Hawaii vs Oregon State Newspaper Wrap-Ups

Dave Reardon recaps the game.

Stephen Tsai recaps the game and gets a quote from Colt Brennan regarding his last pass.

"If I could have it back, I would have it back," Brennan said of the pass that short-hopped Rivers with 2:08 remaining. "In a million years, I could have easily made the pass. I just rushed it. I threw it. I wasn't anticipating (Rivers) to stop.

Unfortunately, he was trying to get the guy off of him so he could really make sure he got wide open. I just threw it too early. If I put a little more air on it, we would have had a first down, and we probably would have won the game. It's a bummer, man. It's a game of inches."

The Kaneshiros, Stacy and Jason, who I'd like to believe are estranged twins, one good and one evil, working at competing papers, both highlight Davone Bess' performance last night. Stacy writes how Bess evaded the initial defender to break a long punt return.

"It was just a matter of me keeping focus," Bess said of fielding the punt despite having Lawson pretty much in his face. "He was right there."

But Lawson didn't faze Bess.

"In practice, we practice drills like that," he said. "One of the guys just comes in our face and just stays in our face the whole time. It's just a matter of focusing and concentrating. After that, it's about going out and trying to make plays."

Bess said it was an instinctive act and doesn't recall which way he moved.

"I pretty much went off of his movement," Bess said. "He came one way, so I just went the opposite way. It's all about instinct. That's the game of football. It was nothing I planned. I just went."

Jason writes that Davone's mom was in town.

"I loved it, it was awesome," Carpenter said. "He played really well. ... Just watching it on TV all the time, I was like, 'I've got to get there. I've got to get there.' Now I'm here and I enjoyed it. I loved it."

Said Bess: "It's real special. It's her first time being in Hawaii since I've been here, so it was really emotional for me. It was real fun to look up and see her cheering. I had a great time overall, but it would have been a lot sweeter if we would have won."

Nick Abramo interviewed some OSU players, including:

Beavers free safety Al Afalava, another Kahuku graduate, loved being back in Hawaii.

"I'm used to people cheering for me at Aloha Stadium, but they booed me and that was hard," Afalava said. "But this is the loudest crowd I've seen here at Aloha Stadium and it's one of the loudest at any stadium I've seen. Coach Riley always tells us to finish and we finished. We wasn't playing in the first half and in the second half we got motivated and all psyched up."

Kyle Sakamoto writes how UH didn't play their game, or the Beavers played UH's game, or both.

The University of Hawai'i football team — known for quick scores and plenty of points — did something it normally doesn't do — dominated the time of possession.

The big plays came from Oregon State last night in a 35-32 victory over Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium, ending the Warriors' nine-game winning streak.

The Star-Bulletin Sports Notebook discusses Ross Dickerson's position and number change last night.

Dickerson, wearing No. 37 rather than his customary 82, lined up in the backfield alongside quarterback Colt Brennan to open the game. Reagan Mauia, another senior running back, started in a slot as an extra blocker.

"I played a little bit of running back in high school (at Saint Louis)," Dickerson said. "We practiced it all week."

The outcome didn't turn out the way the senior class had hoped, as Oregon State held on for a 35-32 win before a sold-out Aloha Stadium. But they found some solace in that they'll have one more shot to go out with a win in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

"It's too bad we lost tonight, but we're looking forward to playing Arizona State and redeeming ourselves a little bit," Dickerson said.

He looked really good running the ball.

Kalani Simpson writes about the recruiting battle that may or may not have been taking place on the field.

And a win? How much is that worth?

"Kids are going to make their decisions based on how they feel about a school," former UH icon turned Oregon State villain Mike Cavanaugh said between hugs. "So I don't think it had anything to do with it."

No, of course not.

Gotta love him. Same old Cav.

...

But the Beavers have been up at Turtle Bay all week, making no secret of their intentions. Now, this game. To the winner goes the spoils?

"I don't think so," Reinebold said. It went down to the last minutes. It was a close game, a great game. Everybody realizes that. That's what the 17-year-old guys on the sidelines will remember.

And finally, Ferd Lewis writes a lament, and I can't blame him.

One second-half touchdown.

As the confetti whirled around a slow-to-empty sold-out Aloha Stadium and the tempered Senior Night celebration wound down, it was the incongruity of that lone second-half TD on the scoreboard that stuck with you the most in Oregon State's 35-32 victory over the University of Hawai'i last night.

It hung there hauntingly the way a full moon had for a brief moment earlier.

A dog barked in the distance. And then Vampire Lestat forlornly bit Ferd Lewis on the neck, but Ferd didn't care as he was resigned to his forlorn fate. Forlorn! I feel much the same way. Because of this, and unexpected visitors coming soon, I will not be posting any stats. But you can see them here.