Ford’s big day helps Stanford deny late Hawai’i comeback

Too many mistakes to overcome.

The University of Hawai’i football team put fans through a rollercoaster ride on Saturday afternoon, ultimately faltering in the final minutes of the fourth quarter on “The Farm” as Stanford (1-0) scored twice in the final 101 seconds to take down the Rainbow Warriors, 37-27.

Hawai’i (0-1) struggled offensively throughout the first three quarters, going three-and-out on seven separate occasions while mustering up one singular scoring drive before finally finding a spark at the start of the final 15 minutes.

Without UH star receiver Pofele Ashlock to throw to, QB Micah Alejado took some time to find connections with other Rainbow Warrior pass catchers. The sophomore signal caller finished the day 30-of-50 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns while fumbling once in the final minutes.

Tama Uiliata found his way into being Alejado’s temporary security blanket, getting 10 targets while hauling in a team-high eight receptions for a career-high 62 yards and his first college touchdown in the loss. Redshirt freshman receiver Kai Kai Carvalho followed right behind with five catches for a team-best 72 yards while Blaze Kamoku collected all three of his targets for 42 yards.

Despite Cam Barfield exiting at halftime due to an ankle injury, the Rainbow Warriors still got a few touchdowns out of the backfield as Sitani Mikaele found paydirt once and DeVon Rice rumbled into the end zone on two separate occasions.

Rice sandwiched the Hawai’i scores, punching in the season’s first touchdown for UH on a jet sweep that saw him speed to the edge before dashing by defenders in the fourth quarter to give the Rainbow Warriors their only lead of the day.

DeVon Rice runs up the field during Hawai’i’s 2nd half comeback effort. | Photo Credit: Brian Bautista

In all, Rice had 60 yards of offense (35 rush, 25 receiving) and two scores in his debut for Hawai’i and showed off his speed on a few different bursts through the day.

While both teams traded three-and-outs to begin the game, Stanford found an offensive rhythm far quicker than the Rainbow Warriors with a nine-play, 89-yard scoring drive on their second possession of the game.

A 57-yard catch-and-run from WR JonAnthony Hall set up the Cardinal inside the redzone, but the Hawai’i defense looked as though it would hold Stanford to a field goal after a third down incompletion. Unfortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, a late flag on Elijah Palmer for defensive pass interference gave the hosts a fresh set of downs and Micah Ford forced his way in for a two-yard touchdown on the next play to go up 7-0.

The Hawai’i offense snapped out of its slumber momentarily towards the top of the second quarter after the defense and special teams set them up to start near midfield, driving 55 yards in eight plays to tie the game, 7-7, with 10:18 left to play in the first half.

It was a short-lived leveling of the score as Stanford answered directly back on the next drive, marching 75 yards in just over three minutes to go back ahead as QB Davis Warren tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to true freshman WR Atticus Joseph.

Hawai’i got another boost from the defense and special teams despite the return to faulty offensive showing, holding Stanford to a 33-yard field goal attempt that Ka’eo Akana knocked out of the air to head into halftime still trailing by just a score, 14-7.

The Rainbow Warrior woes didn’t stop after the midway break, going three-and-out again on the third quarter opening drive and seeing the ensuing punt get blocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

After the safety, Stanford added on again as a Micah Ford fumble on 4th-and-1 at the goal line was reversed to a touchdown following a lengthy review, giving the largest lead of the day to the Cardinal with 9:51 left in the third quarter, 23-7.

Alejado and the Rainbow Warriors finally got on track as the third frame ticked down, starting a 16-play, 80-yard march down the field that ended with a Sitani Mikaele 5-yard scoring rumble a few minutes into the fourth quarter.

Hawai’i added a two-point conversion on an end-around to Uiliata right after to make it a one-possession game, flipping the momentum for the visitors out of the Mountain West.

Lifted by the offense’s awakening, the Hawai’i defense forced a quick punt to get the ball right back in Alejado’s hands. The sophomore southpaw promptly sliced through the Stanford defense in five plays, driving 63 yards down the field and finding Uiliata on an incredible cross-body throw to pull the Rainbow Warriors within two with 9:39 left in regulation.

The UH defense got the ball right back again, only allowing the Cardinal to drain two minutes off the clock before giving it back to Alejado and company with a chance to take the lead for the first time all game.

Alejado would again lead a long scoring drive, going 90 yards in nine plays and hooking up with fellow Bishop Gorman alum DeVon Rice on a 29-yard touchdown to put Hawai’i ahead with 4:06 remaining in the fourth.

Stanford finally awoke from the closing quarter slumber after relinquishing the lead, quickly knifing through the Rainbow Warrior defense on the must-have drive. Ford finished off the possession with his third score of the game, putting the Cardinal ahead for good with 1:41 to play.

Hawai’i had one last shot for some Week 0 magic, but a big hit on Alejado jarred the ball loose for a Tevarua Tafiti 31-yard scoop-and-score that put a bow on top of a 37-27 win for Stanford.

Davis Warren enjoyed a big showing in his Cardinal debut, completing 22-of-34 passes for a career-high 310 yards and a touchdown. The Michigan transfer also added 31 yards on the ground, including a 25-yard scamper on a trick play by Stanford.

Micah Ford went for 99 yards and three touchdowns across 25 carries in the win and Sedrick Irvin chipped in 43 yards on eight rushes for the Cardinal.

Five different players eclipsed 40 yards receiving for Stanford and nine players recorded at least one catch. In all, the Cardinal offense racked up more yards than any game from the 2025 campaign with 483 yards against the Rainbow Warriors.

Hawai’i will look to re-group next weekend when UNLV comes to the islands, opening up Mountain West play with a massive matchup between preseason conference favorites on September 5 with kickoff set for 4 p.m. HT. The Rebels also fell in their Week 0 game, dropping a 27-21 decision against Memphis inside Allegiant Stadium.

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