Hawaii: 2025 Hawaii Bowl Champions

 

Reserve quarterback Luke Weaver came off the sideline and threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left to deliver the Hawaii football team a 35-31 victory over California in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday.

Rice: 2014 Hawaii Bowl Champions

HONOLULU (AP) Driphus Jackson had his best game of the year by passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and Rice completed a remarkable turnaround with a 30-6 victory over Fresno State on Wednesday night in the Hawaii Bowl.

The Owls (8-5) started the season at 0-3 and ended it with their second bowl win in the last three years.

Jackson was accurate with his arm, especially on two deep sideline routes, and dangerous with his feet. He rushed for 41 yards and some key scrambles out of trouble. The Owls got plenty of help from their defense.

Fresno State (6-8), the only team with a losing record to play a bowl game this year, broke its Hawaii Bowl record for fewest points. Fresno State scored 10 points two years ago in a lopsided loss to SMU. It was the fewest points Fresno State scored all year.

The Bulldogs lost to Rice for the first time - they had a 6-0 edge from their old WAC days - and dropped their sixth consecutive bowl game.

This one wasn't close.

Rice piled up 463 yards and held Fresno State to 93 yards passing, well below the Bulldogs' season average of 238 yards. Brian Burrell was 10 of 20 for 44 yards and didn't complete a pass longer than 8 yards.

The Owls had 96 yards on their opening possession and had to settle for a field goal after two penalties on one play - holding on Caleb Williams, and then Mario Hull was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for jamming an open palm in the face of cornerback Charles Washington during some trash talk. That made it first-and-goal from the 34, and the Owls got all the way down to the 4 before they had to settle for a field goal.

Even so, it set the tone for the Rice offense - and for the game.

Jackson was perfect on a fly route down the left side to Dennis Parks for 53 yards that led to his 14-yard scoring pass to Jordan Taylor. And after Burrell threw a deep interception, Jackson struck on the next play. He slightly underthrew a deep pass that Hull came back for, and then Hull turned and ran the last 25 yards for a 69-yard touchdown and a 16-3 right before the opening quarter ended.

The Bulldogs made enough defensive adjustments to hold Rice to one first down and 4 yards in the second quarter to at least stay in range. Their offense, however, offered little in return.

Fresno State was helped by a defensive holding call on fourth-and-7 to reach the 26, but it could only manage another field goal by Koedy Kroenig from 40 yards. Late in the first half and trailing 16-6, Fresno State again went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 18. Burrell threw a quick sideline pass to Greg Watson, only for Bryce Callahan to break through a block and drop him for a 3-yard loss that kept Rice up by 10 at intermission.

Callahan later picked off Burrell's deep throw, and that was the end of Burrell's night. He was replaced by Zack Greenlee, who was equally ineffective.

One drive effectively sealed the game for the Owls. Jackson worked the sidelines beautifully to complete four straight passes and move them down the field on their second drive of the third quarter. On third-and-2, he found Parks down the sideline. Parks stiff-armed linebacker Donavon Lewis and raced into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown pass and a 23-6 lead.

It was Parks' first touchdown reception of the year, and he went over 100 yards receiving for the first time this season.

Rice padded the lead midway early in the fourth quarter when Jackson hit Darik Dillard on a screen in the left flat, and Dillard sped down to the 1, narrowly missing his stretch to the pylon. Dillard ran it in on the next play.

The Bulldogs got 76 yards on 15 carries from Marteze Waller, but that included runs of 41 and 16 yards.

Oregon State: 2013 Hawai'i Bowl Champions

HONOLULU — It had been so long since Rashaad Reynolds had seen the end zone, you almost can’t blame him for what happened.

Seventy yards is a long way for anyone to run, so forgive the senior cornerback if he came up a little gimpy after his sprint to score. It’s been awhile since he’s done that.

The best football of your life in your last year is Mike Riley’s goal for all his players, and Tuesday afternoon in Aloha Stadium against Boise State, Reynolds took that message and ran with it. Literally.

In the game that could very well be the swan song for junior standouts Brandin Cooks and Scott Crichton, it was Reynolds, a senior cornerback, who took his final bow in spectacular fashion, scoring two touchdowns after fumble recoveries.

In 49 previous games as a Beaver, he had zero.

Those early scores helped hold off a late push from Boise State as the Beavers won 38-23 in theHawaii Bowl.

Reynolds, perhaps Oregon State’s most underappreciated corner the past two seasons, told Riley every day, “I’m just soaking it all in, I want to finish well, I’m embracing it all.” He did that, and then some, scooping up two fumbles and returning them for scores.

“I love that kid,” Riley said. “He’s had a great career, and I’m really proud of him.”

The first came at the end of the first quarter, when Crichton sacked Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick and knocked the ball loose. Reynolds was there, and it took him only a few strides to cruise in for a 3-yard touchdown. Minutes later, Larry Scott shook the ball loose after a Troy Ware reception and Reynolds pounced, picking up the ball and racing 70 yards to give the Beavers a 24-6 lead.

“In high school I was a quarterback,” said Reynolds, who was named the bowl's MVP, “that’s probably the last time I touched the end zone.”

Once he returned to the sideline, he pointed out to Cooks that the defensive guy had more touchdowns than the offensive guy. It stayed that way for the rest of the game, as Cooks totaled just 60 receiving yards and one touchdown. But as it turns out, the Beavers (7-6) didn’t need him: His best friend, running back Storm Woods, rushed for 107 yards, and backup Terron Ward chipped in 54.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Riley said of the Beavers’ dominant first half. “I thought we were ready to play. As a matter of fact, I was telling people, quietly, that I would be shocked if we didn’t play well. I felt really, really good about this team’s preparation.”

Boise State receiver Matt Miller, who caught 11 balls for 206 yards, said afterward, “This program is about perfection, and we strive for it every day.”

But this week Broncos football was more about distraction, as Boise State coaches and players dodged questions about the future — former head coach Chris Petersen left for Washington and reportedly is taking a good chunk of the Broncos staff with him — and spoke candidly about the frustration of sending home starting quarterback Joe Southwick, who was suspended for urinating off the balcony of his hotel room. (Southwick denied this to the media once back in Boise, and accused teammates of lying to get rid of him.)

But all of that might not have helped the Broncos (8-5) deal with Reynolds. Cooks, who set the Pac-12 single-season receiving record and finished with 1,730 on the season, said Reynolds has been as responsible as anyone for his success. “Going against him, it made me the receiver I am today,” Cooks said. “Him and (former standout) Jordan (Poyer) pushing me the way they did, I look up to them like big brothers.”

Now it’s decision time for Cooks, Crichton and junior quarterback Sean Mannion, all of whom have NFL futures. Cooks said he will make his decision before classes resume on Jan. 6, and Mannion said, “I haven’t really had a chance to think about, it’s something I’m going to think about.” Crichton instructed “next question” when asked.

Reynolds, of course, is already planning to head to the pros. And Tuesday night, as the Beavers danced at midfield and Hawaii Bowl reps hung leis around their necks, it was Boise State running back Jay Ajayi who walked up to congratulate Reynolds, telling him “That’s how you’re gonna make your money!” surely a reference to his two touchdowns.

But before he can cash his paycheck, he’d better start practicing long runbacks.

-- Lindsay Schnell