Hawaii Sweeps Season Series vs. New Mexico State
Warriors get it down vs. Aggies, again
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Hawaii wins 48-34
Last night the Hawaii Warriors celebrated the life and legacy of the late Colt Brennan by retiring his No. 15 at halftime. It was an emotional night for Warrior fans all over the world. Brennan was a hero to us all and took this program to heights not seen before or since. He was loved by everyone and he truly loved the state, the people, and the culture and wanted to represent us on a big stage. Even though he was born and raised in California, he was an adopted “local boy” and he just got it. He understood how different and special this place is and embraced it all.
A night to remember! #WinEveryDay pic.twitter.com/ONV3zZYEGU
— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) October 24, 2021
What I will remember most about Brennan is when he announced that he would be foregoing the NFL draft and returning to school for his senior season. I remember that he got choked up and you could tell how genuine the love he had for his teammates was and how appreciative he was of the fan base. He sacrificed a lucrative professional career for one more run with his guys and inspired the team to a perfect regular season and a Sugar Bowl invite. To quote one of my favorite childhood movies “The Sandlot”, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die”. Mahalo for everything Colt. Rest in paradise.
As far as the game goes, Hawaii played well enough to beat a really bad New Mexico State team again. As predicted, Dedrick Parsons filled in for an injured Dae Dae Hunter and the run game did not skip a beat. Parsons finished the night with 161 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries. Brayden Schager started his third game and went an efficient 25/29 for 219 yards, 0 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He did fumble once which led to NMSU points, but for the most part he took care of the ball. A big improvement on a 4 interception game from last week.
The Aggies piled up 466 yards of offense including 257 on the ground. Alarming for sure, but starting linebacker Penei Pavihi sat out with an injury and the Hawaii defense did score two touchdowns of their own on pick 6’s by Khoury Bethley and Darius Muasau. Muasau led the team with 10 tackles and had one of his signature games where it seemed like he was in on every play. Bethley continued to show his versatility by playing in coverage, in the box on run plays, and even had a pair of quarterback hurries.
Hawaii continued to struggle on special teams as Calvin Turner Jr. fumbled a kickoff return and Koali Nishigaya muffed a punt return. The bright spot has been placekicker Matthew Shipley who has shown improvement from last season and is now 10-11 on field goals for the year.
When the Aggies tied the game during the 3rd quarter and things were looking grim, Calvin Turner Jr. responded with a 75 yard run down the sideline and the Warriors never looked back. Muasau’s pick-six on the Aggies next possession sealed the win for the Bows.
The win moves the Warriors to 4-4 on the season. Let’s hope they can get healthy because next week they travel to Logan, Utah to take on the much improved Utah State Aggies. As always, let’s go Bows!
