Mother Nature brought the lightning, the Fresno State football team delivered the thunder.
In an electrifying burst following a 41-minute weather delay, the Bulldogs surged to a 31-21 victory over Hawaii before 13,714 at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night.
The Rainbow Warriors had several chances to cut further into the Bulldogs’ lead. But a failed 2-point conversion and an interception in the end zone with 2:14 to play short-circuited any pretty-please hopes.
The outcome all but doomed the Warriors’ Christmas Eve wishes. With two games remaining, they are 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the Mountain West, ensuring a losing season. The Warriors would have received an automatic berth in the Hawaii Bowl if they finished the regular season with a minimum 6-6 record. A sub-.500 bowl bid is a microscopic but unlikely possibility.
“It’s tough on these seniors because (not reaching a bowl) is a disappointment, I’m sure,” said coach Nick Rolovich, whose Warriors lost for the seventh time in the past eight games.
UH quarterback Dru Brown was 18-for-31 for 154 yards, but he was intercepted once and lost possession on a scramble.
“We were close again,” Brown said. “It’s tough to swallow that one.”
The Warriors, who won the coin toss but decided to defer the choice until the second half, forced the Bulldogs to punt on their first two drives. The Warriors then drove 54 yards on 11 plays for their first opening-quarter lead of the season. Brown’s 7-yard scoring pass to second-year freshman Kumoku Noa on an out pattern capped that drive.
Rolovich said the Warriors had energy “early on, and then we didn’t get much done after that.”
The Bulldogs tied it at 7 on Marcus McMaryion’s 4-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson, who managed to land with his left foot inbounds while being pushed by linebacker Russell Williams Jr.
On the ensuing possession, Brown’s 3-yard scramble gave the Warriors a first down at their 36 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. But as the Warriors lined up, the officials signaled that the game would be stopped because of reports of lightning within 8 miles of the stadium. Both teams were ordered to their locker rooms and fans in the orange section were encouraged to seek shelter.
Rolovich said he treated the break as if it were a halftime intermission.
“We talked about what (the Bulldogs) were doing,” Rolovich said.
Rolovich, Brown and running back Diocemy Saint Juste said the delay, which included a five-minute warm-up after the teams were summoned back onto the field, did not impact their performance. But the numbers suggested otherwise. The rest of the half, the McMaryion threw two scoring passes and the Bulldogs out-gained the Warriors 138 yards to minus-2. From the break through the 1:38 left in the third quarter, when they went up 31-7, the Bulldogs had an advantage in yards of 241 to 62.
“It was disappointing,” Saint Juste said. “That’s all. Disappointing. It was all us. Mental errors, not executing, all us.”
The Warriors tried different tactics under Rolovich, who called the offensive plays for the second game in a row and third time this season. Rolovich expanded his role because the Warriors were down a coach after Chris Naeole resigned as offensive line coach in the week leading to the Oct. 7 game against Nevada.
The Warriors opened the second half in a five-receiver, no-back formation. But the Warriors came up empty in the two drives employing the empty set. In the first one, Brown threw behind slotback Dylan Collie on fourth-and-7 from the Fresno 36. The second drive lasted two plays, with Tobenna Okeke forcing Brown to fumble. Linebacker Robert Stanley recovered at midfield.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, used a balanced attack involving McMaryion’s full range of throws and a trifecta of running backs. McMaryion, a graduate transfer from Oregon State who joined in mid-training camp, was 19-for-36 for 226 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Mims, Ronnie Rivers and Josh Hokit combined for 154 rushing yards.
McMaryion entered with a streak of not being intercepted on 118 consecutive passes nor being sacked in the previous 14 quarters. While McMaryion stayed upright the entire game, his interception-less streak ended when defensive end David Manoa tipped a pass that weak-side linebacker Solomon Matautia plucked. Matautia raced 19 yards for a touchdown to close the Warriors to 31-21 with 13:09 to play.
The Warriors went for the 2-point conversion, and an offsides penalty put the ball closer. But the conversion failed.
Later, McMaryion was intercepted again — the third time this season — by freshman cornerback Eugene Ford. The Warriors drove to the 5. But Brown’s second-down throw was intercepted by Tank Kelly with 2:14 to play.
“I tried to throw a 50-50 ball,” Brown said. “I guess the situation wasn’t right.”
Collie, who finished with six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, said: “We just didn’t finish. We didn’t do what we had to do to win a football game. It’s another one down, and two more to go.”
