After a shocking 1-6 start to its 2026 season, all the University of Hawai‘i football team wanted was an opportunity to play meaningful games in November.
Following consecutive victories on the road, the Rainbow Warriors have set themselves up for a true game of consequence on Saturday when Mountain West Conference newcomer North Dakota State comes to the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex on Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
At 3-6 overall and 2-4 in Mountain West games, Hawai‘i needs to win out in order to achieve bowl eligibility. With three games left, North Dakota State will be its toughest test remaining in its pursuit of its second consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Timmy Chang.
As a true FCS powerhouse, the Bison won 10 national championships, all of which came after 2011. Wanting to raise the profile of the program, the school made the transition to FBS play, paying the Mountain West a $12.5 million entrance fee in order to become an affiliate member of the conference.
Right away, North Dakota State has established itself as a Mountain West contender with a mark of 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference games thus far. Its two losses have been by a combined 12 points to UNLV and New Mexico. The Bison are looking to stay in the Mountain West championship game race, though a loss on Saturday would muddle their place near the top of the standings.
When the Bison and Rainbow Warriors collide for the first time in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday night, both teams expect to play with the intensity that comes with the feeling that each team has everything to play for.
"It's a great opportunity, a great opponent that's coming in," Chang said. "We're going to be tested physically, mentally. It's a good football team. For us, we're just focused on our end, focused on the game plan, and getting ready to execute and and go out there in front of a sold-out crowd and have some fun."
UH has already announced that there are no tickets remaining at the 15,194-seat Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, the penultimate home game on the regular season schedule and first home game since Oct. 17. The school has deemed the game a "blackout," where the Rainbow Warriors will wear black from head to toe and fans are encouraged to do the same.
"I'm glad to be back home, man. It's too much traveling for me," linebacker Jamih Otis joked. "The plane ride is good for the road trips and the vibes. But I'm glad to be back home, back in the city. I expect it to be packed out. It's nothing like playing at home. The love of your family and friends, seeing everybody, all the kids coming out. I think for us, we just feed off that. When we play at home, we're playing for something way bigger than ourselves —playing for the whole state."
While North Dakota State was a dominant force at the FCS level, the sense around the Rainbow Warriors is a consensus of confidence that they can win the war of attrition against a Bison program that's playing a full FBS schedule for the first time. In this instance, it also includes a trip nearly 4,000 miles from Fargo to Honolulu.
"They got to come out here to our own backyard, and I'll tell you this — 10 hours [on a flight], your back will be aching," Hawai‘i slotback Titan Lacaden says. "It's not no easy slate."
The same traits that allowed North Dakota State to become an FCS dynasty have also translated to the FBS level. Hawai‘i players and coaches on both sides of the ball have praised NDSU's discipline and execution in key situations. In 2026, the Bison also have an elite defense that allows just 11.89 points per game, good for second best in the entire country.
"Definitely a bigger unit, bigger group of guys. Pretty nasty, no lie," Lacaden said. "Like I said, these guys are big. These guys are super physical."
Following a breakout performance in which he hauled in 11 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in a 17-14 win at UTEP, Lacaden was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week.
Saturday was a special weekend in the Lacaden household. In addition to Titan's performance, father Frank is on the coaching staff at Kapolei, which defeated Mililani for the school's first OIA Open Division football title in school history shortly after the UH game went final. On Friday night, the Hurricanes will take on Kahuku in the state semifinals. Then on Saturday, generations of the Lacaden family will be in Mānoa to cheer on the Rainbow Warriors.
"He did catch a glimpse [of the UTEP game]," Titan Lacaden said of Frank Lacaden. "He had a game, but he did catch a glimpse. He watched my first touchdown, and eventually had to put the phone away. But I was able to catch the back end of his game, and we're just happy, and I'm happy for him. Our family celebrates us both, and it's never a one man kind of thing. It's always a 'we' thing, and I'm happy that he's able to teach the next generation.
"Football is definitely his thing, it's my thing, it's our family's thing. It's something that doesn't just teach us just about the sport — it teaches us about life. He's just continuing that to teach other student-athletes. ... For him to be able to do that, I'm just happy, and he reciprocates that back to me. He's proud to see me play the sport. He's just happy for me, as well."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
