HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team ran into a defensive roadblock by Louisiana Tech in a 31-14 loss in the 2018 SoFi Hawai'i Bowl Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (8-6) totaled only 226 yards of total offense and were held to their lowest scoring output of the season. UH dropped to 4-4 all-time in the SoFi Hawai'i Bowl while the Bulldogs won their fifth consecutive bowl game.
 
Hawai'i played without wide receiver John Ursua who did not suit up due to an undisclosed injury. UH allowed a season-high nine sacks, including 2.5 to Jaylon Ferguson, who became the NCAA's all-time sack leader in the contest. Ferguson was named LA Tech's Most Outstanding Player along with Hawai'i's Kendall Hune, who recovered a fumble and recorded his first career interception.
 
After a low-scoring first half, LA Tech (8-5) reeled off 21 unanswered points – on three straight possessions in the third quarter to put the game away. J'Mar Smith threw a touchdown to Jaqwis Dancy and ran in a touchdown from four yards out just before the end of the quarter for a 24-7 lead.
 
UH freshman Chevan Cordeiro, who came off the bench for a struggling Cole McDonald, threw an interception on Hawai'i's opening possession of the second half and the Bulldogs took advantage, with a five-yard touchdown run by Israel Tucker. 
 
After UH safety Ikem Okeke nearly coming up with an interception, Tech executed a perfect screen pass on the next play as Smith found Dancy for a 58-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs then forced a three-and-out and scored their third touchdown of the quarter, which was set up by a 54-yard pass play from Smith to Adrian Hardy. 
 
UH would not go down without a fight, blocking a Bulldog punt that set up a seven-yard touchdown from McDonald to Marcus Armstrong-Brown, pulling the Warriors to within 24-14. But that was as close as UH would get as Tech iced the game with a 39-yard touchdown by Kam McNight. 
 
After Hune recovered a fumble in the second quarter, Cordeiro directed a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 24-yard touchdown to Jason-Matthew Sharsh. 
 
On Tech's ensuing possession, Hune came up big again with his second turnover of the game, batting down a Smith pass attempt and diving for the interception. UH forced yet another first half turnover on Zeno Choi's strip sack and Kana'i Picanco's recovery. But the Warriors failed to capitalize and entered the half with a 7-3 lead.