Senior quarterback Max Wittek passed for 202 yards and three touchdowns in his Hawaii debut, and the Warriors notched a 28-20 victory over Colorado in the season-opening contest for both teams in Honolulu.
Wittek, a transfer from USC, was 19-for-38 with two interceptions in his first game appearance since 2013. Junior receiver Marcus Kemp had six receptions for 116 yards and scored on a 79-yard catch, while junior receiver Isaiah Bernard and senior receiver Quinton Pedroza also caught touchdown passes.
Junior running back Michael Adkins rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns for the Buffaloes, and senior wideout Nelson Spruce caught eight passes for 69 yards. Junior quarterback Sefo Liufau amassed 158 yards and one interception on 23-of-40 passing.
The Warriors were up 25-17 after Wittek’s 1-yard scoring pass to Bernard with 1:17 left in the third quarter. Hawaii junior kicker Rigoberto Sanchez tacked on a 34-yard field goal to push the lead to 11 with 12:45 remaining in the contest.
Colorado junior kicker Diego Gonzalez booted a 40-yard field goal with 3:48 left to make it 28-20. The Buffaloes reached the Hawaii 6-yard line on their final possession, but time expired before the ball could be set for one last play.
Hawaii scored eight points on its first possession as Wittek hit Pedroza on an 11-yard scoring pass as well as the ensuing two-point conversion. Adkins scored on runs of 5 and 3 yards in the second quarter as the Buffaloes pulled within 15-14 before Sanchez ended the half with a 27-yard field goal to make it a four-point margin.
