WAC Football & Basketball blog

To get you caught up on where things are now with the Hawaii program, here’s a quick recap.

The Warriors, who were going to lose their star QB and one of their three 1,000 yard receivers in the graduating Jason Rivers, lost the other two 1,000 yard receivers as well, as Davone Bess, then Ryan Grice-Mullen both decided to skip their senior seasons and enter the NFL Draft.

In the midst of it all, the man who led Hawaii’s move into prominence, decided that he’d had enough, and decided to take on another rebuilding project, as head coach June Jones resigned and took the head coaching position at SMU.

And, to top it off, after Jones’ resignation, athletic director Herman Frazier, was shown the door, as he was viewed as partly responsible for the lack of commitment and administrative issues that led to Jones’ disillusionment and decision to step down.

Things went from bad to tragic when red shirt freshman receiver Mitch Farney, who was planning to transfer to Weber State, died Tuesday night after collapsing during a pickup basketball game in Phoenix.

The New Year hasn’t been kind to the Hawaii football program, but there’s still 11 and a half months to go, so it can only go up from here.

The WAC dropped to 0-2 in the bowl season with Boise St.’s last-second 41-38 loss to East Carolina in Sunday’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Ben Hartman’s 34-yard field goal on the last play of the game won it for East Carolina and capped off a dramatic final two minutes, when the Pirates appeared to have it all but sewn up, but wound up needing Hartman’s heroics.

Boise St.’s offense got off to a slow start, due in part to star running back Ian Johnson being limited by injury, and their only highlight of the first quarter-plus was Austin Smith’s 89-yard kickoff return that gave them a 7-3 lead, which would turn out to be their only lead of the night.

In the meantime, East Carolina produced fireworks upon fireworks in the first half, with their own Johnson having a big first half. Chris Johnson ran for a 68-yard touchdown to put the Pirates up 10-7 in the first quarter, and then in the second quarter had a 46-yard run to step up his own 18-yard touchdown reception, which put ECU up 24-7.

After the Broncos pulled within 24-14, a fumble by Ian Johnson late in the quarter resulted in another ECU touchdown and a 31-14 halftime lead.

But, the Broncos put that tough first half behind them and made a comeback in the final 30 minutes, giving themselves a chance at overtime.

The second half didn’t get off to a great start, as ECU picked up where they left off in the first half and scored on their opening drive to go up 38-14.

But, the Broncos made it 38-31 with seven minutes to go on D.J. Harper’s 1-yard touchdown run, and after forcing a three-and-out, marched down the field towards a potential tying score.

However, on 3rd and 9 from the Pirates’ 23, Titus Young fumbled on a reception, turning it over to the Pirates, and seemingly sealing the deal, with less than two minutes left on the clock.

But, on second down, Chris Johnson fumbled, and Marty Tadman returned it 48 yards for a game-tying touchdown.

But, the Broncos’ heroics from last season’s Fiesta Bowl weren’t going to be repeated.

Johnson atoned for his first fumble of the season by returning the kickoff 30 yards to the 39, and then, on 3rd and 8, Rob Kaas completed a 36-yard pass to Jamar Bryant to get ECU in position for the game-winning field goal, and Hartman connected to break Boise hearts.

Chris Johnson was named the game’s MVP, as a result of his 408 all-purpose yards (223 rushing, 32 receiving, 153 kickoff return) and two touchdowns.

Taylor Tharp threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos, who finished their season 10-3. East Carolina won their first bowl game since 2000, and finishes their season 8-5.

Instead of Nevada’s potent offense rolling over New Mexico, it was the other way around, as New Mexico QB Donovan Porterie threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns, and backup running back Paul Baker ran for 166 yards to lead New Mexico over Nevada 23-0 this afternoon in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

While New Mexico’s huge offensive numbers were a key reason for their win, it was the effort of their defense in completely shutting down Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick and Luke Lippincott, the WAC’s leading rusher.

Kaepernick, one of the most efficient QBs in the country this season, was held to 13 of 31 passing for 137 yards, and ran for only 33 yards on 11 carries, while Lippincott was held to 28 yards on 10 carries.

Porterie’s big game was his first 300-yard performance since throwing for 327 yards in a 29-27 win over Arizona, but even bigger than his numbers was the contributions of Baker, who filled in more than admirably for Rodney Ferguson, who missed the bowl game due to being academically ineligible.

One bright spot for the Wolf Pack was blocking two John Sullivan field goals, as one of the most accurate kickers in the country had an up and down day, making three and missing three.

The long day started for Nevada when Porterie found leading receiver Marcus Smith for a 66-yard touchdown only three plays into the game.

The lead was extended to 14-0 late in the first quarter when Porterie threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Travis Brown, and went to 17-0 in the second quarter on Sullivan’s 53-yard field goal.

Sullivan added a 45-yarder later in the second to make it 20-0, and finished the scoring off in the second half with a 37-yard field goal.

Nevada’s best chances to score came in the second quarter, when the Wolf Pack had the ball inside the New Mexico 35, but Kaepernick was sacked on 3rd and 4, and then he came up a yard short on a 4th down run. Then, later in the quarter, the Wolf Pack drove inside the New Mexico 35 again, but a fumble handed the ball right back to the Lobos, and after that, Nevada couldn’t create anymore real opportunities to get on the scoreboard.

Not only was its New Mexico’s first bowl victory since 1961, but it was also the first time that Nevada has been shut out since 1980.

New Mexico finishes their season 9-4, while Nevada finishes 6-7, but with Kaepernick, Lippincott, and their two leading receivers returning next year, the Wolf Pack should find themselves in the postseason once again next season.