No. 22 Boise State dominates UH
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii tight end Dakota Torres (86) gets around Boise State safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner (29) during the first half.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
UH players prepared to take the field ahead of today’s game against Boise State at Aloha Stadium.
If there was any doubt these two programs are moving in different circles it was quickly dispelled this afternoon as No. 22-ranked Boise State routed Hawaii 52-16 before a sparse Aloha Stadium crowd of 18,286.
From the opening kickoff to the final snap, the Broncos showed how it’s done with offensive and defensive units that were clearly better than anything the Rainbow Warriors could put on the field.
The loss dropped Hawaii to 4-7 overall and 3-4 in Mountain West Conference play. Boise State is 9-1 overall and 5-1 in league action. This win, combined with Wyoming’s stunning loss to Nevada-Las Vegas, puts the Broncos back into the conference championship picture entering the final two weeks of the season.
For Hawaii, postseason play is still a possibility if the Warriors win their final two games: on the road next weekend against Fresno State and the home finale vs. Massachusetts.
But given how the Warriors are playing on both sides of the football, it might prove difficult even against two teams that are struggling as much as they are at this point in the season.
Up 39 to start the final period, Boise State kept pressing the issue, this time on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien to Thomas Sperbeck. It was the second such hook-up of the game for the two, and Tyler Rausa hit the PAT to make it 52-6 with 14:51 left in the game.
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Rypien hit 18 of 22 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Jeremy McNichols added two more scores and 153 yards on 16 attempts. It was the eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season for McNichols. Wideouts Sperbeck and Cedrick Wilson had stellar afternoons as well. Wilson caught seven passes for 141 yards and one score. Sperbeck had five receptions for 114 yards as the Broncos racked up 603 yards of total offense.
But don’t forget about the Boise State defense. Hawaii didn’t score a touchdown until early in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Dru Brown to John Ursua, who caught it in the back of the end zone to end a six-play, 65-yard drive. Rigo Sanchez added the PAT to cut the lead to 52-13 with 12:05 left in the game.
Hawaii scored again late in the game against Boise State’s second unit, as Sanchez hit a 35-yard field goal to make it 52-16 with 3:48 left. It was the third field goal of the game for Sanchez, who also averaged 49.5 yards on four punts.
Leading 35-3 at intermission, the Broncos kept up the pace with 10 more points in the third quarter.
On Hawaii’s first possession of the second half a fumbled exchange between Brown and Paul Harris eventually led to a 35-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Wilson. Rausa added his sixth PAT to make it 42-3 Boise State with 12:04 left in the quarter.
Boise State kept piling on the statistics en route to scoring again, this time on a 38-yard field goal by Rausa to make it 45-3 with 6:31 left in the quarter. At this point, the Broncos had 496 total yards to UH’s 176.
Hawaii cracked the scoreboard again later in the period, this time on a 32-yard field goal by Sanchez, his second successful kick of the game, to make it 45-6 with 1:28 left in the quarter. Hawaii had a first-and-goal from the 8, but never threatened to score a touchdown.
The Broncos started the second period the same way they began the first one — with another touchdown en route to a 35-3 halftime advantage.
Continuing a drive that began in the opening period, Boise State ended it with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Alec Dhaenens as Boise State extended its advantage to three touchdowns. Rausa added the PAT to make it 21-0 with 13:35 left in the quarter. The drive was 64 yards and took 12 plays.
Hawaii picked up a couple of first downs on its next possession, but it ended on an interception that gave Boise State the ball at its own 45. The Broncos wasted little time turning the turnover into points.
Facing a third-and-goal from the 5, McNichols took it in for his second score of the afternoon. Rausa added the extra point to make it 28-0 with 8:33 left in the quarter. The drive went 55 yards on six plays as Boise continued to dominate in all phases of the game.
Dating back to the fourth quarter of the New Mexico game, Hawaii was outscored 90-0 before finally ending the drought with a 25-yard field goal by Sanchez that made it 28-3 Boise State with 3:24 left in the half. The drive was 11 plays for 68 yards, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Broncos.
They responded with a long drive of their own, going 80 yards on five plays to punctuate their dominating first-half performance. Rypien took it in from 4 yards out and Rausa knocked through the extra point to make it 35-3 with 1:07 left in the half.
Hawaii could do nothing with the ball offensively and was forced to punt with 30 seconds left. The half ended with Boise State just missing a touchdown on a Hail Mary pass that was deflected into the hands of Sean Modster, who dropped it.
