Hawai’i shakes off slow start for season-opening 35-14 win over Delaware State

The University of Hawai’i football team shrugged off a sloppy 1st half Saturday night to open the 2024 season with a 35-14 victory over Delaware State. Senior QB Brayden Schager led the Rainbow Warriors with a four-touchdown day, tossing a pair of scores to Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala and Dekel Crowdus while showing off the wheels on another. 

After multiple days of travel woes, the Hornets finally made it to the islands late in the week in time for the Week 0 meeting. Saturday’s game against Delaware State marked the first time Hawai’i faced an FCS program to open a season since 2009 when the Rainbow Warriors beat Central Arkansas, 25-20, and the first time an HBCU has taken on Hawai’i on the gridiron in 45 years. 

Hawai’i got the party started on the team’s second possession, marching 61 yards down the field in four plays. An 11-yard touchdown reception by senior WR Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala capped off the 86-second scoring drive, giving the Rainbow Warriors a 7-0 lead with 9:35 left in the opening quarter.  

Tylan Hines continued the fun as the redshirt sophomore returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown to close out the 1st quarter. The 44-yard score was the first punt return touchdown for Hawai’i since Scott Harding’s 69-yard TD against UNLV back in the 2012 season. 

The Rainbow Warriors celebrate in the end zone after Tylan Hines (2) punt return TD gave Hawai’i a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Despite a two-score lead, the Hawai’i offense looked clunky throughout the 2nd quarter as it got shut out by the Hornets’ defense. The spunky Delaware State unit cut the UH lead in half just before the midway break as starting QB Marqui Adams scrambled for a 10-yard score, capping off a quality showing in the opening 30 minutes for the visitors out of the FCS. 

Delaware State made things as interesting as they would be all night as the Hornets marched down the field to open the 3rd quarter, going 75 yards in just under four minutes to tie the game at 14. Graduate running back Jaden Sutton rumbled six yards to find paydirt after a broken coverage left tight end Ryan Lee wide open for a 42-yard gain and set up DSU inside Hawai’i’s 10-yard line. 

Timmy Chang’s Rainbow Warriors finally woke up as the Run-N-Shoot started to jog, seeing Hawai’i answer with a touchdown drive behind the arms and legs of Schager. After connecting with Pofele Ashlock on a 10-yard gain for a first down at the DSU 15, the 6-foot-3 signal caller took off on a QB draw for a 15-yard score to put UH back in front for good. 

Brayden Schager finished the night 17-of-34 passing for 203 yards and four total touchdowns. While he didn’t want any excuses for an up-and-down throwing performance, the senior QB mentioned that the conditions were some of the toughest he had faced as Tropical Storm Hone moved towards the islands. 

Delaware State redshirt sophomore QB Marqui Adams completed 17-of-28 passes for 156 yards while adding 44 yards and a touchdown with his legs in the loss. The Hornets were forced to punt 12 times throughout the night, including on five consecutive possessions to close the game. 

Hawai’i returns to the field next Saturday as the Rainbow Warriors host UCLA, looking for the program’s first ever win over the Bruins.