MĀNOA — As the University of Hawai‘i's offensive line left Micah Alejado scrambling one last time, the left-handed quarterback eluded San Jose State's defense for a final heave from near midfield.
Alejado's desperation throw floated in the Mānoa air for approximately four seconds. If one of four Rainbow Warriors positioned in the end zone were to catch it, all the ugliness of the team's lack of offensive execution would have been temporarily erased.
It was not to be. The throw caromed off Kejuan Bullard Jr.'s hands, the final play of a 20-16 loss for the Rainbow Warriors. Hawai‘i fell to 1-4 in the 2026 season, its Mountain West championship hopes taking an early fatal blow at 0-3 in conference play.
Despite 12 penalties for 85 yards, most of which were committed by its offensive line, UH held on to a slim chance for victory until the very end. As San Jose State's team stormed the field to collect the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy for the sixth consecutive matchup, many of Hawai‘i's players stood still on the field dejected and in disbelief.
"Obviously, we're not in the best place right now as a team," Alejado said after the game. His return after a 9-4 season in 2025 was the basis of a favorable outlook for the Rainbow Warriors heading into 2026. "You look at our schedule and don't expect to come out 1-4, whatever it is. For the team, it's obviously tough, but I guess it's football."
Hawai‘i had a chance to take an early lead in the first quarter, but a Cam Barfield handoff on fourth and inches was ruled short at the San Jose State 4 with 1:52 left in the first quarter. An Alejado interception set up San Jose State's first touchdown of the day, a 10-yard pass from former UH backup quarterback Luke Weaver to Campbell alum Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole with 12:01 left in the second quarter. Weaver's throw was nearly intercepted by Matagi Thompson; instead, Kopa-Kaawalauole had a clear path to the end zone after securing the catch.
San Jose State doubled its lead after Weaver found a wide open Carson Clark for 12 yards with 6:08 left in the second quarter. After seeing his team execute the play, SJSU offensive coordinator and former UH player and coach Craig Stutzmann was animated in his celebration. The 14-0 lead was an advantage the Spartans carried into the half.
San Jose State offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann celebrates his team's second touchdown of the day in a 20-16 win over Hawai‘i. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
San Jose State quarterback and former UH backup Luke Weaver delivers his second touchdown of the day against the Rainbow Warriors. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
A dejected Micah Alejado fielded questions following the team's 20-16 loss to San Jose State, a death blow to the team's Mountain West championship hopes. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff)
Hawai‘i showed signs of life in the second half, producing three straight scores and two stops. Yet the 'Bows still trailed 14-13 after that sequence, as two of those point-producing plays were Sean Olvera-Harle field goals, the other a 58-yard touchdown pass from Alejado to Devin Alves.
Alves' score was the final touchdown of the game, as San Jose State's Trajan Sinatra hit two field goals to pad its lead, including a 30-yarder with 1:15 left.
Following a 27-yard return by Blaze Kamoku, Hawai‘i had one minute and eight seconds with no timeouts to score, starting from its own 29. Two short passes to Barfield, as well as a Alejado rush up the middle, caused the 'Bows to spike the ball three times in their final possession. The 'Bows did not attempt a deep pass on their final possession until the failed Hail Mary. The Rainbow Warriors emulate the two-minute drill often during practices but ultimately weren't able to get the score they needed on Saturday.
"It'll be difficult if you don't get the ball out of bounds. You got to stop the clock somewhere, somehow," Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang said. "There's kill situations. There's things that we do during practice that get you ready for it. But it's a difficult situation, definitely on our side. But I thought they executed as well as they could."
In the victory over his former team, Weaver completed 19 of his 28 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Alejado was 23-for-35 with 341 yards, one touchdown and a pair of picks.
Weaver, who showed no ill will towards the Rainbow Warriors in the wake of his departure, was seen hugging many of his former Hawai‘i teammates following the game.
Next up for the Rainbow Warriors is a road contest at Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. HST, and the game will be televised nationally on FS1.
"It is really just one day at a time," Chang said of his team's outlook. "You clean up these little things, regardless of who's in there, who's playing, it comes down to to execution, discipline, all the things that we build our program off of. These are the things that we just got to truly understand. There's beating them up, but you know, they feel down already. So the message is how do we get better? How do we stop the things that hurt us?"
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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