Box Score
Post Game Notes
Post Game Quotes

LAS VEGAS –The University of Hawai'i Warrior football team came agonizingly close to its second straight road win before giving up a late touchdown in a 34-33 loss to UNLV Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. Omar Clayton hit Philliip Payne for a 15-yard touchdown for the game-winner with just 34 seconds left.

 

Payne scored two touchdowns in the second half as the Rebels (2-1) overcame a six-point halftime deficit and defeated the Warriors (2-1) for the first time in the last three meetings.  It was a back-and-forth affair in the second half with the lead changing hands five times. The Rebels would have the last word, going on a 14-play 67-yard game-winning drive in the final five minutes of the contest.

 

For the second straight game the Warrior offense was on full cylinder. UH piled up more than 500 yards of total offense with Greg Alexander passing for a career-high 477 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second straight game the senior threw for more than 400 yards.

 

Three different receivers caught for more than 100 yards—Rodney Bradley (189), Kealoha Pilares (146) and Greg Salas (104). Pilares snared 13 catches to become one of just five players in school history to reach that mark.

 

Most of that offense came in the first half as Alexander threw for 341 yards and hooked up with Salas and Rodney Bradley for touchdown passes of 54 and 39 yards, respectively. Pilares, meanwhile, caught all but one of his passes by the break. UH didn't punt once in the first half as the Warriors took a 20-14 lead into the locker room.

 

UNLV, however, controlled the clock in the second half, particularly in the third quarter when they held the ball for nearly 13 minutes. UNLV entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. The Warriors recaptured the lead twice, including taking a 33-28 lead on an Alex Green 2-yard run with 5:27 remaining. But Clayton would lead the final drive of the evening and finished with 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

 

UH will return home briefly before heading to Ruston, La., for its third straight road game. The Warriors will take on Louisiana Tech in the Western Athletic Conference opener for both teams before a national television (ESPN2) audience on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. HT).