AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. >> Hawaii conquered the breath-seizing effects of high altitude and solved the riddle of Air Force’s triple-option offense.

In the pau-hana party in the UH locker room, the only question that remained was this: Where was the Kuter Trophy?

The Rainbow Warriors had claimed this rivalry’s prize after an improbable 34-27 victory in double overtime before 29,132 spectators at Falcon Stadium.

The outcome had three significant sequences: 1) An Air Force kicker who never misses was wide right on a 32-yard attempt as time expired in regulation. 2) UH quarterback Dru Brown and wideout Marcus Kemp collaborated on scoring passes of 13 and 25 yards in overtime. 3) A seemingly unstoppable running attack was cut short in the second extra session, leading to UH cornerback Jalen Rogers’ leaping interception in the end zone on the Falcons’ 97th— and final — play.

The Warriors rebounded from a 41-38 loss to UNLV a week earlier to improve to 4-4 overall — their first .500 October in five years — and 3-1 in the Mountain West. They defied the odds, as 17-point underdogs, to defeat a team that had won 15 consecutive home games.

“They’re on a mission,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said of his players. “They’re here to make Hawaii proud.”

The Warriors had tied the score at 20 on slotback John Ursua’s 40-yard touchdown reception with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter. Earlier, Ursua had run 5 and out patterns.

“I ran it again, but gave it a little nod (5 yards into the route) and turned it up,” said Ursua, who found himself open at the end zone’s doorstep.“Those catches, when you’re wide open, are probably the toughest ones. I made sure I kept my eyes on the ball and my hands ready for the catch. I didn’t want to be the guy who dropped one when he’s wide open.”

Later, the Falcons, who threw only one pass in the second half, went straight to the fullback-dive section of their playbook in a possession that absorbed 8 minutes, 18 seconds. After advancing to the UH 15, the Falcons called timeout with three seconds remaining. They summoned Luke Strebel, who had converted 22 consecutive field goals dating back to last year, including two in the third quarter.

UH special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari sent blitzers from both edges and high jumpers in the middle. Strebel missed for the second time in the past two seasons.

“Our kids have given each other so much that I had just a little bit of faith that wasn’t going to be the way it was going to end,” Rolovich said.

In extra play, each team starts a possession 25 yards from the end zone. The Warriors won the toss, and opted to defer their overtime choice. The Falcons covered the 25 yards in eight plays, with quarterback Nate Romine scoring on a 5-yard keeper.

The Warriors answered in six plays. Brown threw 13 yards to Kemp to tie it at 27. On a double post, Ursua lured the free safety away from the middle, opening the way for Kemp.

The Warriors had the first possession of the second overtime. Kemp made a zigzag move, sped past cornerback Roland Ladipo and caught the go-ahead scoring pass.

On the ensuing possession, the Falcons advanced to the 11. On second-and-7, fullback Shayne Davern was stopped for no gain on a run up the gut.

“When they gotta throw, that’s when we win,” defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said.

The Falcons, who run 79 percent of the time, entered as the nation’s leader in yards per reception. Tight end Ryan Reffitt curled into the left flat, but Romine threw too high. Rojesterman Farris II, a second-year freshman who made his first NCAA start in place of injured corner Jamal Mayo, was covering Reffitt.

“You can’t be afraid,” Farris said. “I had to come out and do what I do.”

On fourth down, Romine sought wideout Jalen Robinette, who averages an FBS-best 27.0 yards per catch. Jalen Rogers, UH’s best corner, had switched from run support to guarding Robinette earlier in the game. Two weeks earlier, a San Jose State wideout caught a scoring pass on a corner route in the end zone.

“I was kind of playing that out route (against Robinette),” Rogers said. “When I saw he didn’t really go out, I ran straight for the back pylon. As soon as I saw the ball in the air, I knew it was over. I knew it. I went to get it at the highest point.”

Rogers’ third interception of the year ended the game.

Rolovich chided his receivers this past week for using their bodies — not just their hands — to secure passes. “I used my hands,” Rogers said, smiling.

