1. ONSIDE
>> Situation: Hawaii 0, Cal 0, 15:00 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii kicking off from own 35.
>> The Play: K Rigo Sanchez dribbles an onside attempt 13 yards to start the game, but it is recovered by Cal’s Patrick Laird.
>> Impact: Cal scores six plays later on a 34-yard run by Khalf Muhammad and never trails.
>> Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich: “I hope it sent a message we’re going to play aggressive and we’re not going to back down. We may get beat but we’re not going out there scared of anybody. That’s not in our Warrior blood.”
2. JUSTE-FIED
>> Situation: Cal 14, Hawaii 7, 5:44 remaining, first quarter, Hawaii ball, first-and-10 at own 47.
>> The Play: RB Diocemy Saint Juste takes a handoff and winds 53 yards for a score-tying touchdown after Sanchez’s point-after.
>> Impact: Hawaii keeps pace with Cal in an exciting, high-scoring first quarter. Saint Juste, who missed all of last season with hamstring problems, rushes for 118 yards on 14 carries.
>> Saint Juste: “It was good to be back on the field with my teammates. It’s been a long time coming. I spent the whole season out. I was excited to be out there today.”
3. TURNING POINT
>> Situation: Cal 20, Hawaii 14, 4:00 remaining, second quarter, Cal kicking off from own 35.
>> The Play: KR Keelan Ewaliko is forced to fumble by Cal’s Derron Brown and his teammate Trey Turner recovers at the Hawaii 34.
>> Impact: On the next play QB Davis Webb finds Chad Hansen for a 34-yard touchdown and Hawaii’s hopes of going into halftime at least within a touchdown of the lead are greatly diminished.
>> Rolovich: “It’s hard to win football games when you’re at least 3-0 in turnover margin.”
4. ANOTHER DEFLATOR
>> Situation: Cal 27, Hawaii 14, 0:12 remaining, third quarter, Cal ball, second-and-goal at Hawaii 4.
>> The Play: Webb keeps and fights off tacklers for a 4-yard touchdown.
>> Impact: Cal started this drive at its own 15 with just 1:42 left but marched down the field effectively in eight plays and leaving no time for Hawaii to change momentum before halftime.
>> Webb: “We had a lot of miscues. We slipped a little bit. But we came out and competed hard against a good football team, and we’re excited we got a win.”
5. GLIMMER OF HOPE
>> Situation: Cal 41, Hawaii 17, 2:12 remaining, third quarter, Hawaii ball, second-and-goal at Cal 4.
>> The Play: RB Steven Lakalaka rushes for a touchdown.
>> Impact: Hawaii closes to a 17-point deficit early enough to be back in the game. But Cal responds with a field goal and touchdown to close it out. The game ends with Cal with the ball and letting the clock run out at the Hawaii 1.
>> Rolovich: “The good thing is nobody quit. There wasn’t any fighting on the sideline. They were encouraging. Bad things are going to happen in this game. It’s like life. You’ve got to be able to respond, and they did for the most part.”