It was hard to watch the late slate of games. For one, it came at the end of a hectic Rivalry Weekend where anything and everything happened. For another, it was the final late game action of the year. Finally, it included the last #Pac12AfterDark game ever. It was a mix of fatigue, bittersweetness and general sadness that washed over me. But then I watched as the underdog pulled off the win in the Pac-12 game, Fresno State’s fun offense that had entertained me night after night pulled off some explosive plays, and Hawai’i had a strong ending to its season. In the end, I was smiling that it was happening and that I had been able to witness it all. RIP Pac-12.

San Diego State 33, Fresno State 18

It was Brady Hoke’s last game as head coach for the Aztecs. The game’s MVP was kicker Jack Browning, who scored a total of 15 points, including going 4-for-4 on field goal attempts. He’s had an up-and-down season, so it was nice to see him get back to the form he showed last season when he finished 20-of-25 on kicks. He also had a punt down inside the 20-yard line to boot. As a team, the Aztecs ran for 226 yards on an astounding 53 carries with two touchdowns. 

For Fresno State, Malik Sherrod did all he could, taking 15 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns, with a 62-yard touchdown to open the scoring. His other score came in the middle of the fourth quarter and was followed by a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to eight. But then San Diego State used up over seven minutes of the clock over 14 plays and 78 yards with run after run after run until the very end, when Jalen Mayden found Leo Kemp from five yards out for Kemp’s first career touchdown.  

The Aztecs defense got a final stop, and Hoke walked off with 105 wins under his belt. 

California 33, UCLA 7

This game flipped quickly when Ethan Garbers was knocked out with an injury early. Freshman Dante Moore took over and simply played poorly. He threw for 266 yards and a touchdown but also had two interceptions and was shaky all night. Meanwhile, Cal’s quarterback was a ball of excitement. Fernando Mendoza threw for 178 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he looked a lot better than Moore. Meanwhile, star Jaydn Ott ran for 80 yards and also took the first kickoff return of his career to the end zone. 

With the win, the Golden Bears locked up a bowl bid in an impressive late season push to go from 3-6 to 6-6. 

Moreover, this was the last #Pac12AfterDark game, and while it would have been awesome to have a crazy finish that could only happen late in the night on the West Coast, it provided a chance to reminisce about other classics the conference has given. The hole left by the Pac-12’s departure will be difficult to fill. 

Hawai’i 27, Colorado State 24

Colorado State came into this game at 5-6 needing to win for bowl eligibility. With a loss, 5-7 Minnesota would qualify based on APR score (Academic Progress Rate). Quick aside, people are sometimes confused about APR and how some schools are so high up. APR is more of a reflection of players who are able to graduate. So, consider that some schools may be up on the list not necessarily because they are nerds, but more because their players are not good enough to transfer to better programs or leave early for the NFL. 

Back to the game, Hawai’i took a 14-10 lead on a Chuuky Hines pass to Devon Tauaefa. 

After halftime, Hawai’i then mounted a giant drive midway through the third quarter. The Rainbow Warriors burned over eight minutes off the clock over 17 plays and ended the 74-yard drive to go up 24-10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Rams would respond with a 74-yard drive of their own, scoring after 10 plays when Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi hit Louis Brown IV for a 17-yard touchdown. However, the two-point conversion was no good and the score was 24-16. 

Colorado State got the ball back but the drive stalled. The Rams lined up to attempt a field goal to cut the lead to five, but with 4:30 left, Hawai’i appeared to call a timeout to ice the kicker. It was the Rainbow Warriors’ final timeout, but it worked as the 53-yard attempt drifted wide left. They drove down and had a field goal to ice the game but it was blocked. The Hawai’i defense got a sack and eventually forced a fourth-and-8 before the final late-night game decided to deliver some magic. 

Hawai’i seemed unfazed offensively, as two runs got the Rainbow Warriors near midfield with 32 seconds left. A few players later, Brayden Schager hit Hines for 11 yards down to the Colorado State 34. Hines was hit out of bounds, but his forward momentum was stopped inbounds, so unknown to Hawai’i the clock began to run. Kicker Matthew Shipley was jogging onto the field but then realized he had to run. Amid absolute madness and a bowl game hanging in the balance for two teams, Shipley stepped up and drilled the ball into the night and watched to see if he could win it on Senior Night:

After further review, it was confirmed that the kick was in time and Hawai’i picked up its fifth win for Timmy Chang and the program. Hawai’i appears to be slowly turning things around, and getting five wins is equivalent to eight wins at other programs. It was a great ending for Senior Night and possibly the beginning of something more for the Rainbow Warriors.