After a disappointing home loss to San Diego State last weekend, Hawaii needed to bounce back in a big way in today’s Mountain West Conference football game at New Mexico. They did anything but, losing 28-27 before an ecstatic crowd at University Stadium in Albuquerque.

A missed chip-shot field goal by Hawaii place-kicker Rigoberto Sanchez led to an 80-yard winning scoring drive that ended on a 28-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Austin Apodaca to Dameon Gamblin with 55 seconds left to seal the win. Zach Rogers added the big PAT.

The disheartening loss dropped Hawaii to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in league play. New Mexico is 4-3 for the season and 2-1 in the MWC.

The Rainbow Warriors built a 10-point lead in the opening 30 minutes of the game with senior starting quarterback Max Wittek sidelined with a knee injury. No matter. Last year’s starter, Ikaika Woolsey, was key in the Warriors’ quick start to the game.

But it didn’t carry over into the second half, as Woolsey threw an interception on the Warriors’ first drive after intermission, giving the Lobos the ball at the UH 34. Seven plays later, the Lobos converted a third-and-goal at the 12 with a touchdown pass from New Mexico quarterback Lamar Jordan to David Anaya. Rogers added the PAT to cut the UH advantage to 24-21 with 7:53 left in the third quarter.

After New Mexico failed to convert on fourth down on a drive near midfield, Hawaii drove the ball into field-goal position for Sanchez. Having converted on a 49-yarder earlier in the game, Sanchez knocked one through from 47 yards to give UH a 27-21 lead with 12:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Sanchez had a chance to ice the game but missed a 22-yard field goal late to give New Mexico new life with two minutes left. Hawaii ended the game with a Woolsey interception.

Unlike most road games, the Warriors got off to a fast start. Woolsey engineered a picture-perfect 12-play, 75-yard drive that gave Hawaii a 7-0 lead with 10:20 left in the opening quarter after Sanchez added the PAT.

UH running back Paul Harris scored from 1 yard out. He had 60 yards rushing on his first 10 carries to give the Warriors an early advantage that was quickly wiped out by a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Carlos Wiggins that took only 11 seconds off the clock. Rogers hit the PAT to even the score at 7 with 10:09 remaining in the opening period.

New Mexico was poised to take its first lead with a first-and-goal at the 3 on a drive that began on the UH 9. But facing third-and-goal from the 1, Jordan lost the ball when UH lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii broke free. The big D-lineman recovered it, giving the Lobos no points late in the first period.

Hawaii took over at its own 6 and drove methodically down the field. Two big plays led to a 49-yard field-goal by Sanchez — a 38-yard pass completion from Woolsey to Isaiah Bernard and a 20-yard run by Steve Lakalaka. The drive stalled, but Sanchez was true to give UH a 10-7 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Lobos went on a grueling 17-play, 82-yard scoring drive that took 7:36 off the clock. The final play was a 2-yard touchdown run by Jhurell Pressley that gave New Mexico its first lead. Rogers added the PAT to make it 14-10 with 8:05 left in the second quarter.

Hawaii came right back with a nice 79-yard drive of its own to retake the lead. Woolsey hit Dylan Collie on a 46-yard pass play that set up a first-and-goal at the 4. Two plays later, Harris scored from the 1. Sanchez added the PAT to make it 17-14 UH with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

The Warriors extended the advantage to 24-14 with 1:45 left in the half on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Woolsey to Collie. Sanchez made the PAT to give UH a double-digit lead. The drive was five plays for 54 yards.

Harris finished with two touchdowns and 125 yards on 24 carries. Lakalaka added 83 yards with 16 rushes. He set up the 22-yard missed field goal with several bruising runs down the stretch. Woolsey hit 13 of 25 for 195 yards and one score. He also had two picks.