Day or night, Hawaii quarterback Taylor Graham often hears a King’s request.

“He whispers in my ear: ‘Throw me the ball,’ ” Graham said of slotback Donnie King.

Graham obliged, collaborating on the go-ahead, 30-yard scoring pass with 3:30 remaining to give the Black team a 27-21 victory over the White in the Hawaii football team’s Spring Fling on Thursday at Ching Field. The intrasquad game marked the end of the Warriors’ spring training.

Graham and King share a four-bedroom apartment with two other teammates.

“He’s one room over, but there’s a common area where we all hang out and watch TV and play video games,” Graham said. “Donnie’s always asking for the ball. He’s a playmaker. That’s what he wants.”

Graham is 6-foot-5. King is 5-6.

“Playing on the scout team last year, we developed a connection,” said Graham, who redshirted after transferring from Ohio State. “I trust him. He’ll always go up and make a play. He’s fearless to come over the middle. As a quarterback you never want to put a guy in jeopardy, but you know he’ll go for it.”

Down 21-20, the Black advanced to the White 30 on Trevor Davis’ 28-yard catch. In the ensuing huddle, Graham heard a familiar plea.

“I’m right by his side, saying, ‘Throw me the ball,’ ” King recalled.

King ran a post route, Graham express-mailed the pass.

“He put it in a spot where I could catch it and not get killed,” King said. “It was a good throw.”

Of the dramatic finish, Graham said: “I would like to say we set it up that way. We were a little rusty on offense early. The defense was jacked and ready to go. Give credit to the defense. We got on a roll at the end.”

That comeback solidified Graham’s place atop the depth chart entering the offseason.

“You can see it,” UH coach Norm Chow said of Graham’s skills. “That last ball he threw was like an NFL guy.”

It actually was the second-best toss of the evening. Sean Schroeder, who is recovering from back surgery, emptied a container of ice on Black head coach Chris Naeole.

“They got me good,” Naeole said, smiling.

The Black team had a cold start. Graham struggled with his accuracy, with his first drive ending in an interception and his second with an overthrown pass. He did team with Davis, however, on a 24-yard scoring pass for a 6-0 lead.

But the White team stormed back. Safety John Hardy-Tuliau recovered a fumble and raced 15 yards for a touchdown.

“I was coming downhill and I saw the ball on the ground,” Hardy-Tuliau said. “I scooped and scored.”
The White extended the margin to 14-6 on Jeremy Higgins’ 14-yard pass to Chris Gant in the left corner of the end zone.

The Black closed to 14-13 on Steven Lakalaka’s 5-yard run.

The White made it 21-13 when Higgins and Gant collaborated on a 60-yard scoring play. It was a read play in which Higgins waited for a safety to overplay the angle, allowing Gant to face single coverage.

In that situation, Higgins said, “I know (Gant) will win.”

Gant said: “I definitely demanded the ball on that play. When we called a timeout (before that play), I said: ‘Coach, I need the ball. We need to score. I need the ball.’ ”

The Black’s eight-point deficit made it a two-possession game because one of several rules prohibited attempting two-point coversions. Undaunted, Graham looked for Davis.

“Trevor was the guy tonight,” Graham said. “As a quarterback in that situation, you have to put the ball up and let the playmakers make plays.”

Graham’s 15-yard toss to Davis closed the Black to 21-20.

“We do the same thing every day in practice,” Davis said. “Our quarterbacks have big arms.

Sometimes they throw it too far. That (scoring pass) was thrown just right.”