Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

Social Media Content Stream

Post Game Notes
2020 New Mexico Bowl
Hawai‘i vs. Houston
Dec. 24, 2020
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas

 

SERIES INFORMATION
  • UH defeated Houston for the second time in the postseason. The Rainbow Warriors took down the Cougars in the 2003 Hawai‘i Bowl in the only other meeting between the teams.
  • UH improved to 19-10 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference with its second straight win against the AAC (last vs. Navy, 2018).
 
TEAM STREAKS/TRENDS
  • UH posted its third straight winning season. The Rainbow Warriors last accomplished that feat in 2001-04 when it had four straight winning seasons.
  • It’s the Warriors fourth winning record in the last five seasons.
  • UH owns the longest streak in the country at 154 games without allowing a punt block. Hawai‘i last had a punt blocked by Notre Dame in 2008.
 
INDIVIDUAL STREAKS/TRENDS 
  • Head coach Todd Graham won his 100th career game, becoming the 27th current FBS coach to reach that milestone.  
  • Graham is the first coach to post a winning record in his debut season since June Jones (9-4) in 1999.
  • Senior receiver Jared Smart has caught a ball in all  24 games he has played in at UH. He has caught at least three passes in all but two of those games.
 
BOWL NOTES
  • UH improved to 8-6 overall in 14 all-time bowl appearances.
  • UH has won three of its last four bowl games.
  • UH improved to 2-1 in mainland bowl games. UH won the 1992 Holiday Bowl over Illinois (27-17) and lost to Georgia  (41-10) in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.
  • Calvin Turner was named the New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Offensive Player after racking up 252 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
  • Turner recorded the first kickoff return in New Mexico Bowl history with a 92-yard return in the third quarter.
  • It was just the second kickoff return for touchdown in UH bowl history (Britton Komine, 42 yards; 2004 vs. UAB).
  • Darius Muasau was named the New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player after posting nine tackles, a sack, an interception and three quarterback hurries.
  • Todd Graham improved to 6-4 all-time in bowl games while making coaching his first bowl game as UH’s head coach.
 
TEAM NOTES
  • UH is one of only two Mountain West schools, along with Nevada, to have played every game on its schedule this season.
  • UH finished the season 2-2 on the mainland this year with wins over Fresno State and Houston and losses to Wyoming and San Diego State.
  • UH posted a first-half shutout (21-0) for the first time since 2014 when UH led 10-0 at San Jose State.
  • UH returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time since 2015 (Keelan Ewaliko vs. Air Force) when Calvin Turner returned a third-quarter kick 92 yards for a score.
  • The Rainbow Warriors won despite its second-lowest offensive yardage output (267) this season.
  • UH tied its season high with three interceptions (also vs. Fresno State in season opener).
  • UH posted at least one takeaway in eight of their nine games this season.
  • After turning the ball over nine times in its first four games, UH had just three turnovers in the last five contests.
  • UH led at the end of the first quarter (14-0) for just the second time this year. UH entered the game having been out-scored 72-24 in the first quarter. 
  • UH’s 21-0 lead at half was the biggest this year and marked just the third time UH led at the break. UH entered the game having  been outscored 125-82 in the first half this season.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
  • Freshman running back Dae Dae Hunter made his second start and first since the season opener and finished with 44 rushing yards and three catches for one touchdown.
  • Hunter scored for the third straight game with a 3-yard reception in the first quarter. Hunter finished the year with four touchdowns, two of them on the ground and two through the air.
  • Chevan Cordiero threw for 136 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 33 yards.
  • Cordeiro finished with 483 rushing yards on the year and is the first UH quarterback to lead the team in rushing since Michael Carter in 1991 (1,092 yards).
  • Cordiero’s 52-yard run in the second quarter was his third run of more than 50 yards this year. Cordiero owned the four longest rushes for the team this year.
  • Jonah Laulu got the starting nod at tight end and scored a touchdown with a 4-yard catch on a shovel pass from Cordeiro in the second quarter.
  • Khoury Bethley set single-game highs in tackles (14), tackles-for-loss (3) and sacks (2). His 14-yard sack of Clayton Tune late in the fourth-quarter helped cement the UH win.
  • Sophomore Darius Muasau grabbed his first career interception with a third-quarter pick. Muasau also added nine tackles and finished as one of the nation’s leaders with 104 total stops.
  • He is just one of UH two players in the last nine seasons to hit the century mark in season tackles and did so in an abbreviated season. Jahlani Tavai had 100+ tackles in back-to-back seasons (2016, ’17).
  • Junior Penei Pavihi recorded his first career interception with a pick of Clayton Tune on Houston’s opening possession, while Michael Washington notched his second interception of the year with a first-quarter pick.
  • Calvin Turner’s 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was his fourth reception this year of 60 or more yards.
  • Turner finished with a team-best 11 touchdowns – six receiving, four rushing and one kick return. Turner reached the end zone in seven of nine games this season.
 
#HawaiiFB