RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii offensive lineman Wayne Hunter celebrated with Chad Owens after the slotback caught a pass last night. The Warriors improved to 2-0 in the WAC with a 42-10 win.
Warriors roll No offense to Hawaii's offense, but the Warriors' defense and special teams scored enough points by themselves to beat Southern Methodist last night at Aloha Stadium.
Defense and special teams spur a rout
Sidelines
of SMU to lift UH to 2-0 in the WAC
UH's Patton has memorable night
Garrett gives SMU glimmer of hope
Scoring drives
Game stats
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comAnd that was just fine with UH coach June Jones, who saw his offense improve - except for six turnovers - and his other two phases dominate as the Warriors routed SMU
42-10 before a crowd of 35,858.
"That'd be a good thing to have every game, that's for sure," Jones said of Kenny Patton's touchdown on a blocked field goal and the interception return TD by La'anui Correa and Hyrum Peters.
Six turnovers by the offense is another matter, and Jones knows the Warriors can't afford anything close to that Saturday at Boise State.
But Jones and the Warriors weren't thinking about that yet last night - they wanted to savor a big win, their fifth-consecutive at home.
Hawaii improved to 3-1 and 2-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Mustangs fell to 0-5 and 0-1.
"This was amazing, unreal," Correa said. "We can only get better from here."
UH's defense kept SMU out of its end zone until the issue was decided.
The run-and-shoot offense did its part, too, when it wasn't turning over the ball. The Warriors rolled for 487 yards of offense.
Starting quarterback Tim Chang showed signs that his slump might be over, completing 15 of 29 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once. Chang shared time with Shawn Withy-Allen, who completed 5 of 10 passes for 62 yards and an interception. Jason Whieldon was also intercepted. He completed one of three passes in a mop-up role.
"We still made some mistakes offensively, but we came away with a win," Chang said.
Still, this night belonged to the defense and, for a play, to the special teams.
"Defensively we really played well up front," Jones said. "Overall it was a good team effort, but we need to improve when we go to Boise."
Hawaii held SMU to 238 yards, a season-best for the Warriors. Tackle Isaac Sopoaga led the way with nine tackles, and end Travis LaBoy made three tackles for loss for 7 yards. He had one of UH's five sacks.
"I want to give a lot of credit to the defensive tackles," LaBoy said. "They're the ones who make the whole thing go. The defensive tackles make it easier for everybody when they play like that."
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii starting QB Tim Chang was 15-for-29 for 246 yards with a pick last night.
As happened last week at Texas-El Paso, turnovers set up UH's first two scores.
Chang hit Neal Gossett for a 51-yard touchdown pass with six minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Gossett got behind the SMU secondary after Chang faked a handoff to Thero Mitchell.
That happened two plays after Sean Butts intercepted Tate Wallis' errant pass. No one was within 10 yards of Butts when he caught the ball.
Mike Bass made it 14-0 when he scored on a 7-yard run less than three minutes of game-time later, capping a drive that began at the SMU 42 when Hyrum Peters recovered Keylon Kincade's fumble on the Mustangs' first play of the series.
Kincade rushed for 61 yards on 24 carries, but Hawaii's defenders kept the WAC's leading rusher under control. Fullback Kris Briggs had 132 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, but almost all of that was in garbage time.
Kevin Garrett, who also had two interceptions, recovered Bass' fumble on an SMU punt with 15 seconds left in the half. The Mustangs got a 21-yard field goal from Trent Stephenson as time ran out.
If that gave the Mustangs any momentum, the Warriors took it away at the outset of the second half. Chang scrambled for a 19-yard touchdown run after hooking up with Chad Owens four times for 59 yards of a seven-play, 78-yard drive.
Owens had career bests of 11 catches and 182 receiving yards.
"I thought we had a chance to come out and do some things and make it a real competitive game. We didn't, we let them score," SMU coach Phil Bennett said. "It was obvious at the skill positions they had better players than we did."
SMU threatened two series later when Jonas Rutledge picked up an Owens fumble and ran it 47 yards to the Hawaii 16. But Pisa Tinoisamoa blocked Stephenson's 33-yard field goal try, and Kenny Patton picked it up and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown and a 28-3 Hawaii lead.
"I wanted to do something special," said Tinoisamoa of his first career block. "I saw the tight end turn, and that gave me an opening."
John West added his first UH touchdown on an 8-yard run with 3:16 left in the quarter, capping a 10-play, 47-yard drive.
Garrett's second interception was immediately followed by defensive end Correa's second career pick. Correa rumbled 12 yards before tossing to Peters, who ran 39 yards for the score and a 42-3 lead.
