Alejado’s record-setting evening leads Hawai’i to win on Senior Night

Alejado’s record-setting evening leads Hawai’i to win on Senior Night

Dec 1, 2024

Hawai’i QB Micah Alejado delivers a pass during his first start for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Alejado’s record-setting evening leads Hawai’i to win on Senior Night

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1, 2024

HONOLULU – Closing one chapter is opening another. 

The University of Hawai’i football team saw the 2024 season come to an end on Saturday night, winning the program’s seventh straight Senior Night game with a 38-30 victory over New Mexico (5-7, 3-4 MWC) to send 23 seniors off as winners one final time. The 38 points came with 586 total yards of offense, both new high points in the Timmy Chang era as 10 different players recorded a reception for the Rainbow Warriors and four had catches for a touchdown. 

While it was a night to celebrate UH seniors, true freshman quarterback Micah Alejado was the star of the show as he stepped in for injured senior starter Brayden Schager and completed 37-of-57 pass attempts for 469 yards and five touchdowns, setting multiple Hawai’i program records for a quarterback’s first start. He added another 54 yards rushing on 10 carries, giving him 523 yards of total offense in his true introduction to college football. 

The 469 passing yards by Alejado were the most by any FBS freshman this year and the most for any freshman since the 2022 season. Looking decisive from the jump, Alejado helped orchestrate the most efficient offensive game by the Rainbow Warriors all year while not getting sacked a single time by the Lobos. 

Hawai’i (5-7, 3-4 MWC) started quickly, forcing a punt from the dynamic New Mexico offense on the game’s first possession before Alejado led the Rainbow Warriors 94 yards down the field and found sophomore Pofele Ashlock for a three-yard touchdown catch. The 12-play, 94-yard scoring drive was the longest of the year for Hawai’i and provided a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. 

The response from New Mexico didn’t come until the start of the second quarter as dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier scampered his way in from three yards out, but the two-point conversion try failed as UH remained ahead, 7-6. The Rainbow Warriors wasted no time returning the favor as Alejado hit Dekel Crowdus in stride for the second straight week, connecting for a 52-yard touchdown to push the Hawai’i lead to eight with 12:26 left to play in the opening half. 

Alejado ended his spectacular opening half with one more score, capitalizing on a 35-yard punt return by Nick Cenacle that set the offense up inside Lobos’ territory. The true freshman hit Ashlock for a big gain before hooking up with senior wide receiver Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala for a 15-yard touchdown to give Hawai’i a 21-9 lead heading into halftime. 

The true freshman kept the burners going through the break, leading Hawai’i 75 yards down the field on the opening possession of the third quarter and finding Cenacle for his fourth TD pass of the night to give UH a three-score lead. 

New Mexico found some new life after Hawai’i failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 inside its own territory, using the short field to an advantage as Dampier took in his second rushing touchdown of the night with just under seven minutes left in the third to make it a 28-16 game. The Rainbow Warriors responded with a 19-yard field goal, making it a 15-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Lobos pulled back within a possession with just under 14 minutes left in regulation with Dampier’s third rushing touchdown of the night, but Hawai’i hit right back as Alejado led his fifth and final touchdown drive of the night. The Rainbow Warriors drained five minutes off the game clock, giving New Mexico less than nine minutes to erase a 15-point deficit as he hit Mokiao-Atimalala for a touchdown for the second time on the night. 

With bowl game hopes on life support, New Mexico worked down the field to bring it back within one score as NaQuari Rogers punched it in from one yard out with only 2:32 left to play. Unfortunately for the Lobos, that would be the closest they could come as the Rainbow Warriors ran out the rest of the clock to secure the victory. 

New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier finished the night completing 19-of-31 passes for 176 yards through the air. A dynamic dual-threat, he added 101 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground in the loss by the Lobos. 

Spencer Curtis set a career-high with 100 yards receiving on seven catches in his final collegiate game, leading the way for the Hawai’i receiving corps. Nick Cenacle added another seven receptions for 93 yards while Jonah Panoke tacked on 86 yards receiving to end his six-year college career. 

Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala hauled in four passes for 26 yards on the night, catching two touchdowns in his final appearance for his hometown Rainbow Warriors. The Campbell Sabers alum caught the first and final touchdown passes of the 2024 season for Hawai’i. 

