BOISE, Idaho – The University of Hawai'i football team hung tough for much of the first half before Boise State pulled away, 31-10, in the Mountain West Championship game Saturday afternoon at Albertson Stadium.
The Rainbow Warriors (9-5) held Boise State's high-octane offense in check for much of the first half. But the Broncos scored 28 unanswered points, including a pair of touchdowns in a 53-second span late in the first half to turn the tide.
The Broncos (12-1) won their third title in four appearance in the Mountain West title game. Meanwhile, UH's loss snapped its four-game win streak and kept the Rainbow Warriors winless in Boise (0-8).
With both teams averaging better than 35 points per game and the first regular-season meeting producing nearly 100 combined points, a high-scoring shootout was expected. Instead, it was a game of field position and ball control for much of the first half.
The teams traded field goals in the first quarter after extensive drives until Boise State made a number of big plays in the second quarter. With the game tied, Boise State stopped UH on a 4
th-and-goal from the 1-yard line to deny UH the lead. The Broncos also picked off a UH pass in the end zone on UH's next possession. The Broncos parlayed that interception into an 80-yard drive, capped by a Khalil Shakier 36-yard touchdown catch with 1:07 left on a 4
th-and-4 play.
After a UH three-and-out, the Broncos got the ball back with just 38 seconds. But the Broncos got another 36-yard scoring strike, this time to John Hightower with 14 seconds left. What was a 3-3 game with a little more than a minute left in the half, was suddenly a 14-point Bronco lead going into the locker room.
UH looked to close the margin on their first possession of the second half, but were again stopped on a 4
th-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Broncos followed up by tacking on two touchdowns late in the third quarter to put the game out of reach for UH.
UH was held to a season-low in both points (10) and total yards (320) — previous marks that were set two weeks ago against San Diego State at 14 points and 347 yards. Junior quarterback
Cole McDonald was kept in check by the Boise State defense as he accumulated 241 passing yards and no touchdowns. His counterpart Jaylon Henderson finished with 212 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns.
Sophomore running back,
Miles Reed tried to get the offense going in the fourth quarter as he recorded the only UH touchdown of the day on a 21-yard scamper for his eighth score of the season. Reed finished with 87 yards on 12 carries, recording his fourth game of over 85 yards rushing in his last five.
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The Rainbow Warriors now await their postseason fate. Bowl announcements will come out Sunday morning.
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