Box Score HONOLULU (AP) - Bryant Moniz threw three touchdowns, Mana Silva intercepted a late pass and Hawaii held on to upset No. 19 Nevada 27-21 on Saturday night to spoil the Wolf Pack's perfect season.
The surging Warriors (5-2, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference) have won four straight to emerge as the top challenger to powerhouse Boise State for the WAC title.
Moniz threw two scoring passes to Kealoha Pilares in the first quarter and zipped an 11-yard TD strike to Royce Pollard with 5 1/2 minutes left. But Nevada answered with its own score to pull within six with 3:06 left, then recovered an onside kick.
With Nevada driving, the crowd in a frenzy and the clock winding down, Colin Kaepernick's pass was tipped into the hands of Silva to seal Hawaii's win. It was Kaepernick's second interception of the night. He also fumbled twice, both forced by Corey Parades.
Kaepernick's second fumble of the game erased a touchdown from the scoreboard. Kaepernick scrambled 10 yards to the right and tried to reach across the goal line. After a review, officials ruled that he fumbled into the end zone for a touchback.
Kaepernick was 14 of 26 for 159 yards and two TDs. He also carried the ball 11 times for 30 yards.
Nevada (6-1, 1-1) fell to 0-6 at Aloha Stadium and hasn't won in Honolulu since 1948. Its last loss also came at the 2009 Hawaii Bowl when it was routed by SMU.
Moniz finished 26 of 36 for 287 yards. His final touchdown pass capped a six-play, 57-yard drive that included a highlight-reel play. Moniz escaped the arms of a defender, and scrambled around until tossing a 37-yard pass to Greg Salas to the Nevada 14.
Salas finished with 11 catches for 153 yards.
The showdown of two of the nation's top offenses that average a combined 1,000 yards and 80 points turned out to be a defensive duel.
After a slow start, Nevada finally got on the scoreboard with about a minute left in the third quarter on Kaepernick's 1-yard run. On fourth-and-goal, Kaepernick leaned across the goal line to slice the lead to 10.
Nevada cut it to 20-14 with 9:30 left in the game on Kaepernick's swing pass to Vai Taua, who rumbled 18 yards for the touchdown. The score was setup by Mike Ball's 84-yard kickoff return.
Hawaii took a 17-0 halftime lead behind its swarming defense that plugged Nevada's pistol.
The Wolf Pack, who entered the game averaging 43 points and 545.3 total yards, were held to 107 yards in the first half and 293 overall.
Nevada failed to score on its seven possessions in the half, going three-and-out four times and failing to convert on fourth down. Kaepernick also fumbled and had an interception in the end zone.
Pilares caught two TD passes from Moniz in the first quarter as Hawaii took 14-0 lead.
