Huge roars from rowdy UH football fans echoed through the Downtown canyon of high-rises last night as they cheered their team to a nerve-racking 28-26 victory over Nevada at an outdoor block party.

Outside of Murphy's Bar and Grill on Merchant Street, hundreds watched the game on a 16-foot TV screen with anxiety as the contest — and the Warriors' undefeated season — came down to a last-minute field-goal attempt. When Dan Kelly's kick sailed between the uprights and put UH ahead, the crowd erupted and didn't stop cheering until the beer stopped flowing.

Inside the bar, another crowd celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

"This is destiny!" shouted Robin Gomes of Palolo as he jumped to his feet and waved his arms. "We believed in these guys all the way."

"I love this — it's organized chaos," said Chris Benson of Los Gatos, Calif., who flew in to root for the Warriors and to celebrate the bar's 20th anniversary with his longtime friend, Don Murphy, owner of the Murphy's. "It's nice to know that sometimes it's OK to take your business to the street."

For Eric Wahilani of Wai'anae, the come-from-behind win in the final seconds was cathartic.

"Double high-fives!" he screamed until he was hoarse as he bulled his way up and down the street between Bethel and Nu'uanu smacking hands with everyone in his path. "Ten in a row! Ten in a row!

"I've been a fan of UH football since I was a kid — my whole life. Hawai'i has never got any respect."

Now that would change, Wahilani concluded.

Before the game, the question on everyone's mind was whether Hawai'i quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Colt Brennan — who suffered a concussion in last Saturday's victory over Fresno State — would play.

"I think UH is going to win and I hope Colt's concussion is not a factor," said Honolulu attorney Michael Healy, before he knew that Brennan wouldn't be in the starting lineup. "I know they've never won over there, but they're playing so well I think they're going to overcome all that."

When Healy learned that Tyler Graunke would be the starting quarterback, he momentarily hesitated in his evaluation.

"Now I don't know," he said. "Can they still win without Colt? Well, I'll say that Graunke played so well the time he came in for Colt, and the team has solidified so well, I still think they're going to win."

But David Forman, a former defensive back at Harvard, said he was relieved that Brennan wasn't starting.

"Actually, when I heard Colt got a concussion and that people were talking about him playing, I was concerned about his future," he said.

Forman spoke of recent research on the damage that people can suffer if they play too soon after a concussion.

"I think he'd be the first to tell you if it was a question of having a healthy future versus having a Heisman, he'd rather have a healthy future," Forman said.

Brennan, whose popularity quotient in the 50th State is a match for his NCAA passing record, reached local hero status after he turned down a chance to go professional after last season to stay with Hawai'i. And most downtown partyers knew that if Brennan threw a single touchdown pass, he would set an NCAA career record of 122. And if not, he would still remain the season record holder with 58 TD passes.

But last night belonged to Graunke, whose never-say-die confidence inspired the gang at Murphy's.

"The game is awesome — Hawai'i going to win! Yahoo!" screamed Kenneth Ortiz.

Even through the fog of alcoholic exuberance, the downtown crowd knew what was at stake. A win would bolster the chances of Hawai'i, ranked 16th in the BCS standings, garnering a lucrative invitation to a Bowl Championship Series game.

No matter what, Travis Hoyohoy vowed to remain loyal.

"This is all about the UH team," Hoyohoy yelled above the din, and then he downed another beer.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.