In the glow of Saturday’s 49-42 victory over Army at Aloha Stadium, the University of Hawaii football team gathered in a 100-man huddle at midfield, kneeled in prayer and then gave thanks.

This was for a team that finally pushed through, on the final night of its regular season, after losing the previous 11 games.

"I didn’t believe it," said quarterback Sean Schroeder, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns, "until it was triple zero (on the scoreboard clock). It felt good."

This was for the 22 seniors who wanted to build a future in which they would enjoy only as alumni.

"We wanted to go out on a positive note," strong safety John Hardy-Tuliau said, "and help lead the way for the underclassmen."

And this was for Jack W. Wilson III — Willis Wilson to the public; "Willy Will" or "Cudi Man" to teammates — who died of an apparent drowning off Sandy Beach on Saturday morning.

"He was my best friend," said cornerback Dee Maggitt, a former high school classmate who coaxed Wilson to transfer from Washington this past summer. "We wanted to play hard for Willis. No one quit. I wanted to make the football field my sanctuary, and try not to think about it. That’s how he would have wanted it."

The Rainbow Warriors, including 64 players, stay overnight in a Waikiki hotel on the eve of a home game. Wilson, who was not expected to suit up, was not on the 64-player hotel list. UH coach Norm Chow learned of Wilson’s death on Saturday morning. Chow then called a team meeting, and made the tearful announcement.

"It was a rough day," Chow said, his eyes moistened with emotion. "I’ve never had a day like this."

The players wore "W.W" stickers. With Hawaii and Army players on their sidelines, helmets gripped at their sides, a moment of silence was held before the opening kickoff.

Then, on UH’s first offensive play, slotback Scott Harding jogged off the field, his right hand pointing to the Halawa sky. The Warriors had 10 players on the field, their so-called "Missing Warrior" formation.

"I was so happy Coach Chow allowed me to do that in honor of Willis," Harding said.

Chow said: "We needed to do something. We tried to figure out something. It was a nice way to go."

Four plays later, Schroeder threw 29 yards to Harding at the end of a post pattern for a 7-0 lead. It was the first touchdown of the season for Harding, who entered as co-leader in receptions.

"I’m so happy I scored," Harding said.

It appeared the play breathed life into a team that had lost five games by seven points or fewer. Schroeder’s next two scoring passes — of 1 yard to fullback Marcus Langkilde off a play-action move, and 10 yards to wideout Vasquez Haynes on a post — put the Rainbow Warriors ahead 21-7.

Later, running back Joey Iosefa was stopped for no gain on second- and third-down runs from the Army 1. On fourth down, Iosefa took the direct shotgun snap. He ran a couple of steps forward, then made a jump pass to tight end Harold Moleni for a 28-7 lead.

"It was fun," Iosefa said of the play popularized by 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

In fact, the pass was in the UH playbook since training camp. It is called "Hoosier" because the pass is like a basketball jump shot, and it was initially designed for backup quarterback Ikaika Woolsey.

"We gave it to Joey instead," said Chow, who serves as UH’s offensive coordinator.

This season, the intermission has been a break in momentum, and the Warriors’ third-quarter struggles continued against Army. The Black Knights switched quarterbacks, A.J. Schurr for the ineffective Angel Santiago. In a span of 8 minutes and 43 seconds, there were two turnovers, including one off an onside kick, and defensive stop, leading to three Schurr scoring runs. The third, from a yard away, tied it at 28.

"We knew they were a good running team," UH defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer said of the Black Knights’ triple-option attack. "They’re No. 1 in the nation (in rushing). We knew we were going to have a tough time stopping them."

Iosefa’s 8-yard scoring run, again as the wildcat, and running back Steven Lakakala’s 1-yard touchdown gave the Warriors a 14-point cushion.

After Army closed to 42-35, UH drove to the 6. From there, the left-handed Schroeder rolled to his left, paused, then scooted untouched into the end zone to complete UH’s scoring.

"I didn’t know if Steven (Lakalaka) was going to leak out for a pass," Schroeder said. "And then I saw him blocking, and that’s when I decided to take it home."

Schurr’s fourth touchdown, this time from 2 yards, cut it to 49-42 with 2:30 remaining. Army then stopped UH at the Knights’ 31 with 20 seconds left. UH opted to punt — maybe. Harding rolled to his left, and barely punted the football past a grasping Army defender. It was downed at the 5.

Told by an observer it did not appear the punt could be launched, Harding said, "Neither did I. Instincts worked. Instincts paid off."

Without timeouts, Army advanced to its 18. Schurr’s desperation pass was knocked down by Hardy-Tuliau as time expired.

"It goes down in the stats as a pass deflection," Hardy-Tuliau said. "But I let it drop."

Why?

"I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen in college football," Hardy-Tuliau said. "I didn’t want it to pop up or bounce out. It was good to make it incomplete and end the game. We had to get to the end."

The outcome helped UH avoid its second winless season since it began playing an all-collegiate schedule in 1966.

"It’s not the record we wanted," Schroeder said, "but I’m proud of the way we fought every game. I’m really proud to be part of this team."