HONOLULU – Send the seniors off strong – well, sort of send them off.
The University of Hawai’i football team closed the regular season on a high note Saturday, reclaiming possession of the Paniolo Trophy for the first time since 2021 with a 27-7 drubbing of the University of Wyoming (4-8, 2-6 Mountain West) on Senior Night.
Running back Cam Barfield enjoyed a solid showing with 94 yards of offense (career-high 77 yards rushing, 17 yards receiving) to go with the second multi-TD game of his career as the junior snagged a score and ran in another.
It marked the eighth straight year that Hawai’i (8-4, 5-3 Mountain West) sent off seniors with a victory in the regular season finale, though UH still has another game to play after clinching bowl eligibility for the first time under HC Timmy Chang.
Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado finished off a historic freshman campaign for UH, breaking his own head coach’s record for most TD passes in a freshman season (19) with his 20th and 21st passing scores of 2025. The southpaw racked up 289 passing yards while completing 17-of-24 passes in the win but did throw his ninth interception of the year on the Rainbow Warriors’ opening drive.
Sophomore WR Jackson Harris set a new season-high for all UH receivers with 153 yards on just four receptions, hauling in his 12th touchdown as a Rainbow Warrior in the second quarter as Alejado tossed a dime for a 78-yard catch-and-run score.
After an Alejado pick-six put the Rainbow Warriors behind early, the lefty signal caller and company quickly responded with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive to tie the game at 7 with 3:52 to play in the opening quarter as Barfield found paydirt on a 19-yard pass from his fellow Bishop Gorman product.
Hawai’i added on in the second quarter as Kansei Matsuzawa connected on a field goal from 47 yards out before the 78-yard Harris house call made it 17-7 in favor of the hosts with 4:47 remaining in the first half.
Matsuzawa’s second 47-yard kick tied the all-time FBS record set in 1982 by Washington’s Chuck Nelson for consecutive FG makes to begin a season (25), eliciting an extra cheer from the fans inside the sold-out Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex as the Rainbow Warriors took a 20-7 lead into the locker room.
Barfield put the bow on top of a celebratory night for the Rainbow Warriors to begin the third quarter, breaking ankles on the way to a career-long 41-yard rushing TD to cap off the 20-point win early for Hawai’i.
The defense bounced back in a big way after a rough showing against UNLV last weekend, holding a visiting opponent without an offensive TD for the third time this season while completely shutting out the Cowboys offense. The unit also racked up season highs with 10 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and seven punts forced.
Senior DB Jaheim Wilson-Jones had his own spotlight moment, coming up with an impressive diving interception in the fourth quarter for his first career pick.
Seniors De’Jon Benton and Jackie Johnson III each had 0.5 sacks to improve upon their team-leading totals while senior LB Jalen Smith tallied his first sack of the year for the Rainbow Warriors.
Peter Manuma finished one tackle shy of his career high as the senior safety racked up a team-best 11 tackles in his final regular season game. The Campbell alum also added 1.5 TFLs and a PBU, flying all over the field to make an impact for UH.
Freshman QB Mason Drube finished the night completing 17-of-32 passes for 179 yards and an interception in the loss for Wyoming. Senior TE John Michael Gyllenborg led the way in the receiving department for the Cowboys, hauling in six passes for 39 yards in his final college game.
Following the win, Hawai’i celebrated 26 seniors that played their final home regular season game. After racking up the program’s first 8+ win season since 2019 and tying a program best 5-3 finish in Mountain West play, the Rainbow Warriors are a hot candidate for a return to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.
Regardless of where the final game of 2025 is for Hawai’i, the season finished a magical transformation in Mānoa under Timmy Chang that was spearheaded by the graduating group of 26.
The islands showed appreciation for that graduating 26 on Saturday night, saying mahalo for the memories that will never fade.
But maybe just a few more on December 24, if that’s not too much to ask?
