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.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Gvardiol was one of two City centerbacks who went off injured in the second half, along with Ruben Dias, before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors. The draw left second-placed City six points behind English Premier League leaders Arsenal. City, announcing Gvardiol sustained a tibial fracture to his right leg, added in a statement issued on Monday: “The defender will have surgery later this week and assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their
RSS