"Got nuthin' to say," San Jose State quarterback Adam Tafralis grunted on his way off the Aloha Stadium Fieldturf that he had come to know well last night.

Not that you could blame him.

Not on a night when his painful misfortune of meeting the University of Hawai'i defensive line up close and, uh, personal said it all for he and the Spartans in a 54-17 loss.

"All we heard all night was the sound of 'ughhhh' when he was hitting the ground," said defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis who, along with fellow defensive end Melila Purcell, was a regular visitor to the Spartans' backfield. "It was a very good sound, believe me. As a lineman you like hearing it."

Indeed, hearing — and seeing — was believing for the largest home gathering of the season, 29,523. With a season-high tying five quarterback sacks and 10 hurries plus three turnovers, you could say it was a sound performance all right, the best of this 9-2 (7-1 WAC) season for the Warriors who needed it early on before pulling away in the second half for a school-record eighth consecutive same-season victory.

A throwback effort on "Senior Citizen Night," the kind that veteran fans could fondly relate to from earlier eras and should return UH to a place in the national polls later today.

For all the remarkable numbers put up by quarterback Colt Brennan, running back Nate Ilaoa and the offense, who were at their record-setting best again, this night belonged to the dominating defense. The teeth of which was the defensive line. Battered by injuries in recent weeks, the defensive line for the second week in a row took it out on an opponent. One, with just 10 sacks all season, not accustomed to playing the pinata.

Run over in the past, these Warriors instead left the footprints this time, grinding the conference's No. 2 rushing offense (197.9 yards per game) to a sudden halt (82 yards) and then taking a ferocious bite out of the passing game. They stopped the running game cold and then, with the Spartans forced to pass, took that away, too, with constant pressure.

For the past few days defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said he had talked up his unit to a visiting scout from the Chicago Bears. "I told him all about these guys, but it was better that he saw it with his own eyes," Reinebold said.

The defensive line, especially its bookend performers, Alama-Francis and Purcell, "were maybe better than advertised," said San Jose State coach Dick Tomey. Purcell had eight tackles, including 2 1/2 sacks and four quarterback hurries. Alama-Francis four tackles, a sack and three hurries. Nose tackle Michael Lafaele weighed in with a tackle for loss. In all, 10 defensive linemen played and left their mark in this one.

"I was as impressed with the defense as anything," Tomey said. "We knew they were a good offensive team. I thought they were huge defensively, though. There was a huge difference (from 2005) defensively; a major, major difference defensively. Hawai'i just kicking our butts real good. If you can't block guys consistently in football, that's where it gets hard."

And it got hard for the Spartans right from the coin flip, forced to punt on their first four possessions of the game. "We didn't think they were that physical,' said Spartans offensive tackle Matt Cantu. "But they were."

This was the way it used to be for visiting teams all right. This was a throwback game to other eras. Times when Larry Price, Tomey and Bob Wagner stood on the home sideline and watched what havoc UH defenders from Levi Stanley, among a parade of others, did unto visiting quarterbacks and running backs. At one point in the 1980s it was called "Noga-izing."

And last night it was back.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.