The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are not a common opponent for Arizona, the teams only meeting six times. Yet when they do play it often leads to memorable games, such as in 1998 when the Wildcats opened the season in Honolulu and Chris McAlister returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to set the tone for the greatest season in school history.
They haven’t all been great memories, however.
Saturday’s matchup with the Rainbow Warriors will
serve as the 2025 season opener for Arizona, but Hawaii has already played. It rallied to beat Stanford 23-20 last Saturday on a walkoff field goal and comes to Tucson seeking its first nonconference road win since 2021.
To better understand the ‘Bows, we reached out to Jeremy Rodrigues of SB Nation sister site Mountain West Connection for some insight and a score prediction. Here are his superb answers to our inferior questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: Hawaii’s Week Zero win over Stanford was hardly a work of art, but it still counts as a win and provides momentum going into the trip to Tucson. What were the developments that stood out the most, both positively and negatively, from the opener?
Jeremy Rodrigues: “From a positive standpoint, I think the emergence of Stanford transfer wide receiver Jackson Harris was notable. Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle make up what might be the Group of Five’s best wide receiver tandem. Adding a third reliable receiving option could really help the passing attack takeoff.
“Negatively, the obvious answer is the injury to Alejado. Adrenaline kicked in and he saved the day, but how did that ankle look Sunday morning? It’s a long season, and Hawaii will need to be smart about Alejado this week.”
Quarterback Micah Alejado threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns and added a 30-yard run that set up Hawaii’s first score, but he also suffered a lower leg injury early in the second half that no doubt impacted his mobility. What made it so he won the starting job, and if he can’t go how different would the offense be with backup Luke Weaver out there?
“Alejado was once a standout quarterback for high school football power Bishop Gormon. Despite his gaudy stats, his recruitment didn’t take off due to his diminutive stature. At the tail end of last season, Alejado came in on relief of an injured Brayden Schager to complete 11 of 12 passes against Utah State in a blowout loss. That effort led to a start in the season finale where he completed 37 of 57 passes for 469 yards and five touchdowns against the New Mexico Lobos in a 38-30 victory, displaying impressive processing skills and accurate passing. It was clear he would be QB1 after that.
“If Luke Weaver is forced into action this week, your guess is as good as mine. Junior college talent is hit and miss at best, I think it’s fair to expect a dropoff on offense if Alejado cannot play.”
Hawaii averaged less than 100 rushing yards per game last season and basically met that average in the opener. Is the run attack just not a priority, or were you expecting more balance?
“Hawaii is running the run-and-shoot offense, an Air Raid scheme of sorts, so the running game isn’t a priority. Cam Barfield appeared to be the more effective back compared to Landon Sims against Stanford. Will he play more this week? Either way, Hawaii’s running game is unlikely to be of concern.”
On the other side of the ball, the Warriors allowed 177 rushing yards and Stanford’s first TD on the ground in 21 games. How worried are you about their ability to contain the run?
“In general, I think Hawaii will be okay against the run come Mountain West play, but it was hard to not notice how small Hawaii looked up front in comparison to Stanford’s offensive line. Hawaii has a veteran linebacking corps, but Jalen Smith and Jamih Otis aren’t big players either. Ever since Dennis Thurman took over as defensive coordinator, Hawaii’s defense has rallied to the ball and tackles well, but the front seven is undersized, no running away from that fact. It could certainly be a problem on Saturday.”
Hawaii has a 29-year-old Australian freshman punter and a Japanese kicker who learned his trade via YouTube. Are these just wacky anomalies or is this just how hard it is to recruit players to play football on the islands?
“In this particular case, mostly wacky stories for the special teamers. Hawaii always faces challenges in recruiting, but I think UH has less room to complain about the transfer portal compared to other Group of Five programs. For example, Ka’eo Akana, a defensive end for the Warriors, was the top recruit in the state of Hawaii only a few years ago. 4-star prospect, Utah bound. Things didn’t work out with the Utes, he retreated back to his home on Oahu. Hawaii takes in a player that otherwise would have never played for UH.
“It’s just part of the game these days for Group of Five schools to get whupped by transfers, Hawaii included, but all considered Timmy Chang has done a solid job of convincing island talent to stay home and return home.”
Prediction time. Does Arizona get revenge for the last meeting with Hawaii, back in 2019, or do the ‘Bows earn their first non-home win over a power-conference school since 2009? Give us a score pick.
“The conclusion of that 2019 opener was bananas. Unknowingly the last season at Aloha Stadium with fans in the stands, too. I’m going to cheat a little here and make two predictions, because I think Alejado’s injury status makes a big difference.
Some realities with Hawaii football are eternal. The logistics and wear and tear of traveling that far go both ways and lead to radically different results. I can recall in 2004 Hawaii losing 69-3 to Boise State in Boise, and then less than 12 months later pushing that same program to overtime in Honolulu. Buff at home, nerfed on the road. We know the drill, all road games are immense challenges for Hawaii football, especially against Power Four opposition.
“With that in mind, I think a healthy Alejado can help Hawaii beat the spread and walk away with a respectable 11-point loss. Without him, I fear this will be a humbling evening. Hawaii is at the mercy of Arizona’s sharpness in the opener. Wildcats 31-20 with an effective Alejado, Wildcats 38-13 if Weaver is forced into action.”
