No consolation

Cloaked in disappointment, Hawaii quarterback Taylor Graham made the long walk from the news conference to the locker room 20 minutes after the season-opening 30-13 loss to USC on Thursday night.

While the evening ended with hope — a 60-yard scoring pass from Graham to freshman Keith Kirkwood — there was little to celebrate for the 24-point underdogs.

"This was a learning experience," said Graham, who was making his first start since his senior year at Wheaton (Ill.) North High in 2009. "We’re not into moral victories here. We come to win every game."

The Rainbow Warriors played well defensively, and the special teams had their moments, such as a punt downed on the 1 and Tyler Hadden’s 42-yard field goal for a 5-3 lead.

But the offense, with new starters at seven of the 11 positions, struggled against the 24th-ranked Trojans.

Graham was intercepted four times, including safety Josh Shaw’s 35-yard return for a touchdown, and sacked seven times.

"Any time your quarterback has four interceptions against a team like USC, it’s going to be difficult to win," Graham said. "One turnover is difficult to overcome. The defense played great. They put us in great situations on offense. We have to capitalize, and we didn’t."

UH defensive tackle Saui Matagiese said it was a collective loss.

"It’s never one guy’s fault," Matagiese said. "We’re still a team. You win as a team, you lose as a team."

USC entered with some mysteries. Coach Lane Kiffin had delayed announcing Cody Kessler, who had engaged in a summer-long duel against Max Wittek, as the starting quarterback. Two of the Trojans’ top running backs remained in Los Angeles for medical treatment, allowing Tre Madden and freshman Justin Davis to ascend the depth chart.

Still, the Trojans had Marqise Lee, considered the nation’s best receiver. His monetary value is $10 million — the amount of the insurance policy he reportedly took out in case of a career-threatening injury. His on-field value is as a receiver, runner and returner.

The Rainbow Warriors held Lee relatively in check; he did not make his first catch until three minutes into the second quarter. Lee finished with eight catches for 104 yards. But he was held without a touchdown.

"I tried to keep him underneath me," said UH cornerback Ne’Quan Phillips, who defended Lee most of the game. "But he’s good. He earned my respect."

Nelson Agholor, the other starting wideout, caught a 19-yard scoring pass from Kessler. Davis scored on a 3-yard run with 42 seconds remaining. Andre Heidari kicked three field goals, including a 52-yarder as time expired in the first half. It was the fourth-longest field goal in USC history.

Still, the Warriors had their chances.

But they struggled to find their groove on offense, with Graham completing 16 of 41 passes for 208 yards. The 60-yard touchdown pass was the Warriors’ final offensive play of the night.

"We were struggling (offensively)," UH coach Norm Chow said. "The young guy (Graham) was struggling with some of the reads and the coverages."

UH slotback Scott Harding said the Warriors were "not 100 percent" in sync.

"We were 1 percent off," Harding said. "If we can get on the same page, we can do some good things."

Graham’s first interception appeared to be a miscommunication, with Harding running deeper than the intended pass. Eight plays later, Heidari converted from 20 yards to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead.

Later, the Warriors downed a punt at the 1. On the next play, weakside linebacker Art Laurel sacked Kessler for a safety.

On the Warriors’ ensuing possession, they drove to the 24, setting up Hadden’s field goal. It was a boost for Hadden, who had undergone hernia surgery this past January.

Later, USC safety Dion Bailey, who had been bothered by a hip injury most of training camp, intercepted Graham. That led to Agholor’s scoring play, on an out route.

UH’s next possession ended in disaster.

Graham threw high to freshman receiver Marcus Kemp. The pass glanced off his hands and was intercepted by Shaw, who raced 35 yards for the touchdown.

"It was an instinctive play," said Shaw, a transfer from Florida. "Once I got the ball in my hands, I had to make a guy miss. The whole defense did a great job blocking for me."

Although the pass was high, Kemp felt he should have secured it.

"It was definitely a surprise I didn’t step up and make the catch," Kemp said. "I blame myself for the pick. … I love this game. I love this team. I’m going to work that much harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Graham said: "There were some decisions I’d like to have back. I was maybe forcing the ball a little much."

UH opened the offense, with five-receiver sets, the pistol formation and no-huddle plays.

"You expect the first game to be a little tough because it takes so much rhythm to play offensive football," Chow said. "It was one game. If we continue to work with the same passion and energy, we’ll be OK."