HONOLULU – Freshman Lucky Sutton scored his first two career touchdowns, Mekhi Shaw caught six passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Deshawn McCuin returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown to help San Diego State snap a four-game losing streak with a 41-34 victory at Hawai'i Saturday night at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Honolulu.
The Aztecs (3-4, 1-2 MW) jumped out to a 17-0 lead before allowing the Rainbow Warriors (2-5, 0-2 MW) to rally back and take a 24-20 advantage into the fourth quarter. SDSU, however, scored 21 points in the final quarter to win for the 10th time in the last 12 meetings against UH.
San Diego State forced four turnovers in the game, and dominated Hawai'i in both time of possession (36:08-23:52) and average field position (SDSU42-to-UH23).
Eric Butler blocked a Rainbow Warrior punt after a three-and-out to start the game, setting up the Aztecs at the UH 13-yard line. SDSU, however, had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Jack Browning.
Browning later pinned Hawai'i to its own 8-yard line on a punt, setting up San Diego State in good field position. Six plays later Sutton pounded it in from the 1-yard line for his first career touchdown, which came on his first attempt of the season and just the third of his career. The drive was helped by a 30-yard pass from Jalen Mayden to Shaw.
Mayden was intercepted to begin the second quarter, giving the Rainbow Warriors good field position on the Aztec 43. Later in the drive, UH quarterback Brayden Schager was picked off by McCuin, who raced 70 yards untouched for his first career touchdown.
Hawai'i answered with a 10-play, 91-yard drive, ending with a 17-yard touchdown strike from Schager to Pofele Ashlock.
After a three-and-out by SDSU, the visitors got the ball right back when Browning's 39-yard punt was muffed by Steven McBride and recovered by San Diego State's Zyrus Fiaseu on the Rainbow Warrior 43. Browning's 50-yard field goal attempt, however, was no good, keeping it a 17-7 game.
UH quickly responded with three-play, 67-yard drive, staring with a 62-yard pass from Schager to McBride. Two plays later Schager connected with an 8-yard pass to Alex Perry to trim the Aztec lead to three points at halftime.
Hawai'i tied it with a 46-yard field goal by Matt Shipley with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter.
On its ensuing drive, SDSU went 68 yards on 13 plays, but was limited to a 24-yard chip field goal by Browning to put San Diego State back on top at 20-17.
Schager connected with Nick Cenacle on a 52-yard touchdown pass-and-catch on the final play of the third quarter that gave the Rainbow Warriors their first lead of the game at 24-20.
The lead would last just over a minute, however, as Mayden found a wide-open Shaw, who raced the final 35 yards down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown that put the Aztecs up, 27-24, with 13:33 left in the game.
SDSU then got the ball right back on a UH fumble and Sutton punched it in from two yards out to make it 34-24 with 12:27 remaining.
Schager completed another 65-yard pass to McBride and Landon Sims ran it in to close the gap with 10:22 left in the game.
San Diego State got all the way to the Hawai'i 21, but Mayden was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 situation.
On the second play of the ensuing drive for the Rainbow Warriors, Ryan Henderson stripped Sims and recovered the fumble on the UH 23. Five plays after Jaylon Armstead bodied it in from a yard out to make it 41-31 Aztecs.
Hawai'i quickly got into SDSU territory but settled for a 47-yard field goal by Shipley after a first-down spike with 2:11 remaining.
Sutton gained 12 yards in two plays to put the game away with a San Diego State kneel.
Mayden completed 18 of 24 passes for 221 yards and tied Cam Davis with a team-high 53 yards on the ground.
The 75 points were the most combined in an Aztec game since a 42-35 loss (77 total points) to Army West Point in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl and the most combined in an Aztec win since a 45-40 (85 total points) vs. California on Sept. 10, 2016.
Aztecs Down Hawai'i, 41-34, in Late Night Thriller
