Offensive explosion helps Hawai’i ground Air Force, retain Kuter Trophy

Hope you didn’t take the under.

Behind more than 500 yards of total offense, few timely stops and a fourth quarter that featured more than 40 combined points, the University of Hawai’i football team outlasted Air Force (1-3, 0-3 Mountain West) in a 44-35 shootout on Saturday in Colorado Springs.

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado bounced back from a brutal showing against Fresno State by completing 35-of-47 passes for 457 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the second time in Alejado’s first five career starts that he eclipsed 450 yards through the air, passing Colt Brennan (6 games) as the fastest player in UH history to achieve that feat.

Hawai’i (4-2, 1-1 Mountain West) turned in the cleanest performance of the season as well, recording just their second turnover-free game in the first six contests while committing a season-low four penalties for 17 yards and converting on 14-of-19 third-down opportunities.

The 44 points by the Rainbow Warriors were the most in the Chang era and the most by a UH team on the road since the 2019 unit put up 45 on New Mexico. Ten different receivers caught a pass for Hawai’i, who also found some success on the ground as they recorded the team’s first two rushing touchdowns of the 2025 campaign.

Alejado and company started hot, marching 75 yards down the field across six plays to begin the game as Cam Barfield ripped off a 59-yard catch-and-run to set up a goal-to-go chance before three minutes had even elapsed. The Rainbow Warriors wrapped up the pristine opening possession with a 6-yard TD as Alejado floated a ball to Jackson Harris just past the front-left pylon.

Air Force responded with a four-play scoring drive behind the arm and legs of sophomore QB Liam Szarka, who broke free for 64 yards on the Falcons’ first offensive play before finding TE Bruin Fleischmann two plays later on a 5-yard pass for the game-tying TD.

Hawai’i wasted little time finding the end zone again, charging down the field to take back the lead behind a beautiful stop-and-start move by Brandon White, dancing to paydirt for the first score of his college career.

After forcing an Air Force turnover-on-downs, the Rainbow Warriors put together a program-record 24-play scoring drive as they ate up more than 12 minutes of game action before seeing Kansei Matsuzawa connect on a 31-yard field goal to extend the UH lead into double figures before the halftime break.

Szarka sparked the Falcons with his arm to open the third quarter, finding Quin Smith for a 52-yard gain into Rainbow Warrior territory before fans could get settled back in from the break. Senior running back Kade Frew capitalized for AFA on the next play with an 11-yard scamper for a score, his first of the season for the Falcons, to cut UH’s lead to 17-14.

The teams traded a pair of turnovers-on-downs, eating up the middle of the third period with the Rainbow Warriors still clinging to the slim lead. Hawai’i returned to the end zone with 2:44 left in the frame as Landon Sims battered his way in for UH’s first rushing touchdown of the year, extending the advantage back to double digits.

Matagi Thompson, who finished the day with four tackles, gave Hawai’i a chance to take total control with his first career interception right before the end of the third quarter. The lone live-ball turnover of the game, the pick set up another Barfield burst to help push the lead higher as the junior back took a handoff on the first play of the fourth quarter 27 yards to the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown.

Air Force punched right back with a two-play, 75-yard scoring drive, shouldered by a 73-yard TD catch by WR Cade Harris, as both teams found the end zone in the final frame before a full minute had elapsed. Alejado and company pushed down the field to set up Matsuzawa’s second field goal of the day to go back up 13, but another quick scoring drive by the Falcons made it a 6-point game with under six minutes left in regulation.

Hawai’i looked to throw the knockout blow less than a minute later as Alejado found a streaking Harris for the second touchdown connection of the day, this time from 74 yards out for the Rainbow Warriors’ longest play from scrimmage this season to restore the two-score cushion.

The Falcons feigned one more comeback push as Szarka tossed his third TD of his first career start, a 45-yard score to Quin Smith, but Hawai’i salted the game away with less than a minute remaining with Matsuzawa’s third made kick of the day. The senior kicking sensation set a new Mountain West record to begin a season as he has hit 16 straight field goal attempts to start the year.

Szarka ended his first college start with more than 400 yards of total offense (278 pass, 139 rush) and three TD passes, getting intercepted once. The Falcons put up a UH-opponent high 494 yards of offense as a group but lost the time of possession battle almost by a full quarter-worth of time.

Jackson Harris turned in a career day all around for the Rainbow Warriors, who were still without the services of preseason All-Mountain West selection WR Nick Cenacle, as the transfer from Stanford hauled in a game-high seven receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon White finally got in on the fun for UH as he secured seven catches for 50 yards and his first career score. Redshirt freshman WR Tama Uiliata set a new career best with six receptions, racking up 42 yards and the best catch of the day to help UH win for the second straight time at Air Force.

Hawai’i completes the first half of the 2025 slate with a 4-2 record, entering the team’s first bye week of the season flying high after evening the team’s conference record. The Rainbow Warriors will return to action on October 11, hosting Utah State on “Ultimate Keiki Night” in the islands.