RENO, NEV. >> As a walk-on, defensive end Andrew Choi always wanted to have a hand in a Hawaii football victory.

On Saturday, it was his right hand.

Choi blocked a punt, leading to Justice Augafa’s scoop-and-score to extend the Warriors’ lead to 21-0 in what eventually would be a 54-3 dismantling of Nevada.

Choi said a path was cleared when a blocker flexed out to try to stop Lincoln Victor. “I have to give thanks to (Victor) for opening up the big gap for me to stick my hand out and get that block,” Choi said. “It covered my whole hand. It was kind of sore after.”

Choi said he blocked a punt during a drill in training camp in August. “It was good to do something when your name gets called,” Choi said. “After the play was over, I was thinking, ‘Did I really hit it?’”

For Augafa, it was his first touchdown since high school. During his UH career, Augafa has played safety, wideout and running back. He was surprised his first score would come on special teams.

“I heard (the block) even before I saw (the football),” Augafa said. “I was looking around, and I happened to be around at the right place and the right time.”

The block and the subsequent touchdown return was the first by UH since 2012. Meanwhile, by not suffering a block of its own, UH is tied with Auburn for the longest streak in the country — 135 games — without allowing a punt block. The Rainbow Warriors last had a punt blocked by Notre Dame in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl.

Big back produces big hit

Hekili Keli‘iliki lived up to the big-back tradition when he flattened a Nevada defensive back during a run.

“To be honest, I really wasn’t thinking,” Keli‘iliki said. “It was get the ball and run as hard as I could. It turned out the way it turned out. I saw (the defender), put my shoulder down, and hoped for the best.”

Keli‘iliki, who is 6-2 and 220 pounds, acknowledged the knock-down runs by former Warriors West Keli‘ikipi, Reagan Mauia and Nate Ilaoa. “Hopefully, I was able to deliver for the people back home,” he said.

The CBS video crew put together a little playback on the run, showing the hit over and over again in a video loop.

Warriors knew winter was coming

In the hours leading to kickoff, the Warriors were alerted to the snow flurries falling on Reno.

“When I saw the snow, I was like, ‘Oh, great, it’s going to be a long game,’ ” quarterback Cole McDonald said. But he said the Warriors were prepared for wet and cold conditions.

“Hand warmers,” McDonald said. “We had some cold games (in high school). It’s different when it’s cold and rainy. It’s tougher to throw the ball. You’ve got to be a little more compact in your motion. In the first quarter, it was raining. We overcame it.”

Head coach Nick Rolovich said the key is to keep hydrated. He said he followed the late Dick Tomey’s advice to hydrate more than you eat.

“I told them to drink everything but the toilet water,” Rolovich said.

Meskell gets his groove back

Ryan Meskell had missed five of his previous six field-goal attempts. But he said he worked out his problems in technique, and was true on a 44-yarder on Saturday.

“It was just staying positive throughout adversity,” Meskell said.

In games played at fields at least 4,000 feet above sea level, Meskell has converted all five attempts.

UH shines in TV spotlight

The Rainbow Warriors are looking better on TV these days.

After defeating Nevada on ESPN2, the Warriors are 5-5 in their last 10 national TV games. Prior to 2018, UH was 2-36 in its previous 38 nationally televised games.

And Hawaii gets another chance to shine in its next game, Oct. 12 at Boise State, which will also be shown on ESPN.