SAN JOSE, Calif. » As the final seconds ticked away on Hawaii’s 13-0 victory over San Jose State, two Warriors stealthily approached head coach Norm Chow and then emptied a container of ice water onto his back.

On this Saturday, it was a rare defensive lapse for the Warriors.

"This felt great," UH co-captain Scott Harding said of the Warriors’ first victory on the mainland since Oct. 29, 2011, a span of 17 road games. "It was pure emotion."

Tyler Hadden, who connected on field goals of 36 and 32 yards, said it was "nice to get the monkey off our backs."

"The monkey turned into a gorilla," said linebacker Lance Williams, who partially blocked a San Jose State field-goal attempt.

"Whatever it was," defensive end Beau Yap said, "we got it off our backs. We fought like a team. All three phases worked together. It was a great sight after three long years."

The Warriors entered as more than 10-point underdogs, having won two of their first 10 games this season.

But for one day, the Warriors could do little wrong. They blocked two field-goal attempts, emerged unmarked from the Spartans’ seven drives inside the 25, and won two video reviews. The referees upheld running back Joey Iosefa’s 1-yard touchdown when the ball was knocked free after he crossed the goal line, and reversed a call that turned SJSU running back Brandon Monroe’s 3-yard gain into a lost fumble.

The Spartans did not punt, finished with an advantage of 462 yards to 240 yards in total offense, and controlled the clock for 30 minutes, 45 seconds.

"We got pounded yardage-wise," Chow said, "but we won the game. That’s all that matters."

Chow said the tone was set four days earlier during a 90-minute practice on UH’s grass field.

"Our kids had a great week of practice," Chow said. "They’re resilient young men. I told them I love each and every one of them. What they bring to the table and the toughness that they bring, I knew we were going to play well just by the way we practiced on Tuesday. Was that going to be good enough? Who knows? I could tell by the way we practiced all week long, we had a chance."

In the defense’s meetings, coordinator Kevin Clune led strategy sessions on how to attack the Spartans’ multiple threats. Quarterback Joe Gray is an accurate passer and elusive scrambler. Tyler Ervin is dangerous as a runner or flex receiver. Tyler Winston is a sure-handed receiver. Clune also was familiar with the Spartans’ coaches, two of whom recruited him.

"I’m a thousand years old," Clune said, smiling. "That’s how long they’ve been coaching."

The Warriors settled on dual goals: Force Gray to pass on the run, and bracket Ervin from speeding to the perimeters.

The strategy worked when Ervin was stopped on two fourth-and-short rushes on the opening drives of both halves.

"We kind of stuck with it and stuck with it," Clune said of the game plan. "The kids stayed mentally positive through all those long drives. They kept battling. They found a way."

In the second quarter, the Spartans drove to the UH 3. Then Gray, under pressure, threw toward the end zone. Daniel Lewis, a freshman starting in place of ailing Taz Stevenson, intercepted at the goal line. His 20-yard return was abbreviated to 10 yards because of an illegal-block penalty.

Leading to the game, defensive backs coach Daronte’ Jones implored Lewis to visualize potential scenarios. One was to be aware that Gray, when harassed, will loft high-arcing passes.

"Coach (Jones) told us to win the one-on-one battles," Lewis said. "When I saw the ball in the air, I attacked it."

That was Gray’s 13th turnover this season.

SJSU kicker Austin Lopez had even more problems. As a freshman two years ago, Lopez was perfect on all 17 field-goal attempts. This season, he has struggled with his aim. On Saturday, Lopez was wide right on an attempt from 41 yards. His second try, this time from 37 yards, was deflected by Williams.

In the third quarter, Mich Carrizosa was summoned as Lopez’s replacement for a 24-yard attempt. Yap and Kennedy Tulimasealii pushed back the linemen, enabling Moses Samia to block the kick.

"(Samia) stuck out his gargantuous (left) hand and got it," Yap said.

"Four-X gloves," Samia said, smiling. "We got good pressure, and I was able to put my hand up. I didn’t really see it, but it kind of hurt."

Part of the football struck Samia’s forearm. He pointed to the bruises.

"I didn’t know a kicker could kick it that hard," Samia said.

The Warriors forced another turnover when Tim Crawley dropped Harding’s towering punt in the fourth quarter. Michael Martin recovered at the SJSU 13, leading to Hadden’s second field goal.

"I tried to kick the hell out of it," said Harding, who usually relies on bounces off his rugby-styled, roll-out punts.

There was some concern if Harding would play in the second half after a punt-blocker ran into his right foot. Harding said he felt pain in his right arch. He said he took an anesthetic shot during the intermission, and was fine after that.

"This was a team effort," Harding said, crediting the scout players who were not on the 64-player travel squad. "The guys back in Hawaii helped us win. They gave us good looks in practice."

Williams said: "We believe in ourselves. We kept grinding. That’s how you build yourself in becoming a man. You never give up in life. You keep pushing."

TEAM STATISTICS

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

HAWAII

SAN JOSE STATE

SECOND PERIOD

HAWAII
» Score: Tyler Hadden 36-yard field goal.
» Drive: 10 play, 62 yards, 4:15 elapsed time. Time: 13:03. Score: UH 3, San Jose State 0.

HAWAII
» Score: Joey Iosefa 1-yard run. Hadden kick.
» Drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, 6:54 elapsed time. Time: 0:18. Score: UH 10, San Jose State 0.

FOURTH PERIOD

HAWAII
» Score: Hadden 32-yard field goal.
» Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 2:14 elapsed time. Time: 9:55. Score: UH 13, San Jose State 0.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

HAWAII

SAN JOSE STATE