"We tried to keep it close, but we gave up turnovers for touchdowns," Bennett said.
Briggs scored on a 6-yard run with 1:37 left, as the Mustangs went 72 yards in five plays.
"We wanted that goose egg," said middle linebacker Chris Brown, who played despite an injured left shoulder. "I remember the last time we got a shutout, it was against them in 1999."
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[ SCORING DRIVES ]
Hawaii First Quarter
1-10-H-41: Chad Owens 8 pass from Timmy Chang
2-2-H-49: Neal Gossett 51 pass from Timmy Chang-TOUCHDOWN
Justin Ayat kick - Good
2 plays, 59 yards, 13 seconds
6:47 left in the first quarter
Hawaii 7, SMU 0Notes: Drive set up by Sean Butts' interception and 19-yard return ...Gossett's longest reception of the season and his second touchdown.
Hawaii
1-10-S-42: Neal Gossett 2 pass from Timmy Chang
2-8-S-40: Incomplete pass
3-8-S-40: Neal Gossett 9 pass from Timmy Chang
1-10-S-31: Mike Bass 2 run
2-8-S-29: Justin Colbert 10 pass from Timmy Chang
1-10-S-19: Chad Owens 12 pass from Timmy Chang
1-G-S-7: Mike Bass 7 run -- TOUCHDOWN
Justin Ayat kick-Good
7 plays, 42 yards, 2:30
4:01 left in the first quarter
Hawaii 14, SMU 0Notes: Drive started by Hyrum Peters' recovery of a Keylon Kincade fumble, his fourth takeaway of the season. ... Bass' first touchdown of the season.
SMU Second Quarter
1-10-H-20: Incomplete pass. Penalty -- pass interference, UH
1-G-H-5: Incomplete pass
2-G-H-5: Incomplete pass
3-G-H-5: Trent Stephenson 21 field goal-GOOD
3 plays, 15 yards, 15 seconds
No time left in the second quarter
Hawaii 14, SMU 3Note: Drive set up by Kevin Garrett's recovery of a Mike Bass fumble after Ryan Mentzel's 47-yard punt. ... SMU's second field goal of the season.
Hawaii Third quarter
1-10-H-22: Chad Owens 27 pass from Timmy Chang
1-10-H-49: Chad Owens 18 pass from Timmy Chang
1-10-S-33: Incomplete pass
2-10-S-33: Incomplete pass
3-10-S-33: Chad Owens 9 pass from Timmy Chang
4-1-S-24: Chad Owens 5 pass from Timmy Chang
1-10-S-19: Timmy Chang 19 run -- TOUCHDOWN
Justin Ayat kick -- Good
7 plays, 78 yards, 1:52
13:08 left in the third quarter
Hawaii 21, SMU 3Notes: The scoring run was Chang's third rushing touchdown of his career and his first of the season. He last ran for a touchdown against San Jose State on Oct. 28, 2000. It was also his longest run of the season. ... Owens caught four passes for 59 yards on the drive.
Hawaii
4-10-H-16: Trent Stephenson 33 field goal blocked by Pisa Tinoisamoa. Kenny Patton 74 return-TOUCHDOWN.
Justin Ayat kick-Good
9:06 left in the third quarter
Hawaii 28, SMU 3Notes: Patton's first career touchdown. ... Hawaii last blocked a field goal on Nov. 10, 2001 against Boise State (Sean Butts). ... The Warriors scored on a blocked punt in last year's win at SMU (Keith Bhonapha).
Hawaii
1-10-S-47: Incomplete pass
2-10-S-47: Timmy Chang sacked by Lute Croy (-5)
3-15-H-48: Mike Bass 32 run
1-10-S-20: Mike Bass 0 run
2-10-S-20: Incomplete pass
3-10-S-20: Jeremiah Cockheran 11 pass from Timmy Chang
1-G-S-9: Thero Mitchell 1 run
2-G-S-8: Incomplete pass
3-G-S-8: Incomplete pass
4-G-S-8: John West 8 run -- TOUCHDOWN
Justin Ayat kick-Good.
10 plays, 47 yards, 3:29
3:16 left in the third quarter
Hawaii 35, SMU 3Notes: West's first career touchdown ... Hawaii 2-for-2 on fourth down in the game.
Hawaii Fourth Quarter
1-10-H-49Tate Wallis pass intercepted by Laanui Correa, 12 return. Lateral to Hyrum Peters 39 return -- TOUCHDOWN.
