Mouton scores on defense

Ryan Mouton didn't score in his two games on offense, but got to the end zone in his return to defense.

Mouton, who started the previous two games at slotback, played exclusively in the secondary yesterday and returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give Hawaii a 27-14 lead.

The pass from Chase Holbrook ricocheted off A.J. Harris and into Mouton's hands. Mouton raced along the UH sideline for his second touchdown of the season, both coming on the road. The first was a 90-yard kickoff return at Fresno State. It was also his second career interception return for a score.

Hawaii's last interception return for a touchdown also came against New Mexico State, a 57-yarder by JoPierre Davis late in UH's win last year in Halawa.

“;Solly (Elimimian) tipped the ball and it just dropped in my hands and a couple of the guys led me to the end zone,”; Mouton said.

Mouton also had a tackle for loss and broke up another pass.

Erik Robinson's interception on New Mexico State's final possession was the first of his career.

Maka shines in first start

Playing a new position, senior defensive lineman Francis Maka made the most of his first career start for Hawaii.

Maka, who became eligible at midseason, shifted over from defensive end to tackle this week and posted six tackles, including two for losses.

“;I felt really comfortable there (at tackle),”; Maka said. “;Because they pass a lot, the coaches gave us the freedom to move around, even on the inside. A lot of times I just beat the guy off the first step.”;

Maka was in on 1 1/2 of Hawaii's five sacks of Chase Holbrook.

Not quite homeward bound

While most of the Warriors players and staff began their trip home last night, head coach Greg McMackin and five other coaches will stay on the mainland for recruiting.

The coaches are scheduled to return to Honolulu on Wednesday. Associate head coach Rich Miano and offensive coordinator Ron Lee will run practices in the meantime.

Rough finish on the field

There were some tense moments toward the end of the game when Hawaii defensive end David Veikune leveled New Mexico State offensive lineman Polo Gutierrez with a block on Robinson's interception return.

Veikune was flagged for a personal foul for taunting, which he later expressed regret over. Gutierrez stayed on the field for a few minutes while trainers attended to him and was able to walk off the field.

“;The hit was a great hit, but I was upset about the taunting,”; McMackin said. “;He's a great kid and felt bad about it afterward.”;

Refunds for PPV customers

Oceanic Cable pay-per-view customers will be refunded for the portion of the first quarter that was blacked out due to a satellite problem.

Subscribers will have one-twelfth of the price of the game, depending on the package purchased, credited to their Oceanic account.