Box Score
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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Warrior football team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Weber State, 36-17, in its 2008 home opener Saturday night before 39,446 fans at Aloha Stadium. Senior quarterback Tyler Graunke led a second-half rally to give the Warriors their first win of the season and hand Greg McMackin his first career win as Hawai`i head coach.

 

The win was UH's ninth straight home win dating back to 2006. The school record for consecutive home wins is 11.

 

After trailing 17-7 at the half, UH scored 29 unanswered points in the second half to secure the win. The comeback was sparked by Graunke, who replaced starting quarterback Inoke Funaki at the start of the third quarter.  Graunke led UH to four touchdowns on its first five possessions in the second half to transform a 10-point deficit into a commanding 19-point win.

 

Graunke, seeing his first action of the season, finished 13-of-20 for 218 yards and tied his career high with three touchdown passes.

 

The UH defense, meanwhile, put the clamps down on Weber State in the second half, shutting out the Wildcats, while allowing just 73 yards and four first downs after the break. The Warriors also picked off two Wildcat passes. Linebacker Brashton Satele led the defensive charge with nine tackles.

 

UH started off strong in its home opener. Leon Wright-Jackson scored on a 4-yard jaunt to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in. Weber State, however scored 17 straight points, including two touchdowns in a 66-second span to surge ahead of the Warriors and stun the Aloha Stadium crowd.

 

Both touchdowns came courtesy of Trevyn Smith. The first was a 1-yd run capping a 12-play 80-yard drive to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Weber State then recovered a UH fumble at the Warrior 3-yard line and one play later Smith struck again on a short pass from Cameron Higgins to extend the Wildcat lead to 10 points.

 

UH failed to answer, mustering just 121 yards of offense and four first downs in the first half.

 

But that all changed in the second half when Graunke tossed three touchdown passes, including a 42-yard bomb to Malcolm Lane to start the Warrior rally early in the third quarter. Kealoha Pilares scored on a two-yard run and Aaron Bain caught two touchdown passes (8-yards and 1-yard) to cap the Warrior scoring.

 

The Warriors next play its second road game against a BCS opponent in three weeks when it faces Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 13. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PDT (10:00 a.m. HT)