Turnovers spoil Hawaii football team’s effort against Nevada

RENO, NEV.>> In a desert city that is 4,505 feet above sea level, the University of Hawaii football team was left high and dry.

Five turnovers, a blocked punt, and an untimely injury resulted in the Rainbow Warriors’ 34-17 loss to Nevada before a homecoming crowd of 22,098 in Mackay Stadium.

“It was terrible,” UH coach Todd Graham said. “You don’t have a chance to win a game when you turn the ball over six times. We had four interceptions, a fumble on a punt (return) that we had no idea what we were doing. There were a lot of undisciplined stuff. You have to give them credit.”

The Warriors entered with momentum (they upset Fresno State on Oct. 2) and, courtesy of a bye, two weeks to prepare for the Wolf Pack’s passing attack and menacing defensive front. And the Warriors set the tone with a defensive stop that forced the Pack to settle for a field goal on the opening drive.

Then self-inflicted mistakes became the pulled threads that unraveled the Warriors. Two interceptions preceded two Nevada touchdown drives. The turnover on the punt return — the football grazed the back of Hugh Nelson’s shoulder pads — set up another touchdown.

During the intermission, Graham told the players: “We’re sitting on a three-point game (20-17 deficit). Let’s get the ball and go score.”

On the third play of the second half, Graham noted, “we throw an interception.”

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Nevada turned that turnover into Romeo Doubs’ 28-yard scoring catch.

“The turnovers were the name of the game,” Graham said. “That was our No. 1 focus. We didn’t do a very good job of preparing our guys because we beat ourselves. That’s tough. Because that game there was a critical game, and a game I felt we should win.”

It was a difficult night for freshman quarterback Brayden Schager, who was intercepted four times. Schager started his second consecutive game in place of Chevan Cordeiro, who has not fully healed from an upper-body injury. Cordeiro’s lone snap was on a quick punt.

“There are a lot of actions that go into stuff,” Graham said of Schager’s picks. “Not pointing the finger at anybody. We win or lose together.”

Calvin Turner, an all-purpose back and receiver, said Schager should bounce back. “He’s a young quarterback,” Turner said. “It was only his second game starting, and sadly his first two games had to be against two really good teams. We’ll watch film with him, and help him out, and do things for him.”

Running back Dae Dae Hunter scored on runs of 75 and 81 yards. But he banged up a shoulder on a second-quarter play and was sidelined the rest of the game. In the second half, the Warriors rushed for minus-1 yard on non-sack carries.

“I fell on my shoulder,” Hunter said. “It’s something slight. It’s not major. It’s a long season. It’s all good.”

With a reduced running attack and an inconsistent aerial game, the Warriors had difficulty keeping their defense off the field. The Wolf Pack ran 93 plays. Nevada tried to run a tempo offense to tire the Warriors in the thin air.

“Some guys had problems with the altitude, stuff like that,” Graham said. “But you have to give (the Wolf Pack) credit. They went fast. They had great tempo.”

Defensive end Jonah Laulu said: “That tempo is whatever. Everybody is going to try to tempo us. We have to show improvement that we can stop it.”

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong was 34-for-54 for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed passes to seven receivers. Tight end Cole Turner was his favorite. Turner, who mixed crossing and deep routes, had 12 catches for 175 yards on 20 targets. Melquan Stovall, whose brother Melquise was a UH receiver last year, had seven catches on eight targets for 71 yards. And Doubs, who did not play last week because of an injury, caught four passes for 83 yards. Doubs also dropped a sure touchdown pass. Last year, Doubs caught only one pass for 10 yards against the Warriors.

The Warriors had difficulty regaining their offensive traction after Hunter’s departure. Nevada provided pressure from its front four, amassing four sacks — it has 26 in six games — and doubling its interception total of the first five contests. The Warriors were 4-for-13 on third down, and did not convert their two fourth-down plays.

“The offense has to get the ball rolling,” UH safety Eugene Ford said, “and we have to hold it down, too, and get the ball back to them. We had no turnovers today, which is not acceptable on our end. We have goals to get turnovers.”

In two run-to-daylight plays, Hunter scored on sprints to spark the Warriors in the first half. Hunter produced 174 of the Warriors’ 264 yards before the intermission.

After a UH defensive stand forced the Wolf Pack to settle for Brandon Talton’s 23-yard field goal, Hunter needed only 11 seconds to take the lead. Hunter took off on a run to the right side, eluded a would-be tackler and outraced a Pack of defenders to complete the 75-yard touchdown.

Nevada went ahead on the first of Toa Taua’s touchdown runs, this one from 6 yards.

But on the ensuing UH drive, Hunter only needed another 11 seconds to go 81 yards up the gut for a touchdown with 12:42 left in the first half.

Taua’s responded with a 10-yard scoring run as the Wolf Pack regained the lead, at 17-14.

UH then went 10 plays and 64 yards, culminating with Matthew Shipley’s 28-yard field goal.

On UH’s next possession, Nevada’s Turner blocked Shipley’s punt. UH went 12 seasons without having a punt blocked. Opponents have blocked three this year. This rejection led to Talton’s 45-yard field goal and a 20-17 Nevada halftime lead. Nevada would not trail again.