CALIFORNIA vs. HAWAII

7-5 overall, 4-4 in Atlantic Coast | 8-4 overall, 5-3 in Mountain West

 

 

BEARS OFFENSE

Don’t miss out on what’s happening!

X—4 Jordan King 6-2 220 Jr.

LT—52 Nick Morrow 6-8 315 So.

LG—66 Jordan Spasojevic-Moko 6-5 335 Sr.

C—76 Bastian Swinney 6-6 310 Sr.

RG—56 Tyson Ruffins 6-2 310 So.

RT—77 Braden Miller 6-6 315 Jr.

TE—85 Mason Mini 6-4 240 So.

SB—21 Jacob De Jesus 5-7 170 Sr.

Z—7 Trond Grizzell 6-4 205 Sr.

QB—3 Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele 6-3 225 Fr.

RB—1 Kendrick Raphael 5-11 200 Jr.

With eyes on the future and feet in the present, the Bears hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant QB coach Jordan Somerville as offensive coordinator while allowing Bryan Harsin to call plays in today’s Hawaii Bowl. Harsin’s offenses, notably in his stint with Boise State, involve pre-snap motions, overloads with tight ends, quick passes, run-pass options and some “trickeration” (tight end Mason Mini threw a 42-yard scoring pass). This year, the Bears have aligned in three- and four-receiver sets, double and triple tight ends, split backs, a diamond with two slotbacks in the backfield, and receiver Jacob De Jesus everywhere (11.8 targets and 8.75 offensive touches per game). “The only way to prepare is to take those reps,” said De Jesus, whose extracurricular work includes running routes alone after practices. De Jesus has bonded with freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a Campbell High graduate. De Jesus has switched to using his right hand as the lead hand in catching passes from left-handed Sagapolutele. “I always felt lefties have more zip on the ball,” De Jesus said. “There’s some science to that. I think Jaron has a rocket, a frickin’ strong arm. Sometimes I have to tell him he’s throwing it too hard.” Sagapolutele can launch passes from different planes, including a side-armed motion to De Jesus or running back Kendrick Raphael on horizontal routes. Sagapolutele has completed 95.7% of his bubble screens and hitches. Sagapolutele also has a panoramic view of the passing tree. He no longer needs the glasses he wore when he was younger. “God blessed me with good vision,” he said. Although RPOs are on the menu, Sagapolutele averages 3.3 yards on non-sack scrambles and keepers, preferring to throw. Raphael, who has 12 touchdowns, is averaging 3.02 post-contact yards while amassing 46 missed tackles.

 

 

BEARS DEFENSE

E—10 Jayden Wayne 6-5 255 Jr.

DT—88 TJ Bollers 6-2 305 Sr.

DT—47 Aidan Keanaaina 6-3 320 Sr.

E—3 TJ Bush 6-3 265 Jr.

ILB—0 Cade Uluave 6-1 235 Jr.

ILB—41 Luke Ferrelli 6-3 230 Fr.

NB—20 Cam Sidney 5-11 180 Jr.

CB—5 Hezekiah Masses 6-1 185 Sr.

S—2 Dru Polidore Jr. 6-2 195 Sr.

S—14 Aiden Manutai 5-11 200 Fr.

CB—4 Paco Austin 5-11 180 Sr.

The secondary has been a priority. Three defensive backs were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing the total to nine in six years. The Bears have two of the best corners in the ACC. Hezekiah Masses was named to the second team of four All-America lists after intercepting five passes and leading the nation with 18 passes defended (1.5 per game). “Watching film makes the game easier,” said Masses, who usually defends the wide side of the formation. He also complements team workouts with thrice-weekly treadmill runs. Eric Brent “Paco” Austin, a corner who transferred from South Florida, had a school-record six pass breakups against Virginia. Austin said his nickname was derived from a childhood resemblance to a singer. The Bears often align in a one-high look with Kahuku High graduate Aiden Manutai serving as a safety net. “In our (DB) room, we have a saying: ‘standard over feelings,’” Austin said. “You have to build the standard no matter what.” TJ Bollers and Aidan Keanaaina are the scrimmage-line re-setters in a three- or four-man front. Jayden Wayne can set the edge or blitz from the middle. The intent is for the running plays to funnel to linebackers Luke Ferrelli, the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, or Cade Uluave, whose 91 tackles include 11.5 backfield stops. “I’ve always liked contact since I was a little kid,” Uluave said. “I think my first sport was wrestling. I think my parents put me in wrestling because I was too crazy around the house. … Even hanging out with my family, my cousins, somehow we’d always end up tackling each other in the back yard. Football is kind of perfect for me.”

