MĀNOA — As UNLV standout running back Jet Thomas ran away for a 50-yard touchdown with 4:51 left, reality set in for the University of Hawai‘i football team and its fans, many of whom left the premises at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex after Thomas' backbreaking score: a season that began with so much promise is suddenly off to an 0-2 start for the Rainbow Warriors.
A stagnant effort for Hawai‘i's offense, combined with a trio of rushing scores for UNLV, kept the Golden Pineapple trophy in the arms of the Rebels for the fourth straight year in a 21-6 victory for the visitors.
"Things haven't gone our way right now," Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang said plainly after the game. "I gotta get better at doing real things. Our coaches gotta find a way, and we gotta find a way to get those corrections done. But it really starts with me."
Quarterback Jackson Arnold had a pair of rushing touchdown for the Rebels (1-1) in each of the first two quarters, finishing with 89 rushing yards on 16 carries. Meanwhile, Thomas' clinching score beefed up a final statline that included 143 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Hawai‘i star quarterback Micah Alejado was a ghastly 2-for-8 after one quarter and 6-for-20 at halftime, but the Rainbow Warriors trailed just 14-3 at the break.
After UH kicker Sean Olvera-Harle missed a 41-yard field goal on the team's first possession of the second half, a pair of opportunities to score touchdowns evaded the Rainbow Warriors at the end of the third quarter. Following a timeout on second-and-goal at the 15 yard line, Alejado delivered a pass that fell out of Blaze Kamoku's arms.
After a hobbled Alejado exited the next play on a non-contact injury, backup quarterback Bjorn Jurgensen appeared to throw a touchdown to Audric Harris, but the score was reversed after further review from the Mountain West officiating crew. The 'Bows settled for a 33-yard field goal from Olvera-Harle, who finished 2-for-3 for the day.
Another crucial juncture in which Hawai‘i's offense came up empty was in the fourth quarter when the 'Bows faced fourth-and-1 at the UNLV 11 but were stopped short on a Sitani Mikaele run with 9:53 remaining.
Alejado, who finished 17-for-41 with 176 yards, threw his first interception of the season following Thomas' score on a desperation deep ball. Alejado, who was sacked five times, also dealt with a combination of cramping and leg discomfort.
"He was a warrior. I mean, he's a competitor," Chang said of his quarterback. "He's trying to make plays with his legs. He's trying to distribute the ball as best as he can, and trying to help him is my thing. Trying to put him in the right position, trying to get the receivers in the right position. O-line, run-game wise, running backs, just trying to help everybody just do their jobs better, and we'll go back and watch the film. But Micah is a warrior, and he's trying to make plays happen."
DeVon Rice was both Hawai‘i's leading rusher and receiver on Saturday, carrying the ball 15 times for 73 yards to go with four receptions for 27 yards.
Roosevelt alumnus Kamuela Ka‘aihue had nine tackles and half a tackle for loss for the Rebels, while Jamih Otis had a team-high 12 tackles for the Rainbow Warriors.
"I think everything is still in front of us," Otis said. "Obviously, it's not going how we wanted to, but it's going how God wants it to, so we trust God. ... We're just keeping faith in God and keeping the positive energy up in the facility. At the end of the day, I love my brothers regardless. There's nothing they can do on the field that would make me change the way I love them. That's just us as a team. Everybody's a brother. It's a brotherhood. Brothers in Christ, and God's in the middle of everything."
Next up for Hawai‘i is another home contest against New Mexico State on Sept. 12, with kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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