Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego State has dominated a series with Hawaii that dates back five decades to when both schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference. SDSU defeated Hawaii 27-24 last season at Snapdragon Stadium, boosting the Aztecs to 26-11-2 in the all-time series. It includes five straight victories, 11 wins in the past 13 games and 20 wins in 24 meetings. With SDSU’s move next season to the reconstituted Pac-12, this was to be the last get-together with the Rainbow Warriors. Not to worry. On Monday, the Aztecs announced a home-and-home nonconference series with Hawaii. SDSU will host the Rainbow Warriors in 2028 and travel to Honolulu in 2029. SDSU (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) is a 7 1/2-point favorite against Hawaii (6-3, 3-2 MW) for Saturday’s game at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. About the Rainbow Warriors Timmy Chang, who set national passing records at Hawaii two decades ago, returned to the program three years ago as head coach. It hasn’t been easy. The Rainbow Warriors play in a 15,000-seat on-campus facility more on par with high schools than colleges. This is the fifth season playing in their “temporary” home since Aloha Stadium was condemned after the 2020 season. But the timetable for a new Aloha Stadium keeps getting pushed further into the future (now 2029) as plans evolve and funding proposals change. The latest proposal guarantees 22,500 seats. The Rainbows have shown improvement under Chang, going 3-10, 5-8 and 5-7 in his first three seasons before a breakthrough this year. The Rainbows got off to a 3-1 start in nonconference play, opening the season with a 23-20 home win over Stanford. They also defeated Sam Houston State 37-20 and Portland State 23-2 at home. Their lone loss came at Arizona, 40-6. Hawaii opened Mountain West play with a home loss to Fresno State (23-21). The Rainbows rebounded with a road win against Air Force (44-35), a home win over Utah State (44-36) and the road win against the Rams. Hawaii became bowl eligible two weeks ago with its sixth victory of the season, then suffered its second conference loss last week at San Jose State (45-38). A third loss this week against the Aztecs would all but end Hawaii’s hopes of reaching the Mountain West championship game. Hawaii is expected to stay home in the postseason and play in the Hawaii Bowl. The offense Hawaii is averaging 29.7 points a game (60th among 136 FBS teams) with the nation’s seventh-ranked passing attack averaging 307.6 yards a game. The Rainbows have been effective in the red zone, scoring on 97% of their possessions inside the 20-yard line. Only four teams in the nation have been better. Freshman quarterback Micah Alejado (199-for-302, 2,124 yards, 15 TD/6 INT) has been a revelation. “He does a really good job extending plays,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “He does a really good job, if you give him some pretty static looks, of knowing where he wants to go with the ball and getting it out of his hands quickly. “He can extend off-script, and he does an elite job of keeping his eyes downfield. And pressure doesn’t faze him at all. … He’s used to seeing people in his face and being comfortable in uncomfortable situations and still dropping dimes all over the yard.” Alejado has several reliable pass catchers, led by wide receivers Pofele Ashlock (55 catches, 598 yards, 6 TDs), Jackson Harris (35-601, 7 TDs) and running back Landon Sims (30-231, 2 TDs). Sims also leads the running game, posting 439 yards and three scores on the ground. Hawaii hasn’t done a particularly good job of protecting the ball. The Rainbows’ 15 turnovers rank 116th in the country. The defense Hawaii is allowing 26.6 points a game (80th). The Rainbows are most effective against the run, limiting teams to 132.2 yards a game (47th), but also good at pressuring the quarterback. Defensive linemen Jackie Johnson III and De’Jon Benton have six and four sacks, respectively. “This defensive front that we’re about to go against is top 10 in the country in generating pass rush without pressure, without any sort of blitzes,” Lewis said. Hawaii’s leading tacklers are linebacker Jamih Otis (49 tackles, 4 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles) and defensive backs Peter Manuma (47 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and Ellijah Palmer (40 tackles, 6 pass breakups). The Rainbows have eight takeaways this season, which ranks 96th in the nation. Hawaii’s five interceptions have been spread among five different players. Did you know? On those occasions when Hawaii’s offense stalls, the Rainbows can call on one of the nation’s best kickers to provide some points. Kansei Matsuzawa — nickname: “Tokyo Toe” — is 21-for-21 on field goals this season with a long of 52 yards. Matsuzawa, 26, was a soccer player growing up in Tokyo. He became interested in kicking five years ago when he saw his first NFL game while visiting the U.S, and he learned the craft by watching YouTube videos. San Diego State (7-1, 4-0) vs. Hawaii (6-3, 3-2) When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, Honolulu TV: Spectrum Sportsnet/Mountain West Network
