When the University of Nevada cheerleaders paraded through the north end zone at Aloha Stadium waving their blue-and-white Wolf Pack flags after a first-quarter touchdown Saturday night, the display drew a robust round of boos from the Hawaii partisans in the stands.

So did a repeat after the second, third and fourth touchdowns.

But by the time the sixth, seventh and eighth scores were registered in the third quarter, amid a run of 42 unanswered points, there was nary a futile peep to be heard in Halawa.

By the time the ninth and 10th touchdowns were rung up in the fourth quarter of a 69-24 thumping of the Warriors, there were too few resigned remnants of the original 29,002 to matter.

It was the most points given up by UH at home since a 74-20 loss to Stanford on Jan. 2, 1950. To put it in perspective, UH coach Norm Chow was 3 years old then.

Not exactly the kind of one-for-the-books Mountain West Conference debut the now 1-2 Warriors had hoped for on opening night.

No, the memories from this one — the happy ones, anyway — will belong to Nick Rolovich, Chris Ault and Stefphon Jefferson, not necessarily in that order.

It was the return of Rolovich, the former UH quarterback and current assistant coach as the Wolf Pack’s offensive coordinator. Perhaps not since Rolo stuck 72 points on Brigham Young in 2001 has there been this kind of a track meet here. And he didn’t have to turn the Wolf Pack playbook inside out to accomplish this blowout of historic proportions, either. No mad scientist machinations were required to give Nevada its first win at Hawaii since 1948 and Ault his first against the Warriors here.

All they had to do was make sure quarterback Cody Fajardo handed the ball to the running back Jefferson, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior. And kept handing it to him as Jefferson scored six of his seven touchdowns on the ground weaving through the defense for 170 yards on 31 carries. "Our bread and butter," Rolovich said.

Jefferson tied an NCAA record and drew comparisons with the great UH tormentors of the past: Marshall Faulk, Ron Dayne and LaDainian Tomlinson. None of them did as much damage in a single game, however.

For all the cuts Jefferson made through the defense, the unkindest might have come unintentionally afterward. "After the last week’s game, I’m used to (the gaping holes) now," Jefferson said.

The opponent was Northwestern State.

And while Jefferson managed 247 yards in that one, he only got two touchdowns in an eventual 45-34 victory.

Not exactly the kind of comparisons UH was looking for as it stepped into a new conference and new era.

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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.