The Warriors (2-3, 1-1 WAC) snapped a two-game losing streak with its first road win of the year. It was Hawai`i's third straight win over the arch-rival Bulldogs (3-2, 0-1 WAC) as the Warriors have now won three of its last four at Fresno.

 

Kelly's field goal was his tsecond career game-winner and his fourth of the night, a new career high. It ended a wild game which saw the Warriors surrender a 17-point second-half lead and survive a last-minute field goal attempt by the Bulldogs to win the game in regulation.

 

A week after turning the ball over six times and losing on a last-minute field goal to San Jose State, Hawai`i turned the tables at Fresno. The Warriors took advantage of six Bulldog turnovers to lead for nearly the entire game. The Warriors intercepted three Bulldog passes, including two picks by Keao Monteilh, and recovered three fumbles. UH turned four of those turnovers into 20 points.

 

Starting quarterback Inoke Funaki led the UH offense with both his arm and legs. The junior completed 17-of-25 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a career-high 79 yards. UH rushed for a season-high 172 yards on the night.

 

Spurred by the turnover spree, UH led by 10 at halftime and extended its lead to 26-9 early in the second half. UH took a seven-point lead into the final quarter but Fresno State eventually tied the game with eight minutes remaining.

 

It was looking like the Bulldogs would complete the comeback and avoid the upset when Fresno State lined up for a go-ahead field goal with 51 seconds left in regulation. But Antwan Mahaley blocked the 36-yard attempt to help send the game into overtime.

 

UH didn't score first in the game, but they would score often soon enough. After the Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead, the Warriors reeled off 19 straight points, beginning with an electrifying 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ryan Mouton.

 

Fresno State turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions and UH capitalized on each one. A pair of Kelly field goals and a 28-yard touchdown reception by Malcolm Lane put the Warriors up 19-3 early in the second quarter before a stunned Bulldog Stadium.

 

The Bulldogs stopped the bleeding with a 79-yard touchdown drive, which included two fourth-down conversions. Fresno State gained all its yards on the ground, capped by a Lonyae Miller 7-yard touchdown run to make it 19-9.

 

The Bulldogs looked to close the gap even more near the end of the half, but Monteilh intercepted a Bulldog pass in the red zone to preserve a 10-point lead for UH.

 

The turnover bug continued for the Bulldogs in the second half, when UH nabbed its third interception, a Brashton Satele pick on Fresno State's first possession of the half.

 

Moments later, Michael Washington's 2-yard touchdown reception gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, 26-9.

 

The win evened UH's WAC record and extended its conference road win streak to eight games dating back to 2006. The win was also UH's first in 11 tries on a ranked team's home field.

 

The Warriors return to the islands for their Homecoming game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.