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GAME DAY BLOG: Hawaii football hosts Albany

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                The Hawaii football team ran ont the field for its home opener against Stanford last week.
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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

The Hawaii football team ran ont the field for its home opener against Stanford last week.

Editor’s Note: Bookmark this page for live updates from the game below.

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SCORE: Hawaii 31, Albany 20

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FINAL: Hawaii 31, Albany 20

9:08 p.m.: A pass interference penalty on third down keeps the drive alive and Schager finds McBride for a 12-yard TD on third-and-8. That’s probably the game. UH goes up 31-20, 3:20, Q4.

9:03 p.m.: Albany tries an option play and it’s dropped for a fumble. Noah Kema scoops it up and nearly returns it but is tripped up at the Great Danes 31. What a huge break for UH.

9:00 p.m.: Foi Sila carted off the field past Logan Taylor, who is down on the field and has to be helped off. Injuries starting to come into play. 6:19 to go. Albany has it second-and-1 at the UH 17.

8:53 p.m.: Here we go again. UH has it fourth-and-1 on its own 39 and it’s a handoff to Bryant-Lelei. He’s stopped right near the marker and they will measure. Great Danes stop Hawaii short again. Albany takes over. Yikes.

8:50 p.m.: Albany, down four, goes for it on fourth-and-3 on the UH 17 and Poffenbarger loses yards. Isaiah Tufaga makes the stop. UH takes over.

Announced attendance: 7,646.

>> RELATED: Hawaii beats Albany

>> PHOTOS: Hawaii vs. Albany

8:44 p.m.: Fourth-and-1 on the UH 40 with 12:48 to go and Timmy Chang calls timeout. What do you do here? UH goes for it and brings Morris in at QB and he keeps it and is STUFFED. Albany takes over at the UH 40.

8:40 p.m.: McBride with an outstanding punt return of nearly 30 yards but a penalty negates it.

8:37 p.m.: Third quarter ends with Albany facing third down. UH dominating the box score in terms of yards but the turnovers and costly penalties are again playing a big part in this game.

8:33 p.m.: Juncaj with his second sack as Schager is swarmed by a host of defenders on third down for a sack. UH will punt.

8:28 p.m.: Albany drops a TD catch on third down and Opalko hits a 32-yard field goal. Good stand by the UH defense. Manuma with a couple of big plays. HAW 24, UALB 20, 3:32, Q3.

8:25 p.m.: Hawaii forces a punt to get the ball back but then a total mix-up between receiver and quarterback as the receiver doesn’t even bother to turn around to look for the ball and Schager throws a pass right to Aamir Hall for a pick. Third interception thrown by Schager.

8:16 p.m.: Fourth-and-6 at the Albany 34 and Schager goes deep down the sideline to Jalen Walthall who reached out with one hand and brings it in to the other even while getting interfered with. Touchdown Hawaii. 24-17, 6:10, Q3.

8:07 p.m.: Tariq Jones makes a huge sack on second down for the UH defense and Albany will have to punt.

8:03 p.m.: Hawaii receives to start the second half. UH rolls the dice on fourth-and-1 from its 34 and brings in Dalen Morris to keep it for the first down, but it doesn’t matter much as UH punts four plays later.

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Halftime leaders

UALB: Poffenbarger 8-19, 73 yards, INT; Poffenbarger 3 carries, 38 yards, TD; Caden Burti 3 rec., 30 yards

UH: Schager 13-20, 152 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei 3 carries, 32 yards; Pofele Ashlock 2 rec., 53 yards.

7:34 p.m.: Ezra Evaimalo gets a sack on third down to likely run out the half but Peter Manuma is whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Nonethless, the Great Danes can’t capitalize and it’s halftime. No wait, it isn’t. Hawaii was running off the field but the referees are bringing everybody back. They put two seconds on the clock and Albany MAKES a 46-yard field goal. Penalty costs UH three points. 17-17 at halftime.

7:25 p.m.: Facing third-and-23, Schager throws a 30-yard TD pass to Steven McBride. Hawaii desperately needed that. HAW 17, UALB 14, 3:34, Q2.

7:12 p.m.: Albany brings a blitz on third-and-10 and AJ Simon sacks Schager. Hawaii will punt after it has a delay of game on fourth down.

7:00 p.m.: Larry Walker Jr. jumps a ball from Schager that hung in the air and makes an easy pick-6. 35 yards on the INT return. UALB 14, HAW 10, 11:20, Q2.

6:47 p.m.: Hawaii drives 74 yards in nine plays with Schager hitting Jonah Panoke on a 4-yard TD on third-and-goal. Hawaii retakes the lead, 10-7, :09, Q1.

6:42 p.m.: Elijah Palmer gets it back for Hawaii with his first career interception off a terrible throw by Poffenbarger.

6:36 p.m.: Pofele Ashlock with a 53-yard reception to maybe get Hawaii untracked but after a timeout, a middle screen is picked off by Albany linebacker Dylan Kelly.

6:29 p.m.: Reese Poffenbarger fakes the handoff and keeps it for a 41-yard touchdown run, blowing by Hawaii safety Meki Pei. UALB 7, HAW 3, 7:56, Q1.

6:25 p.m.: Teams trade three-and-outs as Schager is sacked on third down inside the UH 5 by Anton Juncaj. Great Danes should get excellent field position out of this.

6:12 p.m.: Hawaii’s first drive starts at the Albany 12 but Hawaii can’t do anything with it. 25-yard field goal is good. HAW 3, UALB 0, 12:51, Q1.

6:10 p.m.: Karsyn Pupunu with the blocked punt after Albany goes three-and-out. UH in business early.

6:04 p.m.: Hawaii wins the toss and will defer to the second half. The Great Danes will get the ball first.

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The University of Hawaii football team will try for a third time to win its first game of the 2023 season tonight hosting Albany at Ching Complex.

Quarterback Brayden Schager has thrown for 351 and 355 yards to open the season, and slotback Pofele Ashlock has had back-to-back games of 100-plus receiving yards to earn consecutive Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards. But injuries on the offensive line and in the backfield have limited UH’s running backs to 31 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry.

The Great Danes arrived four days ahead of today’s game against Hawaii to adjust to the humidity, six-hour time difference and interim leadership of associate head coach Jared Ambrose. The hope was head coach Greg Gattuso, who has been ill, would travel on his own on Wednesday. When the team learned “that wouldn’t be the case,” Ambrose said, “we had to adapt. You have to move forward. We tried to keep it moving.”

Hawaii will be without cornerback Cam Stone (knee injury).

Follow above for a live blog of the game.

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