Following the game, 23 seniors were honored for their contributions to the program. Many of the players who stuck with the program when Chang first took over said aloha to fans one final time, receiving love from the islands for their efforts.

Hawai’i’s senior class poses for a photo together following a 38-30 win over New Mexico on Senior Night. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“Taking over this program, a lot of guys left, and we played against those guys for other programs,” Chang said. “These guys stayed, and that’s what matters. The thing that hurts is that we left games out there that we could be playing in our own bowl game here … but these guys laid it on the line and then laid it again [for Hawai’i].”  

Hawaii Freshman DT Alvin Puefua ready for homecoming at Utah State

Hawaii Freshman DT Alvin Puefua ready for homecoming at Utah State

Nov 15, 2024

 

Hawai’i freshman DT Alvin Puefua gets off the ball on a snap against UNLV in a Mountain West game. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN.

Hawaii Freshman DT Alvin Puefua ready for homecoming at Utah State

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15, 2024

They call him “Big Al.”

At 6-foot-4, 335-pounds, it’s easy to see why.

Hawai’i freshman defensive tackle Alvin Puefua will enjoy a homecoming in front of friends and family when the Rainbow Warriors take on Utah State at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 10 a.m. HST.

Puefua, a 2024 graduate of West High School in Salt Lake City, saw his first game action of the year last week against UNLV.

He was rated as the No. 1 defensive lineman in Utah and the No. 16 player overall in the state according to 247Sports before joining the Rainbow Warriors (4-6) in June.

Born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Puefua said the island vibes drew him to play collegiate football in Hawai’i.

“Coming to Hawai’i, I felt a connection to the islands the same I feel a connection to American Samoa,” said Puefua. “The program, the boys, the braddahs continued to love on me and it just made me want to come out here and be with them.”

With one game under his belt, Puefua is ready to make an impact in the Rainbow Warriors’ final road game of the year.

“I’m just really grateful and thankful for this opportunity to go back home and play in front of my family. This whole week has just been working hard, focusing on that mission, getting ready to go against Utah State.”

Injuries to starting defensive tackles Ezra Evaimalo and Jamar Sekona has thrusted Puefua into the rotation, but the constant desire to improve was always there, even when opportunity wasn’t available for most of the season.

“That’s an indication of the kind of people that we have,” said defensive tackles coach Jeff Reinebold. “When you have quality people that will continue to work when it’s not their turn, will continue to try and get better when it’s not there. (But) at some point in this game, because it’s a violent game, you’re going to get tapped on the shoulder and when the tap on the shoulder comes, you better be ready.”

Reinebold added: “I think our guys have done a great job being attentive, working on their craft and doing everything that we ask them to do.”

Puefua alluded to not being satisfied with where he’s at in his development.

“I’m just continuing to learn,” he said. “I’m just a young buck. The older guys have been just helping me get my technique down, getting my plays down, just me being locked in, tuned in, following in the steps of the guys before me and my coaches being there with me guiding me all the way through.”

Weather in Logan, Utah was reported as 28 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday. It is expected to be in the upper 30s around kickoff.

Puefua had some advice for how his fellow teammates should prepare for the elements.

“Double up on the tights and the sleeves. It’s 39 degrees. I think it’s going to drizzle, snow. I hope these boys are ready for that. I’ve kind of adjusted to this humidity out in Hawai’i, but I think I’ll be good when I go back.”

 

Hawaii comes up short in trophy match against UNLV, 29-27

Hawaii comes up short in trophy match against UNLV, 29-27

Nov 10, 2024

Hawai’i LB Noah Kema (18) assists on a stop on special teams in the second half against UNLV. | Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawaii comes up short in trophy match against UNLV, 29-27

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 9, 2024

Victory was in the Hawai’i football team’s grasp Saturday night.

But no dice.

The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors came up short in a back-and-forth affair against visiting UNLV, 29-27, in a Mountain West Conference game at T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

The Rebels improved to 7-2 overall and remained undefeated on the road this year by rushing for 311 yards. Including Hajj-Malik Williams’ 40-yard keeper on third-and-3 to seal the game with Hawai’i trying to get the ball back.

