UH has managed a single victory in four games so far this season, that coming at the expense of Division-I-AA Weber State – and Hawaii had to stage a second-half rally to claim that solitary win.
Along the way, UH had suffered earlier road losses to then fifth-ranked Florida and Oregon State, which just last week stunned top-ranked USC.
But on Saturday night, playing at home against a team it had to beat in order to be regarded as a valid contender to defend its WAC title, Hawaii instead self-destructed.
UH paid dearly for committing six turnovers – including five after intermission – as the Spartans rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to a 20-17 victory before a frustrated crowd of 36,766 at Aloha Stadium.
In fact, Hawaii turned the ball over in each of its first four possessions of the second half, twice on interceptions and twice on lost fumbles.
Jared Strubeck, who had made just three of his previous nine field goal attempts this season, converted a 50-yarder early in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then made a 47-yarder with 1:49 remaining for the win.
The going gets tougher for UH this week, when it pays a visit to 25th-ranked WAC rival Fresno State, which is coming off a 36-31 road win over UCLA.
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