WARRIOR FOOTBALL
Warrior Replay
Five big plays from Hawaii's 42-35 win over Purdue
Chosen and described by the
Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon
1. Falling behind
The Setup: Hawaii 20, Purdue 14; 14:56 remaining, fourth quarter, Purdue ball, first and 10 at Hawaii 28.
The Play: Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter finds wide-open Greg Orton in the end zone. Orton does a great job of staying in bounds to catch a wide pass near the sideline.
The Impact: After the extra point, Purdue has the lead, 21-20, and complete control of the momentum after trailing 17-0 at halftime. The lead would change hands four times in the fourth quarter.
Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville: "We had two busted coverages and they got two touchdowns on them."
2. Big man's big play
The Setup: Purdue 35, Hawaii 27; 6:14 remaining, fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, third and 6 at own 24.
The Play: Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan slips a shovel pass to 296-pound fullback Reagan Mauia between the left guard and tackle spots, where Hercules Satele and Tala Esera have purposely let their men penetrate. Mauia catches the ball and goes through the hole. He breaks a tackle downfield and finishes with a 16-yard gain.
The Impact: The third-down conversion (Hawaii was previously just 2-for-5 for the game in that situation) sparks the offense and the drive ends with Brennan throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grice-Mullins, and then a 2-point conversion to Grice-Mullins to tie the game. It also gives Brennan the single-season school record for passing yards.
Hawaii coach June Jones: "The pass to Reagan was the biggest play of the game. I told them, 'This is the game right here. If we don't make this play, it's over.' "
3. Defense steps up
The Setup: Hawaii 35, Purdue 35; 2:36 remaining, fourth quarter, Purdue ball, third and 13 at own 27.
The Play: A play after Blaze Soares' sack puts Purdue in a passing situation, Painter misses his target, Dorien Bryant, and Gerard Lewis makes a diving grab of the errant throw at the Hawaii 46 for his third interception of the season.
The Impact: Painter had completed his last 11 passes and finished the game with four touchdown passes, but Lewis' interception puts the nation's statistically best offense in position to win the game.
Lewis: "We needed a stop. Just one stop to get the offense the ball back, because we know our offense can't be stopped. We proved we can play with anyone in the country."
4. Game winner
The Setup: Hawaii 35, Purdue 35; 1:34 remaining, fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, second and 6 at Purdue 23.
The Play: Brennan -- given time by a key block by right tackle Dane Uperesa -- double pumps and throws a screen pass to right wide receiver Ian Sample, who cuts left and follows a wall of blockers into the end zone. The wall includes the other wideout, Jason Rivers, who knocks defensive back David Pender off his feet to enable the score.
The Impact: Brennan's 51st touchdown pass of the season puts him within three of David Klingler's single-season record, but more importantly accounts for the final points in the most exciting finish of Hawaii's season.
Sample: "Colt threw me a good ball. I followed the linemen. They blocked so far out in front and to the right (that the left) was the best route."
5. Wrapping it up
The Setup: Hawaii 42, Purdue 35; 1:00 remaining, fourth quarter, Purdue ball, first and 10 at own 34.
The Play: Painter looks for a receiver on the right side, but his throw is directly to linebacker Adam Leonard, sitting in deep zone coverage near the sideline.
The Impact: Hawaii is able to run out the clock and claim its 10th win of the season and first in two tries against teams from BCS conferences. It is the first win against a school from a major conference in five tries since Hawaii beat Michigan State to end the 2004 regular season.
Leonard: "Great teams persevere. I just did what the coaches told me. We just continued to play hard and things fell in our hands."
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HEISMAN TROPHY WATCH
Colt Following
Each weekday while UH junior quarterback Colt Brennan is considered a factor in the Heisman race, the Star-Bulletin will provide pertinent statistics and/or tell you what voters and pundits think of him and his chances.
Brennan may have grabbed a few more second- and third-place Heisman votes by leading a fourth-quarter comeback against a BCS team Saturday while others chasing Troy Smith faltered or sat idle. Boise State's Ian Johnson probably earned some attention, too -- the voters love coming-off-a-hospital-bed-to-win stories. On another matter, this nationally respected reporter ponders if records really mean anything anymore.
Ralph D. Russo
Associated Press college football writer
"Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan threw three touchdown passes in a wild 42-35 victory over Purdue in the wee hours of Sunday morning for most Americans.
"Brennan is now three TD passes shy of David Klingler's NCAA record of 54 in 1990.
"But while Brennan's had a tremendous season for the Warriors (10-2), his assault on Klingler's mark is an another example of the way the NCAA has cheapened its records.
"Klingler's 54 TD throws came in 11 games. Brennan has already played 12 regular-season games and has a 13th next week at home against Oregon State. And Hawaii will play in a bowl game and those stats will count toward Brennan's final totals.
"Before the 2002 season, bowl stats didn't count."