Hawai’i saw its two-game winning streak come to an end as it fell to 4-6 and saw its hopes of getting to seven wins to clinch a postseason bowl bid come to a crash with two games left on the schedule.

“Tough game,” said Hawai’i coach Timmy Chang. “A lot was on the line for us and a lot was on the line for them. Very tough. Anytime you lose close games like this, tough ones to swallow.”

The Rainbow Warriors trailed 10-0 to start the game after UNLV scored on its first two possessions, but rallied to make it a 12-10 game at the half.

Hawai’i would take its only lead of the game midway through the third quarter when Brayden Schager tossed a 49-yard strike to Jonah Panoke to make it a 17-15.

But the Rebels came back quickly in four plays with Williams’ 37-yard touchdown pass to Ricky White III to regain the lead, 22-17.

The Rainbow Warriors then used a lengthy 11-play drive that nearly took six minutes off the clock before Kansei Matsuzawa booted a 33-yard field goal to make it a two-point game late in the third quarter.

UNLV imposed its will in the run game in the fourth quarter however as A 32-yard run by Jai’Den Thomas made it a two-possession game with 6:03 left in regulation.

Hawai’i managed to score two minutes later after a big completion to Nick Cenacle and a 5-yard TD reception by Panoke, but it could not get the ball back after a pair of first down conversions. The Rainbow Warriors also just had one timeout left in their pocket on UNLV’s final drive.

The Rebels racked up 106 yards on the ground on their final two drives behind Williams and Thomas, who rushed for 122 and 109 yards for the game respectively.

“We didn’t make enough plays,” said Chang. “We didn’t make enough plays to eat a good team and that’s what they are. They’re a great football team. They do a lot of damage to a lot of other teams.”

The Hawai’i offense was explosive with a pair of deep passes by Schager, but was inconsistent at times. Schager threw for 282 yards and three TDs, but only completed 14 of his 35 pass attempts.

His first throw also went off a receiver’s hands and was intercepted by UNLV’s Johnathan Baldwin. The Rebels recycled the turnover into a Caden Chittenden 41-yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead.

A blocked punt that led to a safety for UNLV in the first quarter also proved to be a difference as it gave the Rebels a 12-7 lead.

Three of the Rainbow Warriors’ six losses have been decided by three points or less.

“It hurts to continue to have two, three point losses. They hurt worse than blowouts,” said Schager. “You can look back at two or three plays and game is a different story. It’s just hard.”

Next up for Hawai’i is a road game against Utah State on Saturday.

Five players to watch as Hawai’i fights UNLV for the Island Showdown Trophy

Five players to watch as Hawai’i fights UNLV for the Island Showdown Trophy

Nov 7, 2024

Hawai’i running back Tylan Hines breaks through a hole in a home game for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Five players to watch as Hawai’i fights UNLV for the Island Showdown Trophy

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 7, 2024

HONOLULU – Fight for the Golden Pineapple. 

Coming off a thrilling comeback victory over Fresno State on the road last weekend, Hawai’i (4-5, 2-2 Mountain West) will look to keep the good vibes rolling as they return to the friendly confines of Clarence T.C. Ching Complex this Saturday to play host to the well-rested UNLV Rebels. It marks the 34th edition of the “9th Island Showdown” and the eighth time that the Rainbow Warriors and Rebels will play for the Island Showdown Trophy, one of four rivalry trophies that Hawai’i plays for against Mountain West rivals. 

The Rebels (6-2, 2-1 Mountain West) come to the islands off of a bye week, feeling rested and hoping to bounce back after their second hiccup of the year, a 29-24 loss to nationally-ranked Boise State at Allegiant Stadium to end October. UNLV has won all four road contests so far this season, looking for a fifth road win in a single season for the first time since 1984. 

Hawai’i looks to ride the high of last week’s heart-stopping win at Fresno State and a two-game winning streak into another home win over their 9th Island counterparts. UNLV has struggled in Honolulu during the series, falling 13 of the 16 times the matchup was played on Oahu – including the last three trips and seven of the last eight times. 

Those struggles will be far in the back of the mind of Barry Odom’s team, who has already clinched a spot in a bowl game this season and set eyes on far more to achieve with four games remaining in the regular season. The Rebels won last season’s meeting with Hawai’i in Las Vegas, 44-20, and have continued an upward trajectory through the offseason into a magical 2024 so far. 

