Hawaii rallies past Oregon State to earn second win over Pac-12 foe

After jab-jab-jab misses, Hawaii place-kicker Ryan Meskell delivered the knockout blow — a 28-yard field goal with 2:17 to play — in Saturday’s 31-28 football victory over Oregon State.

An Aloha Stadium crowd of 25,141 saw Meskell redeem himself after hooking three previous attempts wide left.

“I was sort of jabbing at the ball (on) all my kicks,” said Meskell, a senior from Australia. “It’s never a good thing. Even that last one that I made. I jabbed at it. I have to go back to the drawing board, and clean things up. I’m just really glad I was given that opportunity to try that fourth kick.”

Fifteen minutes after the game, Meskell’s exhale echoed in the corridor outside the UH locker room. “I feel I’m the luckiest man in Hawaii,” Meskell said. “I’m the most relieved man. I’m really glad we won. The boys deserved to win. I’m super relieved.”

In defeating their second Pac-12 opponent in as many games, the Rainbow Warriors earned a 2-0 start for the third consecutive year, a feat last accomplished in 1983. This outcome was constructed in pieces.

>> Click here to see photos of the game between Hawaii and Oregon State.

In the Aug. 24 opener, Cole McDonald was pulled after matching four touchdown passes with his fourth interception. McDonald surrendered a pick on Saturday — he was belted by a 340-pound defensive lineman as he threw — but put together this line: 30 of 52, 421 yards, four touchdowns. Four of his passes were dropped.

Right wideout JoJo Ward conjured up four scoring receptions. One turned the momentum with 12 seconds left before the intermission, a 12-yarder that cut the Warriors’ deficit to 28-21. Ward’s final six-point reception was on a 29-yarder that helped tie it at 28 with 7:05 to play.

“I’ve got two words for you: Joe Era,” McDonald said. “That’s all you gotta write.”

Ward’s 10 catches covered 189 yards. “He’s a playmaker,” McDonald said. “He’s got speed. He knows where to be, how to get open. He’s a great athlete and great receiver. He makes plays. He comes down with the ball in those 50-50s. He makes my job a lot easier.”

Ward, who transferred to UH a few days before the start of the 2018 training camp, has developed a bond with McDonald, backup quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and the other receivers. One of the touchdowns was set up when slotback Cedric Byrd cut short his route, drawing a safety and freeing Ward for one-on-one coverage.

“Reps in practice,” Ward said. “Seeing it over and over. (McDonald) knows where I’m going to be, and he trusts me. It’s that trust thing.”

In last week’s opener, OSU was burned for 555 yards. But with renewed confidence, the Beavers won the coin toss and elected to start the game on defense. That confidence carried over to the running game. Jermar Jefferson parlayed tough running and elusiveness for 183 yards and a touchdown. Artavis Pierce contributed 79 yards on seven rushes, all for plus yards.

But despite ailments that depleted the depth, the Warriors clamped down their defense. In the first half, the Beavers gained 282 yards, including 177 on rushes. After the intermission, they amassed 150 yards, with 96 on runs.

“They played a really good second half, really good second-half adjustments by (defensive coordinator) Corey Batoon and that staff,” Rolovich said. “You see guys who are down, we’re plugging in guys. The next-man-up mentality.”

Khoury Bethley stepped in for ailing safety Ikem Okeke and made seven tackles. Darius Muasau, a true freshman, made a key tackle for a loss.

The Beavers, who were held scoreless in the second half, could not convert in fourth-down territory. On a fourth-and-5, Jake Luton threw to 6-4 wideout Isaiah Hodgins. Hodgins’ tippy toes were at the line to gain, but he caught the ball a yard short and was tackled immediately. On another fourth-down play, punter Daniel Rodriguez overthrew a receiver.

With the score tied at 28, the Warriors then drove to the OSU 12. McDonald gained 2 yards on a keeper to the right. His third-down pass was incomplete, keeping the ball on the right hash. Although the placement was not intentional, it did mean Meskell would have to hook the 28-yard attempt. His failed kicks had sailed wide of the left post.

“When it did happen on the right hash, I said, ‘OK, that’s going to be good for him,’” Rolovich recalled thinking. “It wasn’t necessarily that thought process. We were trying to score a touchdown (on previous downs).”

Meskell said: “I wasn’t hitting the ball well. It didn’t matter what hash I was on. I just had to kick the ball true, which thankfully the last kick was. It went through, luckily.”

The Beavers then drove to the UH 34, where Jordan Choukair was summoned for a 52-yard attempt. Choukair had converted on 62.5 percent of his attempts during a 28-game OSU career. This time, the ball went wide left, perhaps altered by the finger tips of Okeke, who had re-entered the game.

The Warriors took over with 1:15 to play, then diluted the clock until punting with 14 seconds to go. Stan Gaudion’s punt went to the OSU 25. Jesiah Irish’s return was abbreviated to 12 when he was hit by 300-pound Blessman Taala.

On the final play, which involved three laterals, Cortez Davis tackled Pierce at the UH 45 after time had expired.

After the game, Rolovich presented the game ball to Ward. This time, Ward passed it to the offensive line.

“I felt like the O-line doesn’t get as much respect,” Ward said. “They do one of the hardest jobs on the field. I felt it was the right thing to do.”