FRESNO, Calif. — Jerry Glanville got what he wanted for his 65th birthday yesterday — soaked.

The University of Hawai'i defensive coordinator got the ritual sports drink shower in the wake of the Warriors' 68-37 victory over Fresno State and took it with a big smile.

"He deserved it," said defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis. "We had a good plan going in and it worked."

A defense that had come up with just seven turnovers in five previous games forced three yesterday, all of which set up scores in helping the Warriors to a 42-17 halftime lead.

Entering the game the defense had been part of the equation in UH ranking 114th (among 119 NCAA Division I-A schools) in turnover margin — the number of turnovers forced (7) vs. the number coughed up (14) — for a minus seven.

But forcing two fumbles by FSU running back Dwayne Wright and safety Leonard Peters' 54-yard return of an interception of a Sean Norton pass for a touchdown turned the tide for the 4-2 Warriors.

"It is not schemes or game plans that win football games but good hitting and we hit like a good football team out there," Glanville said.

"Hawai'i made the big hits," FSU coach Pat Hill said. "I thought they were very physical, the most physical Hawai'i team we've played (in 10 years). I thought they really rallied up to play."

"Those (turnovers) were large," said UH head coach June Jones. "It took away their momentum. And, after the way they (turnovers) had played a part in their earlier losses, I'm sure they had to be thinking about it again."

Peters' pick was one of the biggest, deflating the lift the Bulldogs got when Norton, Fresno's backup quarterback entered the game. Norton, a redshirt sophomore who had not taken a snap, entered the game to cheers from the Bulldog Stadium faithful with 7 minutes, 29 seconds left in the second quarter and FSU down 28-7. He led the Bulldogs to a score, cutting it to 28-14, which UH matched to go up 35-14 with 3 minutes, 38 seconds left.

But after Norton completed three consecutive passes to put the Bulldogs back in UH territory with another scoring threat, Peters read the quarterback's eyes and was off to the races when the ball was thrown.

"He (Norton) was looking left and as soon as the receiver started to break, I knew what it was," Peters said. "They weren't going to give up so we knew we had to make the plays."

"Instead of them getting a score, Leonard takes it the other way and takes them out of it," Jones said. "He's been doing a great job of sucking it up, playing with painful rib cartilage and pushing it to make big plays."

It was Peters' third interception and second for a touchdown this season.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.