The latest edition of Hawaii Football Final, a Hawaii Sports 2Night production, broke down the Rainbow Warriors’ heartbreaking conference-opening loss to Fresno State while looking ahead to a road trip against Air Force.
Hosted by KHON2 Sports Director Rob DeMello with analysis from former University of Hawaii player and coach, and 11-year NFL veteran Rich Miano, the program premiered Sunday at 7 p.m. on KHON+, with a rebroadcast scheduled for Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on KHON2.
Quarterback Micah Alejado returned to the starting lineup for the first time in three weeks after recovering from a foot injury, but Hawaii’s defense initially set the tone. Dejon Benton forced a strip-sack safety and Jamih Otis returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown to put the Warriors in front early.
Kansei Matsuzawa continued his standout season, connecting on two field goals, including a career-long 52-yarder, to give Hawaii a 15-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Turnovers, however, proved costly. Alejado threw three interceptions, two of them in the final quarter, including one returned 59 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six put Fresno State up by eight points.
Hawaii closed the gap with a late touchdown pass to Blaze Kamoku with 10 seconds remaining, but the ensuing two-point attempt fell short, sealing a 23-21 loss.
The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West play.
Hawaii Football Final is available on-demand via KHON+ on Apple TV, Roku and Firestick.