Three matchups to watch for in Week 1 Hawaii at Arizona

HONOLULU – Road trip, anyone?

Coming off of an exhilarating walk-off win against Stanford in Week 0, UH is looking for a second win over a Power 4 opponent in as many chances this year. The University of Hawaii (1-0) will go wheels up in Week 1, facing the University of Arizona in Tucson on Saturday for the Wildcats’ season-opener.

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado showed off why fans and coaches alike were buzzing in anticipation for him to take over the top signal caller role this season in Week 0. Despite suffering a lower leg injury at the start of the second half, Alejado displayed the moxie that made him a top recruit out of the state of Nevada as he led game-tying and winning drives in the final six minutes of regulation.

The Hawaii defense, which faced plenty of questions after seeing multiple key pieces graduate and transfer away, stood strong and held Stanford to 13 offensive points and just a singular touchdown drive despite being out in the toasty midday sun for more than 36 minutes of game action.

Led by a quietly excellent day from P Billy Gowers and a heroic second-half performance from K Kansei Matsuzawa, the Hawaii special teams unit made up for an early blunder from Brandon White on the first kickoff return of the year to help play a big role in earning a season-opening victory. Redshirt freshman Tama Uiliata’s late punt return also helped set up the Rainbow Warriors’ game-winning drive.

All-in-all, a full team victory to begin the 2025 campaign for UH.

As Hawaii hits the continent for the first time this year, another group effort will need to be in store to keep an unblemished record when they return to the islands. UH opened as more than 17-point underdogs for Saturday’s matchup with Arizona, showing a need for Timmy Chang’s squad to prove itself on the road after a rough showing away from Oahu last season.

Here are three key matchups to watch out for that can help Hawaii remain within striking distance of the Wildcats on Saturday:

How does the Hawaii OL hold up against Arizona’s DL?

Starting right guard Kuao Peihopa missed UH’s Week 0 matchup against Stanford and Judah Kaio struggled early on as his replacement, getting beaten by Clay Patterson on the first offensive play from scrimmage for the Rainbow Warriors for a strip sack of Micah Alejado in the end zone. Kaio wound up being the lowest overall graded player on Hawaii’s offense in the opening week, receiving a 33.8 overall grade while struggling in pass protection and holding up a bit better in the run game.

Peihopa is expected to return in Week 1’s contest against Arizona, giving UH back a strong pass protector on the line for a tenuous QB situation. Alejado seems to be trying to give it a go despite suffering an ankle injury against Stanford while backup QB Luke Weaver has prepared for action all week in the scenario that Alejado does not play.

Regardless of UH’s quarterback, trench play will be key for the visiting Rainbow Warriors if they want any chance at an upset. Arizona features an experienced defensive line with upperclassmen starting in three of the four spots and all four spots featuring players at 6-foot-3 or larger who bring the beef at 262, 301, 301 and 252 pounds apiece for the Wildcats’ front.

The Rainbow Warriors went 1-5 last season in games where opposing defenses racked up at least four sacks and 4-2 when keeping Brayden Schager (or Alejado) from being sacked three or less times. Hawaii allowed four sacks in Week 0 as they pieced together the line through injuries to Peihopa and LT Dean Briski, winning in spite of some key pressures from the Cardinal. To beat Arizona in Week 1, UH needs to hold up in protection.

Can Hawaii’s DB hold down an experienced Arizona WR group & offense?

Led by Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen, Virdel Edwards II and Jaheim Wilson-Jones, the Hawaii defense made Mānoa into a no-fly zone against Ben Gulbranson and Stanford in the season-opening victory as they held the sixth-year graduate transfer to a 50% completion rate and 109 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Arizona presents a more challenging foe for the Rainbow Warriors at signal caller than a career backup, trotting out redshirt junior QB Noah Fifita for his third year as the starter. The former three-star recruit burst onto the scene in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, winning the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award after posting the highest single-season completion percentage (72.4%) in program history and compiling 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air.

While 2024 was a slight step back for the 5-foot-10 gunslinger and he lost top target Tetairoa McMillan to the NFL Draft, Arizona reloaded the WR room for Fifita in 2025 and hopes he looks closer to his redshirt freshman year form than last year. It’ll be on Edwards, Wilson-Jones and the entire defensive backfield to hold down a Wildcats offense that features three receivers that have combined for more than 5,000 career receiving yards and 25 total touchdown catches.

For Hawaii, limiting the Arizona air raid will be important. The Rainbow Warriors showed an ability to survive against teams that are run-heavy in Week 0, but with the help of shutting down the Cardinal through the air. If UH can follow a similar script on the road, chances of hanging tight suddenly rise.

How much can the Hawaii RB room contribute against Arizona’s front?

Since the switch to the Run-N-Shoot under Timmy Chang, the Rainbow Warriors have not consistently produced on the ground despite testing out a multitude of backs. In 2024, Hawaii ranked 124th out of 133 FBS programs in rushing yards per game and was one of 12 total programs to fail to account for more than 100 yards on the ground per game.

Week 0 actually saw Hawaii produces some ground game success, putting up more than 115 yards of production to help the offense. RB Cam Barfield made the most of six carries, running for 45 yards (7.5 ypc) while Alejado added 57 yards with his legs. With Alejado on the mend, any help that the rushing attack can muster up would help ease the load on the injured QB or Weaver in his first FBS start.

Arizona struggled mightily against the run in 2024, allowing opponents to break free for more than 170 yards on average. A more experienced front could close up some of the gaps and help the Wildcats protect on the ground this year, but Hawaii will need to test the trenches and see how much they can squeeze out of the backfield in order to pull off anything close to a road Power 4 upset.