University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

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 27^th 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.