New Mexico overcomes nightmare first half to hand fourth straight loss to Hawai’i

New Mexico overcomes nightmare first half to hand fourth straight loss to Hawai’i

Oct 18, 2026

New Mexico overcomes nightmare first half to hand fourth straight loss to Hawai’i

HONOLULU – The devil is in the details.

Despite holding a double-digit halftime lead, committing less penalties and forcing more turnovers than the defense that entered the night pacing the country in total takeaways, the University of Hawai’i football team saw a final result that’s become far too familiar as they fell 21-10 against New Mexico (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) on Saturday night inside Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

Hawai’i (1-6, 0-4 Mountain West) saw its cursed offense fail to get off the ground again, managing just three points off the three takeaways produced by the defense while getting shut out after halftime.

“Well-fought, hard played game,” head coach Timmy Chang said to open his postgame press conference. “That’s a really good team on the other side, well-coached, and the guys gave them all that they could handle. Just a few more plays were made on that side of the ball, so the result is losing by 11.”

New Mexico turned in a nightmare first half in the islands, committing 12 of the team’s 16 total penalties in the opening 30 minutes to help Hawai’i extend multiple drives while forcing the Lobo offense to deal with multiple speed bumps before the break.

Hawai’i failed to take advantage of the slow start by New Mexico, mustering up only three points in the first quarter after DB Jeremiah Hughes’ first career interception set the offense up near midfield. With help from a pair of late hit penalties against the Lobos, the Rainbow Warriors pushed inside the red zone before being forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Sean Olvera-Harle, taking a 3-0 lead midway through the opening frame.

The UH defense provided another boost at the start of the second quarter, forcing another turnover as DB Matagi Thompson punched the ball free after a 40-yard scramble by New Mexico QB Toa Fa’avae that DB Kona Moore fell on top of it to start the Hawai’i offense again out near midfield.

This time, the hosts failed to capitalize at all from the second turnover of the half as WR Audric Harris got the ball punched away on a would-be touchdown catch before Olvera-Harle misfired on a 29-yard FG attempt, keeping the lead at 3-0 with 10:14 remaining in the first half.

A few more flags on the New Mexico offense, combined with a botched snap, sent the ball back to Hawai’i in plus territory with just under two minutes remaining until halftime and one timeout to work with.

This time, Hawai’i perfectly handled business as the hosts drained down the remainder of the clock before Titan Lacaden scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard catch to open up a 10-0 lead for the Rainbow Warriors heading into the locker room.

The New Mexico offense finally got going to start the second half, marching 75 yards in nine plays to open the third quarter with help from a 4th-and-4 trick play conversion that saw Fa’avae take a pass 35 yards to the doorstep of the end zone. UNM RB Scottre Humphrey hammered into paydirt from a yard out a few plays later, cutting the deficit to 10-7 a little over five minutes after play resumed.

Hughes grabbed some momentum back for Hawai’i towards the tail end of the third, securing his second interception of the night after back-to-back punts by the Rainbow Warrior offense spanned the middle portion of the period.

QB Micah Alejado and the offense seemed primed to put more points on the board at the start of the fourth quarter after the sophomore gunslinger connected with WR Josiah Fetui on a 47-yard rainbow before entering the final 15 minutes, but the Lobos defense stood tall and forced a fumble at the goal line from Alejado to keep the Rainbow Warrior lead at three.

New Mexico didn’t let the turnover go unpunished, draining seven minutes off the clock before Fa’avae finished off a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive with a tough 21-yard touchdown run that put the visitors ahead for the first time all night, 14-10.

Hawai’i reverted back to bad habits on the following drive, seeing an unnecessary roughness penalty push the offense out of a potential fourth-and-short situation near midfield and force a punt back to the Lobos with 3:32 to play.

Starting in Hawai’i territory, New Mexico needed just one play to drive home the dagger as Humphrey hustled 49 yards to open up a two-score lead for the visitors late in the fourth. Alejado and company attempted to rally one last time, but a pass from Alejado that bounced off the chest of WR Tama Uiliata straight up into the air was intercepted by UNM’s Tavin Combs to close out any chance at a comeback for the Rainbow Warriors.

