In the gloom of Saturday’s 41-20 football loss to Brigham Young that ended Hawaii’s season, defensive end Paipai Falemalu, covered in tinsel lei and emotions, stood in disbelief on the Aloha Stadium turf.
On his Christmas hat were these words: "Bah Humbug."
"That’s how I feel," Falemalu said of the Warriors’ 6-7 regular season, a record that disqualifies them from a berth in the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl. "The loss doesn’t hurt me as much as the fact we didn’t send our seniors off on a good note. I wanted them to have a good senior sendoff. I’m going to miss those guys. It’s going to be hard to see them go."
The Warriors now enter the offseason — and uncertainty.
In September, head coach Greg McMackin was told he would be evaluated after the season’s conclusion. McMackin has a year remaining on a five-year contract that pays him an annual salary of about $1.1 million.
Athletic director Jim Donovan said he would not be available for comment Saturday. After the game, Donovan and Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw spoke briefly with McMackin.
Asked about the conversation, McMackin said: "They were here to support me."
McMackin declined further comment.
The Warriors, too, were silenced in the third quarter, during which the Cougars scored 28 points to transform a 13-10 halftime deficit to a 38-13 lead.
"The third quarter killed us," McMackin said.
UH offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich said: "It was tough and ugly."
The Warriors had been more hopeful when quarterback David Graves scored on a 1-yard bootleg and collaborated with left wideout Trevor Davis on a quick-hitting screen that went for a 79-yard touchdown. What’s more, they held onto the halftime lead when Justin Sorensen missed two field-goal attempts.
"The first half was kind of rough," BYU receiver Ross Apo said. "They came out with a lot of energy. They were ready to hit us, and they did that. Coach (Bronco Mendenhall) told us to come out (in the second half) and play hard if we wanted to win."
The Cougars turned to quarterback Riley Nelson, who was cleared to practice Wednesday after suffering a collapsed lung and rib injury three weeks ago.
"Riley is the toughest guy I know," Apo said.
That was evident on the Cougars’ opening series of the second half. On third and 8 from the UH 33, Nelson, while being hit, threw high to Cody Hoffman, who made a leaping catch along the left sideline for a 21-yard gain.
"We’ve got big receivers — 6-3, 6-4, 6-5," Nelson said. "We’re just giving them an opportunity to go up and get it."
Two plays later, Nelson threw a screen to Apo, who broke free from two defenders to find the end zone, giving the Cougars a 17-13 lead they would not relinquish.
It was Apo’s second scoring catch of the day.
"There were catches I should have had, but I let them get away," Apo said.
On UH’s ensuing possession, running back Joey Iosefa caught a shovel pass from Graves, then ran into a mass of defenders. BYU’s Matt Putnam knocked the football away from Iosefa, who was being held up. Joe Sampson scooped it up and ran 26 yards to make it 24-13.
"I missed a tackle, and then I saw the ball on the ground," Sampson said. "I picked it up and ran as fast as I could. I guess things happen for a reason."
The Warriors, meanwhile, were struggling for ways to slow the Cougars’ pro-style offense.
The BYU receivers and tight ends were able to find seams in the Warriors’ zone defense, particularly on crossing patterns.
And when the Warriors blitzed, they had difficulty pinning Nelson.
On one play, Nelson spun out of the grasp of Mike Sellers, then lofted a pass that Hoffman caught one-handed for a 38-yard touchdown.
"He made a great play," Nelson said of Hoffman. "He put a little flair on it by catching it one-handed."
UH associate head coach Rich Miano said: "There were a couple of times we had (Nelson) in our grasp. We tried to take him to the ground, and he throws one up, and they catch it. We couldn’t get him off the field. He’s a competitor. He’s a winner."
Nelson said he developed a tough attitude from his father.
"He instilled that in me," Nelson said. "Football is a physical game, and that’s part of the reason I chose to play it in college. I love the game. I know my teammates are battling even harder than me. I owe it to them to play through a little pain."
Nelson was 25-for-37 for 363 yards. He threw three scoring passes and was not intercepted.
After the game, his jersey was covered with grime — an oddity because Aloha Stadium has artificial turf. He explained that his undershirt had dirt from the Cougars’ practice on a grass field on Wednesday, and the dirt seeped to his jersey.
"You can say it was a bad-spray tan," Nelson said, smiling.
The mood was decidedly more solemn among the Warriors.
Of the Cougars’ surge, Graves said, "Before we knew it, we were down by 11. It was an unfortunate turn of events. That’s how football happens sometimes. The football is a weird-shaped ball. It didn’t bounce our way."
Later, as Graves watched the UH seniors being introduced as part of the farewell ceremony, he said: "We’re going to work hard in the offseason. We don’t ever want to feel this bitter feeling again."