With Hawai’i’s bowl hopes still holding on for dear life with a month remaining to play, here are five players to keep an eye on this weekend as the Rainbow Warriors face the Rebels. 

RB Tylan Hines 

Coming off of his best game of the season, Tylan Hines has once again become one of the most dynamic pieces in the Hawai’i offense. In the Rainbow Warriors’ 21-20 victory at Fresno State last weekend, the 5-foot-7 back totaled 87 yards (21 receiving, 66 rushing) on a season-high 15 touches. 

The return to the backfield was exactly the remedy that Hines needed to get his season going again and show off the talents that have had Hawai’i coaches singing his praises for years. On top of the worry that defenses have to have when he lines up in the backfield, Hines has taken a step forward in the receiving game for UH this year and even drew the key pass interference call late against Fresno State that helped Hawai’i finish a 13-point comeback. 

It’s a great sign for the Hawai’i offense if Hines has regained his footing as the primary ball carrier for among the backs, providing an answer to the season-long question of who to lean on to help the rushing attack. As the run game has gotten going for UH, it is no coincidence that Hines has seen his role increase. 

Hines will need to be a big contributor once again this weekend as Hawai’i faces off against a potent UNLV offense and talented defense. The sophomore has found success against the Rebels in his career: he had nine carries for 63 yards in the 2022 home win over UNLV before tallying nine carries for 43 yards in his final game last year before redshirting due to injury. 

OL Kuao Peihopa 

Speaking of the run game, Kuao Peihopa and the offensive line have their fingerprints all over the uptick in production for the Rainbow Warriors offense. Last time out against Fresno State, Peihopa turned in his best run blocking performance of the year according to PFF, grading out as a 67.9 and the second-best run-blocking offensive lineman that played 91 total snaps. 

The former defensive lineman flipped sides this past offseason after starting all 13 contests on the interior of the defensive trenches in 2023 for Hawai’i. The process has come with plenty of bumps while traveling the learning curve of going from one side of the ball to the other, seeing some clunky performances across the first three games against FBS opponents. 

The aggression and desire are always there for Peihopa, who has showed off some special teams chops this season too with a key block that prevented Lucas Borrow from getting stuffed in his own end zone. The process has been about harnessing it and allowing the strong KS-Kāpalama alum to use his physical tools in the most productive ways for the team. 

The two different ways on Saturday Peihopa will likely be able to make the most difference are with his personal punt protector experience against an aggressive and productive UNLV special teams unit and being able to impose his will in opening running lanes for Tylan Hines and Brayden Schager to help open up the Run-and-Raid offense of the Rainbow Warriors. 

DL Elijah Robinson 

The breakout star of the second half, Elijah Robinson absolutely wrecked the Fresno State offense throughout the game last Saturday. The graduate pass rusher tallied a pair of sacks and 3.0 TFLs against the Bulldogs, the second time this season he reached those benchmarks in a single game for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Robinson has taken off in his second year with the program, much like the rest of the UH defense has this season under coordinator Dennis Thurman. Part of a defense that is allowing just 15.6 points per game while protecting and playing in the islands, Robinson has 3.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss this year for Hawai’i while playing the best football of his career. 

He will have another big test this weekend along with the rest of the UH defense as the Rebels’ high-powered offense comes to town averaging 41.1 points per game, good for the fifth-best mark in the country. Led by a healthy running attack that averages 243 yards per game and one of the most efficient passing attacks in the nation, UNLV presents challenges to defenses in every way. 

If Hawai’i is going to keep the bowl hopes alive another week and supercharge the postseason train for the program, Robinson will need to turn in another productive performance and continue to get home on the passing downs against the Rebels. 

LB Logan Taylor 

One of the biggest reasons that UNLV’s offense has been so spectacular through eight games this year is the ability of the quarterbacks to be productive in both passing and running downs. Even after the departure of opening week starter Matthew Sluka, the Rebels have hit the gas offensively behind the lead of transfer QB Malik-Hajj Williams. 

