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Moniz, No. 25 Hawaii easily get 10th win

Dec 5, 2010 - 7:46 AM Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Bryant Moniz threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, as the 25th-ranked Hawaii Warriors annihilated the UNLV Rebels, 59-21, in the final regular-season game for both schools at Aloha Stadium.

Moniz connected on 29-of-43 passes for 380 yards and an interception for the Warriors (10-3), who recorded 10 wins in a season for just the sixth time in school history.

Alex Green carried the ball 15 times for 136 yards and a touchdown for Hawaii, which is nationally ranked for the first time since the 2007 season. Moniz rushed for 29 yards on five carries.

Kealoha Pilares caught nine passes for 157 yards and a score for the Warriors, who will take on Tulsa in the annual Hawaii Bowl on December 24. Royce Pollard hauled in seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, while Greg Salas caught five passes for 94 yards and two scores for the victors.

Omar Clayton completed 14-of-25 passes for 182 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Rebels (2-11), who lost their final three games of the year. Caleb Herring threw for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Phillip Payne caught six passes for 84 yards and a score, while Michael Johnson hauled in three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in defeat.

Hawaii had the game in hand from the start. After UNLV punted on its first possession, the Warriors put together a 10-play, 84-yard drive. Pollard capped the march with a 33-yard TD catch.

The Rebels actually found the end zone on their ensuing drive, as Johnson hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Clayton with less than 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Hawaii needed just five plays to take back the lead. Pilares caught passes of 11 and 30 yards to move the ball to the three-yard line. Moniz ended the march with a four-yard TD run for a 14-7 lead.

After UNLV went three-and-out, the Warriors covered 71 yards in 10 plays. Pilares caught a 20-yard pass on the drive, which was capped with Moniz's one- yard touchdown run with over 12 minutes remaining until half.

Hawaii scored again following another three-and-out by the Rebels' offense. This time around it was Scott Enos finishing off an eight-play drive with a 25-yard field goal for a 24-7 margin.

Clayton was then intercepted by Richard Torres, who returned the ball 43 yards to the one-yard line. On the first play, Green rumbled into the end zone for a 31-7 lead with over six minutes left.

Another Clayton interception early in the third period led to Salas' 22-yard TD catch.

The interceptions continued to pile up for Clayton, who was picked off later in the quarter by Mana Silva. That led to a three-yard Pilares TD grab for a 45-7 margin with over four minutes to go.

Salas caught a 54-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the fourth. Payne hauled in a nine-yard TD pass with over four minutes remaining to cut the gap to 52-14.

Jake Heun and Channing Trotter both scored in the final minutes to account for the final score.

Game Notes

In terms of the all-time series between these two teams, Hawaii holds a 13-7 mark against the Rebels, but it was UNLV that won the most recent meeting last season by a score of 34-33 at home in Sin City. That victory snapped a two- game slide in the series for the Rebels...Salas came into the game needing eight receptions to break Davone Bess' single-season record of 108 set in 2007.