It wasn't snowing in Hawaii Saturday night. Cats weren't barking. Fish weren't flying. Elvis wasn't seen buying a Slurpee at a 7-11. Pearl Harbor wasn't even under attack.
In most respects it was business as usual in the 50th state. Don Ho was strumming his ukulele for two shows, honeymooners were walking hand-in-hand on moonlit beaches and tourists were slapping down their MasterCards to buy over-priced souvenirs in Waikiki.But in Aloha Stadium, 46,778 fans witnessed one the rarest events known to modern man - a genuine WAC football defensive battle. In a game that ended close to 3 a.m MDT Sunday, BYU edged Hawaii 13-12.
It's amazing, but true. A grand total of just 25 points were scored - in a WAC game involving BYU. Thousands actually saw it with their own eyes.
Twenty-five may be about right for a low scoring WAC baseball game, but football is an entirely different beast. Last season the BYU defense was doing well if it held teams to 25 points per half.
But time after time the new-look BYU defense came up big. The Cougars put pressure on the quarterback, picked off passes and never allowed the 'Bows' running attack to get going. With the linemen, linebackers and defensive backs all doing their respective jobs, Hawaii's tag-team option quarterbacks were left with no appealing options.
Hawaii showed it can play defense too.
BYU's supposed-to-be prolific offense struggled much of the night. To their credit, the Cougars put together a fourth quarter game-winning scoring drive, but, for the most part, the offensive machine ran like an '87 Yugo.
"I feel fortunate to escape that game with a win because we weren't executing (offensively)," BYU coach LaVell Edwards said.
It certainly wasn't pretty for the Cougars. Fullback Hema Heimuli's return to the island he grew up on was tarnished when he contracted a severe case of fumbleitis. Penalties, sacks and missed chances haunted BYU. Place kicker David Lauder spent a miserable Christmas in Hawaii two years ago and had another nightmare in paradise Saturday.
Truth be told, the Cougar defense saved the offense's bacon.
Talk about a role reversal. Last year the Cougars won a piece of the WAC title despite having the third worst defense in major college football.
"The defense did an excellent job. They saved our butts," said Cougar quarterback John Walsh, who had a solid if unspectacular night, completing 23-36 for 235 yards and a touchdown.
"After the things we went through last year, it's an incredible feeling to pull out a game on basically defense," defensive end Travis Hall said.
It was an interception by Hall in the third quarter that helped turn the game around. Hawaii led 6-0 and had the ball deep in its own territory when quarterback Glenn Freitas dropped back to pass. Cougar lineman Mike Ulufale, a junior college transfer playing in his first game for BYU, hit Freitas as he was about to throw. The ball popped into the air and Hall corralled it to give BYU the ball at the Hawaii 11.
Three plays later Walsh hooked up with tight end Itula Mili for a seven-yard touchdown and the first points of the season for BYU. Lauder's extra point gave BYU a 7-6 lead with 4:09 remaining in the third quarter.
On BYU's next possession Heimuli fumbled for the second time in the game. Hawaii capitalized on Heimuli's first fumble with a first-quarter field goal. The Rainbows made the Cougs pay an even harsher penalty for the second fumble as quarterback Rodney Glover scored on a two-yard keeper following a short drive. Hawaii's two-point conversion attempt failed, but the 'Bows led 12-7 entering the final period.
It was obviously a weird night when BYU's only sustained scoring drive didn't feature a single pass by Walsh. The Cougar running game had been near non-existent through three quarters, but when BYU got the ball at their own 44 with 12:52 remaining in the game, halfback Jamal Willis took over.
Willis carried the ball on a sweep right for a 13-yard gain and followed it with another 13-yard sweep right. The Cougs gained 10 more yards and a first down after three more running plays. Willis then went to the air. His first-down halfback pass from the 19 was short, but receiver Mike Johnston adjusted to make an 18-yard catch. Willis then dove over the middle for one yard and a touchdown, giving BYU a 13-12 lead with 10:39 to play.
"In practice I always overthrow the receiver, so I took a little off it this time," Willis said of his pass. "I took too much off it, but it got there."
BYU had a chance to expand its lead, but a touchdown pass from Walsh to Tim Nowatzke was nullified by an illegal motion penalty. Two plays later Lauder's 20-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 4:41 to play.
Lauder, who missed two field goals in the Aloha Bowl Christmas Day 1992, missed all three tries Saturday. Hawaii blocked two of them.
The Cougar defense forced Hawaii to punt with under three minutes to play in the game, but the Rainbows would have one final chance. Heimuli fumbled for the third time and Hawaii took over the ball at their own 36 with 2:17 to play. Two years ago a Willis fumble in a similar circumstance led to a late Hawaii score and a 36-32 Rainbow victory.
Glover completed a 10-yard pass and had a receiver wide open on a bomb that would have put Hawaii in field goal range, but the throw was too long. The Rainbows ended up turning the ball over on downs.
The Cougar defense had come through once again.
"I had a little flashback there at the end of the game when we fumbled the ball and then they threw the long pass, but fortunately they didn't catch it this time," Hall said.
On the night the Cougars gave up just 254 yards of total offense.
"We're not into moral victories," Hawaii coach Bob Wagner said. "(Games like this) hurt more than when you lose by a couple of touchdowns."
Willis finished the night with 71 yards rushing, 18 yards passing and 66 yards on four catches.