The 6-foot-1 senior has shown off the ability to be a running threat consistently while keeping opposing defenses honest with the ability to sling the ball downfield to a variety of speedy playmakers. Williams posted 105 net yards rushing against Boise State two weeks ago, becoming the third-ever UNLV quarterback to have multiple games with over 100 yards on the ground in his career. 

Since he took over the starting role at the end of September, Williams has compiled 1,424 yards of total offense (1,017 passing yards, 407 rushing) while adding 17 total touchdowns for the Rebels. It will be vital that Hawai’i is able to keep Williams at bay and Logan Taylor and the linebackers will be key in that effort. 

Taylor was reinserted into the starting lineup for Hawai’i two weeks ago during the big win over Nevada and is one of the surest tacklers on the entire defense for the Rainbow Warriors. He will need to turn in a better performance in coverage than he did last week, but it is his tackling ability that can help Hawai’i most this week with a slick UNLV team. 

S Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen 

As he called it earlier in the week, Saturday serves as a strange little backwards homecoming for Hawai’i safety Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen after the Punahou School alum spent his first two seasons of college football suiting up for UNLV. Now seeing the Rebels as an opponent, Mendiola-Jensen is excited for a chance to play for his home school against his old school. 

He has turned the corner for Hawai’i over the past couple of weeks as well, clicking for his best overall game of the season last weekend on the road against Fresno State. PFF gave Mendiola-Jensen his best grade of the year (78.4 overall) after his five-tackle performance where he was a plus in coverage and did not miss a single tackle against the Bulldogs. 

The return of Peter Manuma next to Mendiola-Jensen also helped the Hawai’i defense, allowing the junior to slide back to his more comfortable and known role after spending the previous couple games helping the entire committee fill the void. That high-level defense will need to keep steady at home against an even stronger UNLV offense with Ricky White III awaiting on the other side. 

Hawaii overcomes miscues to turn back Fresno State, 21-20

Hawaii overcomes miscues to turn back Fresno State, 21-20

Nov 3, 2024

 

The Hawai’i football team celebrates after rallying to stun Fresno State, 21-20. | Photo Credit: Jackson Moore, 247 Sports

Hawaii overcomes miscues to turn back Fresno State, 21-20

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 3, 2024

Every valley has a mountain top.

When the dust settled after 60 minutes of play Saturday night, that’s where the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors found themselves.

Hawai’i overcame multiple self-inflicted mistakes and got two fourth-quarter receiving touchdowns by Nick Cenacle — including the go-ahead score with 15 seconds remaining in regulation — to stun Fresno State, 21-20, in a Mountain West conference game at Valley Children’s Stadium.

Redemption was the theme for Cenacle and the Rainbow Warriors, who improved to 4-5 with their second straight win while keeping their bowl game hopes alive.

After Cenacle lost a fumble with inside of Fresno State territory with 1:56 left in the game, the Hawai’i defense forced a 3-and-out that was punctuated by Jalen Smith’s 14-yard sack on third down. The Rainbow Warriors used all of their three second-half timeouts before getting the ball at the Bulldogs’ 47-yard line with 90 seconds left in the game.

A pivotal pass interference penalty on fourth-and-10 at the Fresno State 18 helped extend the Hawai’i drive to set up Cenacle’s 3-yard go-ahead score from Brayden Schager in the right flat. Kansei Matsuzawa was pure on the PAT to give Hawai’i its first lead of the game since scoring on its opening possession.

“Make a play for the guys,” said Cenacle, who finished with 12 catches for 113 yards and two scores while emerging as Schager’s go-to target after a targeting penalty against Fresno State in the fourth quarter took Pofele Ashlock out of the game.

Cenacle added that he wanted to atone for his fumble earlier in the fourth quarter.

“I had to redeem myself after that. It was like, we’re so close and stuff like that. I just did a boneheaded, bonehead-like mistake. I just had to redeem myself and get it for these guys and I was able to make a play.”

With defensive end Elijah Robinson leading the way with two sacks and three of the Rainbow Warriors’ 10 TFLs, the Hawai’i defense had one of its best performances of the year, holding the Bulldogs (5-4) to just 176 yards of offense while the Hawai’i offense nearly doubled that with 346 yards of their own.

But it was untimely Hawai’i errors that helped Fresno State get on the board.

