HISTORIC WIN MAKES UH RELEVANT IN WAC

(Oct. 6); At a time when many of its fans were fearful of the worst, Hawaii responded with one of the best wins in the football program's history.

Hawaii rolled into Bulldog Stadium with a 1-3 record and as a 22-point underdog against 22nd-ranked Fresno State. UH left "The Valley" with a stunning 32-29 victory as Mike Kelly converted a 33-yard field goal in overtime. The result marked the first time Hawaii had defeated a ranked opponent on the road while it knocked the Bulldogs out of the national rankings and dealt a serious blow to their WAC title hopes.

After squandering a potential win at home the previous week against San Jose State by committing six turnovers, UH capitalized on five turnovers this time around to again become relevant in the WAC.

Hawaii's special teams came through, big time, with Ryan Mouton scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return and Kelly making four field goals.

But this upset victory belonged most to maligned quarterback Inoke Funaki and a coaching staff that obviously tweaked the UH playbook to capitalize on Funaki's strength as a runner. Funaki scrambled for 79 yards on 14 carries. More importantly, he made no major mistakes while completing 17 of 25 pass attempts for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

A road win over Boise State in two weeks, given Saturday's performance, is now not entirely out of the realm of possibility. But first, UH must get past Louisiana Tech this Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

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