Justin Ayat kick -- Good
14:08 left in the fourth quarter
Hawaii 42, SMU 3Notes: Peters' second touchdown of the season, Correa's first interception.
SMU
1-10-S-28: Kris Briggs 61 run
1-10-H-11: Kris Briggs 4 run
2-6-H-7: Kris Briggs 1 run
3-5-H-6: Incomplete pass
4-5-H-6: Kris Briggs 6 run -- TOUCHDOWN
Trent Stephenson kick-Good
5 plays, 72 yards, 2:01
1:37 left in the fourth quarter
Hawaii 42, SMU 10Notes: Briggs accounted for all of SMU's yards on the drive. ... UH's first touchdown surrendered in seven quarters.
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[ KEY STATS ]
[ GAME STATS]
First quarter SCORING SUMMARY
Haw--Gossett 51 pass from Chang (Ayat kick), 6:47.
Haw--Bass 7 run (Ayat kick), 4:01.Second quarter
SMU--FG Stephenson 21, 0:00.Third quarter
Haw--Chang 19 run (Ayat kick), 13:08.
Haw--Patton 74 blocked FG return (Ayat kick), 8:57.
Haw--West 8 run (Ayat kick), 3:16.Fourth quarter
Haw--Peters 39 run with lateral after Correa 12 interception return. (Ayat kick), 14:08.
SMU--Briggs 6 run (Stephenson kick), 1:37
A--35,858.
RUSHING -- SMU: Briggs 12-132, Kincade 24-61, Charles 2-0, Wallis 13-(-1). Hawaii: Bass 6-60, West 10-59, Mitchell 2-17, Chang 2-14, Brewster 3-12, Withy-Allen 3-11. INDIVIDUAL STATS
PASSING -- SMU: Wallis 6-21-2-46. Hawaii: Chang 15-29-1-246, Withy-Allen 5-10-1-62, Whieldon 1-3-1-6, Kapanui 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING -- SMU: Francis 2-19, Cardwell 2-16, Hampton 1-6, Brown 1-5. Hawaii: Owens 11-182, Gossett 4-70, Colbert 3-32, Ilaoa 1-13, Cockheran 1-11, Herbert 1-6.
WAC STANDINGS
CONFERENCE OVERALL W L PF PA W L PF PA Str Hawaii 2 0 73 16 3 1 166 87 W2 San Jose St. 1 0 58 24 3 2 165 170 W2 La. Tech 1 0 53 9 2 3 125 158 L2 Nevada 1 0 31 21 2 2 97 111 L1 Boise St. 0 0 0 0 3 1 150 113 W2 Fresno St. 1 0 31 28 2 3 111 152 W1 Rice 0 2 49 62 0 4 69 113 L5 SMU 0 1 10 42 0 5 53 173 L5 UTEP 0 2 30 89 1 4 89 246 L4 Tulsa 0 1 9 53 0 5 86 201 L5 Yesterday
Hawaii 42, SMU 10
Texas A&M 31, Louisiana Tech 3
Colorado St. 32, Nevada 28
Kansas 43, Tulsa 33
Fresno St. 31, Rice 28
San Jose St. 58, UTEP 24
Boise St. 63, Utah St. 38
Tinoisamoa, Patton block comeback hopes [ EXTRA POINT ]
When Southern Methodist lined up for a 33-yard field goal, trailing 21-3 midway through the third quarter, the Mustangs still had hopes of beating Hawaii.
A few seconds later they were dashed.
Pisa Tinoisamoa blocked Trent Stephenson's kick. Kenny Patton picked up the ball and ran it back 74 yards and across the SMU goal line for a stunning 10-point swing.
With Hawaii's defense containing SMU running back Keylon Kincade and shutting down the Mustangs' passing game, the 28-3 lead -- even with 9:06 left in the third quarter -- was insurmountable.
Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin Road trip to Boise should test Warriors [COMING UP]
The warm-ups are over for the Hawaii football team. UH visits Western Athletic Conference contender Boise State on Saturday.
The Broncos (3-1, 0-0 WAC) blasted Utah State 63-38 yesterday.
"63 points? Don't tell me that," Hawaii defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said after last night's 42-10 victory over Southern Methodist. "I want to enjoy this one first."
BSU halted UH's five-game winning streak last year, beating the Warriors 28-21 at Aloha Stadium.
Starting quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie is injured. His replacement is B.J. Rhode, the brother of UH backup Jeff Rhode. B.J. Rhode completed 17 of 28 passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Hawaii is 2-1 against Boise State.
Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin
UH Athletics
