The University of Hawaii football team surprised more than a few observers by staying tantalizingly close to the University of Washington’s nationally ranked Huskies in the season opener.

I don’t usually comment on sports, but a reader pointed to an interesting anomaly in the Star-Advertiser’s coverage of the game.

His comment: “…read the first few graphs of Reardon’s and Lewis’ columns today. Makes you wonder if they were at the same game–and who’s editing the paper.”

So I did. And, yes, it does.

Here’s Ferd Lewis (“Hawaii’s long-lost defense shows up in season opener“):

The chant rolled through Aloha Stadium like claps of rising thunder: “Dee-fense! Dee-fense!”

For the first time in years it was again a rallying cry of the University of Hawaii football faithful, not some longshot prayer to the heavens.

And for the better part of 3 hours and 20 minutes of a fiercely contested Saturday night game, the Rainbow Warriors responded with an inspiring effort that made a crowd of 32,197 stick around to the bitter end of a 17-16 loss to 25th-ranked Washington and applaud the effort.

And then there’s Dave Reardon’s take on the same event (“Effort has players believing they can play with anyone“):

Here’s what I don’t understand. Why were people, obviously University of Hawaii fans judging by their attire, streaming out of Aloha Stadium with 2:40 left in the game and UH down by just one point?

Washington had the ball at its own 29, first-and-10, and the Rainbow Warriors had all their timeouts left. This game was by no means over, especially considering the way the UH defense had stifled the Washington defense the entire second half.

So were fans bailing out, or staying to the bitter end?

Was the glass half full, or…?