SYDNEY >> California’s g’day was the Hawaii football team’s good grief.
The Golden Bears took advantage of their fast-as-blur speed, quarterback Davis Webb’s accuracy and Rainbow Warrior mistakes for a 51-31 victory at ANZ Stadium.
A crowd of 61,247 saw the Bears claim the inaugural Sydney Cup and spoil Nick Rolovich’s debut as UH head coach.
Asked to describe the Warriors’ opener, Rolovich said: “As a loss.”
Fifteen minutes before kickoff, UH announced that linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams, safety Daniel Lewis Jr. and tight end Tui Unga were not in Sydney because of disciplinary reasons.
“Would we have wanted them to be here?” Rolovich said. “Yeah, we would.”
He said they will be reinstated for next week’s road game against Michigan.
Those losses did not quell the Warriors’ bravado. The Warriors lost the coin toss, then called for an onside kick. The Bears recovered at UH’s 48, and six plays later scored on running back Khalfani Muhammad 35-yard dash into the end zone. The sequence was a preview to the rest of the game: The Bears are fast and the Warriors are courageous.
“I’m upset it didn’t come off,” Rolovich said. “I hope it sent a message we’re going to play aggressive and we’re not going to back down. We may get beat, but we’re not going out there scared of anybody. That’s not in our Warrior blood.”
The Warriors were able to match offensive punches early, with wideout Marcus Kemp turning a hitch pass into a 39-yard touchdown and running back Diocemy Saint Juste blazing for a 53-yard touchdown.
But three turnovers and unfortunate penalties, including an illegal leap on a punt-block attempt that extended a Bears drive, proved to be costly.
“It’s hard to win football games when you’re at least 3-0 in turnover margin,” Rolovich said.
Webb did not waste the extra possessions. He completed 38 of 54 passes for 441 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. He was not intercepted.
“We had a lot of miscues,” Webb said. “We slipped a little bit. But we came out and competed hard against a good football team, and we’re excited we got a win.”
Webb started for two years at Texas Tech before suffering an ankle injury near the end of his sophomore season in 2014. Patrick Mahomes seized the position, and did not relinquish it last season. Faced with another season holding a clipboard, Webb opted to transfer. Because he earned a bachelor’s degree, he was not required to redshirt after joining the Bears this summer.
Webb is familiar with the so-called Bear Raid, a run-pass-option offense that mixes quick-cut routes with fast-hitting runs. For the game’s makeshift accommodations, the play clock was located on the scoreboard on the second tier instead of at field level. It did not matter. The Bears’ no-huddle attack aims for a play every 21 seconds.
Webb also had a comfortable target with Chad Hansen, who caught 14 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Webb and Hansen are roommates on road trips.
“We worked a lot together this summer and built a good continuity,” Webb said. “I hope it showed (in this game). He did a good job getting open. I’m so proud of him. I told him (before the game) he’d get three touchdowns. He fell one short, but he had a hell of a game.”
Hansen said: “The O-line blocked well and I was able to get open and Davis had time. I was trying to do my job, the same thing I’ve been doing every single day for the past four weeks. … It’s easy to catch ’em. The O-line and Davis do the hard part.”
The Bears are reloading after losing their top six receivers from last year’s team. But they added speedy receivers, as well as Webb, whom analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rates as the nation’s top senior quarterback.
They also have running back Muhammad, who rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Bears amassed 632 yards.
“I want to thank my teammates for blocking and opening holes for me and allowing me to do the things I can do,” said Muhammad, who ran 100 meters in 10.22 seconds as a high school senior. “I like to run. I like to get the ball and run. I’m energized by running. I’ve been running my whole life. My dad ran (track). It’s in the genes.”
The Warriors had their moments. Ikaika Woolsey was able to advance the Warriors with passes. He also kept the Bears in check with his read-option threat. But Woolsey also was intercepted on UH’s first drive when he overthrew slotback John Ursua.
“I can’t turn over the ball,” Woolsey said. “I threw a pick. I left some points on the field. I can’t do that.”
Rolovich said: “Against a good team like that, you’re going to have to make those plays.”
Rolovich said it’s “hard to watch” when another team capitalizes on turnovers and penalties.
