FRESNO, Calif. » After a season of sideline passes, Hawaii reserve quarterbacks Jeremy Higgins and Cayman Shutter were allowed to make some throws in the non-suspenseful moments of Saturday’s 45-10 loss to Fresno State.

Shutter was 1-for-2 for 3 yards — significant in that, coming into the game, he was the only quarterback besides Sean Schroeder to throw a pass for the Warriors this season.

Jeremy Higgins, who was 4-for-5 for 56 yards, scored the Warriors’ only touchdown on a 5-yard scramble.

"I surprised myself that I (ran)," said Higgins, a third-year sophomore from Saint Louis School. "I don’t usually do that."

Higgins said he went through his checks and was ready to throw to fullback Justin Vele, who had curled into the flats.

"But the linebacker caved him off," Higgins recalled. "I tried to pump-fake and go upfield."

Higgins played at Utah State as a freshman in 2010. It was there that the Aggies tried to change the left-handed Higgins’ throwing motion.

"Up there, they said I threw kind of side-armed," Higgins said. "They used to tape stuff to my side so I couldn’t throw from down there. They used to do all kinds of weird stuff to change my mechanics. It threw me off the game."

With his new motion, Higgins waved aloha to the Aggies, transferring to UH in the summer of 2011. He redshirted in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

Higgins entered this past training camp in a three-way tie with Schroeder and Shutter atop the depth chart. After three practices, Schroeder was announced as the No. 1 quarterback.

The knock against Higgins was that his passes lacked zip. Higgins agreed, and worked on reverting to the form he used at Saint Louis.

"It’s all mechanics," Higgins said. "I’m back to what feels comfortable."

Higgins said he refused to become dejected after losing out on the starting job.

"Coach (Norm Chow) could call my number any time," Higgins said. "Instead of complaining and not being ready, I want to be ready."

On Saturday, three of Higgins’ completions went to 6-foot-5 Darius Bright for 28, 11 and 6 yards.

"There was a mismatch with the guy they put on him," Higgins said. "I wanted to take advantage of it."

Shutter also wanted to make the most of his opportunity.

"I was doing my part with holding (on place-kicks) and charting plays and trying to give as much support from the sideline as I could," Shutter said. "Coach Chow kind of made eye contact, and it was like, ‘You’re going to get a shot. Go warm up.’ When that happens, it’s a relief. It’s a load off. You can do what you’ve been practicing your whole life to do."

Shutter would have been in the mix for playing time in the spring before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He pled no contest to the charges, and was suspended for the Warriors’ first three games.

"I’m really grateful to be part of this team," Shutter said. "Whenever I get called on to do whatever, I don’t have any problems with it."

Shutter said it felt comfortable to play in the fourth-quarter series.

"It’s interesting," said Shutter, a graduate of Punahou School. "When I was younger, I used to get nervous in the games. Now I feel I’m more anxious on the sidelines. And when I get into the games, I’m a fish back in water."