SAN JOSE, Calif. — Redemption apparently does not come with time limits.
The Rainbow Warriors paid back all IOUs in an exhausting 44-41, quintuple-overtime victory over San Jose State.
A game that began on a Saturday afternoon ended with the visiting Warriors wading into their pool of supporters at CEFCU Stadium.
It ended with fists-to-chests praise for Dayton Furuta, who crossed the sideline in the fourth quarter, bit his mouthpiece, and revived the Warriors’ stagnant running game. Furuta, who didn’t practice in the days leading to the game because of a reported foot ailment, accumulated 39 rushing yards, including a 1-yarder in the first overtime for the first touchdown of his three-season UH career.
It ended with Ryan Meskell, who had pulled left two field-goal attempts in the extra sessions before connecting on the go-ahead kick from 35 yards to break a 41-all tie in the fifth overtime.
And it ended with linebacker Jahlani Tavai fulfilling head coach Nick Rolovich’s pledge with a sack that ultimately moved the Spartans out of kicker Bryce Crawford’s range of comfort. Crawford’s attempt from 47 yards was wide right and short of the mark.
During an animated pregame speech, Rolovich told his players to stick together, even if the game went into extra play.
“That was the main message,” Tavai said. “Coach Rolo preached it all day. And the main thing was to just trust each other. I think, as a full unit, as a full team, we all trusted each other.”
UH slotback John Ursua said: “We believed the whole game. No matter how far along we were down, no matter the situation. Rolo talked about it during the pregame. He said: ‘If this goes down to overtime, believe that we’re going to win.’ We pulled it off. We could have gone another five (overtime periods) to get the win. It doesn’t matter.”
The teams entered on polar paths. The Warriors had won four of their first five games, averaging 500.0 yards per weekend. The Spartans used a bye the previous week to try to find solutions to an 0-3 start. But in a homecoming game that also celebrated inductions into their Hall of Fame, the Spartans were at their best.
In the first three games, the Spartans rotated three quarterbacks, using at least two in each outing. But Josh Love, who had nine touchdown throws and 15 interceptions in three seasons, shredded the Warriors with 28-for-49 passing for a career-high 451 yards and three touchdowns. He was not intercepted. Tight end Josh Oliver made eight catches for 158 yards, with 70 coming on a catch-and-sprint play.
The Warriors, meanwhile, settled for a field goal when their opening drive stalled. After that, they struggled to find an offensive rhythm. In the first five games, the Warriors had six three-and-out drives. They had three in a row in the first half.
The Warriors had big plays nullified by penalties, including two on special teams — one to extend a Spartans drive, the other to void Justice Augafa’s dazzling punt return.
“The penalties really screwed us up,” said Rolovich, whose team was penalized six times for 65 yards. “The roughing the punter was stupid. The holding on the great punt return was stupid. We didn’t play very smart.”
Rolovich noted that in the first half, the offensive output was “borderline awful.”
But behind Cole McDonald, the Warriors surged from a 17-3 deficit to tie it twice in regulation. After throwing a 3-yard scoring pass to Ursua to draw UH to 24-22, McDonald flipped the football to Marcus Armstrong-Brown to tie it at 24 with 12:45 left in the fourth quarter.
After Love’s third scoring pass put the Spartans ahead 31-24 with 10:07 in regulation, McDonald connected with Ursua on the tying touchdown. McDonald rolled to his left, waited for Ursua to run left, then U-turn right, and flipped an end-over-end pass.
“What do you get when you put Cole under pressure? Diamonds,” Armstrong-Brown said. “Everybody played great. But that man right there” — he pointed to McDonald — “did his thing tonight. He took us home.”
After losing the coin toss, the Warriors started the first overtime on offense. The Warriors drove to the 1, from where 5-foot-11, 250-pound Furuta ran left and repelled linebacker Ethan Aguayo for a 38-31 lead.
“They had the hole there,” Furuta said. “I just had to run past one guy.”
The Spartans tied it on Malike Roberson’s 13-yard run.
In the second overtime, Crawford was wide right on a 42-yard attempt. Meskell had a chance to win it as he lined up for a 36-yard attempt. As he made his approach, SJSU coach Brent Brennan called timeout. When play resumed, Meskell’s kick was wide left.
“I hit it well,” Meskell said, “but I pulled it left.”
In the third overtime, Meskell and Crawford both missed on field-goal attempts.
Crawford’s 20-yarder gave the Spartans a 41 -38 lead in the fourth overtime. After UH’s drive stalled at the 12, Meskell was summoned for a 35-yard attempt.
“At that point of the game, you just rely on your training,” said Michael Ghobrial, who coaches the UH special teams. “You can’t get caught up with the previous play.”
This time, Meskell’s kick was true, tying it at 41 and forcing a fifth overtime.
“I could have kicked all night,” Meskell said.
In the fifth overtime, McDonald overthrew into the end zone on the Warriors’ 99th play of the game. Meskell trotted out for a 35-yard attempt.
“I was really keen to get out there and make it,” Meskell said. “I don’t want to let the boys down. That’s my No. 1 thing. I hate letting the boys down. I’m glad they put me in a position to kick again.”
Meskell’s kick went between the uprights for a 44-41 UH lead.
On the Spartans’ final possession, a false start negated a 5-yard completion and, on second down, Tavai sacked Love.
“It was a great play call,” Tavai said. “All the credit goes to the guys alongside me. Ten guys did their job, and it was just an open lane (for me).”
Two downs later, Crawford, who is regarded as one of the Mountain West’s best kickers, missed from 47 yards, triggering a wild UH celebration … in the stands.
“You ever see a team storm the stands?” Rolovich said.
Twenty minutes after the Warriors improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West, defensive tackle Zeno Choi still was lost in emotion.
“Surreal,” Choi said. “It wasn’t the nicest, but we’ll take it. We started out slow, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. When the team needed it the most, we stepped up.”