CORVALLIS, Ore. » Oregon State football coach Mike Riley knew his team couldn’t afford to open the season with back-to-back losses — especially not with the first one coming in humiliating fashion at home against FCS upstart Eastern Washington — but halfway through Saturday’s game against Hawaii it looked like the Beavers just might be on their way to an 0-2 start.

After building an early two-touchdown lead, Oregon State gave it all back before halftime, with quarterback Sean Mannion throwing an ill-advised pick-six into the waiting arms of Hawaii linebacker Julian Gener, followed by the Beavers defense surrendering a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that tied the score at 14 just before halftime.

"We started off real well and then we got sloppy," Riley said. "We initiated their momentum with that interception (for a) touchdown. Then they made a nice drive and all of a sudden everybody’s getting nervous again."

Riley’s nerves calmed considerably in the second half, however, as the Beavers cleaned up some mistakes, adjusted to Hawaii’s defensive schemes and pulled away for a 33-14 victory.

"That’s the thing I’m probably most proud of, is coming out in the second half and winning the game," Riley said. "I’m really proud of our team’s poise in opening up the second half with a touchdown drive and then another one right away. That was good."

With Hawaii’s defense smothering the running game, Oregon State went to the air in the second half, with Mannion tossing a pair of 8-yard touchdown passes to Brandin Cooks in the third quarter that gave the Beavers the separation they needed.

"Halftime was good for us. Everyone was just like, ‘We’re better than what we’re showing.’ And I think it was 100 percent true," Mannion said. "I thought we were pretty sloppy offensively. Obviously I made a mistake on the interception (and) I thought we left a lot of plays out there in the first half. Our whole offensive unit had room to improve and I think we made strides toward that in the second half."

For the game, Mannion completed 31 of 43 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns. His big numbers were necessary, in part because of the Beavers’ ineffectiveness running the ball. Oregon State rushed for only 57 yards in the game and averaged 1.7 yards per carry.

"We’re not running the ball very well, which is kind of scary," Riley said. "Hawaii is pretty good up front. They really, really commit themselves to stopping the run, which is smart. That’s good football.

"We knew that was coming. Hawaii’s defense is really well coached and they play hard. They’re pretty darn good. That’s actually real good for us, because that’s what we’re going to see all year."