University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

Post-game Notes
Hawai‘i at New Mexico
Oct. 21, 2023
University Stadium  –  Albuquerque, N.M.   

GAME CAPTAINS

• Virdel Edwards II, Isaiah Tufaga, Eliki Tanuvasa, Jonah Kahahawai-Welch

 
SERIES INFORMATION

• New Mexico ended a two-game skid versus UH with its first win in the series since 2016.
• UH still leads the overall series with New Mexico 16-11.
• Eight of the team’s nine meetings in Albuquerque have been decided by 10+ points.
• Since UH joined the Mountain West in 2012, the teams have met six times with UNM holding a 4-2 advantage.

 
UH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST

• Hawai‘i is now 28-63 (.308) all-time in the Mountain West — including 12-33 on the road.  

 
TEAM STREAKS/TRENDS 

• UH has lost its last 10 road games dating back to last season, including five straight Mountain West road contests. The last road win came at Wyoming (38-14) in the 2021 regular-season finale.
• UH scored in the first quarter for the first time since its Sept. 9 game against Albany when Steven McBride scored on a 12-yard catch with 18 seconds left in the quarter. Prior to that UH had failed to score in the first quarter in four straight games.  
• UH has committed at least one turnover in seven of eight games this season.
• UH has lost the turnover battle in six of eight games this season and had equal turnovers in the other two.
• UH surrendered its first 100-yard rusher this season with Andrew Henry finishing with 112 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown.

 
 INDIVIDUAL STREAKS/TRENDS 

• DT John Tuitupou made his 21st consecutive start and QB Brayden Schager made his 17th consecutive start.
• Schager has thrown for at least one touchdown pass in 17 consecutive games dating back to last year. It’s the fifth-longest active streak in the country. The last time Schager did not throw a touchdown pass was Sept. 17, 2022 versus Duquesne.

 
TEAM NOTES

• The Warriors have been outscored in the first quarter by a combined 90-24 this year.
• UH turned the ball over four times against New Mexico. The Warriors have combined for eight turnovers in the last two games.
• UH’s eight opening drives have totaled 40 combined yards. The Warriors have punted six times, had one punt blocked and converted one field goal.
• The 28 first-half points scored by New Mexico were the second-most by a UH opponent this year. It’s only exceeded by Oregon’s 34 points on Sept. 16.
• UH has been out-scored by a combined 141-51 on the road in its last three games, with an average margin of loss of 30.0 points per game.
• Nine different UH players caught a pass on the day. At least eight different players caught a pass in seven of UH’s eight games this season.
• UH set a new season-high with 27 first downs and exceeded 400 yards of offense for the second straight week.
• UH also committed just two penalties, tying its season-low from last week.

 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Brayden Schager recorded his third straight 300-yard game, finishing with 345 yards on 33-of-52 passing with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Schager’s 33 completions were a career-high while his 52 attempts was one shy of his career-high.  
• Schager is the first Rainbow Warrior to pass for 300+ yards in three straight games since Cole McDonald who threw for 300+yards in the first four games of 2018.
• Schager moved into eighth all-time on the UH career passing charts with 5,396 yards, surpassing Dru Brown (5,273).
• Steven McBride scored multiple touchdowns for the third time this season (also versus Vanderbilt and Albany) with a 12-yard catch in the first quarter and a 2-yard catch in the fourth.
• McBride has a team-leading eight touchdowns this season.  
• McBride hauled in a 52-yard catch-and-run that set up his first-quarter touchdown. It was the third straight game that McBride had a 50-yard catch. In all, McBride has five catches exceeding 50 yards in that stretch.
• Pofele Ashlock scored for the second straight game on an 18-yard catch with 24 seconds left in the first half. Ashlock is second on the team with five touchdowns.
• Jordan Johnson made his first career start at running back. The sophomore had two carries for five yards before exiting in the first quarter due to injury.   
• Isaiah Tufaga posted a career-high 12 tackles to lead UH. The senior leads the teams with 57 tackles on the season.