“The good thing is nobody quit,” Rolovich said. “There wasn’t any fighting on the sideline. They were encouraging. Bad things are going to happen in this game. It’s like life. You’ve got to be able to respond, and they did for the most part.”
FIRST QUARTER
CALIFORNIA
>> Khalfani Muhammad 34 run. Matt Anderson kick. .
>> Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 1:04 elapsed time. Time: 14:03. Score: Cal 7, Hawaii 0
HAWAII
>> Marcus Kemp 39 pass from Ikaika Woolsey. Rigo Sanchez kick.
>> Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:19 elapsed time. Time: 7:49. Score: Cal 7, Hawaii 7
CALIFORNIA
>> Chad Hansen 17 pass from Davis Webb. Anderson kick.
>> Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 2:17 elapsed time. Time: 5:19. Score: Cal 14, Hawaii 7
HAWAII
>> Diocemy Saint Juste 53 run. Sanchez kick.
>> Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 1:17 elapsed time. Time: 4:10. Score: Cal 14, Hawaii 14
CALIFORNIA
>> Anderson 29 field goal.
>> Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 2:05 elapsed time. Time: 1:40. Score: Cal 17, Hawaii 14
SECOND QUARTER
CALIFORNIA
>> Anderson 22 field goal.
>> Drive: 18 plays, 87 yards, 7:12 elapsed time. Time: 4:04. Score: Cal 20, Hawaii 14
CALIFORNIA
>> Hansen 34 pass from Webb. Anderson kick.
>> Drive: 1 plays, 34 yards, 0:08 elapsed time. Time: 3:51. Score: Cal 27, Hawaii 14
CALIFORNIA
>> Webb 4 run. Anderson kick.
>> Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 1:35 elapsed time. Time: 0:13. Score: Cal 34, Hawaii 14
THIRD QUARTER
HAWAII
>> Sanchez 42 field goal.
>> Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:05 elapsed time. Time: 11:55. Score: Cal 34, Hawaii 17
CALIFORNIA
>> Melqui Stovall 14 pass from Webb.Anderson kick.
>> Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:27 elapsed time. Time: 8:40. Score: Cal 41, Hawaii 17
HAWAII
>> Steven Lakalaka 4 run. Sanchez kick.
>> Drive: 15 plays, 84 yards, 6:11 elapsed time. Time: 2:09. Score: Cal 41, Hawaii 24
FOURTH QUARTER
CALIFORNIA
>> Anderson 25 field goal.
>> Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 2:12 elapsed time. Time: 10:12. Score: Cal 44, Hawaii 24
CALIFORNIA
>> Jordan Veasy 33 pass from Webb. Anderson kick.
>> Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:13 elapsed time. Time: 7:08. Score: Cal 51, Hawaii 24
HAWAII
>> Paul Harris 15 run. Sanchez kick.
>> Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 3:13 elapsed time. Time: 3:47. Score: Cal 51, Hawaii 31
TEAM STATISTICS
|
UH |
CAL |
|
| First downs |
26 |
31 |
| Rushes-yards |
38-248 |
35-189 |
| Passing |
234 |
441 |
| Comp-Att-Int |
17-34-1 |
38-54-0 |
| Return Yards |
0 |
4 |
| Punts-Avg. |
4-37.0 |
3-31.33 |
| Fumbles-Lost |
4-2 |
0-0 |
| Penalties-Yards |
6-58 |
7-89 |
| Time of Possession |
29:16 |
30:44 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Hawaii, Saint Juste 14-118, Lakalaka 11-61, Harris 7-36, Woolsey 6-33. California, Muhammad 10-96, Enwere 10-73, Watson 11-33, D.Webb 4-(minus 13).
PASSING–Hawaii, Woolsey 17-34-1-234. California, D.Webb 38-54-0-441.
RECEIVING–Hawaii, Ursua 5-70, Kemp 4-73, Collie 3-26, Saint Juste 2-35, Hagger 1-19, Barker 1-7, Torres 1-4. California, Hansen 14-160, Rivera 5-54, Stovall 4-61, Wharton 3-47, Veasy 2-41, Singleton 2-14, Robertson 2-12, Enwere 2-5, Hudson 1-22, Ka.Noa 1-18, Austin 1-4, Duncan 1-3.
MISSED FIELD GOALS–None.
