Moniz joins elite club
Bryant Moniz became the third University of Hawaii quarterback to pass for at least 10,000 yards in his career. He reached the milestone on a 6-yard pass to Billy Ray Stutzmann in the second quarter.
Moniz passed for 227 yards Saturday, giving him 10,146 in his three-year UH career with four regular-season games and a possible bowl matchup remaining.
Timmy Chang is atop the program’s career passing yardage list with 17,072, and was No. 1 nationally until Saturday, when he was passed by Case Keenum of Houston.
Colt Brennan is second all-time in Hawaii passing yards with 14,193.
Moniz also scored two rushing touchdowns, giving him a team-high eight for the year. His eight scores are the most rushing touchdowns by a UH quarterback since Brennan in 2007.
Offensive line takes a hit
The left side of the UH offensive line had a new look due to injuries to guard Brett Leonard and tackle Clayton Laurel.
Leonard didn’t suit up for the game due to a concussion and Andrew Faaumu started in his place. Laurel suffered an arm injury in the first half and was replaced by Jordan Loeffler. Laurel and Leonard had started next to each other in all eight games prior to Saturday.
The Warriors didn’t give up a sack in the first half, but Utah State caught Moniz three times in the second half for 11 yards in losses.
UH return tandem has good day
Consistently good starting field position produced by return men Scott Harding and Mike Edwards in the first three quarters wasn’t enough to produce a victory for Hawaii.
The tandem averaged nearly 20 return yards on three punts and took six kickoff returns 156 yards. They advanced the ball past the 30 on all but one of those kickoffs.
UH scored on drives from three of those kickoff returns and once from a Harding punt return. Harding’s 37 yards on two punt returns was a career high.
Turbin climbs TD charts
Utah State junior running back Robert Turbin rushed for two touchdowns to give him 44 for his career, moving into sole possession of ninth place on the Western Athletic Conference all-time TD list.
Turbin, who already holds the Aggies’ record for career touchdowns, found the end zone for the 13th straight game dating back to 2009.
Turbin missed the entire 2010 season with a knee injury. He failed to reach 100 rushing yards for just the third time this year, totaling 96 on 15 carries.
His 1-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left secured Utah State’s 35-31 win over Hawaii.
UH kicker Chun sits out
A week after making a game-winning field goal at Idaho, UH place-kicker Kenton Chun didn’t suit up for Saturday’s game due to a nagging knee injury.
With Chun, the reigning WAC special teams player of the week, sidelined, Tyler Hadden handled all of the kicking duties on Saturday.
Hadden made all four extra points, but missed a 38-yard field goal at the end of UH’s first possession of the third quarter. He later made a 24-yarder to give UH a 31-14 lead for UH’s final points of the game and the only three the Warriors scored after intermission.
