In what was unquestionably the defensive play of the season for the University of Hawai‘i football season thus far, safety Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen says he was just acting on instinct.
With six minutes left and Stanford driving deep in Hawai‘i territory, Mendiola-Jensen swooped in and got vertical to intercept a Ben Gulbranson pass attempt, allowing the Rainbow Warriors to win 23-20 on consecutive field goal drives rather than let Stanford build an insurmountable two-possession lead late.
"Coach told me to just let it rip. Play aggressive. I saw my feet, and kind of went blank for a little bit and ended up making a play," Mendiola-Jensen said following a recent team practice. "But at the end of the day, I feel like it was an all-around effort. I think we all made big plays."
Hawai‘i's Week 0 victory over Stanford turned out to serve as the ultimate showcase for the Rainbow Warrior program. The 'Bows and Cardinal were the only college game being shown at the time of Kansei Matsuzawa's game-winning field goal, only adding to the national exposure that the CBS broadcast provided.
Viewers across the college football world became enamored with Matsuzawa's story, as well as the powerful right leg of 29-year-old freshman punter Billy Gowers. The grit of quarterback Micah Alejado, who gutted out the second half on an injured ankle, also turned heads across the country.
On Monday, the Rainbow Warriors swept the Mountain West's weekly awards despite conference counterparts UNLV and Fresno State also taking the field over the weekend. Alejado was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Matsuzawa was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Meanwhile, Mendiola-Jensen was named the Defensive Player of the Week after logging four tackles, one interception and two pass breakups, one of which was a dropped potential pick-6. Pro Football Focus, which specializes in football analytics, gave Mendiola-Jensen a game grade of 90.0 against Stanford, the highest grade for an FBS player in Week 0.
"I don't even know what the difficultly was, because I kind of went blind in that moment," Mendiola-Jensen said of his game-saving interception. "I just saw the quarterback get his arm back and then somehow ended up with the ball."
Mendiola-Jensen, a Pearl City native, was a standout cornerback for Punahou. With rangy size and athleticism at 6-foot-1, he chose UNLV over a dozen Division I offers. The Rebels moved him to receiver early on in his time in Las Vegas.
"As a young kid, I just grew up wanting to play football. When I was playing at 10 years old, to be honest, I just wanted to be on the field, make an impact on the team, and add value. And that was where I was able to add value," Mendiola-Jensen recalled.
UNLV moved Mendiola-Jensen back to defensive back as a sophomore. Following the season, he decided to return home to the University of Hawai‘i as a walk-on in 2023.
"There's no place like home. Hawai‘i raised me as a little kid. Shoot, I lived here all my life," said Mendiola-Jensen, whose cousins Kawika, Noah and Kamuela Borden played for the Rainbow Warriors in the past. "I have a legacy through here, and I'm able to continue their legacy. Basically, play for the state, play for something more than us."
Mendiola-Jensen returned home hungry to play in 2023 and began to earn playing time despite his walk-on status. A broken collarbone limited him to three games, but he was able to preserve a redshirt and eventually earned a scholarship.
In 2024, Mendiola-Jensen returned to full health and appeared in all 12 games for the Rainbow Warriors, starting nine at safety. Competition is rampant within the team during spring ball and fall camp, and Mendiola-Jensen had to earn his starting spot at free safety again.
"Can't think of a guy any more deserving, especially the offseason he's had, the ups and downs of last season," UH safeties coach Nick Locher said. "The guy really challenged himself in the offseason, made phenomenal improvements, and he got what he deserved (against Stanford).
"Was the game perfect? No, but he knows that. And there's some stuff we got to clean up, but overall, I thought he played really well. His maturity and his emotional control and leadership, all that stuff is great. Hopefully we can continue to get better, and he'll have a great year for us."
Another uniquely Hawai‘i part of UH's nationally televised game was when Mendiola-Jensen and Peter Manuma, the team's two starting safeties, both had hair flowing out of their helmets, as did backup safety Matagi Thompson, who also saw playing time on Saturday. The hair is an attribute head coach Timmy Chang noticed among his teammates during his playing days and one he certainly embraces among his own players.
"I actually saw a comment earlier on (social media app) X talking about the Hawai‘i safety room has the best hair, and that's pretty funny," Mendiola-Jensen said. "We're just a bunch of local boys. That's just how we rock. Started with Leonard Peters and all those guys before, and now we're just doing it."
Added Locher, a native of Georgia: "A lot of times, the safeties set the mentality for your defense and what your what your mindset is going to be, what your preparation is going to look like. The fact that pretty much all the (safeties) that played in the game were from Hawai‘i is something special for this team and this state and this program.
"It's been great, especially for me not being local and having guys who truly understand what this state's about, truly understand what coach Chang wants to do with the program. I've been very fortunate, and it's been a blessing to coach these guys."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
