First wide receiver Malcolm Lane looked himself sternly in the mirror and then, Monday, he told his University of Hawai'i coaches pointedly:

"This is my time to step up, to make plays for this team, to play to my capabilities," as Lane pointedly put it.

So, when quarterback Greg Alexander's pass arched high into the right corner of the end zone in the waning seconds last night, the game — and maybe the season — on the line for the Warriors, "I just knew my time had come," Lane said.

And up, up he went, gathering in Alexander's pass over Nevada cornerback Mike Evans for the go-ahead score, a 24-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left, in a 38-31 victory over the Wolf Pack.

At a time when the Warriors could afford to wait no longer for their long dormant offense to come around it was an emerging quarterback (Alexander) and an overdue receiver (Lane) who, fittingly, answered the call.

Not to mention the pleadings of their coaches and the anxious prayers of the assembled 33,020 at Aloha Stadium, who saw the Warriors (4-4) keep alive their run for a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl by rallying from a 17-all and 31-all ties.

In doing so, the Warriors short-circuited what could have been — what Nevada was hoping, anyway — would be the Wolf Pack's second dramatic overtime victory in four years at Aloha Stadium. Unlike the Wolf Pack's 49-48 OT victory over Central Florida in the 2005 Hawai'i Bowl, this one did not come to pass their athletic director Cary Groth, standing dejectedly at the goal line as Lane gathering in the winning score.

Alexander, who hadn't played a significant role since the season opener, came off the bench to start the second half and throw for 205 yards, completing 17 of 22 passes, and two touchdowns.

Lane, who had but 10 pass receptions to show for starts in seven games, caught six passes for 63 yards and, reprising his kickoff return role of last year, had three returns for 115 yards.

"That (returning kickoffs) got my mojo going again," Lane said. "That got me hyped."

"I'm so proud of them, both of them," said offensive coordinator Ron Lee. "They gave us what we needed."

After mustering but 42 yards total offense (on 23 plays) and but one offensive touchdown in a 14-10 halftime lead, the Warriors were desperate for an offensive boost. Some of it started with Lane taking responsibility for his lack of production this season. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't playing to my capabilities and I had to step it up for this team," Lane said.

Lane came to terms with it himself and then told the coaches as much on Monday, vowing to work harder to become the player they told him he could — and should — be.

"Real competitors know what they should be doing," said receivers coach Craig Stutzmann. "They know it; they feel it. It isn't what the fans say. It comes from within and he took it upon himself to toughen up."

No more letting the accumulated aches and pains of the season play upon his mind. No more going through the motions.

"He came in Monday and talked to us and, then, he went out and showed us he meant it in practice," Stutzmann said.

Said Lee: "He had a helluva week of practice. He understood that you can't just show up and expect to do it on Saturday."

So, with the game on the line, the ball in the air and redemption there for the taking, "Lane said, "All I was thinking was 'go get it! Go get it!' That's it. That's what the coaches have been telling me was the weakest point in my game. I wasn't going up to get the ball. So, that's all I was thinking, 'go up and get it; get that ball.' knew I didn't want (the game) to go into overtime. I knew it was my time to shine."

Just as he promised it would be. And a promise delivered just in time for the Warriors and their season.

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