San Diego, CA- Danny O’Neil threw for 224 yards and one touchdown to lead San Diego State (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) to a 27-24 victory over Hawaii (2-3, 0-1) Saturday night in a Mountain West Conference opener before 31,307 at Snapdragon Stadium.
SDSU amassed 323 yards, with Marquez Cooper running for 109 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, the Aztecs ended a three-game losing skid and extended their streak over the Rainbow Warriors to five consecutive games.
Cooper’s 2-yard touchdown run punctuated an 87-yard drive and capped the scoring with 7:05 remaining.
The Aztecs led 17-10 at halftime. In the third quarter, Hawaii brought the game within three after quarterback Brayden Schager completed a pass to Pofele Ashlock for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Rainbow Warriors briefly took the lead early in the fourth quarter after Schager found Nick Cenacle for a 23-yard touchdown.
Hawaii had an opportunity to drive for the lead, but the Aztecs stopped them with 1:12 remaining after Schager threw to Ashlock for a loss of 2 yards on fourth-and-two. O'Neil completed 24 of 34 passes, while Cooper carried 30 times. Nate Bennett caught four passes for 74 yards to lead SDSU, and Louis Brown IV caught five passes for 40 yards and one touchdown. Schager was 26 of 44 passes for 272 yards for three touchdowns and one interception. Ashlock caught eight passes for 77 yards to lead Hawaii. Cenacle caught three passes for 56 yards and one touchdown, and Tylan Hines caught three passes for 33 yards and one touchdown.
SDSU will travel to Wyoming on Saturday. Hawaii will host Boise State on Saturday.