Caught in a rush, the Hawaii football team could not overcome 17th-ranked Boise State’s prolific rusher and aggressive pass rush in Saturday’s 28-7 loss at the Ching Complex.
Ashton Jeanty, who entered as the nation’s leading rusher and Heisman Trophy favorite, gained 217 yards on 31 carries. He scored touchdowns on a 54-yard dash and a 5-yard catch.
A potential turning point came when Jeanty, who had not fumbled in his first 120 carries this season, appeared to lose control of the football in the fourth quarter, with the Rainbow Warriors recovering at the UH 5. But after a four-minute video review, it was ruled Jeanty was down, voiding the fumble. On the next play, Maddux Madsen threw to Jeanty, who curled unguarded into the right flat, for the 5-yard scoring play. Boise State’s ensuing 2-point conversion extended its lead to 21-7 with 12 minutes to play.
“It was hard-fought runs by him,” UH coach Timmy Chang said. “We tried to put all 11 bodies on him. A great player. I’m proud of our guys because I think they answered the call to stop a great team.”
The Warriors’ self-inflicted mistakes sabotaged any momentum toward a comeback. UH quarterback Brayden Schager was sacked eight times against a six-in-the-box attack; the receivers dropped six passes, and the Warriors committed 11 penalties for 95 yards.
The Broncos ended the scoring with a 44-yard pass from Madsen to Austin Bolt with 3:39 to play.
Schager, who was 21-for-36 for 264 yards, found little solace — again — in the Warriors’ gritty performance. Schager, a pro-style quarterback who prefers to operate in the pocket, scrambled nine times for 43 non-sack yards. His lone designed run, a 39-yard gain, was wiped out because of a holding penalty.
“I’ve had a lot of those (tough losses) in my career,” Schager said. “It’s tiring to continue to talk about it.”
Schager acknowledged the Warriors “continue to leave a lot of points on the field. I’m going to come up here (to the postgame podium) every time and say it’s my fault every time. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to have guys step up. We’ve got to win man coverage. I’ve got to get protected. And I eventually have to make those plays. I’m going to continue to challenge those guys in the room. ‘Look yourself in the mirror, and see how you want to finish these last six games. I need some dogs in there. And I think we need a mindset switch.’”
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The Warriors entered short-handed in this battle against an opponent that averaged an NCAA-leading 50.6 points and 537.6 yards in their first five games. Wideout Dekel Crowdus and cornerback Caleb Brown were not available because of injuries. In the first quarter, the Warriors lost two of their captains — safety Peter Manuma to an injury and defensive tackle Ezra Evaimalo to a targeting ejection. Medical exams on Manuma were negative.
“It’s tough losing our two starters,” defensive end Elijah Robinson said. “But we have a next-man-up mentality.”
Later, Schager’s favorite target — slotback Pofele Ashlock, who was targeted 61 times in the previous four games — exited after being crushed on a late hit.
Trailing 13-7, the Warriors made two key mistakes in a scoreless third quarter.
On the first series of the second half, the Warriors made a defensive stand, forcing the Broncos to punt from their 11. But Isreal Solomon, who was cleared to join the Warriors two weeks ago, barreled into punter Taren Schive. Solomon was called for roughing, a 15-yard penalty that extended the drive. Although the Broncos eventually punted, they were able to keep possession for more than five minutes.
The Warriors then advanced to the BSU 37, where they faced fourth and 7. The Warriors decided to go for it. But after a UH timeout, wideout Alex Perry was whistled for a false start. The Warriors then opted to punt.
Despite a series of unfortunate circumstances, the Warriors managed to trail only 13-7 at the intermission.
On the game’s opening drive, the Warriors dropped three passes in a row to force a punt.
Their second drive started off with a holding penalty that wiped out Schager’s 39-yard gain on a designed keeper.
Their third possession was boosted when Schager and Ashlock collaborated on a 30-yard catch-and-dash. But the Warriors came away empty, with Kansei Matsuzawa’s field-goal attempt from 39 yards sailing wide right.
Also, there was nearly a 10-minute delay when the back judge appeared to be experiencing respiratory problems. The official eventually walked unaided into an ambulance, where he was taken to the hospital for observation.
The Broncos built a 10-0 lead when Jonah Dalmas, the Mountain West’s career field-goal leader, converted from 24 yards and Jeanty dashed around the right side for a 54-yard score. It was Jeanty’s seventh rush of 50-plus yards.
UH minimized damage when a Madsen pass to Cameron Camper in the end zone was ruled incomplete after a review. The Broncos settled for Dalmas’s second field goal, this time from 23 yards, for a 13-0 lead with 7:06 left in the half.
But the Warriors answered with a 91-yard drive culminating in Schager’s 23-yard scoring pass to Tylan Hines with 3:24 left in the half.
