Woolsey finishes strong

It appeared Ikaika Woolsey’s first interception of the season might have been his final throw Saturday night.

After Woolsey’s deep ball to Quinton Pedroza landed in the hands of Oregon State cornerback Steven Nelson late in the third quarter on Saturday, UH coach Norm Chow got the bullpen busy on the Rainbow Warriors sideline.

"I thought about changing but realized he’s our guy and he is going to have rough moments," Chow said. "You play good football teams you’re going to have rough times."

Woolsey had completed 10 of 28 passes for 89 yards to that point and Oregon State had run away to a 31-point lead.

Chow decided to let the sophomore play through the struggles and — with a major jump start provided by the special teams units — the Warriors chopped into the deficit with a 23-point fourth-quarter before falling to 0-2 with a 38-30 loss to the Pac-12 Beavers at Aloha Stadium.

The rally was reminiscent of UH’s late charge against Fresno State last year, when the Warriors scored 34 unanswered points in a 42-37 loss. Woolsey made his first career start that game and was replaced in the third quarter. This time he stuck around to finish the night.

"Even though we were struggling I wanted to just continue to fight and that’s what the team did tonight," said Woolsey, who finished 20-for-50 for 236 yards.

"They just kept on fighting even though the score is what it is. We came close to a comeback, but at the end of the day we didn’t win.

"I played poorly tonight. I’m definitely disappointed in the way I played and I need to get a lot better just finishing drives and not turning the ball over."

The Warriors got off to a promising start, picking up four first downs and driving to the Oregon State 16 before their opening possession ended with Oregon State pouncing on a Joey Iosefa fumble.

After that 59-yard march, UH picked up just 52 yards and moved the sticks four more times over the remainder of the first half. Woolsey was sacked twice in the game and Oregon State was credited with five hurries while disrupting his rhythm.

"They definitely brought a lot of pressure. They blitzed us a lot today, but I just have to do a better job of picking up those blitzes and getting the ball out of my hands," Woolsey said.

The Warriors turned in their longest play of the season on their final possession when Marcus Kemp caught a fourth-down pass and turned up field for a 41-yard gain.

Woolsey absorbed a late hit on the play and needed a moment to gather himself before heading downfield. He hit Pedroza for a 20-yard completion on the next play, then finished the drive with his first career rushing touchdown to bring UH to within eight with 1:35 left.

"As a player on this team you have trust the quarterback and I trust Ikaika with everything," said Kemp, who set career highs with five catches for 102 yards. "Everybody makes mistakes, but I trust him to come back and do the right things and get the ball to us and make right decisions."