Up The Gut
>> Situation: Hawaii 7, Nevada 0, 4:03 remaining first quarter, Nevada ball first-and-10 at own 20
>> The Play: RB Kelton Moore runs through a huge hole in the middle of the Hawaii defense and is not stopped by S Daniel Lewis until he gains 66 yards.
>> Impact: Three plays later, Nevada tied the game on a touchdown pass from QB Ty Gangi to WR McLane Mannix. Moore rushed for 216 of Nevada’s 268 yards on the ground.
>> Lewis: “Not hitting our gaps, missed tackles, missed assignments — they add up. Before you know it, we’re down and the momentum was missing.”
Called Back
>> Situation: Hawaii 14, Nevada 14, 1:40 remaining second quarter, Hawaii ball third-and-19 at own 16
>> The Play: RB Diocemy Saint Juste breaks into the Nevada secondary, leaps over a would-be tackler at midfield and goes for an apparent 84-yard touchdown. But the play is called back for holding by LT Dejon Allen.
>> Impact: The touchdown-costing penalty was one of five for 57 on just the one series for Hawaii, which totaled 11 for 114 for the game. Instead of Hawaii scoring with time running out before halftime to take the lead, Nevada did so.
>> Hawaii offensive coordinator Brian Smith: “The theme of the season for us. We shoot ourselves in the foot a lot with penalties. … It was penalties, it was getting ourselves into long yardage that made it hard to convert third downs.”
Picked Off
>> Situation: Nevada 21, Hawaii 14, 4:04 remaining third quarter, Hawaii ball first-and-10 at own 28
>> The Play: CB Vosean Crumbie intercepts QB Dru Brown’s pass and returns it to the Hawaii 46.
>> Impact: Nevada took advantage of the turnover to extend its lead with another scoring drive, culminating with Gangi’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Moore.
>> Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich: “A lot of credit goes to Nevada. (Coach Jay Norvell) had his team ready to play and we didn’t.”
Back In It
>> Situation: Nevada 28, Hawaii 14, 1:56 remaining third quarter, Hawaii ball first-and-10 at own 25
>> The Play: Saint Juste bursts through the Nevada defense for a 75-yard touchdown run.
>> Impact: Immediately after Nevada scored to make it a 14-point lead, Hawaii got back in the game and temporarily regained momentum. For the game, Saint Juste had 241 yards on 25 carries. He is now third on Hawaii’s all-time rushing yardage list with 2,484 after passing Travis Sims in the first half.
>> Saint Juste: “The O-line did a very good job, especially in the absence of our line coach. We did our best out there. … But at the end of the day, it’s about the wins.”
Take And Give
>> Situation: Nevada 28, Hawaii 21, 14:26 remaining fourth quarter, Nevada ball first-and-10 at Hawaii 17
>> The Play: CB Rojesterman Farris II intercepts Gangi’s pass and returns it 15 yards to the Hawaii 22.
>> Impact: Hawaii failed to make use of its good fortune, as Brown fumbled while being sacked and Nevada recovered at the Hawaii 36. Four plays later Nevada scored on Gangi’s 32-yard pass to Wyatt Demps.
>> Rolovich: “We’ve learned how to lose again. I kind of thought we got that out of our system.”
