UH falters late in loss to UNLV
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Hawaii quarterback Dru Brown fumbles the football after a hit by UNLV linebacker Tau Lotulelei.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii running back Paul Harris gets past UNLV linebacker Bailey Laolagi during the first half.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Rainbow Warrior Steven Lakalaka runs the ball during the first quarter.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The Rainbow Warriors perfrom the ha’a prior to their matchup against UNLV.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The Rainbow Warriors rush out to the field during their homecoming game against UNLV.
The largest crowd of the year went home disappointed after Nevada-Las Vegas rallied for a hard-fought 41-38 victory over Hawaii tonight at Aloha Stadium.
A boisterous crowd of 28,729 was on hand to watch a game that went back and forth all night with no team leading by more than seven all night.
A fumble by UH quarterback Dru Brown for the fourth game in a row proved costly as the Rebels turned that into the winning three points on a 28-yard field goal by Evan Pantels with 49 seconds left.
The loss dropped Hawaii to 3-4 for the season and 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference. UNLV is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Down by three with only 49 seconds left, the Rainbow Warriors began their final drive at their own 25 knowing they needed at least three to draw even. After three missed passes and a false start to begin the drive, Brown faced a wicked fourth-and-15 that he couldn’t convert.
On Brown’s deciding fumble, it appeared UNLV cornerback Darius Mouton had scooped and scored, but UNLV was called for an illegal block, giving the Rebels the ball at their own 45.
From there, they quickly moved into Hawaii territory as UNLV quarterback Dalton Sneed completed a 31-yard pass to Devonte Boyd at the UH 14. Three plays later, Sneed took it to the UH 10, setting up the 28-yard field goal that won the game. Sneed hit 19 of 27 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Lex Thomas rushed for 102 yards and another score on 21 attempts as the Rebels produced 535 yards to Hawaii’s 446.
Brown completed 17 of 32 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. UH running backs Paul Harris and Diocemy Saint Juste combined for 175 yards on 17 carries, but it wasn’t enough.
With the scored tied at the end of the third quarter, Hawaii took the lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brown to running back Saint Juste. The PAT was made more difficult when a holding penalty was called on the first try, but Rigo Sanchez hit the 30-yarder to give UH a 31-24 lead with 13:47 left in the game. The 45-yard drive, set up by a partially blocked punt by Kaimana Padello late in the third quarter, took only five plays.
The Rebels wasted little time drawing even as Hawaii helped with a roughing-the-passer penalty and a pass interference that eventually had the Rebels with a first-and-goal at the 1 thanks in part to a 39-yard pass play from Sneed to Tim Holt. David Greene scored from the 1 and Pantels knocked through the PAT to tie it again at 31-31 with 10:50 left in the game.
Hawaii quickly headed toward another score and had a huge break along the way. Brown hit wideout Marcus Kemp for an apparent 32-yard reception, but the ball was stripped as he was going out of bounds with the Rebels recovering at the 33.
Hawaii called for a timeout, forcing the replay official to take another look. The call was overturned because the UNLV player who stripped the ball was already out of bounds, giving Hawaii the ball at the 35. On the next play, Harris broke off a 30-yard run to make it first-and-goal from the 7. He took it in for the score on the next play to give UH a 38-31 advantage with 9:02 left as Sanchez hit the PAT.
But as they have all night, back came the Rebels as they drew even on a 34-yard touchdown run by Thomas as Pantels made the PAT to make it 38-38 with 4:58 left. The drive was 10 plays for 80 yards as both teams’ defenses struggled to keep up.
After a wild first half, the third quarter was tame by comparison as the two units traded field goals.
Neither team did much on its opening drives of the second half, as the defensive coordinators made some adjustments. UNLV got things going on its second drive of the quarter thanks to Thomas’ 39-yard run that gave the Rebels a first-and-10 at the 50.
The Rebels continued to run the ball effectively, picking up 7 on a third-and-1 to set up a first down at the UH 34. Facing another third-and-short, UNLV got the first down on an inside run play to make it first-and-10 at the UH 22. Three plays later, the Rebels faced a third-and-goal from the UH 5, where Sneed kept it around the right side, but failed to score, setting up an 18-yard field goal by Pantels to make it 24-21 UNLV with 5:10 left in the period. The Rebels went 81 yards on 13 plays taking 5:15 off the clock against a UH defense that appeared to be tiring.
Hawaii started its second drive of the half at its own 19. Two plays in, Brown found Kemp for 38 yards to set up a first down at the UNLV 36.
UH was called for holding on the next play. No problem, Brown kept the ball around the right side for 21 yards, then UNLV was called for a late hit to give Hawaii the ball at the Rebels 13.
Steven Lakalaka picked up 6 yards on a first-down run, then Brown tried to find Kemp on a fade route, but the pass fell incomplete, setting up third-and-4. Again Brown tried a pass, but it was tipped at the line of scrimmage and dropped by Metuisela Unga in the end zone.
