A rough start and missed opportunities added up to another disappointing evening for University of Hawaii quarterback Sean Schroeder.

After staggering out of the gate, the junior found his footing later in the evening as the Warriors chipped away at a 21-0 first-half deficit in their Mountain West Conference matchup with New Mexico. But after giving themselves a chance in the second half, the opportunities that slipped away proved pivotal in the Warriors’ 35-23 loss.

Schroeder finished the night 20-for-42 for a season-high 272 yards and a touchdown, and understands that carrying the weight of the offense’s fortunes comes with the position.

"It’s part of the job," Schroeder said. "It sucks losing, but you’re not going to see me hang my head. I’ll keep pushing. We still have a lot to play for, still have a lot of games left."

Schroeder completed two of his first eight passes for 5 yards through UH’s first three drives while New Mexico rolled to a 21-0 lead. Hawaii ran just six plays on offense for a total of 5 yards in the first quarter, owning possession for just 1 minute, 34 seconds.

"I played very poorly at the beginning," Schroeder said. "We were able to get back in rhythm, but we can’t start like that. We definitely can’t."

He went 5-for-7 on the next two drives as UH scored the final 10 points of the first half. But chances to slice into the Lobos’ lead after halftime escaped when the Warriors lost the ball on downs at the New Mexico 5 in the third quarter and lost a fumble on a promising drive early in the fourth quarter.

Through their first five games, the Warriors had converted on 14 of 15 opportunities inside the opponent’s 20, scoring touchdowns on 10. They went 1-for-4 in the red zone on Saturday, closing the game by moving to the New Mexico 13 before stalling in a sequence emblematic of the evening as a whole.

"We didn’t finish drives," Schroeder said. "Tonight I thought we moved the ball well, but we have to finish those drives and punch the ball in the end zone when we get those opportunities.

"We have to do all the little things, like Coach says," Schroeder said. "We have to make sure all the little things are correct."

After the run game powered a drive that ended with a missed field goal early in the second quarter, Schroeder went 4-for-4 on UH’s next drive and hit Scott Harding for a 51-yard TD.

On the following possession, the Warriors converted on third down for the first time in five attempts on his 17-yard completion to Billy Ray Stutzmann to extend a drive capped by Tyler Hadden’s 51-yard field goal with 16 seconds left.

After UH stalled at the New Mexico 5 early in the third quarter, the Warriors moved to the Lobos’ 31 before Schroeder lost control of the ball on a rollout and New Mexico recovered for a momentum-stunting turnover.

"Can’t turn the ball over," Schroeder said. "I need to take a bigger step knowing our guard is pulling. I take full responsibility for that. It’s a tough break and turnovers kill you."

He led UH on a hurry-up scoring drive that brought the Warriors back to 28-23 with 9:49 left. But the comeback wasn’t to be.