No payoff on long kickoff return

For the second time in as many games, UH’s kickoff return unit set up the Rainbow Warriors deep in opposing territory. And for the second time, they couldn’t capitalize on the field position.

Diocemy Saint Juste made his debut as a returner and fielded his first kick with his toes dangerously close to the boundary at the UH 4. The freshman from Florida then burst through a seam before being chased down 78 yards later.

Saint Juste’s return was UH’s second longest of the season, trailing Bubba Poueu-Luna‘s 86-yarder against UNLV two weeks earlier. But just as in the UNLV game, the big return didn’t produce points for UH. Instead, Colorado State returned a Sean Schroeder fumble 73 yards for a touchdown three plays later.

Saint Juste also had a 31-yard return in the second quarter. Colorado State opted for a squib kick after its next score and kicked it out of bounds to open the third quarter.

Harding boots career-long punt

UH all-purpose player Scott Harding kicked a punt 62 yards midway through the third quarter, establishing a career long for the junior. His previous best was a 61-yarder at Oregon State.

The 27-year-old rugby-style punter from Brisbane, Australia, came into the game averaging 40.3 yards on 23 punts. Against CSU, he punted six times for an average of 46.0, and placed two inside the Rams’ 20.

He also had five punt returns for 29 yards and caught seven passes for 82 yards.

Stutzmann back in the end zone

Since returning to the lineup, Billy Ray Stutzmann has been a regular visitor to the end zone.

The senior wide receiver has caught a touchdown pass in each of the past four games since making his season debut against Fresno State on Sept. 28. He extended the streak with a 27-yard reception from Sean Schroeder at the 12:40 mark of the second quarter.

Stutzmann entered the season with five career touchdowns after being shut out last year.

"In the end, you just want to get that win," Stutzmann said. "We do everything we can to help the team. As receivers we try to put points on the board. But coming up short puts a bitter taste in your mouth."

UH running game grounded early

The Rainbows went into halftime with 211 yards, but only 2 were produced by the running game.

Seven of UH’s 15 rushing plays came on first down, including six of UH’s first seven attempts. Other than Schroeder’s 13-yard keeper to open UH’s second possession, the team’s other six first-down runs in the first half generated 4 yards. UH also lost 11 yards on a bad snap on a first and goal at the 10.

The Rainbows finished the game with 32 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

To further illustrate the frustration, Hawaii running back Steven Lakalaka opened the second half with a 3-yard run up the middle. He averaged just 1.7 yards on his seven carries.