WARRIORS FOOTBALL
Associated Press
Hawaii's David Veikune stopped Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers in his tracks. Veikune had 10 tackles, tied for the team lead.
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Warriors score first, then the dam breaks
Hawaii's initial drive results in a 7-0 lead, but Oregon State responds with 45 unanswered points
CORVALLIS, Ore. » For few moments, Hawaii could do no wrong.
A defensive stop to open yesterday's game against Oregon State was followed by an efficient drive ending in a touchdown and an early lead to silence the home crowd.
But precious few things went right for the Warriors over the game's next 54 minutes.
Injuries to key offensive players piled up, as did Oregon State's point total, as the Beavers ran away to a 45-7 win in their home opener, giving their orange-clad crowd quite a bit to make noise about.
"We need to learn from this ball game, and we have a lot to learn from it because we got beat in all three phases of the game," Hawaii coach Greg McMackin said after the Warriors became the 25th straight nonconference opponent to leave Reser Stadium with a loss.
"And I give full credit to Oregon State for doing that."
The Warriors' second road loss to a BCS conference opponent went much like the first. Just as they did in their season opener against Florida, the Warriors moved the ball early and this time managed to take a 7-0 lead.
But a big play by Oregon State's special teams unit shifted the momentum, Warrior turnovers were converted into Beaver points and the lopsided outcome ensued.
Associated Press
Daniel Libre ran through an arm tackle by Slade Norris as Stephen Paea pursued the play. Paea led Oregon State wtih 1 1/2 tackles for loss.
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Associated Press
Gregg Peat bear-hugged Shane Morales after Morales' 8-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
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The Hawaii offense was held to single digits for the first time since a 69-3 defeat at Boise State in 2004, and the Warriors' total of 211 yards was the program's lowest since 1998.
"It's just embarrassing, pretty much," said UH quarterback Tyler Graunke, whose first start of the season was cut short by wrist and thumb injuries.
"They outplayed us today, but we've still got a long season ahead of us, so we have to keep our heads up."
It didn't help Hawaii's cause that starting running back Leon Wright-Jackson and left tackle Keith AhSoon went out with injuries on the Warriors' first possession and Graunke followed in the third quarter, but:
"That's not an excuse, the next guy steps up," McMackin said. "Oregon State beat us because they just played better than us. It had nothing to do with injuries."
The Beavers (1-2) rolled up 485 yards of total offense led by freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers' 110 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Lyle Moevao threw for 268 yards and three scores and rushed for another.
"I thought the beautiful thing today was how our team responded after Hawaii scored the first touchdown and we just kept going," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "I was proud of that and hopefully those are good lessons we built into the identity of this team."
Associated Press
Jacquizz Rodgers broke past Hawaii defensive back Erik Robinson. Rodgers led Oregon State with 110 yards rushing on 26 carries.
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Associated Press
Lyle Moevao uncorked one of his 34 passing attempts. Moevao completed 20 of them for 268 yards and three scores.
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Third-down conversions were a concern for the Beavers after two road losses to open the season. Yesterday, they converted on eight of 17 attempts to sustain drives and keep the Warriors defense on the field for more than 37 minutes in the game.
Oregon State's offense ran 86 plays to Hawaii's 55 and rolled up 257 yards after halftime.
"I felt we did wear down and it's really surprising," McMackin said. "I've conditioned this team more than any team I've ever coached, but we played tired. In the second half we were a tired football team. We have to look into the reason, most of it is Oregon State outplayed us."
Graunke piloted the Warriors on a six-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Kealoha Pilares finding a hole on the left side of the Beavers defense for a 16-yard touchdown run.
But Hawaii produced one first down on its next four possessions, generating just 7 yards, and the fifth ended in an interception by Keenan Lewis.
"They played exactly what we saw on film," UH receiver Mike Washington said. "We had a game plan against that and we executed (early), but we just had too many mental breakdowns and shot ourselves in the foot."
Oregon State's Sammie Stroughter helped tilt the momentum late in the first quarter when he sliced through the Warriors punt coverage unit for a 43-yard return. The Beavers tied the game three plays later and didn't ease off the gas pedal until Moevao's 1-yard quarterback sneak capped the scoring.
"It was huge," Moevao said of Stroughter's return. "That's the type of spark he brings to the team."
While the win was especially sweet for the contingent of Hawaii-born players on the Oregon State roster, the outcome soured McMackin's return to the state where he was raised.
"That's the shame of it," he said. "I feel like we not only let down the Hawaii people, but I have a lot of friends in Oregon and I just feel bad we didn't play better."