Lacaden’s career day at UTEP helps Hawai’i to second straight win

At Six Flags over Texas, there is a rollercoaster named “The Titan” that towers at 245 feet tall and holds a 5-out-of-5 rating on the Coaster Critic Thrill Scale.

Despite standing at just 5-foot-6, Hawai’i wide receiver Titan Lacaden somehow seemed taller and brought more thrills than that on Saturday night in El Paso as the Rainbow Warrior football team secured a 17-14 victory over UTEP (1-8, 0-5 Mountain West) behind the redshirt freshman’s career-best performance of 11 receptions and 109 yards with a touchdown.

Coming off the team’s final bye week of the year, Hawai’i (3-6, 2-4 Mountain West) took care of business against the Miners as the offense posted 424 total yards and saw two receivers eclipse 100 yards for the second time this season.

Sophomore quarterback Micah Alejado tallied 303 yards through the air to go with a touchdown and an interception in the win. It marked the second straight game that the left-handed gunslinger surpassed 300 passing yards and the fourth time this season going over the mark.

Lacaden and Audric Harris each surpassed the century mark in receiving yards, combining for 210 of the 303 yards from Alejado. Harris was the big-play threat throughout the night, securing 25 or more yards on three of his four receptions while going for 101 in total.

Lacaden looked the part of a player that originally received a Division I scholarship offer as a seventh grader, getting the Rainbow Warriors on the board first with a 20-yard touchdown catch with 2:57 left in the opening quarter.

Hawai’i added onto the lead in the second quarter, pushing the advantage out to double digits after an 18-play, 91-yard drive resulted in Sean Olvera-Harle’s lone field goal make of the night with 7:01 remaining in the first half. Four of Lacaden’s receptions came in the second quarter, including two on the field goal drive to help move the chains.

UTEP pulled back within three before the half as the Miners ripped down the field in three plays, using a trio of rushes to ram through the Rainbow Warrior defense as Lamar Sperling punched it in from five yards out.

The visiting Rainbow Warriors had a chance to tack on two straight scoring drives on either side of the halftime break, but Alejado tossed an interception just before the end of the second quarter to keep it a 10-7 game entering the locker room.

Hawai’i and UTEP traded punts throughout an offensively challenged third quarter, combining for 110 total yards of offense across 29 plays. The Rainbow Warriors also lost a fumble in the frame, but the defense held the Miners to 45 yards and forced three punts to keep the three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Lacaden helped spark the Hawai’i offense again at the start of the final frame, hauling in catches of 18 and 23 yards to set up the second touchdown of the night for the Rainbow Warriors. Sitani Mikaele did the honors, cashing in from six yards out for his second touchdown of the season to open up a 17-7 advantage for the visitors with 10:08 left to play.

UTEP wouldn’t go down quietly, answering back again on the right arm of quarterback Raymond Moore III as the 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore delivered a 15-yard touchdown strike to tight end Judah Ezinwa to pull back within three with just under seven minutes remaining.

Hawai’i would not give the ball back as Lacaden racked up three catches on the final drive to move the chains and help the Rainbow Warriors drain the final 6:57 off the clock and secure victories in back-to-back road games for the first time since 2014.

The rushing attack was massively productive again for UH, gaining 162 yards on the ground between four players. Cam Barfield led the way with 64 rushing yards across 15 carries while DeVon Rice chipped in 59 yards on 10 rushes. Sitani Mikaele added six carries for 37 yards with the game-winning touchdown on the ground in the win.

Jamih Otis led the way for the Rainbow Warrior defense, totaling 10 tackles (3 solo) and 0.5 sacks while Elijah Palmer had a career-best nine tackles and forced two fumbles. Wynden Ho’ohuli tacked on six tackles and Kona Moore and Ozzy Pollard each had five tackles in the victory.

Hawai’i kept slim bowl hopes alive with the win and will look to keep rolling next weekend when the team returns home to host North Dakota State (7-2, 4-2 Mountain West) on Saturday, November 14 for Military Night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. HT and will be broadcast on the CW Network.

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