Though his face certainly didn't show it, quarterback Greg Alexander played well against an aggressive Bearcats defense last night.

That's quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich's take, and there's no room for argument.

"He played good, very good," Rolovich said. "He did exactly what we asked of him. He played hard and he played smart out there. He's a great leader and allows other people to make plays."

Alexander completed 28 of 42 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once and sacked five times.

"It was just bad execution tonight," Alexander said. "Their defense did a hell of a job, but we let it get away from us."

Wide receiver Malcolm Lane, recipient of a 60-yard pass that turned the tide in UH's favor early in the second half, said Alexander's leadership was key, despite the loss.

"He's just solid," Lane said. "He's solid every game. He's very smart, and very good at running our offense. I'm proud of the way he played tonight, just like I'm proud of all of our guys."

NOTHING TO PROVE

Warriors defensive end David Veikune won't admit it, but his performance last night had to have felt a smidge like vindication.

Veikune, one of UH's most reliable and defensive players all season, was left off the Western Athletic Conference all-defensive first team, much to the chagrin of UH coaches and Veikune's teammates.

Last night, Veikune recorded seven tackles (four solo) and a sack.

"I don't think about (the snub) a lot," he said. "I just try to go out and play my hardest every game. Tonight we played tough, and that's all I can ask for."

AWKWARD MOMENT

Did the UH seniors really take the field to a chorus of boos? Not exactly. The seniors ran out of the gate just as the Bearcats took the field. The crowd noticed the Cincinnati players first.

FUND, FUND, FUND

The Warriors' final regular season game had a guaranteed silver lining. The program's booster club Koa Anuenue presented a check for $2 million. Sponsor McDonald's donated $40,000 in commemoration of their 40th anniversary in Hawai'i.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

The Warriors tied it at 10 on David Farmer's 1-yard TD run early in the third quarter and got a lift from their special teams on the ensuing kickoff.

Defensive back Guyton Galdeira forced a fumble by returner John Goebel and running back Jayson Rego scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Bearcats' 5-yard line.

"I was just in the right spot at the right time," said Rego, who stands 5 foot 9, 215-pounds. "Everybody was just chasing the guy and I think it was Guyton that came up with the hit and the ball was right in front of me and I picked it up, tried to run it in."

Alexander found Malcolm Lane on a two-yard shovel pass three plays later to give the Warriors their first lead at 17-10.

INJURY UPDATE

Senior Ryan Mouton started at nickelback last night. Mouton suffered an ankle injury against Idaho two weeks ago and did not play in last week's win over Washington State. The rest of the starting secondary were cornerbacks Calvin Roberts and Jameel Dowling and safeties Desmond Thomas and Keao Monteilh.

Also, reserve safety Mana Silva injured his left ankle on kickoff coverage early in the fourth quarter and was helped off the field by UH trainers.

Running back Daniel Libre injured his left wrist also early in the fourth quarter on an incomplete pass from Alexander, but he returned later in the game.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

The Warriors went back to their all-black jerseys for last night's game. In previous games, they wore black tops with green pants ... The officiating crew was from the Big East Conference ... UH is 5-1 at home and 1-3 against ranked teams this season ... It was the Warriors' first loss this year when they scored more than 20 points ... It was UH's first game against a Big East opponent since Boston College in 1992.