ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii coach June Jones reacted after the Warriors failed to convert on a third down during the third quarter against UNLV last night in Las Vegas. UH lost its second straight road game.
Warriors
unlucky
in VegasHawaii comes back from
a road trip with nothing,
losing two straight for
the first time since 2001
LAS VEGAS -- When Hawaii lost its football game at Southern California last week, you could point to the Trojans' incredible talent. And the officials certainly didn't help UH's cause.
But the Warriors had only themselves to blame last night.
Playing before a near full house of 34,287 (including about 10,000 Hawaii fans) at Sam Boyd Stadium and an ESPN2 national audience, UH lost 33-22 to Nevada-Las Vegas. In the defeat, the Warriors made more mistakes than in any other game over the past three seasons.
Hawaii fell to 1-2 after losing consecutive games for the first time since early in the 2001 season.
Yes, the Rebels (3-1) are a plucky team that showed it is for real last night after beating Wisconsin on the road the week before.
But when you're in Las Vegas, the first rule is don't augment the house advantage by making dumb plays. And that's exactly what the Warriors did, time after time.
Hawaii outgained the Rebels 417 yards to 296. But UH turned the ball over six times (plus a botched punt) compared to one UNLV turnover (which Hawaii failed to capitalize on).
When you add in the 12 penalties for 129 yards for the Warriors, it's a wonder they were in the game at all in the fourth quarter.
After losses, UH coach June Jones often says his team merely ran out of game clock. Not this time.
"We made enough stupid plays to get beat," Jones said. "We got beat.
"It's hard enough to win on the road, but when you do what we did tonight you can't win."
The Warriors are now minus-7 (4-11) in turnover differential for the season, and have had more turnovers than their opponents in the last eight games.
Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang was hot at times last night, completing 37 of 61 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns. But he didn't do the job when it was needed.
"I had a terrible fourth quarter," said Chang, who was picked off three times as the Warriors tried to rally in the final 15 minutes.
UNLV quarterback Kurt Nantkes didn't have the gaudy statistics of Chang, but he also wasn't intercepted three times.
The Rebels' Dillon Pieffer kicked a career-high four field goals, which turned out to be the difference in the scoring.
UNLV dominated special teams. Hawaii punter Kurt Milne fumbled a bad snap and kicker Justin Ayat missed his only field-goal attempt. UH's field position was miserable most of the game.
"(Punter) Gary Cook and Dillon Pieffer were outstanding," Rebels coach John Robinson said. "I think we also found a great one in (freshman punt returner) Tremayne Kirkland (five punt returns for 46 yards). He has the qualities you like."
And then there's safety Jamaal Brimmer. Last week's star of the Wisconsin game stepped up big again for UNLV.
Brimmer caused a fumble by Hawaii's Michael Brewster that cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters picked up and ran with to the UH 16. Three plays later Dyante Perkins scored from 5 yards out with 5:36 left in the second quarter. His second rushing TD of the game knotted the score at 14.
It marked the beginning of a 20-point UNLV scoring binge that decided the game.
The Rebels led 24-14 at halftime and 17 of their points were set up by two UH lost fumbles and the bungled punt.
The Warriors were also penalized 10 times for 109 yards before intermission.
UNLV scored first on Perkins' 1-yard run after the Rebels got the ball at the Warriors' 12 when Tanuvasa Moe snapped the ball to Milne on a bounce. He made things worse by dropping the ball in front of him. He recovered it, but was tackled by Donnell Wheaton.
"I don't know. I guess it's just a lack of focus on my part," said Moe, of the first of many Hawaii mistakes. "I should've been more in tune to the game. Earlier I had a mild concussion and since then I was a little woozy."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii's Chad Owens scored a second-quarter touchdown as teammate Se'e Poumele celebrated last night in Las Vegas. UNLV safety Jamaal Brimmer, background, looked on.
The Warriors tied it at 7 with 2:31 left in the first quarter when Chang scrambled and found Britton Komine alone in the UNLV end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. Komine was wide open, as Rebels cornerback Will Tagoai and Brimmer collided.
Chang was at his best for a while. He completed six consecutive passes, including an 8-yard TD to Chad Owens that he threaded through four defenders at 9:53 before halftime, and Hawaii led 14-7.
After UNLV tied it, UH turned it over again on a fumble by Komine after a 31-yard pass from Chang. It was the first of two force-and-recovery combos by Dodd-Masters and linebacker John Andrews.
Following an exchange of punts, Dominique Dorsey blasted 36 yards through a corridor on the right side, giving UNLV a 21-14 lead at 1:46 before halftime.
Dorsey finished with 111 yards on 25 carries.
Field goals of 20 and 39 yards by Pieffer extended the lead to 27-14.
The Warriors closed to 27-22 with 8:44 left in the third when Se'e Poumele culminated an 11-play, 89-yard, 4:08 drive with a 7-yard quarterback keeper for six points. Holder Jason Whieldon added two more when Justin Ayat's extra-point attempt was blocked into his hands and Whieldon ran untouched into the end zone.
UH missed out on a great opportunity when Ayat's field-goal attempt from 35 yards went wide left with 12:56 left in the game and UNLV leading 33-22. The Warriors got the ball four plays earlier when Isaac Sopoaga tipped a Kurt Nantkes pass to Lui Fuga for an interception at the UNLV 21.
"Very frustrating," Jones said. "We get a touch right there and it changes the momentum. We didn't execute on things we do all the time. Throw the ball and catch the ball. We did neither one."
Chang was intercepted by Brimmer, Daniel Jones and Reggie Butler as Hawaii tried to rally in the fourth quarter.
Brimmer said team unity is a key to the Rebels' fast start.
"Nobody turns their back on each other on this team," he said. "We just prepare well and talk to each other getting ready to play."
