Even with some revamped travel plans, the Hawaii football team’s first road game of the season went much the way of the others in the three-year Timmy Chang era.

In a switch from traditional commercial flights, UH took a charter into Houston on Thursday, followed by a bus ride into Huntsville, Texas, to face Sam Houston on Saturday. But the Rainbow Warriors appeared disjointed and undisciplined in searing heat at Bowers Stadium, and things only got worse as matters progressed in a 31-13 loss to the Conference USA opponent.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hawaii football team fell victim to Sam Houston's ground game and its own mistakes in a 31-13 loss at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas, on Saturday

  • UH dropped to 1-12 on the road in the three-year Timmy Chang era

  • The Rainbow Warriors sabotaged their own cause with 14 penalties for 122 yards, including some ill-timed unsportsmanlike conduct assessments

  • Northern Iowa of the FCS is up next at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Saturday

The ‘Bows allowed a season-high 257 yards on the ground and 422 overall, and hurt their own cause immensely at several key moments with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties among 14 total penalties for 122 yards.

UH (1-2) dropped to 1-12 in road games in the Chang era, including 0-5 in road nonconference games. It capped a rough week in which the program was jolted by the news that four of its Mountain West Conference brethren defected to the depleted Pac-12.

A packed house at 14,000-seat venue let the Rainbow Warriors hear it in the Bearkats’ second season as an FBS program. SHU (2-1) won a FCS championship in the 2020-21 season.

Bearkats coach K.C. Keeler told the ESPN+ broadcast after the game that he thought the 95-degree heat at kickoff (the heat index read 105) affected the visitors, who were making their first trip to Texas since the New Mexico Bowl in Frisco in December 2020.

"I thought we played a good opponent that had some really tough travel. They fought us all the way," Keeler said. "It's one of those 50-50 games that if you want to be a bowl team, you gotta win those games."

Quarterback Brayden Schager, one of eight Rainbow Warriors from the Lone Star State, struggled coming off a bye week in which he rested from ailments he suffered in a 16-13 loss against UCLA on Aug. 31. He went 21-for-42 for 252 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

His highlight was a 52-yard “Schager Bomb” to Dekel Crowdus that set UH up in the red zone at the start of the second quarter, but for every connection there was an errant throw, or a drop by a receiver.

The drive with the Crowdus catch was one of two first-half possessions that was hamstrung by an unsportsmanlike penalty by a Warriors offensive lineman. Those forced field-goal attempts by Kansei Matsuzawa – a miss from 42 yards and a make from 33 yards.

UH generated only 56 yards on the ground, while SHU graduate student Jay Ducker erupted for 148 yards on 15 carries after generating a combined 23 yards in the Bearkats’ first two games at Rice and at UCF.

"Just pound the rock. Offensive line felt good about what they were doing," Keeler said. "We have some pretty good running backs. We can roll three or four in there."

UH faced a 17-3 halftime deficit, then clawed within seven points in the third quarter on a Pofele Ashlock 5-yard reception from Schager on fourth and 2, but immediately gave up an 86-yard rush by Ducker on the next play from scrimmage. SHU capitalized with a Hunter Watson pass to John Gentry for a 3-yard TD.

Said Ducker, "You gotta give them (the O-line) props. We had a game plan and we executed it perfectly. I just did my job. ... We were going to run it down their throat, basically."

The visitors mustered only a 27-yard Matsuzawa field goal near the end of the third, and got blanked on three drives in the fourth.

SHU bookended the game with Qua’Vez Humphries touchdowns from Watson, who was 15-for-23 for 165 yards, three scores and one interception hauled in by Cam Stone. Humphries caught four balls for 106 yards.

UH’s top receiver was again Ashlock, was targeted 12 times. He caught eight balls for 84 yards.

Center Sergio Muasau picked up a second unsportsmanlike penalty in the second half for an automatic ejection.

The Rainbow Warriors were to charter back home immediately. They take on their second FCS opponent of the season, Northern Iowa (2-1), at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

UH will meet Sam Houston for a return game in Honolulu on Sept. 6, 2025.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.