On Christmas Eve, the Hawaii football team was gifted with Cole.
Cole McDonald threw four touchdown passes, including the go-ahead laser to Nick Mardner with 77 seconds left, to lead Hawaii to a 38-34 victory over Brigham Young in the SoFi Hawaii Bowl.
McDonald was one of the last to emerge from the UH locker room, a long shower to cap the longest game (3 hours, 58 minutes) of the Rainbow Warriors’ longest season (15 games).
Covered in lei and emotion, McDonald briefly spoke of the winning pass (“one of the greatest moments in my life”) and his future. “I’m going to go home, talk it over with my family, pray about it, ask for clarity and do whatever’s the best option,” he said.
>> Photo Gallery: Hawaii beats BYU to capture Hawaii Bowl
And then McDonald spoke of the Warriors’ inspiration, their guiding light during five months of adversity and adventure, capsulized by the fourth 10-victory season in the program’s history.
“All glory to God and all the brothers on my team,” McDonald said. “Everybody put it on the line, and was ballin’. This was for Schey.”
Scheyenne Sanitoa, a popular linebacker, died on July 4.
“All season was dedicated to him,” McDonald said. “This was Schey’s season.”
On Christmas Eve, credit also went to a defiant defense and a relentless offense led by McDonald, a fourth-year junior. The Warriors’ opening drive stalled. But after breaking the Cougars’ serve, forcing a punt, the Warriors went into attack mode.
McDonald was 7-for-7, completing an 82-yard drive with a 7-yard scoring pass to Smart. On UH’s next possession, McDonald and Smart collaborated on a 40-yard pass to extend UH’s lead to 14-0.
“We just tried to start off fast,” Smart said. “We wanted to dispose of them quickly. (The touchdowns) were a good feeling. We went through the plays in practice. When it mattered, me and Cole delivered.”
The Warriors held leads of 21-7, 24-14 and, at the intermission, 31-24.
But they went cold in third quarter, amassing just 4 yards. The Cougars tied it on Zach Wilson’s 2-yard run with 11:58 left in the third quarter, then went ahead 34-31 on Jake Oldroyd’s 20-yard field goal with 14:37 to play. With 2:15 remaining, the Cougars faced a third-and-2 from their 26. Linebacker Jeremiah Pritchard chased Wilson, who underthrew Micah Simon in the left flat. The Cougars opted to punt.
The Warriors took over at their 29 with 2:01 to play. McDonald fired incomplete to right wideout JoJo Ward, then scrambled for 9 yards to the 38.
On third-and-1, with the BYU front crowding the gaps, McDonald lofted a pass to the 6-5 Mardner along the left sideline. Mardner secured the football for a 38-yard gain to the BYU 24.
“Just catch it,” Mardner said. “That’s all I had to do. I remember the times I don’t come down with it. I remember that feeling. I keep that feeling always with me. It just motivates me to always catch the ball.”
On the next play, Mardner was aligned as the left wideout, with Smart in the left slot. Mardner ran a choice route with these options: a go route or a slant.
Mardner and McDonald recognized a cornerback was playing to the outside, maybe 5 to 7 yards, to impede the go pattern. “I had the good leverage (on the cornerback),” Mardner said. “I had to keep the (slant) skinny so the safety wouldn’t come down and crack me. Me and Cole are on the same page. I just had to catch the ball, and we celebrate later.”
Mardner split the defenders and caught the 24-yard scoring pass to put the Warriors ahead 37-34 with 47 seconds to play. Ryan Meskell’s extra-point kick — he hasn’t missed one all season — was true, taking away a tie as an option.
It also meant the outcome was left to a defense that has been sturdy in the four games leading to the bowl. The Warriors have had to overcome several obstacles, beginning with Sanitoa’s death. In the days leading to the opener, their most physical linebacker, Penei Pavihi, suffered a season-ending injury.
For the bowl game, the Warriors were without their most productive pass rusher (Kaimana Padello), safety (Kalen Hicks) and cornerback (Rojesterman Farris II).
The Warriors were left to improvise. UH’s Zach Wilson made his first start of the season in place of Farris. The Warriors also rotated freshman Michael Washington, who is on the redshirt track, and Eugene Ford at cornerback. Ford, who also played nickel and safety in the game, came up with a big play in the third quarter.
On third-and-goal from the UH 1, BYU’s Wilson ran a keeper toward the left side. With safety Donovan Dalton racing in for the mid-section hit, Wilson leaped. Ford knocked the ball free just short of the goal line, and defensive end Pumba Williams recovered in the end zone.
“I knew I had zone coverage,” Ford said. “(Wilson) got out of the pocket. It was critical for me and Donovan Dalton to close in on him to make a play. I saw him go up, and I saw Donovan go low, and (Wilson) took the ball out. I knew I had to make a big hit.”
It was that way for the Warriors, who held the Cougars without a touchdown on their final six possessions. On BYU’s last drive, Wilson tried to fire a pass to tight end Matt Bushman.
“I’m sitting in the zone letting him come to me,” UH safety Khoury Bethley said. “I took a peek at (Bushman), and saw him coming over the top of the linebackers. I took a peek back at the quarterback, and I’d seen him eye-balling (Bushman). Luckily, he threw it right at me. I jumped in front of the tight end and made a play.”
Bethley’s second pick of the game — and second of his two-year career — sealed the outcome.
“The kids played their tails off,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “I’m so proud of their effort, how they battled for 60 minutes. What a great way to win a game.”
