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» Unbeaten Hawaii likely headed for BCS game
» Comeback win puts exclamation point on perfect season

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Why would anyone expect it to end any differently?

Hawaii completed the crazy college football regular season with yet another thrilling come-from-behind victory last night at Aloha Stadium, and this one left the 11th-ranked Warriors with a 12-0 record and a BCS bowl bid.

Watching Colt How UH quarterback Colt Brennan did last night: Attempts 50 Completions 42 Yards 442 Interceptions    0 Touchdowns 5

This one was 35-28 and came against perhaps the Warriors' most gifted opponent, Washington of the Pac-10 -- UH's only major conference foe. That is, until now. The Warriors will likely face SEC champion LSU in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

A sellout crowd of 49,566 and a national TV audience saw perhaps the most significant sporting event in state history.

Colt Brennan threw five touchdown passes, including a 5-yarder to Ryan Grice-Mullins with 44 seconds left. Brennan's other four TDs were all to Jason Rivers.

Brennan finished with 42 completions in 50 attempts for 442 yards and no interceptions.

But Washington wasn't done after UH took its first and only lead. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker completed a desperation pass to Marcel Reece for 49 yards to the Hawaii 4. Locker was stopped for a 2-yard loss by linebacker Solomon Elimimian.

Then Ryan Mouton intercepted Locker's pass in the end zone with 3 seconds left. Hawaii took one snap and it was over.

Early on it looked like UH would have to wait until the Hawaii Bowl to try to break the school record for wins in a season, as Washington (4-9) went up 21-0 in the first quarter and the Warriors sputtered on offense.

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There's just one thing to say after last night.

Happy New Year, Hawaii Warriors!

? | Up Next The 12-0 Warriors find out today what lies ahead. Yesterday's win, although narrow, is probably enough to earn them a spot in a big-money bowl. Most likely they will face LSU in the Sugar Bowl, but yesterday's upsets left the SEC champs in the mix for the BCS title game.

UH capped a regular season full of miracles with yet another one, coming back from a 21-point deficit to beat Washington 35-28 with game-winning and saving plays in the final 44 seconds. Hawaii earned itself a spot in a Jan. 1 bowl game, most likely the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The 11th-ranked Warriors are 12-0 and set a school record for wins. They learn today at 3 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center where they will be going for a Bowl Championship Series game.

The general consensus is Hawaii is headed to the Sugar Bowl. A source said the opponent will be Georgia, but others speculate that the opponent will be SEC champion Louisiana State.

Either way, the Warriors finished the regular season as the nation's only unbeaten major college football team.

"We just wanted a win," said UH quarterback Colt Brennan, who may have played his way into an invitation to next week's Heisman Trophy presentation with five touchdown passes, including a 5-yarder with 44 seconds left to give UH its only lead.

Brennan completed 42 of 50 passes for 442 yards and no interceptions.

Washington scrambled back after the decisive TD and got to the UH 4, but Ryan Mouton -- normally a cornerback, but playing safety -- intercepted Jake Locker's pass in the end zone with 3 seconds left. It set off the second wild on-field celebration in as many weeks at Aloha Stadium, as many of the 49,566 fans streamed onto the field.

"We just didn't make one more play," Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said.

The Huskies ended their season 4-9 despite 145 yards rushing by Louis Rankin.

Washington's 403 total yards was more than matched by Hawaii's 538, and the Warriors once again came up with the big plays on offense and defense when they were most needed.

"It's the same quote we've been saying all year," said Jason Rivers, who tied his career high with four touchdown catches. "We believe, we believe.

"For us that didn't matter. First thing that came to mind when it was 21-0 was we've been in this position before. We've been behind in bad weather, we've had to overcome all kinds of adversity."

Rivers caught 14 passes for 167 yards.

UH previously came back from second-half deficits at Louisiana Tech, San Jose State and Nevada and last week at home against Boise State. This was the fourth win that came down to the final minute or overtime.

"What a win! It hasn't soaked in yet," Warriors coach June Jones said. "(The team) was committed to getting a win tonight. They played hard and I can't be more proud of them. It's unbelievable. The (regular season) could not have ended better. I think the turning point in the game was the third TD (to Jason Rivers that was reversed by instant replay). That's when I knew we were going to win."

Jones said Brennan vetoed his call on the final touchdown.

"I had called a run play, but Colt said that he knew (UW) would be in man and wanted to call a "go" route, so we went with it."

The touchdown capped a 76-yard drive that started with 4:15 left.

"Coach Jones trusted me on that last call. I told Coach 'we got 'em,' so I changed it to a pass play because I knew they were going to be in man," Brennan said. "I've got the most talented receiving corps in the nation. People can't play us man-to-man."

Running back Daniel Libre was also a force for Hawaii, sustaining drives with 82 yards on 10 rushes and 61 yards on six catches.

Mouton's clutch play was all the more notable because he normally plays cornerback, and he was paired with backup safety Erik Robinson because of injuries to starters Desmond Thomas and Jake Patek.

"We just communicated with each other all across the field," Mouton said. "As a whole defense we communicated and adjusted."

Brennan hit Rivers for a 40-yard touchdown pass with 8:01 left to tie the game at 28-all. It was the combo's fourth scoring hook-up of the game.

On the next series, Locker returned to the game after being knocked out of it on a hit by linebacker Blaze Soares in the third quarter. He apparently completed a third-down pass to Quintin Daniels for a first down, but was ruled beyond the line of scrimmage, and UW punted.

UH took over on its own 24, and the winning drive went like this:

Brennan immediately hit Grice-Mullins for a 27-yard gain, and then Bess for 13 more to the Huskies 36.

A third consecutive completion went to Rivers for 9 yards to the 27.

Brennan then scrambled and found Rivers again, for 10 yards to the UW 17.

It was to Rivers again for 6, and two carries by Libre got the ball to the 5 and set up the game-winner to Grice-Mullins, who finished with 10 receptions for 121 yards.

Early on, it didn't seem like any of that would matter, as 14-point underdog Washington took advantage of Hawaii mistakes and built a 21-0 lead.

"We came out flat, we came out real flat," Soares said. "I think we came out too complacent. Then we all talked to each other and asked who wanted it more."