Warriors Notebook: Ursua reaches 1,000-yard mark

Hawaii junior receiver John Ursua hit 1,000 yards receiving for the season exactly with a 2-yard catch on the second play of the second half.

Ursua, who finished with seven catches for 123 yards against the Wolf Pack, entered the week leading the nation in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and was named a second-team midseason All-American by the Associated Press.

He recorded his sixth 100-yard receiving game and has caught a TD in eight of nine games.

Rolo gets greedy

Hawaii’s first two touchdowns of the game were followed by two aggressive calls by Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich.

UH tried an onside kick on kickoffs after its first two touchdowns and both resulted in Nevada beginning drives in UH territory.

After Cedric Byrd’s 8-yard touchdown reception gave UH a 7-0 lead, UH tried its first onside kick with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter.

Nevada’s Maliek Broady recovered the ball in UH territory and an extra 5 yards were added on Hawaii’s penalty for being offsides.

Nevada used the short field to score its first points on Ramiz Ahmed’s 26-yard field goal with 4:14 remaining in the first quarter.

UH tried it again on the first play of the second quarter and was whistled for two penalties on the play.

An offsides flag was declined and a kick-catch interference penalty was called, giving the Wolf Pack the ball on the UH 48 to start the drive.

UH tried its second onside kick at midfield due to Nevada’s 15-yard face-mask penalty on the UH TD.

The Wolf Pack turned the field position into another field goal.

’Bows finally taketh away

Through eight games coming in, Hawaii had forced only five turnovers on defense and recovered just a single fumble.

UH doubled that fumble total in the first quarter and quadrupled it after the game with three fumble recoveries total.

The first came when Nevada punt returner Romeo Doubs muffed UH’s opening punt.

Hawaii long snapper Noah Borden, hustling down the field, emerged from a large pile with the ball, setting up UH’s opening score three plays later.

UH again scooped up a loose ball, this time on defense, in a big spot late in the first half.

The Wolf Pack were inside the UH 25 with less than two minutes to go when running back Toa Taua was stripped by UH defensive back Manu Hudson-Rasmussen. Penei Pavihi recovered for UH to keep it a one-score game heading into intermission.

Kaleb Fossum, who replaced Doubs as a punt returner, fumbled away a kick inside the Nevada 30 late in the third quarter that was recovered by Khoury Bethley.

Nevada’a defense came to the rescue, forcing a turnover on downs four plays later.

Nevada RB Taua back for more

No Nevada football player had played at Aloha Stadium more recently than freshman running back Toa Taua.

The Wolf Pack’s leading rusher against Hawaii with 126 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries played in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl in January.

A high school football all-star game featuring the top seniors in the country, Taua was named most valuable player after rushing for two second-half touchdowns to lead Team Makai over Team Mauka 31-14.