SEATTLE >> Miles Reed, the smallest Rainbow Warrior, was determined to play big.
With the University of Hawaii football team without its top running back and down 38-0 in the second quarter, the 5-foot, 8-inch, 190-pound Reed scored the ‘Bows first two touchdowns in an eventual 52-20 loss to 23rd-ranked Washington on Saturday.
“I didn’t like us not scoring,” Reed said of a UH team that had come into the game 2-0 and averaging 38 points a game. “I figured I had to do whatever I could to help us finally get in that end zone, to finally get some points on the (score)board.”
They were the first two touchdowns in three seasons for Reed, a redshirt sophomore who had run for 35 TDs as a senior at Centennial High in Corona, Calif., in 2016.
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Hawaii and Washington.
Overall, he had UH career highs in carries (15) and yards (70) in replacing Fred Holly II, who had started. The Warriors were also without Dayton Furuta, who underwent ankle surgery Wednesday for an injury suffered in UH’s victory over Oregon State a week earlier.
Hekili Keliiliki, another redshirt sophomore, got the first carries of his UH career, with five tries for 27 yards.
Reed said, “But I wasn’t thinking about my first touchdown. When you are trailing by that much, you don’t think about celebrating. You just want to get us on the scoreboard.”
It came at the conclusion of an 8-yard run after Reed recovered his own fumble in the end zone following a hit by defensive back Brandon McKinney.
The score was so important that quarterback Cole McDonald, after faking a run, took on the impromptu role of lead blocker. “I saw Miles come out on the edge and thought I could get the (defender),” McDonald said. “I’m happy for him getting that first touchdown. He’s worked hard for it.
Reed said, “I applaud Cole for what he was doing, that’s the sign of a real leader. But, maybe, he needs to get the O-line guys to show him some more (technique).”
Reed’s second touchdown, a 7-yard run in the third quarter, was punctuated by a somersault into the end zone.
“I felt the (defender) coming in low and I wanted to get into the end zone,” Reed said. “If you ask some of the players, I’ve been doing some of that (acrobatics) in practice. Whatever it takes, going around guys, through them or over them.”
Coach Nick Rolovich said, “Miles cares a lot and he’s an inspirational guy on our football team. He loves playing football and he has some nice drive in the way he runs the football.”
Rolovich said, “He showed a lot of great effort tonight and he plays bigger than he is.”