BYU vs. Hawaii Football: Cougars Deliver Death Blow to Warriors' Season

Honolulu, HI—With 6:52 left in the third quarter of Saturday's football game at Aloha Stadium, a man dressed as Santa Claus streaked across the field, his arms spread wide, attempting to simulate the look of flying without the assistance of his reindeer.

Then, right after Jolly Old St. Nick was escorted from the premises, Brigham Young proceeded to score its fourth touchdown of the game—and third of the quarter—for a commanding 31-13 lead in the nationally-televised ESPN2 contest.

For Hawaii, Santa Claus may as well have been the Grim Reaper, because the Warriors' season was dead—there would be no victory, or Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve for these Warriors.

BYU showed it was the superior team, and overpowered Hawaii in the second half after a close first half, turning the lights out in the third quarter with four scores en route to a 41-20 win. The Cougars—10-3 on the season—will play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 30 in Dallas. Their opponent will be named later today.

For the Warriors, this is it. Their season is pau.

There will be no swan song for the 27 Warrior seniors who donned leis and bid adieu to their teammates after the game in an emotional rollercoaster for everybody involved.

Watching the happenings on the field, Hawaii assistant coach and former Warrior, Ashley Lelie, knew the feeling first-hand. Almost 10 years ago to the day, Lelie made the same journey as a junior before being selected by the Denver Broncos in the 2002 NFL Draft.

"All their emotions are starting to come out," Lelie observed. "It's been a long—for a lot of them—a long career. (The emotions are) kind of fresh, you don't know what to expect, what's coming next. Everything is new, so there's a lot of emotions. A lot of different emotions.

"If it doesn't hit 'em right now, it will definitely hit 'em when they wake up (in the morning) and realize that their college career is over.

"I just remember seeing all my teammates," Lelie said, thinking back to his final game as a Warrior in 2001. "All the other seniors leaving, seeing the tears in their eyes and everything like that...And getting ready to go into the real world."

Off in another direction, Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin held court in front of a slew of reporters. His comments were brief. His appearance not unlike that of a heavyweight prize-fighter after 12 grueling rounds.

"We didn't win the ball game," McMackin said matter-of-factly. "I've been proud of my players the whole year, but we didn't win the ball game. So we're not going to a bowl game. We didn't really reach our goals. I feel bad for the players, and feel bad for the coaches, and the fans...I just feel bad."

The rollercoaster of emotions mimicked the rollercoaster of a season the Warriors have endured.

Chosen as the preseason favorites to repeat as Western Athletic Conference champions, Hawaii's season quickly went downhill after an exciting season-opening win over Colorado. A two-game road trip that yielded two defeats to Washington and Nevada-Las Vegas followed and were a sign of things to come.

The Warriors never won more than two games in a row this season, and lost four of their final five to finish at 6-7—ineligible to play in a bowl game.

"I just can't really believe that it's done," senior linebacker Corey Paredes said, "it goes by so quick. I wish we was playing in the bowl game; I wish I was still playing so I could say I'm a Warrior, but it is what it is. BYU was just a better team tonight.

"It's awesome having all your family out here supporting you and giving you love," Paredes continued. "But like you said, it's really sad; really surreal looking at this empty field, this empty stands knowing that that was my last game ever in my life as a University of Hawaii Warrior."

As the night came to a close, family members outnumbered the players on the field four-to-one, and many of the players were chin-deep in leis.

"It was really emotional once that clock hit zero," senior safety Richard Torres said, half-a-dozen family members by his side. "It just hits you that it's over, but to see all the families and the fans' support you just can't help but smile and those tears go away.

"Family is the best way to cheer someone up, I feel."

As Lelie attested to, this will be a night that former Hawaii Warriors will always remember. And the messages shared with each other on the field will last for a lifetime.

"I think we have so much love on our team, it wasn't so much 'Good luck at the next level.' Or it wasn't like, 'I'll see you around,'" Paredes said.

What we said to each other, "Was just 'I love you, man. I'm gonna miss you.'

"There was so much love on this team it's unreal, and I'm really happy to say I played next to these guys, next to these great athletes. And I love them all to death. I'm going to really miss them."

The tear in Paredes' eye attested to that.

Kevin Riley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.