In an offensive shootout, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa football team pulled away from Air Force, 44-35, on September 27 at Falcon Stadium. With the win, the Rainbow Warriors (4-2, 1-1 Mountain West), picked up their first conference victory of the season while maintaining possession of the Kuter Trophy.
The UH offense exploded for 535 yards and the team’s highest point total in the Timmy Chang Era. Micah Alejado went 35-of-47 for 457 yards and three touchdowns while leading a UH offense that flipped the script on the Falcons. Air Force (1-3, 0-3 MW) entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in time of possession, but UH went a remarkable 14-of-19 on third-down conversions and won the time of possession by nearly 15 minutes.
Amongst UH‘s possessions, was a 24-play, 80-yard drive that ate up more than 12 minutes in the second quarter. The drive resulted in a 31-yard Kansei Matsuzawa field goal that helped put the Rainbow Warriors up 17-7 at halftime. Matsuzawa finished with three field goals on the day to move to a perfect 16-of-16 and set new UH and Mountain West marks for consecutive field goals to start the year.
The Falcons cut the deficit to 17-14 after its opening possession of the second half. The ‘Bows, however, answered back with the next two touchdowns of the game. Cam Barfield’s 27-yard scoring scamper—set up by Matagi Thompson’s first career interception—gave UH its biggest lead of the game, 31-14, early in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons, however, continued to employ a quick strike attack that saw them cut the deficit to just six points twice in the fourth quarter. But Jackson Harris’ 74-yard scoring reception with five minutes left and Kansei Matsuzawa’s 25-yard field goal in the final minute helped keep Air Force at bay for good. Harris was one of 10 different players with a reception on the day and finished with career highs in receptions (7), receiving yards (144) and touchdowns (2).
The Rainbow Warriors will now enjoy a bye before returning to action with a home contest versus Utah State on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
