Box Score
PROVO, Utah--Hawaii got off to a quick start but eventually succumbed to BYU, 35-32, Friday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars scored 21 unanswered points to deny UH the upset bid in its first non-conference road game in eight years.
UH (1-1) remains winless in Provo in eight meetings, while the Cougars (2-0) extended their home win streak to 10 games.
The Warriors hung tough with the Cougars all evening, leading by as many as 10 points in the first half. Ultimately, UH was unable to overcome four interceptions, including one late in the fourth quarter that shut the door on any comeback hopes.
UH trailed just 28-24 with less than five minutes remaining, but Timmy Chang's pass intended for Britton Kimone sailed high and into the hands of linebacker Levi Madarieta. The Cougars converted on the interception as Lance Pendleton's second rushing touchdown of the night gave BYU an 11-point cushion with 2:36 left.
Chang finished the game 20-of-52 for 275 yards with four picks and no touchdowns.
A strong rushing game powered UH to a 17-14 halftime lead. The Warriors found themselves in BYU territory in six of seven possessions in the first half and controlled the tempo by out-gaining the Cougars 131-64 on the ground.
BYU found its rushing attack in the second half though led by Marcus Whalen, who finished with 141 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. His second touchdown of the night, a four-yard run, capped a 21-0 point run that turned a 17-7 first half deficit into a 28-17 third quarter lead.
UH jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, aided by a pair of blunders by the BYU special teams. A shanked punt gave the Warriors the ball inside the BYU 50 and set up Justin Ayat's 22-yard field. A bad snap on BYU's next punt attempt minutes later gave UH the ball inside the 10-yard line. The Warriors capitalized with a six-yard pass from Jason Whieldon to Neal Gossett to quiet the crowd of 63,085.
BYU got on the board early in the second quarter with a 1-yard plunge by Marcus Whalen. However, UH, benefiting again from a short field, responded with a 44-yard drive. Thero Mitchell went untouched from four yards out to extend UH's lead to 17-7 with a little more than eight minutes left in the second quarter.
But as the first half concluded, BYU gained the momentum as Bret Engemann engineered a successful two-minute drill. Engemann completed five straight pass attempts, capped by a 19-yard toss to Toby Christensen that cut the UH lead to 17-14 at the half.
The second half started with heavy rains and wind and UH's first drive in the second half ended with a BYU interception inside the 10. BYU then marched 95 yards in 10 plays. Lance Pendleton scored on a 12-yard quarterback draw to give BYU its first lead of the game, 21-17 with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
The Cougars would never trail again. UH tacked on a late touchdown by Thero Mitchell and added a two-point conversion, but was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick.
UH has a bye next week before hitting the road again, where they will face UTEP on Sept. 21 in their Western Athletic Conference opener. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. MST.
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