FRESNO, CALIF. >> Hawaii slotback Nick Cenacle’s nightmare had a sequel.
A week ago against Washington State, Cenacle lost the ball on a catch-and-fumble play. On Saturday night, Cenacle caught a pass for an apparent first down. But after eluding a Fresno State defender, he was hit and lost the football with 1:49 left and the Rainbow Warriors trailing 20-14.
“The guys rallied behind me,” Cenacle said of UH teammates. “They made sure I was OK. ‘Keep your head up. Keep your head up. We’re going to get you the ball back. Everything will be OK.’ That’s what happened. They had my back. I had to make a play.”
The Warriors forced a three-and-out to give the offense a final shot. But Cenacle dropped a pass on a post pattern in the end zone. But on third-and-goal from the 3, Cenacle took advantage of slotback Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala’s defender-drawing route to free Cenacle in the right flat. Cenacle caught the pass from Brayden Schager to tie it at 20 with 15 seconds remaining. Kansei Matsuzawa untied it with the extra-point kick in the Warriors’ 21-20 victory.
“It was a storybook ending for Nick Cenacle to get that (touchdown) at the end,” Schager said. “He had a fumble and a drop, and he comes back. He doesn’t let it bother him. And he scores the game-winning touchdown at Fresno State. It’s unbelievable. The kid’s a dawg.”
Of being that open, Cenacle said, “It’s the best. It can get in your head, but it’s like another day in the office. It’s the best feeling in the world, getting that catch in the end zone and scoring a touchdown, especially after what happened with the fumble. I was happy to get it back for my boys and get the win.”
Defense locked in
Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene was 25-for-31 but managed only 157 yards. The Warriors held the Bulldogs to 176 yards on 52 snaps (3.4 yards per play).
“It was probably our best overall defensive effort,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. “The guys stayed locked in. … We tackled well. We kept the ball from going over our heads. They stayed in front of us. We had a good pass rush.”
The Warriors were without injured defensive tackles Ezra Evaimalo and Jamar Sekona. “You have to do what you have to do,” Thurman said. “Next man up.”
Positive film session
In the leadup to this once rivalry game, head coach Timmy Chang showed his players videos of the Warriors’ past victories in Fresno.
“All those wins over here,” Chang said outside the visitors’ locker room. “We wanted to show them they can come into a hostile environment and play well and play ball. There were ups and downs, but we got the win.”
At the height of the rivalry were former head coaches June Jones of UH and Pat Hill of Fresno State. Hill now is a color commentator on Fresno State broadcasts. Ahead of Saturday’s game, he met with Chang.
“Pat Hill gave me a hug,” Chang said. “He’s a good guy. Fresno State has such a good program.”