Alejado finished the night completing 23-of-40 passes for 250 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also fumbling once. Lacaden tallied seven receptions for the second straight game, adding 41 receiving yards and the lone trip into the end zone for the Rainbow Warriors.

“It’s not really much to say,” Lacaden said about the continued poor execution. “We’ve got to clean up the little things. I feel like that’s the story every week for us … Call a spade a spade, that’s what it is. It’s the little things for us, we’re killing ourselves with the pre-snap errors, the penalties, the offsides, the holding. We’ve just got to make the plays when plays come our way.”

Humphrey handled his business in a big way after halftime, racking up 78 of his 90 rushing yards and both touchdowns in the second half. After a rough opening quarter of turnovers, Fa’avae also put together a solid evening with 171 yards of total offense as he passed for 59 yards, ran for 77 more and had one reception for 35 yards in the win.

Hawai’i will wrap up a five-games-in-five-weeks stretch next weekend, hitting the road to take on Northern Illinois on October 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. HT as the Rainbow Warriors and Huskies each look for their first conference victory of the season.

HAWAI’I FOOTBALL COVERAGE ON HSRN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Oct 17, 2026

KANEOHE – The Mustangs keep marching. Behind another big night on the ground from Air Force RB commit Marquez Mellor and QB Loch Moorman’s career-best showing, the Kalaheo varsity football team completed the first unbeaten regular season in...

HPU Baseball in full swing during Fall Ball 2026

HPU Baseball in full swing during Fall Ball 2026

Oct 16, 2026

With more than a month remaining in its fall baseball schedule, Hawai‘i Pacific University is using the offseason to build toward a return to the PacWest Conference tournament and another opportunity to compete for a championship. The Sharks...

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Oct 15, 2026

HONOLULU – It was only a matter of time before the Aloha Spirit crossed over with the baseball league taking the world by storm. The Banana Ball Championship League revealed on Thursday that the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa would host a two-game...

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Oct 15, 2026

HONOLULU – It’s not your typical homecoming game. The University of Hawai’i football team returns to the friendly confines of Clarence T.C. Ching Complex this Saturday, hosting conference leader New Mexico (4-1, 2-0 Mountain West) for Homecoming...

ADVERTISEMENT

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Oct 17, 2026

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo QB Loch Moorman celebrates after one of his four TDs against Castle. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

KANEOHE – The Mustangs keep marching.

Behind another big night on the ground from Air Force RB commit Marquez Mellor and QB Loch Moorman’s career-best showing, the Kalaheo varsity football team completed the first unbeaten regular season in program history on Friday night with a 62-21 road win over the Castle Knights.

Mellor rumbled for 135 yards and a touchdown across 19 carries in the victory for Kalaheo, bringing his season totals to 1,119 yards rushing and 19 scores on the ground through eight regular season games.

Moorman posted a career-high 236 yards passing while accounting for four total touchdowns (2 pass, 2 rush) on the way to the win. The senior quarterback also added 42 more yards with his legs, two yards shy of his career high on the ground.

“I was just doing this for the boys,” Moorman said after the best performance of his high school career. “Big thanks to my line for blocking for me, letting me get the ball out of my hand, letting me run for the touchdowns. Thanks to coach for all the good play calls. It was all thanks to them.”

Moorman and the Mustangs kicked things off with a bang, recovering an onside kick on the opening play of the game. The visitors wasted little time capitalizing, powering down the field for the night’s opening score as Mellor muscled his way into the end zone from nine yards out.

Castle (4-6, 4-3 league) answered back on the ensuing drive, capitalizing on a pair of Kalaheo penalties and eventually converting on 4th-and-goal as senior WR Dyson Yap-Tolentino made a circus catch through coverage to help tie the game up, 7-7, with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Kalaheo (8-0, 7-0 league) punched right back with the first of Moorman’s two rushing touchdowns on the night just before the first quarter closed out. It was the first time since the season opener at Hawaii Prep that the athletic senior QB found paydirt with his legs.

Fellow senior Zayne Farley finished off the Mustangs’ third drive of the night with another rushing score a few minutes later, pushing the visitors in front by 14 with just over four minutes left in the first half.

