SAN DIEGO » How, you might wonder, do you lose a school-record 16 road games in a row?

Well, the University of Hawaii football team packed an explanation into one painfully revealing 3-hour, 16-minute Reader’s Digest version of futility Saturday night.

In a beyond-frustrating 20-10 loss to San Diego State, the Rainbow Warriors underlined many of the low points that have consigned them to a dubious corner of the record book.

They elbowed the previous record (1995-98) — much of it set during the Fred vonAppen years — out of the way showing that they have yet to be able to escape shortcomings, like these:

Turnovers? Three.

Penalties? Seven.

Three-and-outs? Three.

Third-down execution? Twenty-three percent.

YOU NAME IT and it all added up to keeping UH winless on the road in a streak that began Nov. 12, 2011 in Reno, Nev.

"My buddy, Bill Snyder (Kansas State head coach), said it accurately one time," Hawaii coach Norm Chow suggested afterward. "He said, ‘Teams lose football games, they don’t win ’em.’ We lost the football game tonight."

Indeed, the ‘Bows fell to 2-5 — and out of their one-week occupancy of first place in the Mountain West Conference West Division —because they lost one that was within their grasp.

The Aztecs didn’t take it as much as the ‘Bows just plain lost it. And first place went with it as the Aztecs (4-3, 3-1) moved right in.

Try as they might — and several ‘Bows came off injuries that had made them questionable early in the week, including quarterback Ikaika Woolsey and running back Steven Lakalaka, who gave all they had despite being less than 100 percent — UH couldn’t muster a complete performance.

We can debate how short of 100 percent Woolsey was after suffering a bruised back last week against Wyoming, but he still gave UH a better chance than summoning freshman Beau Reilly off redshirt status after just 21/2 days of practice with the first unit.

The signature setbacks that doomed UH were a missed 39-yard field goal in the first half and Keelan Ewaliko’s 100-yard second-half kickoff return that was called back on a holding penalty.

Twice UH looked opportunity in the eye only to kick it in the teeth.

The field-goal attempt was set up by SDSU’s only turnover, Quinton Pedroza’s recovery after Billy Vaughn Jr.’s inability to corral a rare Scott Harding sky punt at the Aztec 28-yard line.

But UH couldn’t move the ball any closer than the SDSU 21, and the usually reliable Tyler Hadden’s field-goal attempt went wide left.

Marcus Kemp’s remarkable on-the-back catch of Woolsey’s 39-yard Hail Mary with five seconds remaining in the first half gave UH hope.

And, Ewaliko’s brilliant return of the second half kickoff from 3 yards deep in the end zone seemed to provide momentum and a 14-10 lead. It lasted until a flag for holding landed on the Hawaii 27-yard line, calling the play back.

Take care of business at those two pivotal junctures and you have to like where momentum and a stout UH defense seemed to be taking the ‘Bows.

But they were unable to, and it was as if UH never recovered from the screeching setback of having the kickoff return called back.

In six second-half possessions, the ‘Bows had, in order, a pair of three-and-out punts, a field goal, two interceptions and a fumble. You don’t win many games in this conference with a three-point second half.

Before the season began, the ‘Bows took to wearing T-shirts with the slogan "finish" hopefully emblazoned upon them.

Unfortunately, they were, again, unable to deliver on the message Saturday night. In the process they illustrated how it is you contribute to a road losing streak that has now reached the record book.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.