A fumble recovery by the defense on the Bulldogs’ opening possession was wiped away by a personal foul against Hawai’i. Fresno State promptly tied the game on the next play with a 10-yard TD run.

Hawai’i tried going for it on fourth-and-1 on its next series, but gave up a sack and fumble and turned it over on downs at its own 28-yard line. Fresno State scored eight plays later to take a 13-7 lead with 10:21 remaining in the second quarter — but Cam Stone did come up with a critical block on the extra point that paid dividends in the Rainbow Warriors’ rally.

The third miscue by Hawai’i came late in the third quarter when a red zone trip was derailed by a Phoenix Jackson 89-yard pick-six off a Brayden Schager batted pass to give Fresno State a 20-7 lead.

Then the scales started to tip in the Rainbow Warriors’ favor in the fourth quarter.

Hawai’i converted on fourth down twice on an 87-yard drive on its first possession of the final period of play and cashed in on a 9-yard scoring strike to Cenacle with 9:04 left in regulation to give itself some life.

The Rainbow Warriors got the ball back down 20-14 with 6:58 showing in the clock and got all the way to the Fresno State 22 before Cenacle fumbled. Once the defense stood stall to get the ball back, Hawai’i marched down the field in 10 plays for the game-winning score.

“Unbelievable game. Unbelievable resiliency by our team. Great job by the coaching staff and great job by the players. Holy smokes,” said Hawai’i coach Timmy Chang, who picked up his second road win during his three-year tenure.

“These are the fun games coming in, backs against the wall and games that we must win. We talked about it, we challenged the guys and they just didn’t give up.”

Hawai’i hosts UNLV (6-2) on Saturday at the T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.

Five players to watch for Hawai’i in critical road trip to Fresno State

Five players to watch for Hawai’i in critical road trip to Fresno State

Oct 31, 2024

Brayden Schager excitedly runs off the field during Hawai’i’s 34-13 win over Nevada. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Five players to watch for Hawai’i in critical road trip to Fresno State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 31, 2024

HONOLULU – Still breathing. 

The University of Hawai’i celebrated homecoming weekend in a big way, blowing out the Nevada Wolf Pack (3-6, 0-3 Mountain West) last Saturday, 34-13. It was the first FBS victory of the year for the Rainbow Warriors, who had struggled to get the running game going this season until breaking free for a season-high 242 yards against Nevada. 

Brayden Schager tied a UH quarterback program record with four rushing touchdowns in the win and running back Landon Sims added another 82 yards on the ground with only nine carries for the Rainbow Warriors. Hawai’i (3-5, 1-2 Mountain West) set a season-low in passing attempts (25), turning more to the running game in the Run-N-Shoot by totaling a season-high 42 carries on the ground. 

The win kept the slim bowl hopes of the Rainbow Warriors alive, needing to win the remaining four games to be eligible for the postseason. The next challenge awaiting Hawai’i after finally winning an FBS contest is taking down an opponent on the road as they travel to the continent to face off against Fresno State. 

With another game that is a “must have” and a new chance to snap the road losing streak, here are five players to watch this weekend as Hawai’i visits Fresno State. 

QB Brayden Schager 

The reigning Mountain West offensive player of the week following his four-touchdown performance at home against Nevada, Brayden Schager seems to have his swagger back. After back-to-back physical, rough outings against Boise State and Washington State, Schager came out with a vengeance in the running game as he set a new career high of 120 yards on the ground. 

The senior QB, who will tie program legend Colt Brennan for 2nd-most career starts (35) at the signal caller position for UH with a start on Saturday, began his career against Fresno State in 2021, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 27-24 upset over the 18th-ranked Bulldogs in his first college start. While Fresno State is not the ranked beast that it has been before, the Bulldogs are still one of the top teams in the Mountain West and just dismantled San Jose State last weekend. 

Schager has talked in the past about his desire to win and frustrations with loses over the previous few seasons and has drawn the ire of fans for inconsistency. The Texas-native has long been one of most talented quarterbacks in the Mountain West, but his talent has not always led to wins in crunch time. 

With his back against the wall for a chance to play in a bowl game before his college eligibility trickles out, Schager and his re-found swagger will have a crucial role in any Hawai’i road upset hopes. 

