Utah State dominates wire to wire in rout of Hawaii football team
ELI LUCERO / HERALD JOURNAL
Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) dives into the end zone as Hawaii defensive backs Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen (29), Matagi Thompson (25) and Kona Moore defend in the second half of an NCAA college football game today in Logan, Utah. The touchdown was called back after Utah State was called for a chop block. Utah State won, 55-10.
LOGAN, UTAH >> Snow flurries greeted the Hawaii football team as its buses drove into the Maverik Stadium parking lot on Saturday.
Then the storm hit.
Utah State scored 24 unanswered points in a dominant first half, then expanded a 21-point lead at the intermission with three touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 55-10 rout.
The outcome eliminated the Rainbow Warriors, 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the Mountain West, from postseason consideration.
Rahsul Faison, who was limited to two carries because of an ankle injury last week, put the hurt on the Rainbow Warriors, producing back-to-back, 37-yard scoring runs in the second half. Faison finished with 191 yards on 20 carries.
Spencer Petras, a seventh-year quarterback who transferred from Iowa this year, was 20-for-30 for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
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Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes’ first two passes went for touchdowns to tight end Josh Sterzer.
The Aggies amassed seven sacks and intercepted five passes.
In UH’s opening drive of the second half, UH quarterback Brayden Schager was rocked by a hit that jarred the ball loose — a play that was ruled an incomplete pass. The senior eventually headed to the training room. It was announced Schager suffered a knee injury and was done for the game. Schager finished 11-for-19 for 124 yards.
Micah Alejado and John-Keawe Sagapolutele took turns as Schager’s replacement. Alejado threw a 44-yard scoring pass to Dekel Crowdus with 5:42 to play.
The Aggies unleashed a flurry of offensive and defensive power in storming to their 24-3 halftime lead.
The Warriors had no early answer for the Aggies, who relied on an effective passing attack mixed with a aggressive ground game.
The Aggies scored on their opening possession, going 71 yards on six plays. But the last 41 yards came on a pass from Petras to Otto Tia.
Tanner Cragun’s 32-yard field goal made it 10-0.
Petras then cashed in with a 16-yard pass to Will Monney on a skinny post to make it 17-0 with 1:06 left in the opening quarter.
The Warriors did not achieve a first down on their first three drives. Their fourth was a two-and-out, with Jordan Vincent intercepting Schager. It was the first of three Schager interceptions in the first half. Torren Union intercepted Schager’s pass that was caught in the thin air. Vincent got his second interception when he wrestled a pass away from UH wideout Jonah Panoke.
UH got on the scoreboard when Kansei Matsuzawa connected from 40 yards, trimming the deficit to 24-3 with 3:35 remaining in the first half.
