In the steam and stench of the Hawaii football locker room, coach Norm Chow approached each player, offered a handshake or pat on the back, and gave thanks.

"This was tough," Chow said in the aftermath of Saturday’s 17-16 loss to 25th-ranked Washington at Aloha Stadium. "We played hard. I’m proud of how hard they played."

But a mistake here and there pulled the proverbial string in unraveling the Rainbow Warriors’ upset hopes on opening day.

The game came to a fizzled conclusion when the Warriors, out of timeouts and defensive stops, could not prevent the Huskies from running out the clock.

"Every loss feels like, if we had more time, we could have won," UH wideout Marcus Kemp said. "The defense played great. The offense was doing some good things. We just made some critical mistakes. We fell short, and it hurts. We’re going to make sure this feeling doesn’t come back."

The Huskies were without No. 1 quarterback Cyler Miles, who was suspended for the game, and still were auditioning potential successors to running back Bishop Sankey, now with the Tennessee Titans.

But the Huskies have a Who’s Who of talented players, and their new head coach, Chris Petersen, won 89 percent of his games in eight seasons leading Boise State.

"I think they came into this game thinking that we’re just a Mountain West team against the big Pac-12," UH quarterback Ikaika Woolsey said. "The guys on our team play with a chip on our shoulder. I’d go to battle with these guys any day."

The Warriors gained more yards (424 to 336), and held possession for 34 minutes, 11 seconds.

"The numbers don’t matter," Chow said. "The numbers don’t make a difference."

The Warriors scored the first 10 points, with 245-pound running back Joey Iosefa’s 1-yard rush capping a 10-play drive, and Tyler Hadden’s 28-yard field punctuating an 18-play possession.

"I just feel like our whole team played too tight," Petersen said. "We got off to a bad start, and we were playing not to lose."

But the Huskies’ mood loosened when the Warriors began committing a sprinkling of mistakes.

On third-and-12 from the UH 41, Washington’s Jeff Lindquist overthrew a receiver in the flat. But UH’s Ne’Quan Phillips, who blitzed from his nickelback position, was flagged for striking LIndquist after the pass was released.

"The ref said I had two seconds to ease up," Phillips said. "I don’t really agree with the call. The refs made it. I have to deal with it. … That hurt the team a lot."

Two plays later, from the 20, wideout John Ross got the ball on a reverse, then switched gears, sprinting around the right side for a touchdown, reducing the deficit to 10-7.

"On the reverse," UH defensive coordinator Kevin Clune lamented, "we should have had a guy right there."

The Warriors had a chance to pad the lead after advancing to the Washington 9. When Iosefa was stopped for no gain on third down, Chow signaled for a timeout. The ensuing sideline conversation did not include any talk about a field-goal attempt.

"We’re trying to win every football game we can," Chow said. "Gosh, dang, I thought going for it on fourth down surprised them a little bit."

Woolsey pitched to Kemp, who rolled to his right and tried to throw to tight end Harold Moleni. The pass short-hopped Moleni, who was open in the end zone.

"I got hit right when I threw it," Kemp said. "I can’t blame that. I didn’t throw it correctly. I’m not a quarterback. I tried my hardest, and it didn’t work out. Maybe I’ll get another chance to be a quarterback."

The Huskies took over at their 9, and the Warriors went to a four-deep zone. "The defense that was called was one of our safest calls," Clune said.

Lindquist, who had not thrown a pass in his previous two years at Washington, lofted a long throw downfield. Ross, on a deep-post pattern, split between cornerback Dee Maggitt and safety Trayvon Henderson. In that coverage, the corner is supposed to establish inside leverage — like a basketball defender protecting the lane — but it appeared Ross maneuvered when Maggitt was transitioning from a back-pedal to a sprint.

"I thought it was overthrown," Clune said.

But Ross, who can sprint 40 yards in 4.29 seconds, chased down the pass, then zipped the rest of the way for a 14-10 Washington lead.

"It was beautiful," Petersen said. "I know we can do some of that. It doesn’t need to be all the time."

With 34 seconds remaining in the first half, Cameron Van Winkle converted a field goal from 36 yards, extending the lead to 17-10. The Huskies would not score again.

UH kicker Tyler Hadden tried to cut the deficit, but his field-goal attempt struck the left upright with two seconds left before the intermission. Hadden hit two field goals, including a 27-yarder with 12:42 left in the fourth quarter. But the Warriors would not get into scoring range after that.

There appeared to be a chance when Woolsey tried to dive for a first down at the end of a scramble. The officials ruled he was 3 yards short, although it appeared he stretched close to the first-down marker. The Warriors did not protest.

"I felt in my heart I made it," Woolsey said. "I felt my foot was in. I don’t call the game. I just play ball. If the refs are going to make a call, that’s the call they’re going to make."

Woolsey, a sophomore, was making his second career start. He appeared relaxed in the pocket as the Huskies gave cushion. The corners were aligned 10 yards off the receivers, the safeties were 15 yards deep. But Woolsey did not take the dare, and patiently threw to the flats and under routes.

The Warriors also were able to overcome two key losses: tight end Jordan Pu‘u-Robinson, their best receiving tight end, left with a sprained ankle; center Kody Afusia, who makes the blocking calls, suffered a hand injury on UH’s second possession.

For the most part, the Warriors made the right moves. Clune’s defense shut out the Huskies in the second half.

Still, Clune said, "If our offense scores 16, we’ve got to find a way to hold them to 15. That’s our job."