Boise State got off to a fast start to take a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
The Broncos took the opening kickoff and quickly moved down the field for the first score of the game. The Broncos needed only five plays to go 84 yards, including a 38-yard run on third down byMcNichols and a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rypien to Sperbeck. The PAT by Tyler Rausa was good to make it 7-0 with 12:40 left in the quarter.
After forcing Hawaii to punt on its first offensive series, Boise State started its second drive at the Broncos 45. Four plays later, they were in the end zone again, this time on a 36-yard run by McNichols on third-and-short. Rausa tacked on the PAT to increase Boise State’s advantage to 14-0 with 8:51 left in the first. It was the third week in a row UH trailed by as many as 14 points to start a game. The Rainbow Warriors lost the first two to New Mexico and San Diego State, and this one to Boise.
Hawaii had a chance to cut the lead in half on its second series, but Brown’s perfect long ball was dropped by a wide open Marcus Kemp, who ran through the end zone in frustration for the missed opportunity. Hawaii went for it on fourth down at the Boise State 45, but failed, giving the ball back at its own 46.
The Hawaii defense held on the next series and took over at its own 13 for its third offensive set of the afternoon, but a quick three-and-out led to Boise State getting the ball back again, this time from its own 36. The Warriors forced a punt, but ran into the kicker, giving Boise a first down at the UH 43 that eventually led to a touchdown in the second quarter.
Brown wound up hitting 16 of 31 for 125 yards and one score. Harris carried the ball 14 times for 145 yards as Hawaii finished with 359 yards for the game. Brown also had 61 yards rushing on 11 attempts.
57 responses to “No. 22 Boise State dominates UH”
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14-0 Boise State, 1st qtr. 5:20 remaining.
And there are people all ready pushing for UH to be able to go to the Hawaii Bowl with a 6-7 or even a 5-8
season record. No way……. LOSERS do not deserve a bowl game.
Never play well on national tv take whatever Boise is giving
Just turned on the tv but it sure don’t look like there’s to many in attendance.
Most people out doing something else or watching from the comfort of home out of the sun.
Looks like another sad game for UH.
Not worth spending the time or money. Final score Boise State 56 Hawaii 17 Punished again. LOL
After several weeks of “maybe there is hope” feelings that SDSU game pushed me into the indifferent category that I have been in the past 4+ years. After attending less than a half of the BSU game today I am firmly entrenched in that category and could really care less what happens. Maybe by 2020 we will see a competitive MW team?
NO. Until UH gets the right coaches in charge, UH will continue to fail to get the ball rolling to attain a level of consistency and success like Boise State. Boise also has its off years but they are not nearly as bad as what UH experiences.
PS: How can a former slotback in college be an effective quarterback coach? How does that work?
What about a former offensive lineman calling all the plays for the offense. Smith sucks as the man calling the plays.
This is dreadful…42-3. Not a shutout at least.
Time for Jones, at least for OC. This is pathetic.
Except when Jones had Macmaken as defensive coordinator the UH couldn’t stop anybody
Kahuku 54, JJ’s offense 7. No thanks. Maybe as a voluntary consultant unless he agrees to OC for free.
Wow … UNLV beat Wyoming 69 to 66 … and yes, it was a football game.
That would have been a good game to watch lots of offense.
I agree.
I heard it was 3 OT’s
The outcome is a known factor.. only the score is unknown.
Might as well start the excuses for tomorrow’s SA stories: UH coaches are underpaid, you get what you pay for, Not enough funding for UH athletics, UH athletes are all carryover from Chow who are not big, strong or fast enough to compete, Hawaii is too far for sports channels to be interested in, UH only has fair weathered fans who are not loyal, UH unlike Boise State does not have a ‘world class’ athletic facility, UH players have to travel too far to be competitive, …any more?
I didn’t know UH rehired Norm Chow!!!!!!
Rolo even makes Norman Chow look respectable,
Shut your pie hole
Norm Chow had 4 years. Give Rolo a few more years before you compare him to Chow. I don’t think you will find anybody as bad as Chow.
107 to 16 in the last two games…second verse, same as the first.
lets forget this loss and concentrate on the next 2 games, we win those and at 6 and 7 we could be playing in the Hawaii bowl if they don’t have enough winning teams for all these bowls and Hawaii at 6 and 7 could be the next losing record team to go to a bowl. GO WARRIORS.
