Honolulu • After a sloppy first half that was also riddled with missed opportunities, the BYU defense seemed to flip the switch in the second half of the Hawaii Bowl. The defensive performance allowed the Cougars to catch up, and even take their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
After shutting out the Rainbow Warriors the entire second half, Hawaii was able to wear down the BYU defense, eventually scoring on on a 24-yard pass from Cole McDonald to Nick Mardner with 1:17 left to clinch a 38-34 victory and beat BYU for the first time since 2001.