Hawai’i looks to keep Mountain West momentum rolling at San Jose State

HONOLULU – Keep the good times rolling.

Exiting the second of three bye weeks on their 2025 schedule, the University of Hawai’i football team hopes to maintain momentum of a season-long three-game win streak this Saturday as they hit the road to face off against San Jose State.

The Rainbow Warriors (6-2, 3-1 Mountain West) enjoyed another well-timed week off after beating Colorado State on October 18, clinching bowl eligibility for the first time under head coach Timmy Chang (and the earliest point in a year since the 2007 season) as the offense posted a third consecutive game with 400 or more total yards.

ADVERTISEMENT

The defense enjoyed a banner day against the Rams as well, racking up a season-best six sacks as a unit while UH combined to commit a season-low three penalties as a team. The offensive line dominated in their own right, not allowing a single sack for the second straight road contest.

The reward for the players?

A chance to be college students, rest and catch up and/or get ahead on studies.

“There’s just a lot of things to cover as a student-athlete,” Chang said to the media after practice on Tuesday. “These guys are focusing on academics and picking up the pieces of everyday life is really important for them. Then, just recovering their bodies and getting ready to play a really good San Jose State team.”

The Spartans (2-5, 1-2 Mountain West) almost always promise for a fun game against the Rainbow Warriors. The programs boast ties that run together all over, from legendary late coach Dick Tomey – who the rivalry trophy the two teams play for is named after – on the sidelines, to the 46 meetings inside the lines on the gridiron that have ended up in 22 wins for UH, to the multiple recruiting battles the two find themselves in for similar prospects.

Fully refreshed with focus turned to SJSU, the Rainbow Warriors look to continue their venture into new territory under Chang. Already on a career-best three-game winning streak, the fourth-year head coach hopes to improve upon a 2-4 career record following bye weeks with a potential fourth straight victory.

San Jose State presents an intriguing challenge for UH. The Spartans got off to a rocky start in the 2025 campaign, stumbling to a 2-5 record with a bundle of “what-ifs” that hold actual weight.

Four of SJSU’s five losses this year have come by one possession, including one by a single point and another by just two. The kicking game has struggled for the Spartans, seeing Mathis Brown and Denis Lynch flounder to a combined 6-for-14 on field goal attempts while letting multiple games slip through the cracks.

The left-footed Lynch specifically has experienced both highs and lows this season, knocking through the game-winning 48-yard kick against Idaho back on September 20 for San Jose State’s first win of the year and immediately turning around and going 3-of-5 on field goals with a pair of misses inside 30 yards the very next week for the Spartans in a one-point loss at Stanford.

SJSU’s offense has started to figure things out over the past five games, putting up 25 or more in each outing despite the kicking woes. The defense for the Spartans has sputtered over that same timespan, allowing 28 points or more in all five contests.

Despite discussions around postseason potential heating up and an opponent punching below preseason expectations, the Rainbow Warriors remain focused on one game at a time. This week, preparing for the best version of a Spartans squad with a dynamic offense and a defense due for a breakout performance has been front-of-mind for UH.

“It’s one at a time,” Chang said when asked about how the home stretch of the schedule. “We got to go get this one [against] a tough and dangerous opponent in San Jose. They’re looking to get right back on track and get things going, so we got to focused in on what we’ve got to do.”

There may be a lingering desire among players who participated in the last matchup against SJSU to avenge a brutal 35-0 loss on Homecoming that came against Chevan Cordeiro and the Spartans in 2023, added motivation even with the “single game at a time” mindset

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado said that he remembers watching the last matchup between the Rainbow Warriors and San Jose State as a signee for UH. Despite the many differences for the Spartans, having brought in a new faces quarterback and head coach among other changes since the last meeting between the programs, Alejado believes revenge remains on the minds of some veterans.

“I think some of the guys still have that taste in their mouth that were on the team,” Alejado said speaking about the matchup. “It’s one of the games they want to get back so [we] just attack the same.”

Revenge on the Spartans would help the Rainbow Warriors keep pace atop the Mountain West before co-leader San Diego State visits the islands for a meeting that could have massive implications for the top of the conference. While bowl eligibility was one box to check off on UH’s goals list, the conference championship is the main prize currently in their sights.

It would most likely take winning out to earn a berth into the Mountain West title game.

The path to the playoff is real – very difficult, but real.

The chase for forever continues for Chang’s Rainbow Warriors on Saturday in San Jose.