Hawaii Football Upsets Stanford 23-20 in Island Thriller

The final game of the opening week of college football provided great entertainment as the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors hosted the Stanford Cardinal.

Entering the season, Stanford made many changes. They hired Cardinal legend Andrew Luck to become their general manager, followed by a spring head coach firing of Troy Taylor and hiring of Frank Reich. Many offensive players transferred out, but the defensive continuity and new look pro-style offense gave the Cardinal a chance to break their four year streak of going 3-9.

Hawaii is now in their fourth year under new head coach Timmy Chang, and looking to make their first bowl game under his direction. After Saturday, that possibility seems more likely.

Early on, Stanford looked dominant, taking an early field goal followed by a strip sack that landed in the end zone. However, a poor performance on both sides of the ball blew the Cardinal lead. With just two minutes left, the score was tied 20-20, but Stanford gave up the ball in just 27 seconds, giving Hawaii the ball back with time to work. Hawaii QB Micah Alejado led the Rainbow Warriors all the way down to a field goal, to walk off the game.

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Alejado was the star of the show throughout the day. He dominated, going 27/39 for 210 yards and two touchdowns without throwing any interceptions - all while limping in between plays, playing through a visible leg injury

The receiver room was very reliable for the Rainbow Warriors. Pofele Ashlock led the bunch, going for 69 yards and a touchdown. Stanford transfer Jackson Harris had 59 yards and a touchdown for Hawaii as well.

Stanford, on the other hand, had lots of trouble. Starting quarterback Ben Gulbranson went 15/30 for 109 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception. The Cardinal receiving room was poor, and no one seemed to perform in a way that put them in a position to win.

The only real positive takeaway from the game for Stanford had to be the incredible running back play. Micah Ford dominated, going for 115 yards and a touchdown, while Sedrick Irvin and Cole Tabb combined for 80 yards.

Next week, Hawaii plays at Arizona hoping to get a big win on the road against a Big 12 opponent and one step closer towards that all-important bowl game. Stanford gets a week's break before playing BYU on the road, hoping to get a massive road win, also against a Big 12 team.

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