FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Brayden Schager threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Nick Cenacle, including a 3-yarder with 15 seconds to play, to help Hawaii beat Fresno State 21-20 on Saturday night.
Schager was 29-of-53 passing for 244 yards with three touchdowns and an interception and Cenacle finished with 12 receptions for 111 yards. Tylan Hines had 66 yards rushing on 12 carries for Hawaii (4-5, 2-2 Mountain West Conference).
Schager threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cenacle that capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive — including two fourth-down conversions — and trimmed Hawaii’s deficit to 20-14 with 9:04 to play. The teams traded empty possessions until Schager hit a wide-open Cenacle for the go-ahead touchdown.
Hawaii received the opening kickoff and used a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 7 minutes, 48 seconds off the clock and made it 7-0 when Schager hit Pofele Ashlock for a 5-yard touchdown.
Fresno State (5-4, 3-2) responded in kind as Elijah Gilliam scored on a 10-yard run to cap a 12-play, 83-yard drive and tie it at 7-7 with 1:32 left in the first quarter.
Hawaii went for it on fourth-and-1 from near midfield and Malachi Langley’s strip-sack of Schager was recovered Hawaii’s Zhen Sotelo and the Bulldogs took possession at the Hawaii 28. Eight plays later, Mikey Keene threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Raylen Sharpe and, after Cameron Stone blocked the PAT attempt, Fresno State led 13-7 with 10:21 left in the first half.
Tuasivi Nomua tipped a pass from Schager high into the air that Phoenix Jackson caught at the 11 and raced down the right sideline for an 89-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 13-point lead with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs, who went in averaging 378.5 yards per game, had a season-low 191 total yards with just 19 rushing.
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