Hawaii hammers Fresno State 49-27

By Fred Guzman

Does it really qualify as an upset if you come into a game as an 11-point road underdog and leave town with a 22-point victory? That’s what happened on Saturday as Hawaii posted a surprisingly lopsided 49-27 football victory over WAC rival Fresno State.

The win improved UH’s records to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the WAC going into this week’s showdown at Aloha Stadium against unbeaten Nevada. The Wolf Pack moved up two spots – to No. 19 – in the latest AP rankings following a 35-13 win over San Jose State.

Bryant Moniz, playing with a painful turf-toe injury, shredded Fresno State’s nationally second-ranked pass defense, completing 29 of 49 passes for 375 yards and three scores. Moniz leads the nation in passing yardage with 2,245 and is tied for first in TD passes with 18.

Slotback Greg Salas caught nine passes for 148 yards and two scores. Salas leads the nation in receiving yardage with 757, while teammate Keola Pilares ranks a close third with 726,

UH was effective on the ground, for a change. Alex Green rushed for touchdowns of 38, 14 and 2 yards, finishing with 96 yards on 13 carries. He picked up another 69 on receptions.

UH’s typically shaky defense held the Bulldogs to 104 rushing yards, and pressured Ryan Colburn, one of the nation’s most efficient passers, into a frustrating outing. Colburn hit on just 51.4 percent of his passes and threw for three picks while passing percentage while suffering three sacks. Linebacker Corey Paredes led Hawaii’s effective defensive unit with 11 tackles.