WR Jonah Panoke 

The old man in the crowded wide receiver room, Jonah Panoke started the season slowly in a heavy rotation of pass catchers. Panoke never wavered despite his slow start, continuing to grind in run blocking snaps while getting only 15 targets in the first five games for the Rainbow Warriors. 

The Saint Louis School alum spent five years dealing with a multitude of injuries, never playing more than 280 snaps in a single season for the Rainbow Warriors. This season has been different for Panoke, playing a career-best 295 snaps across only eight games and pacing for nearly 450 total snaps at his current pace. 

That stability has been important for Hawai’i, who have seen the WR room decimated in other ways since spring practices ended with injuries to Pofele Ashlock, Dekel Crowdus and the absence of Steven McBride. After his limited role during the first few games, Panoke has quietly become one of Brayden Schager’s favorite targets and a key to the run blocking on the outside for UH’s offense. 

He had a pair of tough games against SDSU and Boise State with a few drops but has come back strong. Saturday was one of his best games of the year with five catches for 58 yards to lead the Rainbow Warrior receiving corps against Nevada while posting his best run blocking grade (78.9 via PFF) of the year. 

CB Caleb Brown 

Playing across from Cam Stone on the Hawai’i defense can sometimes mean a busy day on the way. The man who has held down that role (when healthy) this year for UH is Caleb “C-Bo” Brown, who has been graded by PFF as the 4th-best defender overall (74.6) for the Rainbow Warriors.  

He has been productive against opponents, ranking 2nd behind Stone for total passes broken up with four this year. After returning last week from an injury, Brown will likely see even more action on Saturday against Fresno State, the 3rd-most productive passing attack in the Mountain West Conference this year.

The Bulldogs average 261.3 yards per game through the air, spreading the ball around to a bevy of talented receivers each game. Mac Delena, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe each have tallied over 380 yards this season for Fresno State and Stone won’t be able to cover all three of them at the same time. 

Luckily, Brown’s excellence can help calm the worries about what happens with the other receivers along with a talented coverage group for Hawai’i. They will need him and the entire group ready to go against an aerial attack that goes to the air 34 times per game. 

S Peter Manuma 

A usual mainstay in the Hawai’i defensive backfield, Peter Manuma missed the first two games of his college career against WSU and Nevada after suffering an injury in the opening snaps against Boise State in Week 7. The safety was back in action at practice this week for the Rainbow Warriors, a good sign in his eventual return to games. 

It has been a replace-by-committee approach for the Hawai’i defense in the two games since, seeing Kona Moore, Meki Pei, Justin Sinclair, Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen and Matagi Thompson all taking turns in Manuma’s spot. The results have been a mixed bag, seeing plenty of struggles against Washington State’s high-powered offensive attack before settling down against Nevada. 

The defense finally broke the no-takeaway streak against the Wolfpack with a pair of turnovers forced, helping the unit look closer to the group graded as the best among all Mountain West teams by Pro Football Focus. Depending on Manuma’s readiness to return to game action, that defense could get even better for a critical stretch run. 

K Kansei Matsuzawa

One of the most famous stories among special teamers in the country, Kansei Matsuzawa learned how to kick from watching YouTube videos and narrowly won the starting kicking job in preseason camp for Hawai’i over Kai Kluth. His first year as the place kicker for the Rainbow Warriors has had a few bumps, making 8-of-11 field goal attempts and just 4-of-6 tries away from the confines of Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. 

Matsuzawa, or anyone who would have filled the role, always was entering a tough place attempting to follow Matthew Shipley’s strong career for the Rainbow Warriors. After the longtime kicker transferred to Arkansas in the offseason, Hawai’i was in a tough spot with little experience remaining on the roster. 

The junior from Japan saw his first miss on the road against Sam Houston and briefly struggled in a two-week stretch against Boise State and Washington State with a pair of miscues from 28 and 39 yards, respectively. Despite the FG misses, Matsuzawa was automatic on both extra point tries in those contests. 

The struggles were in the rearview mirror last week for Matsuzawa, who was perfect on six different kicks (2 FG, 4 PAT) in Hawai’i’s win over Nevada. This week’s matchup on the road almost promises to be a tight contest where kickers might prove to be the difference and if Matsuzawa has gotten his confidence back, he can be a tremendous help in keeping bowl hopes alive for UH one more week.