When rolos contract expires, time to give up football program
How can this reporter say that a bowl possibility is still in order for Hawaii if it wins out the last two games….JUST RIDICULOUS!! Even if they are bowl eligible, it would be an embarrassment to have the players vote to play in a bowl and certainly an embarrassment to the State. Geezus, gimme a break!! A team that goes to a bowl should have earn it and you don’t go to a bowl game getting blown out 55-0 and 56 …oh, well, forget the Boise score….JUST EMBARRASSING TO THINK THAT UH WOULD VOTE TO GO TO A BOWL!! This local writer is one of the reasons why we are so provincial in our thinking…..
stop your complaining you naysayer, it be good we get the Hawaii bowl game the seniors suffered 4 years of a losing season, they deserve it and if they win they go out 7ad 7 so all you crybaby commenters look at the bigger picture, so if Hawaii warriors are in kudos to them.
Stupid is stupid!!!! Ever heard of the word PRIDE!! Well, got blown out in the Sugar Bowl and going to a bowl game after being shellacked by San Diego St. and Boise is an embarrassment enough but just how many fans would attend the Hawaii Bowl should Hawaii play in it….geezus, yesterday, they only had around 18,000 fans….heck, they get more than that in the Prep State Title game……Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl is a money loser…they can’t even draw their own fans…..EMBARRASSING!!!!
You think a rebuilding team that finishes 6-7 under a first-year head coach would turn down an invitation to play in a bowl game in its own backyard? Giving a young team — players and coaches — 15 more practices to hone their craft and skills, sending the seniors out on a possible winning note, making a little kala for a depleted athletic budget, getting some free swag (I-Pads, headphones, whatever) for the players, etc.
If you think so, well … you’re entitled to your viewpoint. I think there were 4 teams that went to bowl games last year with 5-7 records, including Nebraska? I may be wrong. But you get my drift.
Agreed. You changed my mind. I was only thinking about how embarrassing it was as fan but I wasn’t thinking about how much work these young athletes have been doing during the season. Even the loss to UNLV looks different now that they beat Wyoming. Give the players a chance if they win the next two games.
it is what it is…..lousy
Is Norm Chow and Defensive Coordinator Tom Mason back ??? 107 points in 2 weeks with a pathetic effort is inexcusable … Embarrassed and very disappointed … this team is starting to regress ala the Chow Era but what do you expect w/ Chow’s players
Rolo has to rebuild the whole lineup. Chow recruiting was poor and the product on the field shows how far we are behind the top teams which we were once upon a time. Recruit Rolo Recruit. Get rid of the dead heads. Bring JJ back as OC!
There are coaches that need to go for sure. But Rolo has to look at the players that Chow left that are doing the dog as well.
…but aren’t we just having fun playing football?
football? what’s that?
Rolo is very petty minded as he had the Hawaii sideline benches removed by Aloha Stadium staff at the beginning of the 2nd half. That shows you how small minded he is as he was peeved at his team’s effort during the first half players as reported by Fox during the national televised game. Fox reported that this was the first time any collegiate football head coach had penalized his players in such a manner. How embarrassing for Hawaii fans and the players.
From what you describe Rolo is self-imploding on national TV as the pressure has gotten to him. In college Div1A football or in the NFL with so much money at Stake and the ridiculous salaries given to these coaches, there is no where to hide when assistant coaches want to be the head coach and they are not ready or do not have what it takes. Just ask flower salesman Norm Chow. I hold Maitlin responsible as he had only one chance to get it right and right now things are going south real fast. Never mind the score, with only 18,000 fans showing up (bet even that is an inflated number), UH football and athletics is in deep kim chee, despite SA writers with UH PR people trying desparately to prop them up.
18,000 was the tickets sold (including season tickets) count. Fox tried as much much as possible not to televise the stadium stands. At times they showed the mauka lower orange sideline sections, and from the looks of it there were not more than 100 to 200 seats occupied from north end zone to south end zone. The makai lower orange sections had much, much more occupied seats. In my estimation less than 10,000 seats were occupied in the whole stadium before half time.
How will the Hawaii Bowl look in attendance without UH?