Castle showed off some urgency before the opening half wrapped up, driving the field at a perfect pace to drain the rest of the clock down before junior QB Draven Kalawa connected with senior WR Braden Domingo on a three-yard score to send the Knights into halftime trailing by seven.

When play resumed, Kalaheo took the offense off cruise control and cranked up the pressure as the Mustang passing attack came alive. After taking a couple deep shots at the start of the third, Moorman found WR Storm Kane on a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-14 in favor of Kalaheo less than 90 seconds after halftime.

Farley and Moorman each added a second rushing touchdown to their ledgers as the third quarter wound down and fourth quarter opened up, extending the Mustangs lead to 28 after just eight seconds elapsed in the final frame.

Castle found some positivity with a quick answer following the third of Moorman’s four scores, as Kalawa connected with Noa Sebay for a 29-yard touchdown with 10:45 left to play.

Kalaheo finished strong though, scoring the final three touchdowns of the night as Moorman and Kane combined for another score before back-to-back pick-sixes from Mason Jardine and Zayne Farley put a bow on the 62-21 victory for the Mustangs.

QB Draven Kalawa ended the night completing 31-of-51 pass attempts for 295 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the loss for Castle. Senior WR Braden Domingo went over triple digits in the receiving department for the fifth time this year, catching 11 passes for 140 yards and a score.

Kalaheo locked up the top spot in the OIA Division II ranks and will face Castle again in two weeks in the opening round of the league playoffs.

“They’re a tough team,” Mustangs HC Jaymason Lee said of the Knights. “I’m a proud Castle alum [and] us Castle guys, we don’t go down without a fight, so I knew they were going to come out firing … We’re going to see each other again so we’re both going to prepare, I know Coach Vince [Nihipali] and his staff are going to do a great job getting them ready for the playoffs and we’ve got to do the same.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Oct 16, 2026

Hawai’i holds off Wyoming in extra points to push win streak to seven

Hawaii setter Adriana Arquette puts up a joust at the net against a UC San Diego player. | Photo: Riley Guillermo

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Despite being pushed to the limit in Laramie, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team fought off a ferocious upset bid from Wyoming (10-8, 3-4 Mountain West) on Thursday night for a hard-fought five set win over the Cowgirls, (25-13, 19-25, 26-28, 25-18, 17-15).

It was the first time in conference play that Hawai’i (15-3, 7-0 Mountain West) had dropped a set, falling in back-to-back frames before fighting back to take the final two stanzas to escape with the unblemished conference record still intact.

Sophomore outside hitter Cha’lei Reid led the way in kills for the Rainbow Wahine for the third straight match, tallying 16 putdowns on 44 swings to go along with six digs and four blocks. Senior outside hitter Panna Ratkai added her seventh double-double of the season as well, chipping in 14 kills and 11 digs while finishing out the match with her fifth block of the night.

Junior middle blocker Miliana Sylvester helped swing the tides in UH’s favor with one of the best performances of her career, posting her first collegiate double-double with 11 kills and 13 blocks as the Rainbow Wahine racked up a season-best 21.5 blocks as a group. It was the most denials in a single match for Hawai’i since 2010 against San Diego.

Wyoming was held to a season-low .075 on the attack, committing 37 attacking errors as a group against the Rainbow Wahine block party. Senior outside hitter Paige Lauterwasser put up a double-double of her own in the loss, totaling 13 kills and 19 digs to lead the Cowgirls.

After trading the first four frames back and forth, the Rainbow Wahine and Cowgirls clashed for an epic final set that saw 11 ties and four lead changes. Wyoming wiggled in front late to set up match point after an attacking error from Hawai’i but kills from Reid and setter Adrianna Arquette set the visitors up with a match point of their own and Ratkai solo-roofed Wyoming’s Reagan Sharp to snatch victory in extra points for UH.

Sophomore outside hitter/opposite Maëli Cormier tacked on a season-best 12 kills in the victory for the Rainbow Wahine, eclipsing double figures on the attack for the second time in the last three matches. Junior setter Adrianna Arquette added on her sixth double-double of the year, handing out 41 assists to go along with a career-high 19 digs.

Hawai’i and Wyoming will meet back up on Saturday for the rematch with first serve set for 2:30 p.m. HT.

