Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl.
Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch.
“How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built out of faith and these guys deserve it, man.”
Photo: AFP
Chang, Hawaii’s fourth-year coach who had a record-setting career as the Rainbow Warriors’ quarterback from 2000 to 2004, led his program to its first nine-win season since 2019 — when Nick Rolovich, currently the California Golden Bears’ interim coach, guided Hawaii to a 10-5 record.
Alejado finished 32 of 46 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, helping Hawaii rally from an early 21-0 deficit. Pofele Ashlock had 14 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns for the Rainbow Warriors, who scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Cal (7-6) pulled ahead 31-28 with 1 minute, 57 seconds left on a one-yard touchdown run by Hawaii-born quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who finished with 343 yards passing and a touchdown.
Alejado’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Brandon White with 7:19 left gave Hawaii a 28-24 lead. The Rainbow Warriors tied it early in the fourth quarter when Alejado connected with Ashlock for their second touchdown and then completed a two-point conversion pass to Cam Barfield.
“These boys just keep continuing to fight through adversity and I love them for that. They learn the hard way, but they learn how to do it and that’s what’s important,” Chang said.
Rolovich tipped his cap to Chang and the Warriors, who scored on their final six drives.
“They fought to the end and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Timmy deserves a lot of credit for that,” Rolovich said.
After Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner split last year’s Grand Slams, the two superstars were expected to continue their see-saw rivalry this year. That has not happened. Instead, injuries have foreclosed the possibility of a clash between the two champions in three of the four Grand Slams, with the Spaniard missing the French Open and Wimbledon due to a wrist injury and the Italian absent from New York because of a knee injury. Alcaraz and Sinner are far from alone among top players missing big tournaments this year due to injury, a trend that has been a source of growing
England forward Ollie Watkins has left Aston Villa to join Al Hilal, his new Saudi club announced on Sunday. The deal is worth a reported ￡50 million (US$67.7 million) and follows Villa’s signing of Senegal eseforward Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea. Al Hilal said the 30-year-old Watkins had signed a three-year deal and would be in line to play in their league match against Al Ahli today. He joins a squad including former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Crysencio Summerville, who signed from West Ham United earlier in the transfer window. Watkins has scored seven goals in 24 appearances for England. Villa coach Unai Emery
British ice dance greats Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean returned to the rink where their remarkable journey began to help launch the first Synchro9 World Championships, bringing a new Olympic discipline to the city that shaped their careers. The inaugural championships take place from March 27 to April 4 at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, the rink where Torvill and Dean teamed up as teenagers and where they performed their final show in July last year after skating together for 50 years. “For us, this is where it all started,” Dean said. “A lot of the skaters will start their Olympic journey out of
Influencers and content creators armed with smartphones and ring lights have featured prominently in the stands at this year’s US Open, as they try to grab the spotlight away from the on-court action at one of tennis’ marquee events. About 100 content creators were given credentials for the tournament, organizers said, with 20 of those dedicated to providing coverage of the food and beverage scene alone, where caviar-topped chicken nuggets and the famed “Honey Deuce” cocktail promise viral attention. Thousands more amateur social media hounds could be found throughout the plaza and in the stands — after shelling out for their own
RSS