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Hawaii leads 56-7 early in the fourth

After two tough road games, the University of Hawaii football team returned to the friendly confines of Aloha Stadium tonight and made themselves comfortably at home against Charleston Southern.

Warriors quarterback Bryant Moniz settled in quickly to throw six touchdown passes in the first half, including two to slotback Kealoha Pilares and two to wideout Greg Salas as Hawaii continues to dominate, leading 56-7 early in the fourth quarter.

The six scoring strikes in a half tied a school record held by Colt Brennan and current offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich. Rolovich lifted Moniz at the 5-minute mark of the first half. He came back in the third quarter and scored on a 1-yard run with 10:24 left in the third before leaving for good.

He completed 19 of 27 passes for 395 yards and two interceptions. Salas has seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Hawaii won the toss and never looked back. The Warriors took the opening drive 68 yards, needing only four plays to build a 7-0 lead with 13:48 left in the opening period.

A nice shovel pass from Moniz to Alex Green went for 31 yards on the first play of the game. After an incompletion, Moniz went right back to work, completing a 19-yard pass to Greg Salas and an 18-yard scoring strike to Pilares. Scott Enos added the first of eight PATs.

After a couple of miscues by Hawaii that gave Charleston Southern excellent field position, the defense came up big twice; the second time forcing a turnover and setting up the UH offense at its own 48.

Moniz needed only four plays to get the Warriors across the goal line again. The junior QB found freshman Billy Ray Stutzmann alone in the end zone from 16 yards out to make it 14-0 with the Enos PAT.

UH senior cornerback Jeramy Bryant got into the fun on the ensuing series with the first interception of the season by UH on a poorly thrown pass by Charleston Southern quarterback A.J. Toscano. He returned it to the Buccaneers’ 42. Five plays later, the Warriors scored again, this time from 12 yards out as Moniz found Pilares alone in the end zone.

The Buccaneers got on the board by going 64 yards on nine plays. Toscano located James Nunley from 11 yards out as John Paglia added the PAT to make it 21-7 with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Warriors wasted little time getting that touchdown back, going 74 yards on four plays. On the third snap of the drive, Green went 11 yards on a straight handoff. On the next one, it looked like the same play again, only this time time, Green tossed it back to Moniz on the flea-flicker, who found Salas for the 48-yard touchdown pass. It was Salas’ first scoring grab of the season.

He snagged his second on the next offensive series for UH. This time, the Warriors needed only five plays to go 64 yards. Salas’ second TD grab was from 34 yards to make it 35-7 with 8:52 left in the half.

After holding the Buccaneers on downs, Hawaii needed only one play to go 66 yards for a touchdown. Moniz suckered the Charleston Southern defense on a nice shovel pass that Green took to the house in only 11 seconds to make it 42-7 with 7:53 left in the half.

Green picked up his second touchdown of the game just before intermision as he scored from 1 yard out to end a nine-play, 48-yard drive to make it 49-7 with 31 seconds left in the half.

Hawaii added another touchdown in the third on a nine-play, 48-yard drive that ended with Moniz’ rushing touchdown. Charleston Southern hasn’t scored since late in the first quarter.

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