1. Another Slow Start
>> Situation: San Diego State 7, Hawaii 0, 2:12 remaining first quarter, Hawaii ball third-and-7 at own 28
>> The Play: QB Dru Brown appeared to complete a pass to WR Marcus Armstrong-Brown for 8 yards and a first down. But after a replay review, it was ruled incomplete.
>> Impact: Hawaii’s third possession ended with no first downs for the game. Hawaii netted 15 yards on its first nine plays. The first seven plays were handoffs.
>> Brown: “We tried to establish the run. They’re a good team and they kind of stuffed us up there for a while, and continued to all night.”
2. What A Drag
>> Situation: San Diego State 14, Hawaii 0, 9:25 remaining second quarter, San Diego State ball second-and-6 at Hawaii 42
>> The Play: LB Jahlani Tavai seems to stop RB Rashaad Penny near the line of scrimmage, but Penny drags Tavai for about 5 yards of a 12-yard gain.
>> Impact: The drive stalled after a third-down sack of QB Christian Chapman by S Trayvon Henderson and San Diego State punted. But the play on national television was not a good look for Hawaii, especially its defense.
>> Penny: “It’s funny because they all just laughed and talked about it. ‘How much did he charge you for that ride? That’s just something we laughed about. It was fun. I enjoyed every single moment.”
3. Scoring Drive
>> Situation: San Diego State 14, Hawaii 0, 0:24 remaining second quarter, Hawaii ball second-and-goal at San Diego State 1
>> The Play: Brown fakes a handoff to RB Diocemy Saint Juste, keeps the ball and dives over the goal line for a touchdown.
>> Impact: It capped Hawaii’s only scoring drive and gave it momentum headed into halftime. Six players ran the ball or caught passes on the drive, which was aided by two San Diego State personal fouls.
>> Brown: “We’re having issues, but once we get rolling we’re pretty tough to stop. We can’t keep putting our defense out there after three downs. It’s not fair to them.”
4. Short Field
>> Situation: San Diego State 14, Hawaii 7, 10:58 remaining third quarter, San Diego State ball second-and-1 at Hawaii 31
>> The Play: Chapman completes a 30-yard pass to TE David Wells to the Hawaii 1.
>> Impact: Penny scored his first touchdown on the next play, capping a 40-yard, three-play drive. San Diego State completed just five passes in the game, and this was the longest gain by air. It was the third San Diego State touchdown to come after a three-and-out by the Hawaii offense.
>> Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich: “I thought the defense played hard. I see the yards they had, but I’m happy with the effort (the Hawaii defense) gave. … (The defense was) out there too long.”
5. Breakaway
>> Situation: San Diego State 21, Hawaii 7, 13:33 remaining fourth quarter, San Diego State ball second-and-8 at own 37
>> The Play: Penny takes a toss and goes around left end. He breaks away, untouched, for a 63-yard touchdown.
>> Impact: Even with nearly an entire quarter left to play, Penny’s second touchdown of the game made a successful Hawaii comeback very unlikely. Penny finished with a career-high 253 yards on 30 carries.
>> San Diego State coach Rocky Long: “We went into the game knowing it was not going to be kind of back and forth, and whoever was going to pop the big one was going to have the advantage.”
