Urban steps in at center

After a relief appearance against Washington, center Brenden Urban made his first career start on Saturday.

Senior center Kody Afusia suffered a fracture in his right hand in the first quarter of UH’s opener against Washington and did not suit up against Oregon State.

Redshirt freshmen Elijah Tupai and Dejon Allen made their first appearances at the guard spots on UH’s third possession. Allen played most of the remainder of the game, while senior Dave Lefotu returned to his spot at guard.

First turnover costly for UH

Hawaii protected the ball effectively in its season opener and had gone 143 plays dating back to last season between turnovers.

The first of this season came on UH’s ninth play on Saturday and stunted the Rainbow Warriors’ early momentum.

A week after scoring on their opening possession against Washington, the Rainbow Warriors appeared off to another hot start on Saturday. UH covered 59 yards on its first eight plays and had a first down at the Oregon State 16 when the Warriors were stopped in their tracks.

OSU linebacker Jabral Johnson forced a Joey Iosefa fumble and Siale Hatau recovered for the Beavers.

The fumble was Iosefa’s first in 69 carries over two seasons.

Iosefa, who last fumbled in the third quarter at Wyoming in November, had 19 carries for 54 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to Oregon State.

Taimatuia’s presence felt

Linebacker T.J. Taimatuia got Hawaii its first forced turnover of the season in the second quarter when he snared a Sean Mannion pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 11 yards to the OSU 6.

It set up a 2-yard touchdown run for Joey Iosefa, UH’s first score of the game.

"We’re taught to make plays and win the turnover battle," said Taimatuia, a senior from American Samoa. "God’s will, I just happened to be there, the right place at the right time."

Taimatuia later came up with UH’s first of two sacks of Mannion in the fourth quarter, setting up a blocked punt by Lance Williams and a subsequent Warriors score.

Bolden stepping at receiver

Just a sophomore, Victor Bolden entered the season touted as quarterback Sean Mannion’s No. 1 receiving target.

Against Hawaii, he showed why.

Bolden opened the second half with his first career receiving touchdown and lit up the UH defense with 11 catches for a career-high 119 yards.

No other receiver had more than four receptions for the Beavers as Bolden filled the role vacated by Brandin Cooks, who was a first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints earlier this year.

"We think of Victor Bolden as some kind of grizzled vet, but he’s a sophomore," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "I think (he’s) really important to us as we go forward.

Bolden had as many catches against UH as he had in his entire career.

Hawaii football legends honored

Two Hawaii football legends who played their college football at Oregon State, Skippa Diaz and Rockne Freitas, were honored before the game.

Following a tribute on the stadium scoreboard screen, a moment of silence was observed for Diaz, who died Aug. 30, ending a four-year battle with cancer.

Diaz sandwiched an All-Pac-8 career as a defensive tackle at OSU between stellar playing and then coaching at Farrington High School. He was a powerful and charismatic leader in the Kalihi community.

UH coach Norm Chow credited Diaz with steering Farrington standouts to UH, including Randall Okimoto, who eventually became the Governors coach.

"Skip was one of a kind," said Freitas, who was Diaz’s teammate at Corvallis, Ore., and also all-conference as an offensive lineman. "He was fierce, but his favorite thing to do was read the dictionary."

Freitas served as UH’s honorary captain Saturday. After OSU, Freitas played 10 years with the Detroit Lions, including a Pro Bowl appearance, and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Kamehameha alumnus also did well academically, earning master’s and doctorate degrees at UH. He is now the chancellor at UH’s West Oahu campus.