After a 40-6 thrashing in Tucson at the hands of the University of Arizona Wildcats, the University of Hawaiʻi football team looks to rebound in a three-game homestand at the Clarence T.C Ching Athletics Complex, starting with the Sam Houston State Bearkats.
The Rainbow Warriors previously visited the Bearkats last season in Huntsville, falling 31-13. Sam Houston State racked up 422 total offensive yards on Hawaiʻi. The vast majority of the offensive production came from running back Jay Ducker, who rushed for 148 yards and is now at the University of Temple.
Head Coach Timmy Chang looks for a different result in 2025.
As the Rainbow Warriors prepare for the third game of the season, a lot of questions surround the quarterback position heading into the three-game home stint. Redshirt freshman quarterback Micah Alejado re-injured the leg he initially hurt in Week 0 against Stanford and is officially listed as a “game-time decision.” He did not participate in practice this week, according to Head Coach Timmy Chang via Rob DeMello
“Kid’s a warrior. He’s a fighter. If he has an opportunity to play, we would love for him to play,” Chang said.
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver is prepared to step in if needed against the Bearkats. The two-time Valley Conference MVP at Modesto Junior College threw for 5,332 yards and 44 touchdowns in two seasons at starting quarterback.
“Luke comes from a background of winning football, that’s what really drew him to us first,” Chang said. “He will be getting a lot of the reps this week.”
Weaver is next in line if Alejado can’t go.
“Same thing as last week: prepare like a starter and be ready for anything,” Weaver said following Tuesday’s practice.
Weaver got some action in under center against Arizona, going 8-for-16 throwing for 66 yards and two picks.
“Taking care of the ball is my biggest thing,” Weaver said. “Three turnovers is unacceptable.”
On the visiting side, the Bearkats are led by first year Head Coach Phil Longo. Longo returns to Sam Houston where he previously served as offensive coordinator from 2014-2016, following high-profile stops at Ole Miss, North Carolina, and Wisconsin coaching players like Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Eagles wide-receiver AJ Brown, and Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. Known for his quarterback-friendly air raid attack, very similar to Hawaiʻi’s run and shoot, Longo brings back an aggressive identity back to Huntsville.
Hawaiʻi is the second consecutive Mountain West team to play the Bearkats, where Sam Houston fell to 0-2 with a loss to UNLV last week. The Bearkats managed to put up 332 total yards against the Rebels, with 187 through the air and 145 on the ground. But, the Bearkats struggled defensively, giving up 404 yards, including 249 passing and two touchdowns from junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea and a combined 157 rushing yards, led by junior running back Jai’Den Thomas who rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Hunter Watson returns for his second year under center after guiding Sam Houston to a 10-3 record in 2024, a season played under former head coach K.C. Keeler, now at Temple. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound redshirt senior threw for 1,811 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024 including three scores in last year’s win over Hawaiʻi, where he went 15-of-23 for 165 yards. Prior to Sam Houston, Watson led Iowa Western Community College to a 2023 junior college championship where he threw for 1,904 yards and 22 touchdowns with only four interceptions, adding 717 yards on the ground with eight scores.
Watson went down with an injury last week against UNLV, and was replaced by redshirt freshman backup quarterback Mabrey Mettauer. Watson was not listed on the most recent injury report from Huntsville.
This week, the Bearkats are preparing for the nine hour flight to Honolulu.
“We’re smart enough to know that this trip is different from a typical away trip. There’s a reason there’s an NCAA rule that you can play a 13th game with Hawai’i on your schedule,” said Longo ahead of traveling to Honolulu. “It typically takes 48 hours to recover from a flight like that, but we have a plan to roll out and recover it in 36.”
Longo believes his staff has recovery handled, so Sam Houston can focus solely on executing against the Rainbow Warriors.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. HST this Saturday, September 6, at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex.