Defense, Matsuzawa power Warriors to Homecoming victory

3

Portland St.
PSU

0-4 , 0-0

23

Winner

Hawaii
HAW

3-1 , 0-0

Portland St.
PSU

0-4 , 0-0

3

23

Winner

Score By Quarters


Team


1st



2nd



3rd



4th


F





PSU
Portland St.


0

0

3

0

3



HAW
Hawaii


0

14

3

6

23

Game Recap: Football | 09.13.2025

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Next Game:

Fresno State

9/20/2025 | 6:00 P.M. HT

Spectrum Sports & Spectrum SportsNet

ESPN Honolulu

Sep. 20 (Sat) / 6:00 P.M. HT

 Fresno State

History

HONOLULU – The Hawai’i football team rode a stifling defense and the leg of Kansei Matsuzawa to a 23-3 Homecoming win over Portland State on Saturday Night at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
 
The Rainbow Warrior defense held the Vikings to 230 yards and three points, both the lowest totals by a UH opponent this season. UH held an opponent out of the endzone all game for the first time since 2019 (54-3 at Nevada). Elijah Palmer finished with one interception, his first of the season, and a team-high seven tackles. Lesterlaisene Lagafuaina and Jamar Sekona each registered a solo sack, while Jackie Johnson III and Qwyn Williams combined for a sack.
 
Matsuzawa hit all three of his field goal attempts including a career-high 44-yard field goal that he later surpassed with a 47-yard field goal. Matsuzawa finished with a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to move to a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts this season.
 
Quarterback Luke Weaver, making his second straight start in place of injured starter Micah Alejado, completed 26-of-42 passes for a game-high 240 yards and two touchdown passes. Cam Barfield was on the receiving end of both of Weaver’s touchdown tosses. Barfield finished with 72 all-purpose yards, including a team-high 50 receiving yards on four catches.
 
Landon Sims was a force in both the passing and rushing attacks, finishing with 46 receiving yards and a team-leading 41 rushing yards.
 
Former UH quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele got the start under center for Portland State, completing 25-of-35 passes for 189 yards and a pick. Vikings receiver Zachary Dodson-Greene finished with a game-high 78 receiving yards on nine catches.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, UH responded with two quick scoring drives to open the second. On the third play of the second quarter, Weaver completed a short pass in the flat to Barfield, who ran it 16 yards to the goal line before stretching the ball over the pylon for a diving score.
 
The ‘Bows defense shut the Vikings down on the following drive. After forcing two incomplete passes to start the drive, Johnson III and Williams sacked Sagapolutele to force a quick three-and-out.
 
UH responded on offense on another scoring drive. Facing a 4th-and-1, Weaver kept the ball and ran through the right side of the line for an 8-yard gain and a conversion. Three plays later, Barfield caught a screen pass from Weaver and ran it 31 yards for the score to put UH up 14-0.
 
Portland State threatened to score twice late in the first half, but were turned away each time by the ‘Bows. UH stuffed Vikings running back Delon Thompson on 4th-and-1 at the UH 3-yard line with 5:19 left to play. The ‘Bows did it again on the next drive, stopping Thompson short on 4th-and-2 with 1:18 to play for back-to-back PSU turnover-on-downs.
 
Hawai’i opened the second-half with a 12-play scoring drive. Tama Uiliata turned a short pass from Weaver on 3rd-and-10 into a 30-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline to move the chains and keep the drive alive. Matsuzawa continued his perfect start to the season, knocking in a career-long 44-yard field goal to cap off the 61-yard drive and give UH a 17-0 lead.
 
The Vikings responded with a field goal of their own later in the third quarter, when Mathias Uribe knocked in a 25-yard field goal to get the Vikings on the board.
 
UH started the fourth quarter the same way they started the third, with a long scoring drive. The ‘Bows converted three third downs on the 14-play drive: a 2-yard Landon Sims run on 3rd-and-1, a 9-yard sideline catch by Karsyn Pupunu on 3rd-and-7, and a 23-yard screen pass from Weaver to Sims on 3rd-and-10. Matsuzawa finished the 51-yard drive with another career-long 47-yard field goal to make it 20-3 UH.
 
Matsuzawa sealed the victory with a 35-yard field goal to extend UH’s lead to 23-3 late in the fourth quarter.