ANOTHER 100-YARD RETURN

Hawaii kickoff returner Mike Edwards returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first quarter. It was his third touchdown of the season — and the second straight game in which the Broncos allowed a 100-yard kickoff return.

San Diego State’s Colin Lockett returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown Nov. 3 at Bronco Stadium. The Broncos have allowed three kickoff-return touchdowns in their past 11 games; they hadn’t allowed one since 2006 before that.

After the touchdown, the Broncos mostly used backup Dan Goodale for sky and squib kickoffs to nullify Edwards’ open-field running.

Boise State led the Mountain West in net kickoff two weeks ago.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do on our kickoff team,” coach Chris Petersen said. “It’s really surprising because we’ve been so good and all of a sudden one happens and now all of a sudden we’ve lost the mojo in there. So we’ll be back to the drawing board. But credit Hawaii — he’s a good returner.”

HAWAII PLAYER EJECTED

Freshman running back Will Gregory, the Warriors’ leading rusher and the cover boy for the game program, was ejected for throwing a punch on a Boise State punt return in the first quarter.

The headline on the program: “Will Gregory could have played safety for Boise State, but instead chose to suit up for Hawaii at his natural position — running back.”

CREATIVE PERSONNEL

Boise State dealt with some of its personnel losses by putting old faces in new places. Offensive tackle Faraji Wright wore No. 97 and played tight end, linebacker Tommy Smith played tight end and defensive end Tyler Horn played defensive tackle. Cornerback Ebo Makinde played safety with the second-team defense in the second half. Wright switched back into No. 75 late in the first quarter to replace injured left tackle Charles Leno Jr., who came back into the game later in the first half.

“We’re at that point of the season,” Petersen said. “We’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do and guys have done a nice job responding. Sometimes we move guys positions a little bit, like putting Tommy on offense, that’s actually a good thing because they’ve got a new spark to them. They love it. You know they’re not going to mess up their new play.”

TWO FAKE PUNTS

Hawaii kept a second-quarter drive alive with a fake punt. Blocker John Lister took the direct snap and gained 4 yards on fourth-and-2. The end result: a missed 47-yard field goal.

Boise State answered later in the quarter when punter Trevor Harman rolled to the right — as he often does on rugby-style punts — and kept going. Harman scampered 21 yards on fourth-and-3 from the Broncos’ 31-yard line. The end result: a touchdown.

“That was all (Harman),” Petersen said. “It wasn’t a called fake. That’s part of that whole rollout system. I think it’s been about eight years coming, so finally somebody gets it done for us.”

D DOMINATES AGAIN

Boise State’s defense did not allow a first-half point for the seventh time in eight games, but for the second straight game the shutout was spoiled by a kickoff-return TD. The Broncos held their opponents scoreless in the first half in five straight games earlier in the season.

MILLER EXITS EARLY

Sophomore wide receiver Matt Miller, the team’s leading receiver, did not finish the game. He had three catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. He absorbed a wicked hit late in the previous game against San Diego State.

“He’s just a little banged up,” Petersen said. “… Matt could have played if we needed him to play.”

QUICK HITS

Boise State’s captains were linebacker J.C. Percy, tailback Drew Wright, offensive tackle Brenel Myers and safety Jeremy Ioane (Honolulu native). … Hawaii’s jerseys have the word “imua” on the back instead of names. The Hawaiian word means “to go forward.” … BSU redshirt freshman tight end Holden Huff scored the first touchdown of his college careers. … Harman had a 60-yard punt, his longest since 2010. … True freshman cornerback Donte Deayon made six tackles and grabbed an interception in his second college game. … Suspended players Chris Roberson, Lee Hightower, Hayden Plinke and Eric Agbaroji did not make the trip. Neither did injured nickel Dextrell Simmons. … BSU won the coin toss for the seventh straight game.