UH vs SJSU Wrap-Ups

Here are the wrap-ups of Hawaii's 17-10 overtime victory over San Jose State.

NCAA Game Summary - Hawaii At San Jose State, from The Sports Network via KITV.com

Spartans Lose Heartbreaker To Hawaii In OT, by Mike Morgan of Inside Sparta

San Jose State loses to Hawaii in overtime, by Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News

After playing primarily out of the shotgun, the Warriors came out under center and turned to the option for the winning score. Quarterback Shane Austin rushed left and pitched to Leon Wright-Jackson, who waltzed into the end zone from 5 yards.

"Usually from film, when they are under center they run inside, but they came back with the speed option and it worked," Spartans linebacker Pompey Festejo said. "Ninety percent of the time they've gone inside with that play."

Staying alive, by Stephen Tsai

Wright-Jackson's 2-yard run advanced the ball to the 5. From the coaches' booth, offensive coordinator Ron Lee and running backs coach Brian Smith noticed the Spartans were in the same coverage as they were when Austin scored in the first quarter.

At the urging of offensive line coach Gordy Shaw, quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich, who calls the offensive plays, signaled for "Saturn left," a speed option to the left, which was the narrow side of the formation.

"It was something that worked last year and the year before against them," Smith said.

Thing is, Austin, who only took first-team reps the past week, never fully practiced the play. "But I ran the option in high school, so I knew a little about it," Austin said.

Bowl hopes intact after OT victory, by Jason Kaneshiro

"We've got a little streak going and it keeps us alive," McMackin said following the Warriors' third straight win. "We're in a single-elimination tournament and it keeps us alive."

For Warriors, inspiration came from past success

The Spartans turned the ball over four times — three in the first half — but all UH could muster from it was one touchdown because of its own turnovers and a missed 31-yard field goal.

In the end, "You could see it in everybody's eyes that we were going to go down and score," Austin said. "There was no denying us."

Tufaga, too, felt the confidence. "We dug deep, just like the boys did back then (in '07)," he said. "We believed."

Austin powers UH to win, but no guarantee he'll start, by Ferd Lewis

Austin started in place of Bryant Moniz, who suffered bruised ribs in last week's victory over New Mexico State. But if Moniz is able to go, he will retain the starting role, head coach Greg McMackin said last night.

"Shane did a great job coming through for us," said offensive coordinator Ron Lee. "He missed some things but he'll get better at those. He's learning."

But McMackin said, "He (Moniz) is not gonna lose his position because of an injury," McMackin said. "That's sort of a rule I've had."

Ferd's article also has some news and notes.

From scouts to stars, by Jason Kaneshiro

Medeiros, a backup his first two seasons, was his most frequent target of the night. Austin connected with the senior slotback 10 times for 149 yards.

"Pretty much the same boat, he's just a little younger," Medeiros said after breaking the century mark for the first time in his UH career. "We've been through ups and downs on scout (team) and as backups. It's just hard work and you have to keep pushing. No matter where you are on the depth chart you have to keep pushing."

Bryant making up for lost time, by Ferd Lewis

After missing three weeks because of a torn bicep, Hawai'i cornerback Jeramy Bryant was going to make sure no big opportunities bypassed him, too.

"This was my first game back and I wanted to make some plays," said Bryant, who was sidelined since the Boise State game on Oct. 24. "I was away too long."

Bryant, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior, broke up two passes — the biggest one on fourth down in overtime — and recovered a fumble to help UH stave off a San Jose State threat in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Short snaps: UH vs. San Jose State, by Jason Kaneshiro

SJSU tried in vain to win 1 for Tomey, by Damin Esper for the Star-Bulletin

Tomey did his best all week to make this just another game. His players tried to make it something special. After all, the opponent was Hawaii -- appropriate, considering Tomey started his head coaching career there, leading UH into the WAC and remaining with the Rainbows from 1977 to 1986, when he left for Arizona.

The postgame handshakes turned into a series of hugs for the 71-year-old coach.

"I have so many connections there," Tomey said. "Probably people make too much of that."

Then, a slight pause.

"It's all true," he acknowledged.

No happy ending for Tomey, by Eric Gilmore for the Advertiser

"For the state of Hawai'i, he really ushered us into the Division I age," said UH athletic director Jim Donovan, who played for Tomey and served as a graduate assistant coach under him. "We easily averaged 42, 44 thousand (fans) a game. It was the place to be for everyone on a Saturday night. He really rallied the whole community around UH football.

"I think ever since he coached at Hawai'i, he very quickly adapted to Hawai'i's culture. He became an adopted son. Everyone knows him, loves him. ... He really put us on the map. He's got to be very proud."