Too much ‘off’ in Rainbows’ offense

PHOTO GALLERY: Colorado State v. Hawaii

For another Saturday, the University of Hawaii’s offense generated points and tension in the fourth quarter.

But yet again, the Rainbow Warriors’ late-game scramble couldn’t overcome early inconsistency and left them agonizingly short of the season’s first win.

"I know if we played the way we did in the fourth (quarter) this season for the whole game, our season would be a little bit different," UH receiver Chris Gant said.

UH outscored Colorado State 11-0 in the fourth quarter to close to within seven with 2:54 left in Saturday’s Mountain West Conference game at Aloha Stadium.

But miscues in the first period and an ineffective third left the Rainbows with too much ground to make up in the final 15 minutes of a 35-28 defeat.

UH has put up 57 points in the fourth quarters of the past four games while giving up 12. But the most glaring stat remains the zero in the win column.

"We’re a damn good football team, but we just do some silly things sometimes — myself included — that hurt us," UH quarterback Sean Schroeder said, "and we just gotta play consistent through the whole ballgame and we haven’t done that yet."

For an instant it appeared UH might take a first-quarter lead when Gant got his hands on a throw to the end zone. But what would have been a 28-yard touchdown turned into a Colorado State touchback when DeAndre Elliott ripped the ball away as they hit the turf.

"We went up, I definitely had the ball, hit the ground, made contact and he rolled over on me and kind of just took it," said Gant, who later pulled in a 38-yard TD and finished with a career-high 159 yards on eight catches.

One minute, 33 seconds after the interception, UH was down 14-0 after a 70-yard run set up CSU’s first score and a Schroeder fumble was returned 73 yards for a touchdown.

UH trailed 35-17 at halftime and the offense held the ball for just 13 plays in the third quarter while generating 28 yards.

Gant and Schroeder connected for four completions of at least 25 yards, including a 37-yarder that kickstarted the offense midway through the fourth quarter. Schroeder finished that drive with a 2-yard keeper around the left side and hit Gant on the 2-point conversion.

A 26-yard connection on UH’s next possession set up first and goal at the CSU 3, which they converted into a field goal with 2:54 left.

The Rainbows got the ball back with 1:25 left and got a second chance at a final fling when a review put seven seconds back on the clock. But Taylor Graham’s throw hit the turf in the back of the south end zone, sending UH to its seventh loss.

"When we get in rhythms we’re pretty effective," said Schroeder, who also set a career best with 349 passing yards. "You saw spurts in the first half too. We had some good drives and put some points up. … We just have to be consistent."

Graham made a brief appearance in the third quarter — his first since Sept. 21, when he suffered a shoulder injury in UH’s loss at Nevada. His first pass was intercepted and a fourth-quarter drive stalled before Schroeder re-entered the game for the final stretch.