2008 Woodie Awards
A 'sweet' finish
Warriors Sugar Bowl-bound after come-from-behind win and nation's only undefeated season
Glendalyn Junio
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News
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The Warriors finished at the No. 10 spot in the BCS standings released on Sunday afternoon, giving them a bid to the BCS's Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 against the BCS No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs at the Superdome in New Orleans, La.
"(The feelings) are indescribable. We've been fighting through adversity all season long (and) we got it done today, and it's the best feeling of my life," said junior defensive back Ryan Mouton. "Our motto all year has always been 'Believe.' Believe that we can come back and win it, and that's what we did."
Despite a 21-0 hold over Hawai‘i well into the second quarter, the Huskies grasp was limited by a Warrior defense that refused to fold and Colt Brennan's Heisman Trophy performance, backed by a receiving corps that put up 28 unanswered points in the end.
"(The team) was committed to getting a win tonight. They played hard and I can't be more proud of them," head coach June Jones said. "It's unbelievable; the (regular season) could not have ended better."
Brennan threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullins to take their first lead of the game, and Mouton intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone to secure their undefeated season and end any Huskies hope of an upset finish.
"It was a great game. Coming in, I had a feeling that we were going to have to dig deep for the win," senior wide receiver C.J. Hawthorne said. "(Then), lo and behold, we got into a 21-point hole. But, praise God we just kept believing, and kept digging, kept clawing and we were able to come out with a win."
Senior quarterback Brennan was near perfect on the night, throwing 42-of-50 for 442 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, including 6-of-6 on the 76-yard winning drive. The Warriors took a 35-28 lead after Grice-Mullins lunged into the end zone on a 5-yard slant pass with only 44 seconds left in the game.
"Coach Jones trusted me on that last call. I changed it to a pass play because I knew they were going to be in man," Brennan said. "I've got the most talented receiving corps in the nation. People can't play us man to man."
Brennan completed 20 straight passes midway through the game, breaking the UH mark for consecutive completions and falling only three shy of the NCAA mark.
With Hawai‘i already celebrating, Washington took over with 38 seconds left on the clock and drove all the way to the Hawai‘i 4-yard-line on a 49-yard pass to senior wide receiver Marcel Reece to cut short the excitement on the Warrior sidelines. But, with three seconds left to play and looking for Reece again, quarterback Jack Locker's pass was deflected by senior defensive back Gerard Lewis and intercepted by Mouton.
"I give all the credit to Lewis," Mouton added. "He made a great play and broke it up. The ball was floating in the air and I just caught it."
With the loss, the Huskies finished their season 4-9.
"We just didn't make one more play," Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham said.
Leading the Warriors defensive squad was junior linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who recorded a total of 12 tackles (eight solo).
Hawai‘i now remains the only undefeated team in the nation and will travel to New Orleans, La., for the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 1. As a non-BCS conference team, the Warriors needed to finish in the top 12 on the final standings to land in one of the choice bowl games.
Hawai‘i's opponent, Georgia, finished with six straight wins for an overall record of 10-2, while going 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs will be making their second appearance in the Sugar Bowl in three seasons.
"I am just happy to be a part of this team. To be a part of the only team to go undefeated on the season feels great," junior linebacker Adam Leonard said. "We're just going to (improve our play for the Sugar Bowl) and hopefully finish undefeated for the (whole season). That's what we want to do for all our seniors and all our fans in Hawai‘i."
The Warriors entered the matchup No. 12 in the BCS standings and has won a national-best 13 straight games, dating to its win over Arizona State in the Hawai‘i Bowl, and 22 of its last 23 games.
With 8:01 left in the game, Hawai‘i tied the game at 28 on a 40-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jason Rivers. It was the fourth time the pair connected for a touchdown pass in the game.
Rivers finished with 14 catches for 167 yards and four touchdowns. It is the second time in his career he has topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Rivers also tied a career-high with four touchdown receptions.
"I think (Washington) keyed on Davone (Bess) and Ryan (Grice-Mullins), which meant I was going to be the man open most of the night," Rivers said. "I got a lot of short routes and made the best of them; they just kept leaving me open. I'm just so happy."
Junior running back Daniel Libre added to the offensive force with 82 yards on 10 carries.
Still tied at 28, the Warriors caught a major break when the Huskies seemed to have converted a third-and-15 play to set the ball on Hawai‘i's 30-yard line. Locker was flagged for an illegal forward pass after appearing to pass the scrimmage line with under five minutes left.
"Honestly, I didn't see (the penalty against Locker for passing beyond the line of scrimmage)," Willingham said. "I can't even make a comment about (the officiating)."
The Warriors took over on their own 24 with 4:15 left in play and moved down the field for their winning score.
Early in the game, the Huskies effortlessly took a 21-0 lead with only 5:15 left in the first quarter. Washington cut Hawai‘i's time of possession short as they forced three fumbles in the opening frame. It was the first time this season that UH was held scoreless in the first quarter.
The silent offensive squad finally made their presence known as they took their first score of the night on a 7-yard pass to Rivers in the second quarter. The Huskies responded immediately on the ensuing drive to put the score at 28-7 with 7:08 left in the first half. But it would be Washington's final scoring drive of the night.
"I really believe in the word 'believe' now," senior linebacker Brad Kalilimoku said. We never gave up and there's no doubt it's the best feeling ever to be a part of this team. We made history."
BCS bowl games
The No. 10 University of Hawai‘i Warrior football team and numerous fans gathered at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday afternoon to watch as the BCS unveiled the postseason matchups. Hawai‘i earned an at-large bid just one day after completing an undefeated regular season and will meet BCS No. 5 Georgia on Jan. 1 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Partially broadcast live nationally, the Bowl Selection Show featured interviews with both Heisman-hopeful Colt Brennan and Warrior head coach June Jones. Celebrations included performances by the UH band, dance and cheer teams, along with multiple performances of the ha‘a by the Warriors themselves.
The Sugar Bowl will take place in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome, also the site of the national championship, which will be played just one week after the Hawai‘i-Georgia matchup.
"We have one more game left; it's not over," Brennan said. "It's about winning a BCS bowl game, and that's what we're going to do."
The following is a breakdown of this year's BCS bowl pairings:
Allstate BCS
National Championship:
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 LSU
FedEx Orange Bowl:
No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 8 Kansas
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 West Virginia
Allstate Sugar Bowl:
No. 10 Hawai'i vs. No. 5 Georgia
Rose Bowl presented by Citi:
No. 7 USC vs. No. 13 Illinois
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Joan Bowers
posted 12/03/07 @ 4:50 AM HST
Yay Warriors. Congratulations on your undefeated year. You can win one more game at the Sugar Bowl. Go for it!!!
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