Agree, Matlin set the program back by selecting a coach with no HC experience. Just look at who is the qb coach… a player that was a receiver and who is the OC… a Div 2 coach. Instead of playing pokeman, water ballon fight, and going to Costco to help old ladies load furnitures, Rolo should have been teaching the players to catch, tackle, taking care of the ball, and penalty free. Taking the benches away tell me the coach have lost control of the players. With 18,000 ticket sold, no one will attend when you produce a poor show. Yes, Matlin has to go. It started with Rolo receiving a quarter mil $ raise (yes, I know he is the lowest paid coach in MW)and earning just a much as the Dean for the medical school is not a wise decision. Now he want to raise the students athletic fees when they couldn’t care less about UH sports. Time for him to earn his $200K plus salary by producing a better product.His earlier mistake was to promote AP to asst. AD when she did not do her job. Don’t be too surprise if he extend Rolo contract with a raise. Really sad with the direction.
Shoots, that was the hightlight of the game (and Harris’ running) for me. Color analyst Adam Archuleta loved it, and thought it should become a trend. At least that’s what I thought he said.
He was disciplining the players who acted like they were on vacation. I would’ve done worse. Even if you don’t start you should at least cheer on the efforts of your teammates that play. Secondly, watch the darn game and try to learn something. Why did that play work? Why did that play not work? Would a right side stunt have been more effective than a head on blitz? Why did our top DL get blocked out of that play? You are on the team, act like it. You don’t want to be on the team, then buy a ticket and sit in the stands.
Being on the Rainbow Warrior football team is being on vacation. After all this is Hawaii, paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Rollo should have had team discipline prior to the first game – not this late in the season. By the way, folding chairs were left on the sidelines in the 2nd half, and players were sitting in all of them. So much for Rollo instituting team discipline.
Really? The CBS commentators didn’t think it was embarrassing for Hawaii; rather they thought it was a novel and good idea.
If any team’s defense gives up 50+ pts per game, the offense won’t be able to keep up. Don’t understand the DC, last week in 3rd and goal SD ran the QB bootleg 3 times and every time it worked without any defensive adjustments. This game, Boise ran the QB bootleg twice and it worked every time without any defensive adjustments, all for TDs. I don’t think this is excusable for the DC to just whiff like that 2 games in the row and it demonstrate the underlying problem, Lempa just doesn’t know how to defend and adjust.
Greeley (From WVB) have two brothers that are playing football ( One QB and one Receiver )
Maybe Rolo need to go check them out.
Get back the broadcasting right to show the games live or hour delay locally for free. This will revive local recruiting and building fan base..
Oh Oh .. Rolo is losing his support. How quickly the flip and turn into flop.
Pathetic fan support from what I could see on TV. I blame OC sports television contract with UH for the loss of football culture in Hawai’i. When we were kids UH football was the hottest show in town and we grew up knowing all the players. Who doesn’t remember all the UH greats? My wife doesn’t even like football but remembers the Travis Sims, Garrett Gabriels and Colts of yesteryear. Now the stands are empty because nobody, especially the kids, knows the team anymore. OC sports give us back our damn football team!!
C’mon folks don’t blame Rolo for the lack of success. Dru had 2 passes dropped on him that certainly was a game changer. One was a sure TD bomb that was dropped. That one hurt. Also all those avoidable penalties led to a lot of scores for Boise. If I were to any blame on anyone it would be mostly the players who aren’t executing or not making the right choices. Coach Rolo is trying to work with players who aren’t really high caliber players.
Totally agree with Iokela. The players are not executing their plays well and they are making too many mental errors. Lack of talent is one thing, but even if you lack talent, you should at least be able to avoid the costly mental errors resulting in penalties that the UH players were making. After the first half, I could not bear to watch or listen anymore.
Just seems to me that the team is regressing after their earlier successes and I don’t know what’s causing that. I’m a loyal fan but even loyal fans can handle so much pain. No fun to watch when the team lacks fighting spirit.
We knew it was going to be a painful few seasons. Give Rolo a chance. However, I hope Rolo takes a critical look at his coaches at the end of the season. Also, Dru Brown needs to stop telegraphing his passes. He seems to lock in on his first receiver and not go through the progression of his options……although might be that he is running for his life. Keep the faith.
Bunch of whiners coming out of the closet. What did they expect in a rebuilding year? The fact that UH even had/has a chance at a bowl game is remarkable considering the legacy left by Chow.
I give you credit Bullfighter, for your optimism. Us Warrior fans need your optimism to rub off on us.
Give Rolo and his coaches some breathing room. This is their 1st year on the job and the players are adjusting as well.