Hawaii Football Throwbacks: Nevada

The elements — rain and chilly weather in altitude — were brought up more than once this week as Hawaii prepared to take on Nevada in the Rainbow Warriors’ Mountain West opener.

Some of those factors have contributed to the Warriors’ struggles in Reno’s Mackay Stadium in the past — UH is 1-8 there all-time entering today’s ESPN2-televised contest (4:30 p.m. HST).

In one meeting in particular, a meeting on Nov. 15, 2003, the elements seemed to get the better of the ‘Bows. UH was greeted with rain and temperatures dipping into the 20s. That’s much colder than what’s expected today. Warriors quarterback Tim Chang (now a Nevada assistant) wore a waist pouch to try to keep his hands warm, the Honolulu Advertiser’s Stephen Tsai noted.

But the weather was not everything, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s beat writer Dave Reardon wrote.

He wrote: “The last time the weather was such a big story in Hawaii, Hurricane Iniki wreaked havoc on Kauai more than 10 years ago. But the Wolf Pack defense — in particular the line — arrived in full force and did more damage to the Warriors than anything Mother Nature could’ve conjured up.”

UH was turned back, 24-14, in a game it could’ve clinched the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and set up a showdown with Boise State for the WAC title. UH had been on a roll, with four straight WAC wins coming in. But instead, they had to clinch a winning season the following week at home against Army.

Yes, unlike last year’s Throwbacks entry against Nevada, the Pack got the better of this one. They lead the all-time series 14-9.

The run-and-shoot offense was held to a season-low 358 yards in the face of the elements and a relentless Wolf Pack pass rush. UH struggled in the red zone and kicker Justin Ayat missed a pair of field goals.

“Anytime you do that on the road, you’re going to get your (behind) whupped,” cornerback Abraham Elimimian, now a UH assistant, told Tsai after the game.

It fell upon the UH defense to generate half of the Warriors’ scoring. Defensive end Travis LaBoy took an unforced fumble return in from 16 yards to stake UH to a 14-6 lead in the third, just 11 seconds after Chang had found Chad Owens for a 39-yard touchdown.

But Nevada scored the game’s last 18 points. Running back Chance Kretschmer capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard TD plunge and Derek Kennard ran back a Chang interception, batted by D-end Carl LaGrone Jr., from 11 yards for the go-ahead points.

“I had some in video games, but this was my first one in real life,” Kennard said.

The Pack’s secondary was supposed to be vulnerable because of several injured or suspended players. But that was not the case as Chang was constantly pressured and had to get the ball out quickly, often with shovel passes.

Chang said of the constant drizzle that it made the football “a little slick, but other than that we weren’t able to make the plays when we needed to.”

UH’s best power rusher West Keli‘ikipi went out with an injury in the first quarter and was on crutches at that point.

As noted by Advertiser columnist Ferd Lewis, UH’s last gasp, a draw play to John West on fourth-and-11 with under five minutes left, was smothered as UH seemed to have thrown in the towel on its passing game for the evening.

UH went on to finish 9-5 and 5-3 in the WAC, good for a tie for fourth in June Jones’ fifth season. The Warriors faced Houston in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and prevailed in a brawl-marred triple-overtime thriller.

Nevada, under Chris Tormey, went on to lose its finale against Boise State 56-3 and finish 6-6 (4-4 WAC). Tormey, who would become UH special teams coordinator under Greg McMackin in 2009-10, was fired after his fourth year by athletic director Chris Ault. Ault named himself the next Pack football coach.

Here’s full PDFs of the next day’s two Honolulu daily newspapers:

Honolulu Advertiser
The_Honolulu_Advertiser_Sun__Nov_16__2003_
The_Honolulu_Advertiser_Sun__Nov_16__2003_ (1)

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_Sun__Nov_16__2003_
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_Sun__Nov_16__2003_ (1)