If anybody from the Hawaii Bowl was at tonight’s Mountain West Conference football game at Aloha Stadium, those folks are hoping the University of Hawaii doesn’t get bowl eligible after Nevada’s 40-22 victory before a stunned crowd of 22,272.

That’s how poorly the Rainbow Warriors played in all phases of the game as they dropped to 6-3 for the season and 3-1 in league play. The Wolf Pack are a level 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference action after a game they dominated across the final three quarters.

After falling behind 14-10 at the end of the opening period, Nevada outscored Hawaii 30-8 the rest of the way. The Wolf Pack also had three touchdowns called back because of penalties. Nevada running back Toa Taua had 126 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown, while quarterback Ty Gangi completed 20 of 28 passes for 218 yards and one score.

Elijah Cooks caught the one touchdown pass and also had a 40-yard run for a score to key the Wolf Pack attack. Kaleb Fossum had six catches for 86 yards as the Wolf Pack rolled up 481 yards of total offense against a defense that isn’t very good. The only thing worse might have been the play-calling by coach Nick Rolovich, who inexplicably went for two onside kicks early and several unsuccessful fourth-down calls that put the UH defense on its heels.

With UH trailing by 12 to start the final quarter, Nevada put it out of reach with a 13-yard touchdown run by Taua that culminated a nine-play, 81-yard drive. Ramiz Ahmed added the PAT to give Nevada a 33-14 lead with 10:33 remaining. Hawaii scored on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cole McDonald to JoJo Ward and converted the 2-point conversion, but Nevada put another score on the board after another failed onside kick by UH with a 6-yard touchdown run by Devonte Lee, his second score of the game. Ahmed made the PAT to make it 40-22 with 59 seconds left.

Hawaii began the second half down 20-14 and fell further behind in a hurry on a lateral from Gangi to Cooks, who went untouched for 40 yards and the score. It culminated an impressive eight-play, 80-yard drive that put Nevada in control. The try for 2 failed, but no matter, the Wolf Pack had scored 16 unanswered points to turn a 14-10 deficit into a 26-14 advantage with 9:18 left in the third quarter.

Hawaii came back with a strong drive of its own, set up by a 30-yard pass play from McDonald to Ward that made it first-and-goal from the 8. But four plays later, UH failed on a 3-yard pass attempt from McDonald to John Ursua that fell incomplete. Ursua caught seven passes for 123 yards and one score. McDonald completed 19 of 37 for 259 yards and three scores, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

After each team had to punt, Hawaii received another huge break on a muffed punt that the Warriors recovered at the Nevada 18. But McDonald was sacked for a 10-yard loss on first down that put UH behind the sticks and eventually led to another failed fourth-down pass as Nevada ended the quarter in firm control.

The first two scores of the game were the results of poor special teams play. Hawaii benefited first on a muffed punt that was recovered by long snapper Noah Borden at the Nevada 28. It led to an 8-yard touchdown pass from McDonald to Cedric Byrd. Ryan Meskell added the PAT to give UH an early 7-0 lead.

But momentum switched sides of the field when UH tried and failed on an onside kick leading to a 23-yard field goal by Ahmed, who later added a PAT after Nevada took a 10-7 lead on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Gangi to Cooks that appeared to be the last scoring of the opening period.

But UH had other plans as McDonald hit a streaking Ursua down the middle of the field for a 70-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first quarter Meskell knocked through the PAT to make it 14-10 UH in an action-filled first quarter.

On the touchdown pass, Nevada was called for a face-mask penalty that gave UH another shot at an onside kick. This one failed just as miserably as the first and led to a 27-yard field goal by Ahmed that cut the Warriors’ lead to 14-13 with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

Nevada scored again on a 5-yard touchdown run by Lee. The score was set up after UH failed to convert a fourth-and-2 call near midfield after UH receiver Jason-Mattthew Sharsh dropped a wide-open pass on the previous play. It gave Nevada another short field and the Wolf Pack took advantage of it, Ahmed adding the PAT to give Nevada a 20-14 lead with 6:24 left in the quarter.

--
More UH football coverage