CARSON, Calif. – San Diego State relied on a big-play running game and a stout defense to take down the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior football team, 34-10, Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. UH dropped to 2-2 on the season.
In a rematch of last year's game that decided the West Division representative for the Mountain West championship game, the Aztecs got their revenge. SDSU built a 28-0 halftime lead to help earn its first win over UH since 2017.
The Aztecs (3-1) entered the game ranked second nationally in total defense and seventh in rushing offense and they held true to form. SDSU gained 326 of its 356 total yards on the ground with 194 of those coming in the decisive first half.
After a slow offensive start, SDSU got scoring runs of 51 and 62 yards on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter to get the ball rolling. Greg Bell, who had the 62-yard run, posted 120 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, before finishing with 160 yards.
Meanwhile, the SDSU defense parlayed two second-quarter UH turnovers into touchdowns. Among them was a 71-yard interception return by Segun Olubi that squashed a UH scoring drive and padded the Aztecs comfortable lead at the break. In all, SDSU forced three UH turnovers in which they turned into 17 points.
Calvin Turner was UH's standout offensively with 155 yards of total offense. Turner got 116 of those through the air, including a highlight reel 75-yard catch-and-run for the Warriors' lone touchdown of the game.
Outside of being stung by a pair of big scoring runs, UH's defense was solid and tied a school record with 15 tackles-for-loss.
Darius Muasau once again led the way with 10 stops, including 1.5 TFLs. Meanwhile,
Penei Pavihi logged in a season-high nine tackles. UH also got interceptions from
Quentin Frazier and
Michael Washington
The Rainbow Warriors next return to the friendly confines of Aloha Stadium where they will play three of their final four games of the season. First up is a nationally-televised matchup with Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 21. Kickoff is 6 p.m.
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