Alejado, Harris & defense keep Rainbow Warriors rolling in win over Rams

Mark it down as the most memorable moment of the Timmy Chang era yet.

The culmination of four years of building the foundation of the Braddahhood.

Four years of lessons, growing pains and executing a vision to pull a program from college football purgatory to planning to go bowling over the holidays.

The University of Hawai’i football team punched its ticket to postseason play on Saturday, clinching bowl eligibility for the first time in Chang’s tenure with a 31-19 victory over Colorado State (2-5, 1-2 Mountain West) in a historic day in Fort Collins.

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado threw for 301 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while completing 26-of-38 pass attempts as he became the first FBS quarterback to throw for 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns in three consecutive games this season.

Sophomore WR Jackson Harris continued his breakout with the Rainbow Warriors, going over the century mark for the third straight contest as he led Hawai’i with 109 yards and two touchdowns sprinkled across five receptions. Harris became the first UH pass catcher to eclipse 100 yards in three straight games since John Ursua accomplished the feat in the first four outings of the 2018 campaign.

Senior WR Nick Cenacle started the scoring in the first quarter, taking a 17-yard pass into the end zone for his first TD of the year as he racked up seven catches for 70 yards in just his fourth game this season. Harris put the Rainbow Warriors back in front for good with his first touchdown of the day, taking an impressive one-handed catch 75 yards to the house to help Hawai’i go into halftime leading 14-7.

Harris hauled in his second score of the contest on the other side of the break, securing a nine-yard TD pass from Alejado on the opening drive of the third quarter to extend the UH advantage to two possessions, 21-7.

Senior K Kansei Matsuzawa etched his name in Hawai’i history before the third frame closed, connecting on a 26-yard kick to break Jason Elam’s program record for consecutive made field goals with his 21st straight make. Elam, who is in the UH Circle of Honor (Class of 2002) and the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame (Class of 2016), was on hand in Fort Collins to watch as Matsuzawa broke his two-plus decade old record.

Junior RB Cam Barfield put the finishing touches on Hawai’i’s bowl-clinching effort with a career-long 35-yard scoring scamper on 4th-and-1, quieting a late Colorado State comeback effort by extending the Rainbow Warrior lead back to double figures, 31-19. Barfield put up 56 yards on five carries and added a 21-yard catch as he continued to platoon with senior RB Landon Sims.

Sims added 68 yards of total offense (59 rush, 9 receiving) in the win for the Rainbow Warriors, playing in front of his father, Travis Sims, a former Rainbow Warrior standout running back.

The UH defense also posted a season-best six sacks, led by a career-high 2.0 sacks from senior defensive end Tariq Jones. Jackie Johnson III and Luther McCoy each chipped in 1.5 sacks for the Rainbow Warriors, including Johnson’s game-ending takedown of Colorado State QB Jackson Brousseau with 1:17 to play.

Junior LB Jamih Otis, who was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week after forcing a pair of turnovers against Utah State last weekend, matched a career best with 11 tackles on Saturday to pace the Hawai’i defense.

Brousseau ended the day completing 15-of-29 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown for Colorado State, consistently needing to run from the disruptive efforts of the UH defensive line. Sophomore RB Llyod Avant added eight carries for 50 yards in the loss by the Rams.

After becoming the quickest UH team since the 2007 group to become bowl-eligible, Hawai’i returns home and hits another much-needed bye week. WR Brandon White missed the trip to Colorado State as he remained in concussion protocol and QB Micah Alejado came up limping late after stepping awkwardly while being tackled near the sideline, though he did not ultimately miss any snaps against the Rams.

The Rainbow Warriors return to the road in two weeks, looking for the program’s first four-game win streak since the 2019 season as they take on San Jose State to open November. Hawai’i (6-2, 3-1) sits just behind conference unbeatens Boise State (5-2, 3-0) and San Diego State (5-1, 2-0) while hanging a half-game above UNLV (6-1, 2-1), Fresno State (5-2, 2-1) and Utah State (4-3, 2-1) as the Mountain West remains clogged at the top entering the stretch run.