Here’s what I don’t understand. Why were people, obviously University of Hawaii fans judging by their attire, streaming out of Aloha Stadium with 2:40 left in the game and UH down by just one point?

Washington had the ball at its own 29, first-and-10, and the Rainbow Warriors had all their timeouts left. This game was by no means over, especially considering the way the UH defense had stifled the Washington offense the entire second half.

Maybe these "fans" feel vindicated by what resulted, as the Warriors finally bent and the Huskies put together the three first downs needed to eat the remaining time and escape with a 17-16 non-loss.

There were many times in recent years when the fans deserved better from their team. But this time the Warriors definitely earned loyalty to the last play, giving a team predicted to be the 25th best in the nation all it could handle.

I’m not here to hand the Warriors a consolation trophy. They wouldn’t want it.

They didn’t play flawlessly or anywhere close to it, and the bottom line for this muggy Halawa night is that they once again fell just a bit short. But for the season? There’s plenty of hope.

"It was a good learning game," said senior running back Joey Iosefa, who did some teaching to the Huskies about power running with 143 yards on 30 carries. "Now we know we can win every game that’s left on our schedule."

Maybe that statement seems outlandish, or just something that players and coaches like to say. But it actually rings true when you consider that Washington was the only ranked team on UH’s slate.

We can harp on Hawaii’s mistakes, like third-down penalties extending Washington drives, some illegal procedures stunting UH marches, a questionable trick-play call gone awry instead of taking a field goal. And yes, you can say they cost Hawaii the game.

But the good news is that the mistakes are not as big or numerous as last year’s. The only really big one was letting speedster John Ross get loose for a 91-yard TD.

It’s also encouraging that both offense and defense performed well enough for extended periods to out-play a team that is supposed to be among the upper crust of a so-called Power Five conference. Hawaii outscored Washington in three of the four quarters.

The way Hawaii drove down the field to start the game was a thing of beauty, passing to set up the run.

Ikaika Woolsey is still learning how to be a starting college quarterback, but he’s learning fast and he displayed poise to go with his multiple talents. After a hot start passing, his accuracy deserted him, and that hurt the Warriors. But he will get better. You’ve got to like how he took care of the ball to the tune of no turnovers.

As for the defense, it was simply the best the Warriors have played in a long time against a legit Division I team. Defensive coordinator Kevin Clune made the necessary adjustments in the second half, the players executed and the Huskies failed to score. One of their two touchdowns came on one play, immediately after the above mentioned botched trick play in the second quarter.

That two-play sequence made all the difference. Otherwise Hawaii outplayed Washington.

Yes, UH is 0-1. But the Rainbow Warriors served notice Saturday they will exceed the expectations of most.

"You know what? This team is going to prove that we deserve support," Iosefa said. "I feel like we put on a show to give the crowd confidence that we’re gonna make something special this year."

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.