Hawai’i makes statement in final Mountain West meeting with Utah State

HONOLULU – Give them a Pac-12 parting gift.

The University of Hawai’i football team announced intentions to compete among the Mountain West’s best on Saturday night, using Pofele Ashlock’s trio of touchdown catches, another Kansei Matsuzawa field goal hat trick and Micah Alejado’s second straight masterpiece to take down Utah State (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) in the islands, 44-26.

Alejado diced up a Bronco Mendenhall-coached team for the second time in his young college career, completing 34-of-54 passes for 413 yards and four total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) as the UH offense went over 500 yards for the second straight game. Just the second FBS quarterback to throw for 400+ yards in back-to-back starts this season, the redshirt freshman became the first UH player to accomplish the feat since Cole McDonald ripped off a pair of 400-yard games to begin the 2018 campaign.

Unlocked by the return of Nick Cenacle, who missed the previous four games with a knee injury, Ashlock set a new career high with three TD receptions as he hauled in a game-best eight catches for 113 yards, going over the century mark in a game for the first time this year and fifth time in his career.

“When Pofele is healthy, he shows what he can do,” Alejado said of his favorite target, who became the first player since JoJo Ward to have three touchdown catches in a single half for UH. “I think he’s probably the best receiver in the country, not just the G5. I think he can do a lot of great things when he’s given the chance.”

Cenacle turned in a respectable line with six catches for 57 yards in his return, including a 26-yard snag on the first play from scrimmage. Jackson Harris popped off for his second straight 100-yard game, racking up a game-best 117 yards across seven receptions.

“Getting Nick back is huge for us,” head coach Timmy Chang said of getting the preseason All-Mountain West selection back on the field. “When you see him out there with Pofele, with Jackson, with Brandon White … it’s a really good receiving corps and we’re proud of it.”

Hawai’i receivers Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle celebrate together during the Rainbow Warriors’ 44-26 win over Utah State. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The defense turned in one of the most impressive performances of the year for UH, holding a potent Utah State offense (36.4 ppg entering Week 7) to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. Jamih Otis forced a pair of turnovers, punching out a fumble that fellow Lion’s Den member Jalen Smith recovered before sealing the game with his first career interception.

The Rainbow Warriors also held USU to a paltry 2-of-12 on third downs while racking up three sacks as Carson Stocklinski and Aiden McComber each recorded their first QB takedowns with UH and De’Jon Benton returned from a one-game absence with an immediate impact in the pass rush.

Utah State capitalized on a few first half errors from Hawai’i, snatching a 17-10 lead midway through the second quarter after punter Billy Gowers came up short on a fake punt inside UH’s own territory.

When they could have crumbled, Hawai’i clawed right back.

Alejado and company needed just six plays to respond, tying the game at 17 with less than six minutes left in the first half as Ashlock caught his second score of the night on a rocket from the redshirt freshman.

The defense held strong despite a late drive from the Aggies to close out the second quarter, limiting USU to a 40-yard field goal while getting the ball back to the offense with more than a minute to work with and two timeouts.

Again, Alejado uncorked late-clock wizardry to help march the Rainbow Warriors downfield for the go-ahead score. The southpaw found Harris twice for big gains before delivering his third and final touchdown pass of the night to Ashlock with 24 seconds left in the first half, pushing the hosts in front at the break, 24-20.

“The thing I love most that you’re seeing this season is the resilience of the guys,“ Chang said of his team’s ability to wiggle out of precarious situations throughout the night. “We come back [after a bad moment] and then it’s just business as usual.”

Hawai’i took a chance on the second half opening kickoff, trying to catch USU off-guard with an onside kick attempt but instead setting up the Aggies with fantastic field position inside Rainbow Warrior territory. Utah State found paydirt three plays later as graduate QB Bryson Barnes hit Broc Lane for a 32-yard touchdown to vault the visitors back in front less than a minute into the third quarter.

Lester Lagafuaina blocked the ensuing PAT, giving UH the chance to take the lead with a field goal instead of a touchdown in a game that had traded haymakers for the previous 20 minutes.

Matsuzawa put Hawai’i ahead for good with 3:20 left in the third frame, connecting on a 46-yard field goal to make it 27-26 in favor of the hosts.

Alejado added his first career rushing touchdown with 12:01 left to play, using a 15-yard scoring scamper to give Hawai’i a double-digit advantage for the first time all night.

The magical year for the Tokyo Toe continued with 7:47 left in regulation as Matsuzawa drilled a 36-yard field goal to improve to 19-for-19 on the year while matching Jason Elam’s program record of 20 consecutive makes when including the close to the senior’s 2024 season.

Landon Sims provided the knockout blow after Otis and Smith combined to force a turnover, powering through defenders for a 4-yard score to put the cherry on top of a 44-26 statement over Utah State. Sims finished the night with 82 yards on 10 carries and added a reception for nine yards to help Hawai’i to victory.

Bryson Barnes finished the night 14-of-26 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception while missing time due to an apparent injury. Senior backup QB Jacob Conover went 4-of-10 passing for 64 yards in limited action as the Aggies fell to the Rainbow Warriors for the first time ever in eight meetings as Mountain West rivals.

Hawai’i (5-2, 2-1 Mountain West) hits the road next week to face Colorado State (2-4, 1-1 Mountain West), who pounded Fresno State on Friday with a 49-21 shellacking in Fort Collins. With a wide-open conference looking for teams to stake claim to the top, Chang’s Warriors remain aligned.

“I think the only way we’re going to reach our goals is if we stay in the moment and take it one day at a time,” Chang said when asked about the chance to establish the program as a power with a changing conference makeup. “I tell the guys, don’t fall for it … When things are good, they’re good. When things are bad, they’re bad. We just have got to stay steady in our work and how we do everything.”