HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i football team opened Mountain West play with a 21-6 loss to UNLV on Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex.
The Rainbow Warriors (0-2) were held without a touchdown at home for the first time since the 2023 season while UNLV (1-1) retained the Island Showdown Trophy for the fourth straight meeting.
After falling behind 14-3 at halftime, UH controlled time of possession for much of the second half. But three sustained drives into UNLV territory yielded just three points, and UNLV sealed the outcome with a 50-yard touchdown run with 4:51 left.
UH finished with 294 total yards, 185 coming in the second half. Quarterback
Micah Alejado completed 17 of 41 passes for 176 yards. Running back
DeVon Rice produced 100 all-purpose yards with 73 rushing and 27 receiving.
The UH defense kept the Warriors within striking distance late into the game, led by linebacker
Jamih Otis who tied his career high with 12 tackles. Safety
Kona Moore added 10 tackles.
The Rebels and Warriors combined for seven punts and a turnover on downs in the first 11 possessions in the first half.
UNLV scored on its second drive of the game on a 7-yard run by quarterback Jackson Arnold. After punting on its first two possessions, the UH offense put together an 11-play drive sparked by a 26-yard completion from Alejado to Kaikai Carvalho. The drive stalled at the UNLV 21, and
Sean Olvera-Harle converted on a 38-yard field goal.
Arnold's 44-yard completion late in the second quarter set up his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run on third down, and UNLV took a 14-3 lead into halftime.
A promising UH drive to open the third quarter stalled and a 41-yard field goal attempt went wide right. The Warriors again drove deep into UNLV territory and had first-and-goal when Alejado was helped off the field with an injury. A 15-yard pass from
Bjorn Jurgensen to
Audric Harris was initially ruled a touchdown, but the call was reversed after a review. Olvera-Harle drilled a 33-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-6 with 1:32 left in the third quarter.
UH put together another lengthy drive early in the fourth, but was stopped on fourth down at the UNLV 10 at the 9:58 mark. After UH punted from deep in its own territory, UNLV put the game away with a 50-yard touchdown run by Jai'Den Thomas.
The Rainbow Warriors next face New Mexico State on Sept. 12 at the Ching Complex.
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