Already bowl-eligible and still in the hunt for a Mountain West championship, the University of Hawai‘i football team will look to make another statement when it hosts conference leader San Diego State on Saturday night at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
The Rainbow Warriors (6-3, 3-2 MW) enter the matchup aiming to bounce back from a 45-38 loss at San José State last week. Despite trailing by 17 at halftime, UH mounted a comeback behind an explosive offense that totaled 496 yards, including 401 through the air.
Over the past four games, Hawai‘i has averaged 39.3 points, 393 passing yards, and 503 total yards per game. Quarterback Micah Alejado has surpassed 300 passing yards and thrown at least three touchdowns in each of those contests. Placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa remains tied for the school’s single-season record with 21 made field goals, while his 22 consecutive makes rank second nationally.
Meanwhile, San Diego State (7-1, 4-0 MW) continues to set the standard in the conference. The Aztecs boast the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense (10.0 ppg) and have posted three shutouts this season. They rank among the top 10 nationally in total, passing, and rushing defense. SDSU has won 11 of the last 13 meetings between the two programs.
The game, which has been sold out for more than a week, is expected to deliver one of the most electric atmospheres of the season.
“We love playing at home in front of a sold-out crowd,” said senior linebacker Jalen Smith. “We love the energy the fans bring. We’re going to go out there, play hard, and enjoy the moment.”
Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold emphasized the significance of the matchup, both for the program and its supporters.
“When we went into the portal, one of our selling points was that we were going to compete for a Mountain West Championship,” Reinebold said. “Now we’re in that position. We told the players the fans would fall back in love with this program when we started winning, and that’s happening. No better time to play your best football than against the best team in the league in front of a sold-out stadium.”
Head coach Timmy Chang echoed that excitement.
“I’m excited for our guys, our school, and our state,” Chang said. “Everybody across the country will get to watch this one. San Diego State is playing great football right now, and we’ve got a great opportunity to go out there and compete.”
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. HT and will air live on Spectrum Sports, with radio coverage on ESPN Honolulu.
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