With a chance to gain ground in the Mountain West Conference race, the University of Hawai‘i football team let opportunity slip away in a 45-38 loss at San Jose State on Saturday night.

Hawai‘i fell to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in Mountain West Conference play, losing for the first time since its loss to Fresno State on Sept. 20. With three games in the regular season remaining, the ‘Bows are now in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings. The top two teams will play in the conference championship game on Dec. 5.

Saturday’s game got off to an auspicious start for UH. The Rainbow Warriors forced a San Jose State turnover on downs in the game’s opening possession, then scored on a 13-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard Cam Barfield rushing score with 6:17 left in the first quarter. Hawai‘i’s defense held strong again on the ensuing possession, then the San Jose State barrage began.

The Spartans offense, coached by UH and Saint Louis alumnus Craig Stutzmann, scored on six consecutive possessions in a backbreaking stretch that lasted from the end of the first quarter to the end of the third.

Standout Spartans receiver Danny Scudero had his way with the UH defense, hauling in seven receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Leland Smith (113) and Kyri Stokes (109) each surpassed 100 yards, contributing to quarterback Walker Eget’s 458 passing yards despite completing just 20 of his 40 passes. In all, San Jose State had 630 yards of total offense.

Hawai‘i, which was outscored 24-7 in the second quarter, put up 24 points in the second half behind 367 passing yards from Micah Alejado, 238 of which went to Jackson Harris (134) and Pofele Ashlock (104). Additionally, Harris caught a pair of touchdowns.

Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa stayed perfect for the year with five extra points and a 24-yard field goal with 1:16 remaining, which was the game’s final score. Matsuzawa’s ensuing onside kick tumbled out of bounds past Ashlock’s outstretched arms, allowing San Jose State to kneel out the remainder of the game.

The Rainbow Warriors will return home to face conference leader San Diego State (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) for a 6 p.m. game on Nov. 8 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. The University of Hawai‘i announced on Saturday that the game is already a sellout.

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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.