When it was time for Fresno State to record a Kodak moment of its milestone 27-13 victory over the University of Hawai'i yesterday, Bulldogs' video specialist Ron Itskoff gathered several players in the shadow of the north end goalposts at Aloha Stadium.

It was an altogether fitting spot for a picture to commemorate the Bulldogs' first victory in Aloha Stadium since 1994.

For it was right there, a patch of well-trod but seemingly impenetrable — for the Warriors — FieldTurf inside the 20-yard line, where the Bulldogs won it and UH simply couldn't.

Eight times the Warriors brought drives inside the so-called "red zone" but only once, in the second quarter, did they get what they came for, a touchdown.

Twice they made field goals, but field goals weren't going to bring down the No. 22-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 4-0 Western Athletic Conference).

Not when another field goal was blocked. Not when a possession died on downs after an incomplete pass off a faked field goal and two drives expired on interceptions.

If the now 3-5 (3-3 WAC) Warriors come to wonder on Dec. 24 where their Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl plans got derailed, the "red zone" will be as good a place to point to as any.

Twice this season the Warriors have had the conference leaders at Aloha Stadium and both times they were there for the taking. UH let Boise State slip away, 44-41, and yesterday it was Fresno State's turn to escape.

With four games remaining — including a road game at Nevada next week and a Nov. 25 home meeting with No. 15 Wisconsin — the Warriors must now win out or stay home from the postseason for the first time in four years.

"When we look back and wonder about all the shots we had (to score) today, it is going to hurt," said senior running back Nate Ilaoa, who had a career-high 95 yards rushing.

The Warriors had their share of problems — special teams miscues, including a disastrous roughing-the-punter penalty, and a couple of big defensive breakdowns — but it all comes back to the red zone. A place where anything that could go wrong seemingly did. Practically from the beginning.

When the Warriors had third-and-1 from the Bulldogs' 15 on the game's opening drive and quarterback Colt Brennan had first-down yardage open in front of him only to toss an incompletion instead, it was an omen of sorts.

"You think, ahh, we'll get it the next time, we'll get it the next time..." Brennan said. "You keep saying it, but we kept having opportunities and still not getting it."

The Warriors moved the ball well enough (456 yards total offense) and often enough between the 20s, but too often ground to a halt inside of it. The Warriors monopolized the ball — 41 plays to 25 for Fresno — in the first half but because of their inability to punch in touchdowns had but 10 points to show for it.

"It didn't even seem hard moving the ball, then, all of a sudden, we got down into (scoring) range and we couldn't find a way to get the ball in the end zone," Brennan said. "It was really frustrating."

Bulldog cornerback Marcus McCauley looked at the scoreboard and shook his head. "We pride ourselves on our red zone defense, but the way the game went who would have thought we'd hold them to just (one) touchdown."

Who, indeed?

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.