With the smallest crowd ever to watch the Hawaii football team at Aloha Stadium, the Rainbow Warriors had hoped to snap a long losing streak tonight against San Jose State.

But the Spartans had other ideas as they won handily 42-23 before a crowd of 11,065 that included more than 9,000 no-shows. It was the smallest crowd to see a UH game since Aloha Stadium was built 40 years ago.

With the win, the Spartans are now 5-6 this season and 4-3 in Mountain West Conference play. Hawaii fell to 2-10 overall and 0-8 in league play. The Rainbows have lost nine straight entering the season finale against Louisiana-Monroe a week from tonight.

This week, it was San Jose State quarterback Kenny Potter who did most of the damage. He threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the football nine times for 54 yards and two scores.

Spartans running back Tyler Ervin rushed 20 times for 114 yards and one touchdown. San Jose State had 509 yards of offense. Hawaii countered with 415. Running back Paul Harris was the workhorse for the Warriors. He rushed for 179 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown. But it wasn’t nearly enough.

After spotting the Spartans 35 points in the first half, the Warriors scored first in the second on a 27-yard touchdown run by Harris. It ended a four-play, 75-yard drive as Rigo Sanchez added the PAT to cut San Jose State’s lead to 35-7 with 13:50 left in the third quarter.

It took the Spartans awhile, but they responded with their sixth touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run by Ervin, his first score of the night. Austin Lopez knocked through the extra point to give San Jose State a 42-7 lead with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter. The scoring drive was 12 plays, 79 yards. The Spartans didn’t have a punt until the fourth quarter.

Hawaii answered with a 77-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ikaika Woolsey to Devan Stubblefield that was tipped up in the air and into the waiting arms of the wideout, who caught the pass in stride, then raced untouched to the end zone. Sanchez made the extra point to cut the lead to 42-14 with 4:26 remaining in the third.

The Warriors defense secured a safety with 11:41 left in the fourth quarter on a sack of Potter in the end zone to make it 42-16. Hawaii added a touchdown late on a 5-yard pass from Woolsey to Makoa Camanse-Stevens. Sanchez hit the PAT to cut the lead to 42-23 with 12 seconds remaining in the game.

Woolsey wound up hitting 13 of 26 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception and picked up a lot of his yardage after the outcome had long been decided.

It was all Spartans in the first half.

San Jose State took the opening drive of the game and went 75 yards on seven plays, with Potter scoring from 9 yards out on a key third-down play. Lopez added the PAT to make it 7-0 with 11:31 left in the first quarter. Potter also scampered 49 yards on a read option early in the drive, his longest rush from scrimmage this season.

After forcing a UH fumble, San Jose State set up shop at the Warriors 45. Seven plays later, they extended their advantage to 14-0 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Potter to Tim Crawley and Lopez’s PAT with 6:23 left in the opening quarter.

Potter came back to throw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Hansell Wilson to culminate a seven-play, 78-yard drive that was extended on a third-down pass interference penalty by Julian Gener. Lopez made good on the extra point to give the Spartans a comfortable 21-0 lead with 1:51 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans added to that advantage on a 5-yard keeper by Potter that was the final snap of an eight-play, 62-yard drive that was extended by an offside by Kennedy Tulimasealii on third down. Lopez hit the PAT to make it 28-0 with 9:45 left in the second quarter.

San Jose State kept at it, scoring again just before the half on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Potter to  Brad Kuh, his first reception of the season. Lopez added the PAT to make it 35-0 with seven seconds left in the half.