ADVERTISEMENT

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Oct 15, 2026

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Photo Credit: UH Athletics, Banana Ball

HONOLULU – It was only a matter of time before the Aloha Spirit crossed over with the baseball league taking the world by storm.

The Banana Ball Championship League revealed on Thursday that the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa would host a two-game series between the Loco Beach Coconuts and Party Animals at the iconic Les Murakami Stadium during the 2027 tour.

The pair of games will take place on April 30 and May 1, providing local fans with the rare opportunity to be live and in-person to see “Banana Ball” in the islands.

“Banana Ball has been growing tremendously fast,” Hawai’i athletics director Matt Elliott said during the school’s announcement on Thursday. “The popularity is incredible and as you’ve seen across the country, it’s their objective to play in places that are special, places that are iconic, and that’s what Les Murakami [Stadium] is.”

The Coconuts will head to Hawai’i with a pair of special connections to the islands. Shane Victorino, a Maui native and multi-time World Series champion, is the coach for the Coconuts and former Rainbow Warrior standout Andy Archer is featured on the roster for Loco Beach.

Kaupapa Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to Native Hawaiian sustainability, community resilience and sports and regenerative tourism partnerships, played a large role in bringing “Banana Ball” to Hawai’i after Victorino reached out to Kaupapa interim lead Lahela Aiwohi, a fellow Maui native.

“[Victorino] loves being a part of the Banana Ball league and just wanted to bring it home,” Aiwohi said. “If you didn’t catch the selection announcement, [the Hawai’i venue reveal] probably got the biggest cheers from those that attended.”

Tickets for the event will be sold and distributed through a lottery system on BananaBall.com at prices of $35 for standard tickets and $125 for Meet and Greet tickets. The Ticket Lottery List went live immediately following the announcement that the Coconuts and Party Animals would be heading to the islands and will remain open until October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST (5:59 p.m. HST).

ADVERTISEMENT

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Oct 15, 2026

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

HONOLULU – It’s not your typical homecoming game.

The University of Hawai’i football team returns to the friendly confines of Clarence T.C. Ching Complex this Saturday, hosting conference leader New Mexico (4-1, 2-0 Mountain West) for Homecoming Weekend in the islands.

The annual Homecoming Weekend has been kind to the Rainbow Warriors in the past, regardless of the results throughout that campaign. Seven of the last eight HoCo games have resulted in victories and head coach Timmy Chang is 7-1 combined on Homecoming as a player and a coach at UH.

Hawai’i has also seen recent success against different iterations of the New Mexico program, winning three of the last four meetings against UNM – most recently meeting in 2024 when QB Micah Alejado made his starting debut and led UH to a 38-30 victory in the season finale to deny bowl eligibility for the Lobos.

Chang and the rest of the Rainbow Warrior faithful hope those trends continue on Saturday night when Jason Eck’s powerhouse Lobos squad lumbers into town. New Mexico ranks among the top defensive teams in the nation in points allowed per game (10.6 PPG allowed, 3rd-best in FBS), interceptions (12, 1st in FBS) and overall takeaways (19, T-1st in FBS).

It’ll be Eck’s first time heading to Hawai’i in his two-year tenure with the Lobos, not seeing the Rainbow Warriors during the 2025 campaign. He’s become the darling coach of the Group of 6 after racking up a 13-5 record across his first year and a half as the head man in New Mexico, leading to plenty of speculation about potential poaching by a Power 4 school in the near future.

Chang and the Rainbow Warriors will get an up close and personal look at why the Lobos have turned around recent fortunes under Eck on Saturday. Before the season, multiple prognosticators wondered if this matchup would have Mountain West Championship game implications after both teams went 9-4 last year.

It’s turned into a battle of the bottom versus top of the Mountain West instead as Hawai’i has struggled dealing with injuries, poor play and questionable decision making throughout the first half of the 2026 season while New Mexico dominated everyone but a nationally-ranked Oklahoma squad.

So, who can help Hawai’i turn this matchup of David and Goliath into the start of a storybook turnaround? Here are a few guys who would need to show up in big ways for a Rainbow Warrior win.

QB Micah Alejado

Yup, we mentioned him already. The 5-foot-10 gunslinger lit the college football world ablaze the last time these two programs matched up, setting program records for a quarterback’s starting debut in passing yards (469), passing touchdowns (5), total completions (37) and total offense (523).

