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HOUSTON -The University of Hawai`i football team put themselves in position to pick up an elusive road win but watched it slip away in the fourth quarter during a 28-14 loss to Rice Saturday at Rice Stadium. UH fell to 1-4 on the year while dropping its 15th straight game away from the islands.

In what was a defensive slugfest for much of the game, UH led 14-7 late into the third quarter only to watch Rice unreel the final 21 points of the game. Darick Dillard rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 4:18 remaining that gave Rice (2-3) its first lead of the game.

The UH defense tallied season highs in sacks (4) and tackles-for-loss (8) and were stout for the majority of game before surrendering two sustained scoring drives by Rice in the second half. On offense, UH got a pair of touchdown catches from Scott Harding, however, the offense was limited to a season-low 261 total yards.

UH got on the board first on an Ikaika Woolsey 20-yard toss to Harding in the first quarter. It was the first touchdown reception this year for Harding. UH was dominant in the first frame gaining 74 yards while limiting the Owls to just 18 yards.

It was a case of missed opportunities for UH early in the first half. The Rainbow Warriors forced two Rice turnovers-one on a botched punt return and the other on a Benetton Fonua interception. But UH netted zero points after failing on two field goals, one a fake and the other a 38-yard attempt by Tyler Hadden. That miss ended Hadden's string of nine straight field goals made dating back to the season opener versus Washington.

The UH defense stuffed Rice for most of the first half but surrendered an 81-yd pass from Driphu Jackson toJames Mayden with 4:41 left in the second quarter as the teams headed into the locker room knotted, 7-7.

UH started the second half strong, forcing its third turnover of the game on Rice's opening drive. This time UH made good in Owl territory, as Woolsey and Harding hooked up for the second time, this time a 24-yard connection that put UH up 14-7 a little more than five minutes into the second half.

Rice put together its first sustained drive of the game late in the third quarter when they marched 61 yards in seven plays, capped by a Dillard 2-yard touchdown to tie the game, 14-14, in the waning moments of the quarter. Rice then took their first lead of the game 4:18 mark on a 4-yard Dillard rush which was set up by a 50-yard Mario Hull reception.On the ensuing possession, UH was stopped on 4th-and-2 on the Rice 43-yard line with 2:55 left. The Owls took over and tacked on a 31-yard touchdown catch by Jordan Taylor to ice the game with 12 seconds left.

UH next returns home for its Mountain West opener when its hosts Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Aloha Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:05 p.m.