On homecoming night, the Hawaii football team brought back its grit and scrappiness for a 34-13 victory over Nevada at the Ching Complex.
A crowd of 9,538 saw quarterback Brayden Schager rush for 120 yards and four touchdowns, the defense force consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter, and the Rainbow Warriors solve all their recent ills in improving to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Mountain West. It was the Warriors’ first victory over an FBS opponent in six games.
“It feels awesome,” Schager said. “It’s great to turn the tide and get the win and get us on a roll.”
The Warriors unveiled new editions to the playbook, calling up blitzes in short-yardage situations, introducing a tight end to the goal-line package, and unleashing a running attack.
“We had to figure out ways to win, that’s what it comes down to,” UH coach Timmy Chang said. “It was a little bit outside the box, and that’s a good thing. Our style can be what it is.”
On Schager, Chang said, “He’s good. He can run, he can throw. He does a really good job.”
In the previous three games — all losses — the Warriors squandered red-zone opportunities and fell short in third-down situations.
But they vanquished those problems on their first two drives. With tush-push help from teammates, Schager scored on 1-yard sneaks to stake the Warriors to a 14-0 lead, their largest against an FBS opponent since going up 10-0 on UCLA on Aug. 31.
“It’s my favorite play in football,” Schager said of the tush push, in which teammates shove him forward. “I love it. I think it exemplifies our team. That’s the toughness of our team. Win or lose, we’re going to the toughest team out there, and we’re going to fight, and it was awesome to get that O-line moving. Really, they do everything. I’m just trying to do my part and hold the ball.”
The Warriors converted their first three third-down plays, and six of their first 10.
On his third touchdown, Schager ran a yard, was hit by defensive lineman Nelson Ropati, pirouetted free and went the final 2 yards across the goal line. Schager then was knocked to the ground, hit again by defensive end Henry Ikahihifo, and struck by defensive back KK Meier. Schager stood and pumped his arms in front of the UH student section.
“That was an unfortunate series of events,” Schager said. “They didn’t call the play dead, and somebody jumped on me. It’s football at that point. I’m happy we got the touchdown, and ultimately the win.”
Schager’s 6-yard keeper extended the Warriors’ lead to 31-7 with 14:07 left to play. Schager became the first Warrior to score four touchdowns in a game since running back Alex Green in 2010.
“Never in my life,” Schager said of scoring four touchdowns. “Not as long as I’ve played. That’s pretty cool. That will be an awesome thing to remember, for sure.”
Schager threw for 153 yards, ran for 135 adjusted yards on non-sack scrambles and keepers, and aced all the critical-thinking tests.
On a third-and-10, Schager rolled out of the pocket, stepped back into it, and fired a 17-yard pass to wideout Jonah Panoke. While being grabbed by the ankle, Schager threw a pass out of bounds to preserve the line of scrimmage. Instead of his usual cleat-first slides, Schager finished scrambles with dives for bonus yardage. After a 7-yard gain on a third-down run, Schager was struck on the helmet by Nevada’s Chad Brown, who was ejected.
Nevada had hoped dual- skill quarterback Brendon Lewis would be available after being rocked several times against Fresno State a week earlier. Lewis practiced on Friday and participated in pregame warmups, but it was decided he would not be used on Saturday. Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of San Franciso 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, made his first start of the season. AJ Bianco, a Saint Louis School graduate who once committed to — and de-committed from — UH, also received a turn at quarterback for the Pack.
When Nevada found success with the dive play, in which left guard Tyson Ruffins opened up a hole by zone blocking a defensive lineman, the Warriors countered with an additional fifth D-lineman.
Near the end of the third quarter, Nevada went for it on fourth and 1 from its 28. But Purdy’s keeper was stopped by defensive tackle Daniel “Sauce” Williams and linebacker Logan Taylor. The Warriors took over on downs, and four plays later, Schager had his fourth score.
After Marcus Bellon made his second scoring catch and Nevada recovered the ensuing onside kick. Purdy fired a 31-yard pass to Cortez Braham. Cornerback Cam Stone then knocked the football free from Braham, and safety Meki Pei recovered at the UH 10 and ran 22 yards with 5:38 to play.
The Warriors entered ranked 127th nationally (out of 133 FBS teams) with an average of 83.9 rushing yards per game. They gained 191 rushing yards — a total adjusted to 200 when excluding sacks.