PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State appeared on the 2024 Hawaii football schedule because of a one-year scheduling alliance between the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conferences.

It was a deal that started well, then turned sour when the two-team Pac-12 remnant enticed five MWC schools to defect starting in 2026.

Hawaii’s first all-time visit to Pullman, Wash., similarly began in promising fashion on Saturday, but rapidly went awry in a 42-10 loss to the Cougars on their homecoming day at Gesa Field.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hawaii football team was unable to maintain a solid start in a 42-10 loss to Washington State in Pullman, Wash., on Saturday

  • UH (2-5 overall) dropped to 0-5 against FBS opponents this season and moved to 1-14 on the road in the three-year Timmy Chang era

  • WSU (6-1), a member of the Pac-12's two-team remnant, turned three UH turnovers into 21 points as the Rainbow Warriors gave up a season high in points

  • UH, which was without top receiver Pofele Ashlock and safety Peter Manuma due to injury, hosts Nevada in Mountain West play next Saturday

UH (2-5) dropped to 0-5 against FBS teams this season and fell to 1-14 on the road in the three-year Timmy Chang era.

Three UH turnovers were parlayed into 21 points by the Cougars (6-1), contributing heavily to a season high in points allowed.

UH, missing injured playmakers on both sides of the ball, forced a turnover on downs on the opening drive of the game and drew first blood on a Kansei Matsuzawa 25-yard field goal.

But first-half struggles in red-zone opportunities and a game-long inability to convert on third down (0-for-8) contributed to UH managing just a Tylan Hines receiving touchdown the rest of the way.

As has become the norm, quarterback Brayden Schager absorbed plenty of hard hits but kept on coming. He was 20-for-30 for a season-low 196 yards with one interception. He was sacked three times, an improvement from eight against Boise State last week, but his ability to scramble for gains was curtailed and he finished with minus-10 yards on the ground.

Wazzu dual-threat quarterback John Mateer used his arm to great effect in the first half and his legs to finish the job in the second. He was 23-for-27 for 295 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, the bulk of which came before intermission, and he finished with eight carries for 34 yards and two touchdowns.

UH had two turnovers converted into WSU touchdowns in the first half, after which the visitors trailed 21-3.

WSU entered averaging better than 180 rushing yards per game but was held to 10 in the first half. However, Mateer was 15-for-17 for three touchdowns and no interceptions in the half.

The Cougars rolled up 113 rushing yards after halftime and finished with 444 yards of total offense to UH’s even 300.

“This was a grind. It was,” WSU coach Jake Dickert told The CW’s broadcast after the game. “This was a good Hawaii team. They weren’t just going to come here and lay down. I thought it was a lot of things we can build off of. What is this team’s best? I don’t know yet, that’s the best part.”

The Warriors were without top receiver Pofele Ashlock (concussion protocol) and another deep-ball threat in Dekel Crowdus, who missed his second straight game.

Schager was forced to spread things around, and a few times UH marched rapidly down the field in some of its best operation of the run-and-shoot offense this season. The senior completed passes to 10 receivers, with Nick Cenacle targeted a team-high seven times. Hines led the way with five catches for 42 yards.

On defense, UH missed safety Peter Manuma, who along with Ashlock got injured early in last week’s 28-7 home loss to Boise State. But on the game’s opening drive, UH succeeded in stopping WSU on downs in UH territory.

UH advanced the ball into the red zone on its first two drives, but got only one field goal out of it. Matsuzawa connected on his first attempt but badly shanked another from 28.

Cenacle had first-down yardage on a crossing route over midfield in the second quarter, but Jamorri Colson punched the ball out with his helmet from behind and Kamehameha-Maui alumnus Kapena Gushiken recovered the fumble for WSU.

The Cougars parlayed it into a 9-yard touchdown from Mateer to Cooper Mathers three plays later.

A Schager throw into triple coverage on UH’s next drive was intercepted and turned into another Cougars TD for a 21-3 lead.

UH opened the second half with one of its best drives of the 2024 season, a seven-play, 75-yard march capped with a 17-yard Schager pass to an open Hines in the end zone.

WSU responded with a 13-play, 60-yard drive capped with a Mateer 8-yard scoring keeper to push the lead back to 28-10.

Schager, surprised on a blitz, fumbled on UH’s next drive. WSU pounced and parlayed it into Mateer’s second rushing TD on the first play of the fourth quarter.

UH went for it on fourth and 2 in its own territory with an option pitch to Hines, who ran out of bounds short of the first-down marker. WSU quickly turned it into more points with 10:15 left.

UH freshman and Waipahu alumnus Tama Uiliata made his first career catch for 10 yards in the first half.

Backup running back Christian Vaughn had UH’s longest play from scrimmage, a 30-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter.

Gushiken had three tackles and a pass breakup for the Cougars while Kamehameha alum and Cougars senior lineman Tanner Moku had two tackles and broke up a pass.

The Rainbow Warriors (0-2 Mountain West) return home to host Nevada (3-5, 0-2 MWC) in a conference game at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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