That iteration of the Lobos is long gone though. The head coach, starting quarterback and practically the entire roster has changed over since 2024. The hype around Alejado going into this season matched that of his starting debut, seeing the sophomore received Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Alejado hasn’t quite lived up to that billing as the Rainbow Warrior offense has struggled mightily, scoring 10 total touchdowns across six games so far. A lot of that has to do with the revolving door at wide receiver for Hawai’i, some putrid offensive line play and brutal play calling/execution within the red zone.

New Mexico will be without Preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year LB Jaxon Eck after he was listed on the midweek availability report as OUT for Saturday. With one of the most impactful players in the entire conference set to miss the action, Alejado and the rest of the Rainbow Warrior offense will have a prime chance to put up points against a defense that has dominated inferior opponents up to this point.

DT Geoffrey Speight Jr.

Another unsung hero on a Hawai’i defense that’s played above par for a large part of the season, Speight has been among the most consistent Rainbow Warrior defenders week-over-week. He’s been especially effective against opposing rushing attacks and didn’t miss a tackle for the first four games of the season before being charged with one missed tackle in each of the past two games.

The Lobos enter the weekend averaging nearly five yards per carry and have run the ball more than twice as much as they’ve passed it. In all four of their wins this season, New Mexico has eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the ground while the lone loss at Oklahoma saw the rushing attack only account for 69 yards across 38 attempts (1.8 yards per carry).

With Luther McCoy listed as OUT on the midweek availability report for Hawai’i, Speight will continue seeing a large role in the trenches for the Rainbow Warriors. Against a potent New Mexico ground game, it’ll be important for the 6-foot-1, 280-lbs senior defensive lineman to fill up space in the middle and return to the surehanded tackling presence on the interior that he was throughout the opening month of games.

ATH Titan Lacaden

Lacaden is coming off the most productive game of his young career, posting seven catches for 43 yards at Arizona State while also receiving the first carry of his career. The 5-foot-6 wide receiver also had the biggest special teams return of the season against New Mexico State, taking the opening kickoff of the second half back 69 yards to start Hawai’i deep in plus territory.

To beat a New Mexico team that takes pride in suffocating opposing offenses, the Rainbow Warriors will need to be efficient in short-yardage situations, on third downs and will likely need to get some sort of boost from the special teams. Lacaden has proven that he can be a player that helps with all three categories.

Lacaden seems to always find himself open when he’s on the field for passing downs and demonstrated all throughout training camp how dangerous he could be when fielding kick returns. If New Mexico gives him a chance to try and house one on specials, it could be the energy boost that Hawai’i has needed for a long time.

He also should have a little less focus on him as the wide receiver room gets healthier for Hawai’i, potentially allowing for the Rainbow Warriors to weave the dynamic playmaker into some situations that opponents wouldn’t be able to key in on him as much for.

HAWAI’I FOOTBALL COVERAGE ON HSRN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Kalaheo crushes Castle to complete historic regular season run

Oct 17, 2026

KANEOHE – The Mustangs keep marching. Behind another big night on the ground from Air Force RB commit Marquez Mellor and QB Loch Moorman’s career-best showing, the Kalaheo varsity football team completed the first unbeaten regular season in...

HPU Baseball in full swing during Fall Ball 2026

HPU Baseball in full swing during Fall Ball 2026

Oct 16, 2026

With more than a month remaining in its fall baseball schedule, Hawai‘i Pacific University is using the offseason to build toward a return to the PacWest Conference tournament and another opportunity to compete for a championship. The Sharks...

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Banana Ball prepares to head to Hawai’i during 2027 season

Oct 15, 2026

HONOLULU – It was only a matter of time before the Aloha Spirit crossed over with the baseball league taking the world by storm. The Banana Ball Championship League revealed on Thursday that the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa would host a two-game...

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts New Mexico for Homecoming

Oct 15, 2026

HONOLULU – It’s not your typical homecoming game. The University of Hawai’i football team returns to the friendly confines of Clarence T.C. Ching Complex this Saturday, hosting conference leader New Mexico (4-1, 2-0 Mountain West) for Homecoming...

ADVERTISEMENT