FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Garrett Grayson threw four TD passes, breaking the school’s single-season mark and Colorado State improved to 9-1 for the first time in 20 years with a 49-22 rout of Hawaii on Saturday night.
The Rams (5-1 Mountain West) were without Richard Higgins, the nation’s leading receiver, but they didn’t need him to send the Rainbow Warriors (2-8, 1-4) to their 17th straight road loss. UH last won on the road at Idaho, 16-14, in 2011.
The Warriors have lost all 10 of their Mountain West road games since joining the conference in 2012, and have lost 11 straight road conference games dating to 2011.
On Saturday, they were held to a pair of field goals by Tyler Hadden in the first half and also got a safety, which was set up when Scott Harding’s 32-yard punt was downed at the 2.
Joey Iosefa, who was injured and then served a three-game suspension, played for the first time since Sept. 6 and finished with 64 yards on 19 carries. The senior running back scored on a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter for his team-leading fifth TD of the year.
Hawaii’s hopes of a second-half comeback were snuffed when receiver Harold Moleni coughed up the ball on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and free safety Kevin Pierre-Louis recovered at the Rainbow Warriors 22. Two plays later, Grayson threw a 16-yard TD pass to Xavier Williams for a 35-8 lead.
The Rainbow Warriors finally got into the end zone when Iosefa scored midway through the quarter to make it 35-15.
The Rams responded with Dee Hart’s 7-yard touchdown run that was set up by Lovett’s 71-yard catch-and-run down the Warriors’ sideline.
UH scored its last touchdown on Harding’s 17-yard catch from Ikaika Woolsey. It was Harding’s team-leading third TD reception of the year.
Woolsey finished 16 of 47 for 192 yards.
Grayson threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns on 13-of-24 passing, and Charles Lovett had four catches for 134 yards and a TD.
Grayson, who played just one snap in the fourth quarter before taking the rest of the night off, entered the game with 22 TD throws.
He tied the school record he shared last year with Justin Holland (2005) when he hit Elroy Masters Jr. from 8 yards out. Masters, a redshirt freshman, was making his first career start in place of Higgins, who injured a shoulder last week in the Rams’ win at San Jose State.
Grayson broke the school record with a 52-yarder to a wide-open Lovett later in the first quarter. He also hit tight end Steven Walker with a 30-yard TD throw as the Rams built a 28-8 halftime lead.
Colorado State also got two TD runs from Treyous Jarrells, from 9 yards out in the first half and 1 yard in the second.
Hart ran 11 times for 115 yards and Jarrells rushed 12 times for 69 yards.
Hawaii hasn’t beaten the Rams since 1992 and the Rainbow Warriors’ last victory in Fort Collins was in 1988.
Hawaii 5 3 14 0—22
Colorado St. 14 14 14 7—49
First Quarter
CSU—Masters Jr. 8 pass from Grayson (Roberts kick), 12:00.
Haw—Safety, 8:19.
Haw—FG Hadden 40, 3:58.
CSU—Lovett 52 pass from Grayson (Roberts kick), 2:31.
Second Quarter
CSU—Walker 30 pass from Grayson (Roberts kick), 14:55.
Haw—FG Hadden 36, 10:11.
CSU—Jarrells 9 run (Roberts kick), 4:28.
Third Quarter
CSU—X.Williams 16 pass from Grayson (Roberts kick), 14:01.
Haw—Iosefa 2 run (Hadden kick), 8:56.
CSU—Hart 7 run (Roberts kick), 6:39.
Haw—Harding 17 pass from Woolsey (Hadden kick), 4:01.
Fourth Quarter
CSU—Jarrells 1 run (Roberts kick), 14:56.
A—25,236.
Haw CSU
First downs 21 26
Rushes-yards 36-141 43-293
Passing 211 287
Comp-Att-Int 17-49-2 16-28-0
Return Yards 25 8
Punts-Avg. 6-41.7 3-43.3
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 7-1
Penalties-Yards 2-30 7-46
Time of Possession 29:17 30:43
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Hawaii, Iosefa 19-64, Woolsey 7-41, Lakalaka 7-30, Saint Juste 3-6. Colorado St., Hart 11-115, Jarrells 12-69, Thompson 11-68, Oden Jr. 5-31, Leonard 1-9, Hansley 1-2, Grayson 2-(minus 1).
PASSING—Hawaii, Woolsey 16-47-2-192, Iosefa 1-1-0-19, Pedroza 0-1-0-0. Colorado St., Grayson 13-24-0-278, Stevens 3-4-0-9.
RECEIVING—Hawaii, Harding 6-63, Pedroza 4-62, Barker 2-51, Kemp 2-29, Iosefa 1-5, Moleni 1-3, akalaka 1-(minus 2). Colorado St., Lovett 4-134, X.Williams 3-48, Hansley 3-44, Walker 2-31, Vaden 1-15, Hart 1-9, Masters Jr. 1-8, Spady 1-(minus 2).