Inside The Wildcats

First Look at Wildcats Football First Opponent: Hawaii

We take a look at Arizona's opponent for this upcoming Saturday.
Nathaniel Martinez|
Nov 27, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Wildcats helmet during the Territorial Cup at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Nov 27, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Wildcats helmet during the Territorial Cup at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Arizona Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats are officially gearing up to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors this Saturday at Arizona Stadium at 7:30 p.m. (MST) live on TNT.

Head coach Brent Brennan has been on a war path to improve from a disappointing 4-8 season by adding experience, depth, speed and size to the team over the offseason through the transfer portal.

Hawaii narrowly beat the Stanford Cardinal in a thrilling matchup by nailing a walk-off field goal just before time expired, giving it some extra confidence for when it plays the Wildcats this week.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Alejado looked exceptional in the 23-20 victory, going 27-for-39, 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Hawaii is one of four teams to play in week 0 that Arizona has on its schedule, giving it an early look at what it will be dealing with. The other three teams that took the field are Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas.

Brennan believes that Hawaii playing before the regular season begins is both a negative and a positive thing.

"I think them having a chance to play and get the kinks out and do some of that stuff, and just the procedure stuff, and get hit and get tackled and play some real football, I think there's value in that," Brennan said. "I think there's also value in us getting to see them play. So I think, I think it's, you know, both things can be true."

We took a look at Hawaii after the game and assessed some things that Arizona will be expecting on Saturday's game.

On offense

Micah Alejado
Aug 23, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado (12) runs through the Stanford Cardinal defense during the second half at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
  • Alejado showed strength and mobility in the pocket; however, his injury may prevent him from being as dynamic as he was against Stanford. The edge rushing attack of Tre Smith, Dominic Lolesio and others should prove a lot to handle for Hawaii, as it gave up four sacks to the Cardinal.
  • The connection between Pofele Ashlock and Alejado will be something to watch for. The junior wide receiver snagged nine catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
  • Jackson Harris also proved to be a lot to handle for the Cardinal secondary. He was second in receiving with six catches, 59 yards and a touchdown.
  • Timmy Chang's run & shoot offense will be an interesting matchup with defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales' 3-3-5 defense that utilizes a lot of disguised coverages and blitz packages.

On defense

  • Hawaii was able to limit Stanford to just 286 yards of total offense throughout the game, showing its strength mostly against the pass as quarterback Ben Gulbranson went 15-for-30, 109 yards and an interception.
  • The pass rush of the defense was not all there, as Hawaii was able to get to Gulbranson just once the entire game. Defensive back Peter Manuma was the one credited with the lone sack.
  • The rushing defense was a completely different story. Running back Micah Ford carried the ball 26 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. The revamped running back room of Arizona should be able to rack up major yards under the uptempo Seth Doege offense.

On special teams

Kansei Matsuzawa
Aug 23, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa (17) makes a kick against Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
  • Hawaii runs a very unconventional special teams scheme, to say the least. Both the kicker and punter have unique stories on how they made it to the Warriors' roster.
  • Kansei Matsuzawa, out of Tokyo, Japan, taught himself how to kick through YouTube tutorial videos while 29-year-old freshman punter Billy Gowers played five seasons of professional Australian Rules football before punting under Chang.
  • Matsuzawa went 3-for-3 on his field goals on Saturday, his longest marked at 40 yards. Gowers averaged 55.3 yards per punt on four, while three of those landed within the 20-yard line.

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Nathaniel Martinez
NATHANIEL MARTINEZ

Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.