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Kalani Takase | ScoringLiveOctober 2, 2021, 10:28pm
Sat, Oct 2, 2021 @ TC Ching [ 5:00 pm ]
MANOA — The University of Hawaii football team picked up its second win in as many weeks with its 27-24 win over No. 18 Fresno State at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex Saturday night.
The Rainbow Warriors (3-3 overall, 1-1 Mountain West) got a season-best six takeaways from their defense, including four interceptions, to end a three-game win streak for the Bulldogs (4-2, 1-1).
Khoury Bethley led the way for the UH defense with nine tackles, including six solo stops, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble. Cortez Davis also recorded a pick, as did Hugh Nelson, whose interception in the closing seconds — at UH's 2-yard line — sealed the victory.
Freshman Brayden Schager made his first career start at quarterback in place of Chevan Cordeiro, who was suited up but did not play. Schager completed just 11 of the 27 passes he threw, but threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to set-up the eventual game-winning 33-yard field goal by Matthew Shipley to give the ‘Bows a three-point lead with 3:33 left to play.
"I'm so proud of our guys. I'm so proud of our team," UH coach Todd Graham said. "Most people didn't know all week (that) Chevan was that hurt in the last game, so we knew all week that we were gonna have a freshman quarterback starting and we had a lot of confidence in him, like I've told you all along, and I'm just really, really proud of him, but, man, what just an incredible team win.
Schager's 26-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Phillips came on a third-and-4 and halted a string of 24 consecutive points by Fresno State to answer an early 10-0 Hawaii lead. The touchdown pass came four plays after Haener was intercepted by Bethley.
After the Bulldogs turned it over on downs on their ensuing possession, Hawaii marched 60 yards in six plays, capped by an 18-yard TD pass from Schager to Calvin Turner Jr. Dae Dae Hunter's 24-yard run off right tackle on the second play of the drive got UH into Fresno State territory.
"I really liked the way our team responded. Chevan is a leader on our team … and so that's a big loss not having him be able to play and the way they embraced Brayden, the way he played tonight I'm very, very impressed with the young freshman in that type of setting, against a ranked team, he really played well," Graham said of the 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman, who was playing his senior year of high school football at Highland Park (Dallas) a year ago.
Shipley's PAT tied the score at 24 with 7:05 to play.
Fresno State then saw its next drive stall with a lost fumble after Haener was sacked by Bethley, who jarred the ball loose and Jonah Laulu recovered it for the ‘Bows.
"He played as good a football game as I've ever seen a defensive player play," Graham said of Bethley.
UH eventually recycled the fumble into Shipley's go-ahead field goal, his second on the night; his first, a 34-yarder, gave UH a 10-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter.
Turner opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD run to finish off an 11-play, 72-yard drive that spurred from Kai Kaneshiro's recovery of a Bulldogs fumble forced by Nelson on the fourth play from scrimmage.
Fresno State pulled ahead with a couple of Haener TD passes to Zane Pope to take a 14-10 lead at halftime.
Haener hooked up with Jalen Cropper for a 35-yard scoring strike early in the third quarter and the Bulldogs took their largest lead at 24-10 on Cesar Silva's 48-yard field goal with 4:29 until the final stanza.
Haener finished 28-of-50 passing for 388 yards. He had thrown just two picks entering the weekend and was the FBS' leader in passing yards.
Pope finished as the game's leading receiver with five catches for 113 yards and two scores. Ronnie Rivers ran for a team-high 74 yards on 15 carries and added six receptions for 59 yards in the loss.
Hunter carried 21 times for 127 yards, while Turner recorded 113 all-purpose yards (59 rushing, 41 receiving, 13 kickoff returns) and two touchdowns.
Schager finished with 116 yards through the air and no interceptions.
UH ended a streak of 13 straight losses against ranked teams. It was the ‘Bows first win over a nationally ranked team since it defeated No. 19 Nevada, 27-21, on Oct. 16, 2010 at Aloha Stadium.
"I mean, I was just sitting there amazed at the heart that these guys played with all the way down to the very end, to the last interception, so really, really proud of our guys, to knock off (the) No. 18 (team) in the country tonight and I just love how our guys came together," Graham said.
Hawaii is now 15-15 against Fresno State in games played in Honolulu, but still trails the all-time series 29-24-1.
Bethley said that last year's 34-19 win over the Bulldogs in Fresno provided a blueprint for success and a boost of confidence.
"That's a really great team we just played and they played their butts off, but I think we had a really great game plan for them tonight," he said. "We knew, last year, we was able to get him to throw us a couple (interceptions), so we thought if we could disguise some coverages, just like we did last year, we could cause some turnovers and some havoc and we was able to execute that tonight."
It was UH's first home win over the Bulldogs since the 2007 season.
The ‘Bows improved to 11-46 all-time versus ranked teams.
Hawaii has a bye next week before playing at Nevada on Oct. 16.
BULLDOG CONNECTIONS TO THE 808
Saturday's game was designated as homecoming night for the ‘Bows, but one of their (few) alumni in attendance at the Ching Athletic Complex could be found on the Fresno State sideline in graduate assistant Jordan Loeffler, a 2009 graduate of Hilo High.
After he completed a decorated prep career with the Vikings, Loeffler went on to play three years at UH, where he earned his bachelors degree in sociology in 2014.
Loeffler coached at Hilo from 2014 to 2016 before stints at Northland College (Minn.) and Pacific University (Ore.). Loeffler coached the Boxers' running backs in 2018 and in 2019 he oversaw the tight ends before matriculating to Fresno State, where he is in his second season as an offensive graduate assistant working with the offensive line.
Another member of the Bulldogs' coaching staff, Roman Sapolu, has a connection to Hawaii football. His father is UH great Jesse Sapolu, who famously was a part of four Super Bowl-winning San Francisco 49ers teams.
Also, Bula Schmidt, who started at center for Fresno State, lists Wahiawa as his hometown on the team roster, although he went to high school in Washington.
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