Brown, who improved to 3-1 as the starting quarterback, also learned from past mistakes. He did not fumble, save for a botched snap, after losing one in each of the previous four games. Although he was intercepted twice, ending a streak of 118 passes without a pick, Brown made several smart choices against the Falcons’ lateral-sliding defense.

“We put a lot on his plate this week with a lot of different checks,” said Craig Stutzmann, UH’s quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator. “(The Falcons) did a lot of things to get us in and out of plays. Dru picked up on that. It shows his competitive nature. He’s grown up in the last week and a half.”

The Warriors implemented defensive schemes this week to counter Air Force’s deceptive offense. The Warriors used a layered approach, with the corners in man coverage and three safeties in a triangle-shaped zone. The idea was to jam the middle and force the Falcons to pitch early in the play, reducing the options to one. The safeties would help out on group tackles or perimeter coverage.

“We tried to take away the fullback, which we did until the end,” Lempa said. “And we made sure they didn’t get a cheap one, like on a reverse or option pass.”

Romine was 1-for-10 for 20 yards.

Lempa said he had hoped to introduce the new defensive system in the spring. But then the spring became summer and then the fall. “We were working on this the whole week,” Lempa said, “and it paid off.”

So, too, did the search for the trophy, which they received just before making the drive to Denver after the game.

FIRST QUARTER

AIR FORCE

>> Tim McVey 6 run. Luke Strebel kick

>> Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 5:43 elapsed. Time: 7:27. Score: Air Force 7, Hawaii 0

SECOND QUARTER

HAWAII

>> Rigo Sanchez 25 field goal

>> Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 2:47 elapsed. Time: 11:29. Score: Air Force 7, Hawaii 3

>> Steven Lakalaka 1 run. Sanchez kick

>> Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 3:24 elapsed. Time: 00:07. Score: Hawaii 10, Air Force 7

THIRD QUARTER

AIR FORCE

>> Strebel 47 field goal

>> Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:20 elapsed. Time: 12:40. Score: Air Force 10, Hawaii 10

AIR FORCE

>> Strebel 42 field goal

>> Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:17 elapsed. Time: 9:17. Score: Air Force 13, Hawaii 10

HAWAII

>> Sanchez 35 field goal

>> Drive: 4 plays, -6 yards, 2:11 elapsed. Time: 2:02. Score: Hawaii 13, Air Force 13

FOURTH QUARTER

AIR FORCE

>> Shayne Davern 2 run. Strebel kick

>> Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:29 elapsed. Time: 13:33. Score: Air Force 20, Hawaii 13

HAWAII

>> John Ursua 40 pass from Dru Brown. Sanchez kick

>> Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:42 elapsed. Time: 11:51. Score: Hawaii 20, Air Force 20

FIRST OVERTIME

AIR FORCE

>> Nate Romine 5 run. Strebel kick

>> Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards. Score: Air Force 27, Hawaii 20

HAWAII

>> Marcus Kemp 13 pass from Brown. Sanchez kick

>> Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards. Score: Hawaii 27, Air Force 27

SECOND OVERTIME

HAWAII

>> Kemp 25 pass from Brown. Sanchez kick

>> Drive: 1 plays, 25 yards. Score: Hawaii 34, Air Force 37

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Hawaii, P.Harris 8-40, Saint Juste 8-31, Lakalaka 3-4, Brown 7-0. Air Force, Davern 24-98, McVey 11-78, Romine 13-74, Johnson 16-58, Owens 12-45, T.Williams 6-24, P.Wilson 3-10, R.Cleveland 1-5, (Team) 1-(minus 3).

PASSING–Hawaii, Brown 21-37-2-312. Air Force, Romine 1-10-1-20.

RECEIVING–Hawaii, Ursua 7-108, Kemp 6-151, Barker 3-28, ‘Unga 2-25, Camanse-Stevens 1-3, Collie 1-3, P.Harris 1-(minus 6). Air Force, Reffitt 1-20.

MISSED FIELD GOALS–Air Force, Strebel 32.