SAN JOSE, calif. » The ending was poetic. San Jose State quarterback Joe Gray completed a pass over the middle to Andrew Vollert. The 6-foot-5, 226-pound tight end turned and made a desperate run for the end zone. Hawaii’s Dee Maggitt closed in at the 4-yard line and dropped Vollert with some help from Daniel Lewis.

Vollert laid there on the artificial turf for a moment, holding the ball above his head. An official started to check on Vollert, thinking he might be hurt. He wasn’t.

The play was meaningless. The Rainbow Warriors were finishing off a 13-0 victory on Saturday. But it was oh, so symbolic. Nine times the Spartans offense marched the ball into Hawaii territory. Nine times San Jose State came away empty.

"The game pretty much came down to, we moved the ball pretty well down to the red zone, but didn’t get any points out of it," Spartans wide receiver Tyler Winston said. "We don’t really know (why). It just comes down to execution. The coaches give us plays that they think are going to work. We practice them all week but when we get in the game we’ve just got to execute them. It’s definitely frustrating but we can’t hang our heads on this game. We’ve got two more and we’ve got to finish out strong."

Said San Jose State coach Ron Caragher, "Forcing balls, turning the ball over, that’s just unacceptable and so below our standard that it’s just sickening."

Sickening is an excellent word for it. The Spartans dominated the statistics. Check out these numbers:

» Total offense: San Jose State 462, Hawaii 240.

» First downs: San Jose State 24, Hawaii 11.

» Offensive snaps: San Jose State 86, Hawaii 56.

» Third-down conversions: San Jose State 12/19, Hawaii 5/15.

Punts: San Jose State 0, Hawaii 6.

And so it goes. Somehow, the Spartans not only found a way to lose this game, they found a way to get shut out.

The problems started from the beginning. San Jose State forced a three-and-out on Hawaii’s opening possession. Then, the Spartans marched down to the Warriors 25. Facing a fourth-and-1, Caragher chose to go for it but Tyler Ervin was stuffed for no game.

Jimmy Pruitt intercepted an Ikaika Woolsey pass on the next possession that led to San Jose State driving to the Hawaii 24. This time, on fourth-and-2, Caragher sent beleaguered kicker Austin Lopez out to try a 41-yard field goal. Wide right.

A short punt on the next Warrior possession set the Spartans up on the Hawaii 39. They drove to the 19, sent Lopez out again for a 37-yard attempt. This one was partially blocked by Lance Williams.

The most painful failure of all, however, came in the second quarter. San Jose State marched 72 yards on 12 plays, all the way to the Warriors 3. That 13th play was a pass by Gray that was intercepted at the goal line by Lewis. Caragher said that Gray told him that he was trying to throw the ball into the ground and was hit while he was throwing.

The second half was more of the same. Fourth-and-2 on the Hawaii 35? Ervin stuffed a half-yard short. Fourth-and-3 at the 7? Send out backup kicker Michael Carrizosa, who promptly had his kick blocked. Drive to the 16? Fumble. Fourth-and-4 at the 19? Incomplete pass.

Caragher said he takes responsibility for the performance, but the only player who suffered for his errors was Lopez. The problems, no doubt, go beyond the kicker.

"All I know how to do is go back to work, roll up our sleeves," Caragher said, adding that the coaches would be considering the personnel.

"It was a brutal game for us," he said. "I’m sorry people had to observe that. It’s just not acceptable. And I take responsibility."