Miller starts, sits

Fresno State running back Lonyae Miller got the start last night in place of Ryan Mathews, who said he was told Thursday he wouldn't start because he was late for a team bus.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Miller wasted little time getting the Bulldogs on the board, scoring on a 3-yard run on FSU's second offensive play from scrimmage.

Unfortunately for Miller, he wound up taking a seat on the bench for longer than expected after fumbling on FSU's third drive. He didn't return until the fourth quarter, as Robbie Rouse filled in as Mathews' backup.

Rouse made the most of it, rushing for 73 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 12.2 yards a carry.

LWJ offense scrapped

Leon Wright-Jackson was a primary source of the Warriors' offense in the first quarter before UH elected to go away from the senior running back. He notched 63 yards in the opening period—including a season-long 45-yard breakaway.

Just off that run, Wright-Jackson nearly eclipsed his season total of 46 yards entering the game. But once UH faced a sizable deficit, Hawaii coach Greg McMackin felt the running game wasn't the way to go. Wright-Jackson finished with 66 yards on five carries.

“;We're down 28 points, so it's not like Leon's going to run the ball for 50 yards every time,”; McMackin said. “;He got one—that was our plan going in—we wanted to throw the ball and run our running backs. When you're 28 points down, that's gonna change your game plan.”;

Medeiros ends touchdown drought

Once again, Hawaii struggled to score a touchdown, but ended its streak of quarters without one at seven when Jon Medeiros recovered a fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

It appeared UH might snap the streak in the third quarter when Greg Salas caught a 34-yard pass from Bryant Moniz. But a holding penalty negated the play.

Salas again appeared on his way to a score on UH's next possession, but lost the handle just short of the goal line. Medeiros recovered for UH's first touchdown since the fourth quarter of a loss at UNLV on Sept. 19.

UH went 3-for-5 on its red-zone opportunities, including a first-quarter interception in the end zone.

Warriors suffer injuries up front

UH defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga has been battling an ankle injury for the past few weeks and aggravated it again last night. Offensive tackle Adrian Thomas, starting in place of an injured Laupepa Letuli, also sat out the second half with back spasms. Sophomore Austin Hansen stepped in for Thomas in his most extensive playing time of the season.