Hawaii, Schager runs over Nevada in 34-13 homecoming win

MANOA — The Hawai’i football team’s offense is called the RUN-and-shoot after all.

Quarterback Brayden Schager ran for four touchdowns and 120 of the Rainbow Warriors’ season-high 242 rushing yards as Hawai’i rumbled to a 34-13 win over Nevada on homecoming Saturday night at the T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak by the Rainbow Warriors as they improved to 3-5 while notching their first win in Mountain West play and their first win over an FBS opponent this season. They also held a 17-0 halftime lead over the Wolf Pack (3-6), who were also seeking their first win in the conference play in 2024.

“It’s huge,” Schager said of getting back into the win column.

“We got a good football team in that locker room. We just haven’t really showed it yet a whole lot. Tonight gives us, our whole team, offense and defense, special teams, everybody confidence that we can do it at a high level. We just have to go and put it out there. We’ve been in games and we just haven’t been able to capitalize and finish. Tonight we did a great job of that.”

Schager, who extended his school-record streak of 30 straight starts at QB, also joined Glenn Freitas and Ivin Jasper as the only other Hawai’i QBs to score four rushing TDs. His 120 yards on the ground on 19 attempts was a career-best.

He had a pair of 1-yard sneaks in the first quarter to give Hawai’i an early 14-0 lead. Nevada would find the end zone on a 63-yard TD pass on the second play of the second half before a QB draw with under two minutes to play in the third quarter pushed the Rainbow Warriors’ advantage to 24-7.

Schager also scored on a 6-yard read-option keeper early in the fourth quarter and had a 46-yard run late in the game to set up the final points of the night by Kansei Matsuzawa on a 30-yard field goal.

“When we get an O-line playing that well, moving the ball, just moving them at will in the run game, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Schager said of his rushing performance.

The senior QB was just 14 of 25 passing for season-low 153 yards and one interception, but wasn’t concerned over the diminished numbers through the airwaves.

“It still have a lot of confidence in our pass game and our receivers and myself. We’ll get back on track there, but if we can run the ball the way we did tonight, you can’t be stopped.”

The grounded approach by Hawai’i was felt on its opening drive with running back Landon Sims (nine carries, 82 yards) taking his first carry for 20 yards and had another big run to the Nevada 1-yard line. Penalties wiped out a Schager-TD on a keeper, but the Rainbow Warriors kept pounding the rock before their senior signal-caller scored on a sneak.

It was the third time in five home games that Hawai’i has scored on its opening possession.

The offensive numbers for both teams would indicate that it was a much closer game with the Rainbow Warriors gaining 395 yards to the Wolf Pack’s 380, but the Hawai’i defense forced a pair of turnover on downs and a missed 46-yard field goal try in the first half to blank Nevada in the first 30 minutes of play.

Hawai’i also prevented points in the second half thanks to an interception by Nalu Emerson on Nevada’s final play from scrimmage and a forced fumble by Cam Stone that was recovered by Meki Pei to set up Matsuzawa’s second field goal of the night.

“It’s a good team win. Anytime you can win it’s a good feeling,” said Hawai’i coach Timmy Chang.

“Defense played well the first half getting the stops that we needed. I thought they did a good job of stopping the run and rallying around and tackling the football. I think (Nevada) kind of changed what they had to do in the second half being down as well, but they responded really well and they got the turnovers needed when they needed to.”

Next up for the Rainbow Warriors is a road game at Fresno State (5-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. HST.