SAN JOSE, Calif. – The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior football team (5-1, 2-0 MW) won its second consecutive contest with a dramatic, five-overtime, 44-41 win over San José State (0-4, 0-1 MW) Saturday afternoon at CEFCU Stadium.
 
Ryan Meskell kicked a go-ahead 35-yard field goal and watched as the defense stiffened to preserve the victory. While Hawai'i was a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth downs, head coach Nick Rolovich kept his faith in his redshirt junior kicker though Meskell had missed two previous field goal attempts. Before the game-winner, the teams had gone back-and-forth through the previous four overtime periods, each missing opportunities to put the game away.
 
Offensively, Cole McDonald threw for 341 yards on 34-for-57 passing and four touchdowns to lead the Rainbow Warrior comeback effort. Wideout John Ursua finished with 13 catches, 148 yards, and a career-high three receiving touchdowns. Ursua has scored at least one touchdown in the last 11 of 12 games. Running backs Elijah Dale and Dayton Furuta each chipped in with their first career touchdowns.
 
Both teams engaged in an aerial shootout in the second half that ultimately sent the contest into overtime. SJSU produced two touchdown drives, but UH's offense was a just a bit better – scoring on 3-of-5 second-half drives to send the game into overtime. The wideouts played a big part in the comeback, as Ursua's four-yard touchdown grab with just over four minutes remaining tied the game at 31. Conversely, the defenses struggled to keep up as teams would finish with a combined 965 yards of total offense.
 
After a Spartans field goal put them ahead 17-3 in the second quarter, McDonald led the Rainbow Warriors on a 67-yard drive, culminating with an 18-yard pass to Dale.  Still, the Spartans threatened to extend the lead just before the half. Junior defensive lineman Kaimana Padello recorded a 12-yard sack and pushed the Spartans out of field goal range as the last-second attempt hit the crossbar.
 
Once again the Rainbow Warriors got off to a slow start. After kicking a field goal in their opening drive and taking more than seven minutes off the clock, Hawai'i watched as SJSU responded with big passing plays to move up 14-3 by the middle of the second quarter.
 
Defensively, redshirt senior linebacker Jahlani Tavai finished the game with 14 tackles including one sack to move to second on the UH all-time list.  Padello recorded two sacks to move to a team-high five sacks on the season.
 
The Rainbow Warriors return to Aloha Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 6 to host Wyoming in a Mountain West Conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.