Rainbow Warrior Rodeo: Cowboys Take A Hard Fall In Hawaiʻi’s Senior Night Matchup

University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors Football saddled up for a wild ride as they closed out their regular season schedule against the University of Wyoming Cowboys in a sold-out stadium at T.C. Ching Complex the evening of Nov. 29. The senior night faceoff earned them a 27-7 victory as they roped in season records for a home field finale.

The successful Thanksgiving weekend game for the ‘Bows included a dominant performance from Hawai’i Freshman Quarterback Micah Alejado who made his twenty-first touchdown pass, breaking the UH freshman single season touchdown pass record set by current Head Coach Timmy Chang 25 years ago in 2000.

Wyoming opened the game with strong momentum, with an interception and 50-yd return from Sophomore Safety Jones Thomas. A kick by Erik Sandvik set the score at 7-0, giving the Cowboys an early advantage.

The Warriors soon responded with a touchdown of their own from Junior Cam Barfield, and the conversion kick by Matsuzawa brought the score to a tie to close out the first period.

“Offense has been good about responding to bad situations. This game, offense came out strong and everyone did their part, it was a good showing,” said Quarterback Micah Alejadro, whose touchdown pass set up Barfield for scoring position after the Cowboys rattled the ‘Bows with the pick-6.

An aggressive defense came in clutch for the Warriors when Hawaiʻi Defensive Back Elijah Palmer blocked a Wyoming pass at 4th down, forcing possession back to the ‘Bows. The sold-out stadium became electric and fans erupted as Sophomore Jackson Harris then made a 78 yard touchdown reception – the longest of the season for the Warriors.

Half-time left Hawaiʻi re-energized and ready to keep tight control over the third quarter. They opened the period with a 41yd run by Barfield to score touchdown points and another kick from Matsuzawa left players and fans in high spirits as the Cowboys struggled to keep possession of the ball for the rest of the period.

Warrior Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, aka the “Tokyo Toe,” continued his season streak and made a 47-yard field goal attempt to tie the FBS start of season consecutive field goal record originally set in 1982. The kick was his 26th overall consecutive field goal, tying the Mountain West record set by San Diego State’s Gabriel Plascenia earlier this season. But the third quarter brought a disappointing end to Matsazawa’s record when he missed a field goal attempt to the wide right of the goal posts, ending his streak just shy of a perfect season.

Matsuzawa’s fan base spread the love for their Japanese kicker, sending him off the field one final time surrounded by the sounds of proud fans and the love of his family.

“I just want to appreciate everybody,” said Matsuzawa, whose records contributed to the team’s success throughout the season. “The coaches, especially the field goal unit, [...] it’s been an amazing journey here.”

Finally, the‘Bows settled in for the final quarter with a comfortable 27-7 lead. Though both teams went scoreless in the fourth period, the crowd was not disappointed with a boring home stretch. The energy became heated when a fight sparked between Hawaiʻi’s Brandon White and Wyoming’s Tyrese Boss, leading to a thrown helmet and penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct on both sides. Boss was ejected from the game but White was allowed to remain.

The conflict raised the tension on the field to new heights but the Warriors remained unfazed and kept a strong defense to finish out the game with a 27-7 victory to end the regular season.

The game marked the ‘Bows 8th consecutive senior night win and secured the Ponioli Trophy for the first time since 2018.

Hawaiʻi finished the regular season with an overall 8-4 record and a conference record of 5-3. They look to use the victory as momentum as they prepare for a bowl game to finish out the 2025 season, saying one final goodbye to their group of seniors.