas explained of his jaunt that took him from the left side to the right before being pushed out at the 8. "I would've stayed straight, looking back at it. Once I caught that ball, I wanted to get down the field into field-goal position."

That catch was his team-leading seventh to give him a team-leading 180 yards. With UH trailing 14-2 in the second quarter, Salas scored UH's first TD on a four-yarder from Alexander on a cross over the middle. His 44-yard reception to the UCA 1 three plays earlier put the Warriors in scoring position.

The other busy slot was Kealoha Pilares, who had six catches for 42 yards. His three-yard TD catch from the middle slot (three receivers on the left side) also was caught over the middle in the end zone to put UH ahead for the first time in the game, 16-14, with 8:47 left in the third quarter.

But his last catch of the night was nearly a nightmare, as he fumbled after an eight-yard gain at the UCA 3 with 7:23 left.

The first half was ugly for UH. Alexander was sacked twice, lost a fumble and threw an interception. That the Warriors were able to rally from an inauspicious start was a tribute.

"The offense should be proud of themselves, how they stuck together," UH quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich said. "Now, that first half was borderline embarrassing, the mistakes we were making. Simple things that shouldn't have happened. Luckily, we came out with a win. You gotta respect these Bears, coming out here, giving us all we could handle."

Alexander completed 21 of 32 passes for 304 yards. He also was the Warriors' leading rusher with 16 carries for 76 yards, scrambling out of trouble for first-down yardage. He also had a 23-yard gain, but fumbled after he was hit near the right sideline, turning the ball over to the Bears at their 19. But the defense bailed him out with a series stop and Alexander engineered an efficient five-play, 61-yard drive with his TD pass to Salas.

Alexander said he does not know what led him to run as many times. "I have to look at the film," he said. "Some, I had gone on my own. I really can't tell you."

Because the slots took the bulk of the receptions — even running back Leon Wright-Jackson's four catches was more than wideout Bradley's three. But his third was the most important. He understands his chances will come.

"In this offense, anybody can get open," said Bradley, who had 42 receiving yards. "The slots were clicking, so we kept going to them."