The long storied rivalry between Hawaii and Fresno State added another classic chapter, sadly and possibly the final chapter as the Bulldogs used key defensive plays to defeat Hawaii 23-21 at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Thurman’s defense was excellent against a strong Fresno State rushing attack, but an abysmal night from quarterback Micah Alejado proved too much for the Warriors to overcome.
Let’s take a look at the key moments from the victory:
-Maybe showing some nerves
under the bright lights, both teams started the contest nervously on offense. The Bulldogs accepted the opening kickoff and marched down the field but fumbled the football on 3rd-down. Later in the quarter, Hawaii’s offense would counter that with a fumble of their own off a bad snap that went off quarterback Micah Alejado’s shin.
-In the early second quarter, Fresno State kicker Dylan Lynch missed a 26-yard field goal attempt. Hawaii’s defense bent at times but did not break. Hawaii’s offense failed to cash in on this momentum and punted the ball. Punter Billy Gowers pinned the Bulldogs down to the 3-yard line and set up a De’Jon Benton safety as the burgeoning defensive tackle forced a fumble on Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner, recovered by the Bulldogs. In hindsight, that recovery was vital for the Bulldogs, salvaging five points from a bad situation. 2-0 instead of potentially 7-0.
-Hawaii’s offense punted on the following possession again. Timmy Chang’s offense did his defense no favors.
-Hawaii’s defense would come up big again, this time in controversial fashion. E.J. Warner threw what appeared to be an incomplete pass into the flats, but linebacker Jamih Otis picked up the ball and ran it back 37-yards for a touchdown. Was the pass a lateral? The officials reviewed it and the call on the field was upheld. Hawaii led 9-0, no thanks to the offense.
-The damn broke on the next drive, Warner leading a 6-play, 57-yard scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass to Richie Anderson III. The drive took less than a minute. The score was 9-7 at the break.
-Hawaii’s most famous football player, Kansei Matsuzawa, the Tokyo Toe, made both of his field goals in this game to stay perfect on the season. Including a new career-high 52-yard field goal. A great story with a bittersweet outcome as the Warriors continue to fail to finish drives with touchdowns.
-Up 15-13 in the early fourth quarter, Timmy Chang successfully, albeit maybe unintentionally iced Fresno State kicker into missing yet another field goal. After initially converting a 54-yard attempt, Chang called a timeout at the last moment to negate the kick. Dylan Lynch would miss the following attempt.
-Up 15-13 with the ball and a chance to push the score to a two-possession lead, there’s no sugarcoating what happened next. Quarterback Micah Alejado completely collapsed. Alejado threw two fourth quarter interceptions, including a 59-yard pick-six to Fresno’s K’Vion Thunderbird. Thunderbird baited Alejado, lining up over the right guard and pretending to rush, only to back out and intercept the pass. Alejado was 28/47 for 219 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Was he rusty after weeks of no action? Is the ankle still bothering him? Or was he just plain not good enough? All of the above? The first moment of adversity has arrived for Alejado’s young career.
-Alejado didn’t give up. Down 23-15, he led a 77-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Blaze Kamoku with only 0:10 remaining on the clock. Despite all the struggles, Hawaii had a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, the two-point attempt failed, an incomplete pass to Brandon White. Hawaii drops their conference opener and heads to Colorado Springs next week with the quarterback position a point of discussion once again, and not in a good way.
