HAWAII vs. COLORADO ST.
RWP: Rainbow Warrior Perspective
Location: Ft. Collins, Colorado (Canvas Stadium)
Date/Time: Saturday, October 18th at 1:00 p.m. (Hawaii Time)
Television: Spectrum Sports
Streaming: For fans on the mainland,
the game should be free on the Mountain West app. Here are the instructions.
Radio: ESPN Honolulu
Head-to-Head: Colorado State leads the series 16-12 all-time. The first meeting between these two teams came all the way back in 1925 before taking a near 40-year break. From 1989-2017, the teams played eleven times across the old WAC and new Mountain West, Hawaii only winning once. Since then it’s been a back-and-forth affair. Timmy Chang bested his mentor Jay Norvell in the most recent game in the series, a 27-24 win in 2023.
Three things to look for:
1. Now witness the power of this fully operational battle station
Timmy Chang’s Rainbow Warrior offense exploded against Utah State this past Saturday, scorching the Aggies for 546 total yards. It felt like a vintage run-and-shoot performance, quarterback Micah Alejado hitting all the benchmarks. 400+ passing yards, check. 50+ passing attempts, check. Two receivers over 100+ receiving yards, check. A running game that picks its moments to surprise, check.
What was the difference on Saturday? It was likely multiple things, but one in particular stood out: the health of the receiver unit. Jackson Harris led the team with 117 receiving yards. Pofele Ashlock scored three times. The blessed sight of Nick Cenacle returning to action. In the preseason, Hawaii fans were cautiously optimistic about what on paper looked like possibly the Mountain West’s best receiving corps. But injuries to all three receivers left the Warriors missing players, or playing hobbled athletes.
Finally, knock on wood, Hawaii has its arsenal available. The first output? A shocking beatdown of Utah State. Is Hawaii’s offense about to put the Mountain West on notice?
2. Saved by the Bulldogs
Hawaii makes yet another long trip to the Mountain Time Zone, this time to Canvas Stadium in Ft. Collins. There’s no nice way to put this: leading up to last week’s Friday evening contest against Fresno State, head coach Jay Norvell was on the hottest of seats. A loss could very well have resulted in his firing. The Rams opened the season with a semi-respectable loss to Washington, but then needed a controversial conclusion to narrowly defeat FCS Northern Colorado.
CSU then followed that up with losses to UTSA and Washington State, the offense struggling in both. A blowout loss to San Diego State (who quietly is the highest ranked MWC team in SP+) had fans on edge. Is it time to move on from Norvell?
Then this past Friday happened. Fresno State, yes the same Bulldogs that beat Hawaii at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex was destroyed by Colorado State 49-21. The Bulldogs out-gained the Rams by 100+ yards, but timely turnovers led to the most eye-opening scoreline of the early Mountain West season. Has Norvell temporarily held off the pink slip? Or is this a turning point for the Rams?
Quarterback Jackson Brousseau has replaced Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, and while he isn’t lighting up the world, he’s brought balance to the Rams offense. Lloyd Avant and Justin Marshall spearhead the running game. This unit is still not running up the scoreboard like fans expected when Norvell took over, but at least they aren’t hemorrhaging turnovers anymore.
Linebacker Owen Long will be everywhere all at once, the Rams defense is a strong unit not to blame for this season’s struggles. In fact, it might be the best defense Hawaii has seen to date despite the injuries the Rams have experienced. This will be a tough task for Hawaii at elevation.
3. Master vs. apprentice
There is something to be said for the timing of this mid-October clash between Hawaii and Colorado State. Just as Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell begins to feel the pressure from fans and boosters that expect more considering the investment made into football, his protege Timmy Chang is starting to experience a breakout at Hawaii.
Chang coached under Norvell at Nevada from 2017-2021, coaching either receivers or tight ends. Chang was set to join Norevell at Colorado State before the Hawaii job became available in controversial fashion. Chang has since taken his beatings, a brutal season in 2022 followed up by back-to-back 5-7 seasons in 2023 and 2024. Now, Chang sits at 5-2 this fall heading into this battle vs. his mentor.
Is Norvell set to teach Chang another lesson? Or in some cruel twist of fate, will Chang hammer another nail in the coffin for Norvell? Quite the subplot for Saturday.
Prediction:
Colorado State opened as a slight favorite on FanDuel and is a 2.5-point favorite as of this post. The over/under is at 53.5, a close game anticipated. The Rams feature one of the best defenses the Warriors have faced this season, but also one of the worst offenses Hawaii has played this season.
The mainland games are forever the boogeyman of Hawaii football, never to be underestimated. Jay Norvell and his program continue to play with their backs against the wall, a cornered animal. Hawaii is a box of chocolates away from home. I have a feeling some unexpected developments occur in this one, I’m just not totally sure what.
Alejado and his three-headed monster receiving crew move the ball, but Colorado State’s running attack begins to weigh on UH at elevation in the second half. We play extra football and the Tokyo Toe gets the job done. Give me Rainbow Warriors 30, Rams 27 OT.
