SAN JOSE, Calif. >> When the University of Hawaii scored a touchdown in the first overtime period Saturday night, the Rainbow Warriors had to yell to get their kicker, Ryan Meskell, out onto the field to kick the extra point.

“These (overtimes) were something new to me, I didn’t know you had to kick the point in overtime, too,” the native of Canberra, Australia, said sheepishly.

By the time he lined up to kick the game-deciding 35-yard field goal in a Mountain West Conference-record fifth overtime, Meskell had long since become a battle-hardened and knowledgeable veteran of overtime play.

And the Warriors had come to know a lot about themselves and their place-kicker.

For Meskell in particular and the Warriors in general, the 4-hour, 4-minute victory over the game but still winless Spartans (0-4) was more than a test of endurance, it was a crucible that challenged their persistence and determination.

Then these Warriors celebrated by running up the steps and into the vocal UH cheering section at CEFCU Stadium. Some of them barely making it after the day’s exertions.

“I felt like I was running up Diamond Head,” said slotback John Ursua, who had a game-high 148 yards and three touchdowns on 13 receptions.

It was, even by the dramatic standards of Rainbow Warriors-Spartans games in San Jose, where UH had won overtime games in 2007 and ’09, and played a 4-hour, 12-minute regulation game in 1999, an ironman competition.

Afterward, a drained head coach Nick Rolovich asked, “How many (overtimes) was that, anyway?”

Spartans coach Brent Brennan said, “I’ve never been in one like this. I’m still not over the fact that we didn’t get it done. That’s the thing that’s killing me.”

For UH it need not — and should not — have come to all of that. And, it wouldn’t have if not for a first-half offensive funk, a spate of first-quarter penalties (4 for 45 yards) some big plays surrendered on defense, two second-half turnovers, two missed field goals and an errant extra point.

Fortunately, the Spartans’ kicker, Bryce Crawford, missed four of his six field-goal attempts, including the last one, a 47-yarder, to permit UH to escape. Meskell, who had been perfect on four field goals and 26 extra-point tries entering the game, uncharacteristically missed the extra point that caused UH to trail 17-16 in the third quarter.

Then, he went wide left on a 36-yard field-goal attempt in the second overtime and a 49-yard attempt in the third overtime.

On the 36-yarder San Jose State called time out just as he was kicking, an icing attempt that paid off.

Meskell thanked his teammates. “They gave me a chance to go out there and redeem myself. I just love all those guys.”

Meskell said, “The boys told me to keep my head up, that they were behind me and they still had confidence in me. Not one time were they bitter.”

So, Meskell said, “I just tried to focus on the next kick and not let them down.”

Afterward, amid Hawaii’s celebration, Meskell made his way to the edge of the field, where he found his opposite number, Crawford, and offered a some words of encouragement. “It could have been me,” Meskell said. “But the boys gave me a chance at redemption.”

All in all, Meskell said, “It was quite the day at the office, wasn’t it?”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.