Sanchez knocked through the 24-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 with 2:15 left in the quarter.
After forcing UNLV to punt, Padello partially blocked the kick and it spun out of bounds at the Rebels 45 as time ran out in the quarter.
The scoring came fast and furious as the score was tied 21-21 at the half.
After forcing a UNLV punt, the Rainbow Warriors were at it again, running up and down the field with few Rebels in their way. Starting at their own 29, the Warriors went 71 yards on eight plays for the score.
The final snap was a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brown to a wide-open Dakota Torres for the first scoring play of his career. Sanchez added the PAT to give UH a 14-7 lead with 10:26 left in the half.
Harris had runs of 15 and 35 yards to set up the scoring play. He and fellow back Saint Juste had a combined 109 yards on eight carries to fuel UH’s attack.
UNLV came right back to square the game on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Rebels quarterback Dalton Sneed to running back Thomas to cap an 11-play, 90-yard drive that took 4:12 off the clock. Pantels hit the PAT to make it 14-14 with 6:07 left in the half.
In a game where defense went home, Hawaii retook the lead on another stellar drive that ended on a 1-yard touchdown dive over the top by Lakalaka. Sanchez knocked the PAT through to give UH a 21-14 lead with 2:26 left in the half. The drive was nine plays, 75 yards.
Not to be outdone, the Rebels decided to score one more time themselves before letting the marching band take the field. With 1:32 left, UNLV had a first-and-10 from the UH 15 as Sneed found Boyd for a 9-yard gain at the UH 6.
Five plays later on a third-and-goal, Green took it in from 1 yard out. Pantels kicked the PAT to make it 21-21 with 34 seconds left.
Pantels knocked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving UH the ball at the 35. The Warriors attempted three plays, but couldn’t connect as time ran out.
The opening period was a lively one, as a large crowd filtered in to see the two teams score a touchdown apiece to make it 7-7.
Hawaii returned the opening kickoff to the UNLV 25, but failed to capitalize as Brown was dropped for a 19-yard loss on a third-down play. The Rebels moved the ball on their opening series before punting to the Hawaii 3.
The Rainbow Warriors managed one first down, but eventually were forced to punt it away to the UNLV 36. The Rebels quickly moved into UH territory with a series of successful runs and passes to set up first-and-10 at the Hawaii 39. The bulk of the load fell on the broad shoulder pads of Thomas, who had 36 yards on his first eight carries.
Sneed picked up 19 yards on a big third-down scramble to set up a first-and-goal at the 1. Two plays later, Sneed threw a 2-yard strike to Boyd. Pantels added the PAT to make it 7-0 UNLV with 3:37 left in the quarter. The Rebels covered 64 yards in 10 plays, taking 4:34 off the clock.
Hawaii quickly responded after returning the kickoff out over the 30. Three plays later Saint Juste broke off a 55-yard run to the UNLV 3. Two plays later, Lakalaka took it from 1 yard out. Rigo Sanchez added the PAT to make it 7-7 with 35 seconds left.
31 responses to “UH falters late in loss to UNLV”
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cannot take UNLV lightly its 21-21 at the half.
where did the defense go.
They didn’t show up tonight
lempa’s defense was limp, could not even stop the run, especially around the ends. and brown holding the ball out again and fumbling, the turnover was the game. and the secondary could not even cover the passes down the middle.
UH lost.
If this team lets this loss to UNLV dictate how they play for the rest of the season, that would be a total disappointment. Are fans disappointed by this loss? Of course, but unlike most of the losses in previous seasons, they were in a position to win up to the final play.
A stop by the defense on just one UNLV possession could have changed the outcome. One less dropped pass, one less missed assignment, one less mistake. Could the fumble by Drew have changed the outcome? Maybe, maybe not.
The future looks bright for this team and there’s no reason why they can’t come back home next week from Air Force with a win. This offense can put points on the board.
This team has to keep believing in each other, because how they feel about themselves does rub off on the fans. Does the defense need to improve? No question they have to improve. Can they still make it to a bowl game? Why not?
Well said, Nomu1001. Agree! Go Bows!
I concur 100%! Go Warriors!
Losing a hard fought game like this one is always heartbreaking. But we as fans mustn’t forget it was a hard fought game. That’s what counts most in my book. Go Warriors!
Air Force is a top tier team unlike Nevada, San Jose, and UT-Martin which UH have beaten. Nothing more and nothing less.
AF is better than the teams you mention but I wouldn’t call them a top tier team. Top tier team don’t lose to New Mexico so badly. What they are a technically sound team who runs the option with precision but an undersized team who have problems on defense (much like UH). So that game may end up like last night’s one – neither team able to stop each other from scoring with the outcome depending on couple of crucial plays. Certainly, UH needs to improve big time on defending third down plays. Also, field goals may play an important part, if so, I like UH chances.
