HONOLULU — Cole McDonald threw for 428 yards and six touchdowns on 30-of-41 passing and Hawaii used a quick start en route to a 59-41 win over Navy on Saturday night.
The Rainbow Warriors (2-0) scored on their first six possessions and racked up 522 total yards, while the Midshipmen (0-1) dropped their first season opener since 2014.
John Ursua (10 catches for 167 yards), Cedric Byrd (11 for 90) and JoJo Ward (6 for 161) each caught two touchdown passes from McDonald.
Zach Abey scored on runs of 3, 1, 7 yards and 2 yards and Malcolm Perry rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries, including a 75-yard TD run in the second quarter.
Navy had 441 total yards, including 326 rushing.
Hawaii is now 3-1 all-time against Navy. All three of its wins in the series have come in Honolulu.
THE TAKEAWAY
Navy: Hawaii’s 436 passing yards were the third most allowed by a Navy defense in the Ken Niumatalolo era and the most since Louisiana Tech recorded 409 on Dec. 23, 2016 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Hawaii: A return to the run and shoot offense has proven to be a fruitful one. After averaging 402.7 yards and 22.8 points per game a season ago, the Rainbow Warriors are averaging 51 points and 569.5 yards through their first two games this year. They previously ran the run and shoot for 13 seasons and consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in passing offense and scoring.
UP NEXT
Navy: The Midshipmen open American Athletic Conference play Saturday when they host Memphis. They have not started a season with consecutive losses since 2012.
Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors will look for its first 3-0 start to a season since 2007 when they host Rice Saturday.