Back to the drawing board! This loss was a big disappointment, We could be back in the dumps after the next 3 games, None of which we will be favored in, too many people talking bowl game much too early, only bowl might be the Toilet Bowl. We will be good 2 years from now. Don’t give up all you fair weather fans!
Disagree. If they can clean some things up, they can win games that most think is unlikely. But agree that next year will be even better than this season.
There were times where players did not finish which could have made a difference, and Drew could have made some better decisions but, don’t think it was enough to make any change at QB. He has to take care of the football.
My feeling is that Rolovich is a very capable Head Coach and that we are going to see more wins in the future. Plus, the Coach is still quite young, He has many years to give UH and a lot of time to develop as a coach. Don’t forget, UH lost that star player who was arrested for domestic violence and look how well the team is still doing even without him.
Agree.
Geez, you don’t pay a person more than a quarter of a million to develop as a coach. You pay him a salary because HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A HEAD COACH ALREADY AND NOT THIS LIP ABOUT GIVING ROLO TIME TO DEVELOP AS A COACH. We already had disastrous experiences with the last H.C. to develop and how much was UH paying him and now you’re saying “the Coach is still quite young and has many years to give UH and a lot of time to develop as a coach.” GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
You gotta give him a chance, cuz he didn’t recruit most of the players on the team. See where are in a couple of years, then judge him.
The defense stunk up the joint, no other way to put it. Couldn’t stop the run and they made the QB who barely completed any passes last week look like an All Star. So why the huge letdown? It’s fairly obvious our defense is slow and cannot contend with offenses with good speed. Compounding it is the propensity of missed tackles, being out of position, and overrunning plays at bad angles. Is it just imagining or is the defense always slow to get set for plays? Said this game may end up being a “trap” game, well, the trap snapped our necks pretty good. 38 points on offense, heck if that was in previous years, we would all be having a wet dream. Yes, Brown’s fumble was bad but that’s not the reason why the game was lost.
I have to totally agree with Oxtail on this one. Yes, our offense wasn’t perfect,, but they definitely scored enough points at 38 to win the game. It was the UH DEFENSE that played terribly. They couldn’t stop UNLV all night and UNLV’s 3rd string QB picked UH apart at will, while their running backs made UH defenders look like they were running in mud. If you look at the national rankings for offense and defense, you will see validation on how bad our defense is.
Brown did lose the game. The first was at the beginning of the game when he ran BACKWARDS for a 19 yard loss to put UH out of field go range, the his last fumble was a chance for UH to go ahead & by fumbling the ball, he gave the game to UNLV. These mistakes you do not learn in college but when you play as a kid.
UH led in the fourth quarter so that bad play on the opening drive did very little in terms of leading to a negative outcome. The fumble, as bad as it was, gave the opponent the ball near mid field. If the defense plays adequately, it doesn’t lead to points. The defense “gave” the game to UNLV. Go look at the stats.
Dave Reardon wrote a column earlier this week about UH’s prospects for a bowl berth. I wish he had written instead about taking the season one game at a time, resisting the temptation to look ahead and focusing all attention on the task at hand. This was a game UH should and could have won.
You have to be careful with Batchi.
Defense went back to the true 4-3 with all linesmen in 3 point stances. Doesn’t work against the run and doesn’t put pressure on the QB. Last game they used 3 linesmen in 3 point stances and 1 DE standing up and lining up different sides. Lempa still thinks he can do it mano on mano. Offense wasn’t great but Defense is a weakness and will continue to be a weakness without changes in the scheme. Didn’t see full on blitzes even in obvious passing situation.
This team will learn and grow but defensive play calling is coming up short.
I kept telling Dru Brown not to call Marcus Mariota for advice on how not to give the other team turnovers but did he listen……NO????? and so look what happened!!!!!!!
Reardon jinxed the game….. or maybe the season.
Please, you give him more credit than he deserves. In fact, he deserves almost no credit for writing anything of substance (but he is a little better than senile Ferd).
Fans got a little too excited after3 wins and had already started to compare this years team to the team that went to the Sugar Bowl and got embarrassed. Some people
are saying wait until next year or two years from now after seven games. UH has difficulties building and rebuilding its teams over the years. After the team that went to the
Sugar Bowl lost most to its players even June Jones left as he knew UH could not rebuild. Go Bows !!! Show um what you can do!!!!
Looking at the game stats, everything looked almost even. I was not able to stay up to listen to the game from Texas, but I don’t feel bad about the loss.
I’m sure coach Rolo and coaches realize that they need to recruit better defensive players and so in the meantime they just got to coach up their current players to do better.
Brown has another game under his belt and is a better player for it.
I’m already excited for the next game to see the adjustments, etc.
Number comparisons don’t tell the story. Giving up nearly 300 yards passing against a previously woeful passing team tells a story. Giving up huge chunks of yards tells a story. Giving up 10 of 16 third downs tells a story.
Why bring up the Sugar Bowl and the Georgia wipe out? The past is history.