 

 

BEARS SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—91 Chase Meyer 5-10 180 Jr.

P—9 Michael Kern 6-3 195 So.

Snap—39 Rino Monteforte 5-7 210 Jr.

H—40 Brook Honore Jr. 6-0 190 Jr.

KR/PR—21 Jacob De Jesus 5-7 170 Sr.

As a top punt returner, Jacob De Jesus has one rule: “Don’t let the ball drop. When it does, it typically goes (toward the goal line) and that’s losing yards for your team. Catch the ball. Give possession to the offense.” De Jesus prefers to work with a punter instead of catching footballs launched by a JUGS machine. “That’s how you get the eyes right,” he said. De Jesus said it takes only the first punt in a game to erase the nerves of catching in a crowd. “Then it’s just football,” he said. “This is what I grew up doing.”

 

 

RAINBOW WARRIORS OFFENSE

WO—11 Karsyn Pupunu 6-3 205 Sr.

SB—5 Pofele Ashlock 6-2 185 Jr.

LT—52 Dean Briski 6-5 300 Jr.

LG—58 Zhen Sotelo 6-3 310 Sr.

C—57 Ethan Spencer 6-2 295 Jr.

RG—59 Kuao Peihopa 6-3 290 Sr.

RT—70 James Milovale 6-6 320 Sr.

SB—3 Nick Cenacle 6-2 200 Sr.

WO—1 Brandon White 5-8 170 Jr.

QB—12 Micah Alejado 5-10 180 Fr.

RB—0 Cam Barfield 5-7 185 Jr.

It was no surprise when wideout Jackson Harris left the Warriors with the intent of entering the transfer portal. Harris had four TDs of 70-plus yards, was sure-handed (three drops in 74 targets) and clutch on 50-50 balls (37 of 49 receptions resulted in first downs). Karsyn Pupunu, who started 10 games this season, takes over Harris’ spot at left wideout. Similar to Harris, Pupunu will benefit from left slotback Pofele Ashlock’s defender-drawing decoy routes and left-handed QB Micah Alejado’s straight-to-the-chin-strap throws (65.8% accuracy on passes to left side). “Karsyn never flinches,” receivers coach Jared Ursua said. “Whatever the conditions, he’s ready.” Pupunu, who initially joined as a walk-on, recalled being “at the bottom of the barrel and slowly climbing my way up.” With Tama Uiliata’s development as an inside receiver, slotback Nick Cenacle, now healthy, can rotate with Pupunu or Brandon White on the outside. The 25-day break since the end of the regular season has helped Alejado return to good health. At 5-10, Alejado can fire passes to receivers while being obscured behind his O-line. “When I was a linebacker, the thing I hated the most was facing a smaller quarterback, because you can’t see him,” UH associate head coach Chris Brown said. “You think he’s there, then you go through the gap and all of a sudden he disappears and you can’t find him in the mass.” Running backs Cam Barfield and Landon Sims offer different skills. Barfield is a jump-cut runner who is an effective receiver on screens and swing routes. Sims is a physical back with speed (he clocked a team-best, in-game burst of 22.1 mph.) Three days ahead of the game against Wyoming, Sims’ left leg was eggplant-colored from a bruised femur and ruptured blood vessels. “I grew up hearing stories of my dad (former UH running back Travis Sims) playing in the Holiday Bowl with a 104-degree fever and three broken ribs,” Sims said. “I have no excuses. If I can walk, I can play.” He played against Wyoming.

 

 

RAINBOW WARRIORS DEFENSE

DE—51 Lester Lagafuaina 6-4 240 So.

NT—98 Carsen Stocklinski 6-3 295 Sr.

DT—79 De’Jon Benton 6-2 270 Gr.

DE—57 Jackie Johnson III 6-0 245 Sr.

MLB—17 Giovanni Iovino 6-1 235 Gr.

DLB—3 Jalen Smith 6-0 220 Sr.

NB—4 Elijah Palmer 5-8 180 Jr.

CB—23 Virdel Edwards 6-2 210 Sr.

S—1 Peter Manuma 6-0 205 Sr.

S—8 Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen 6-1 170 Sr.

CB—14 Jaheim Wilson-Jones 5-11 175 Sr.

The tackle box — the imaginary rectangle near the line of scrimmage — is considered the Warriors’ “hunting ground.” Mike linebacker Jamih Otis, who amassed 34 stops in the box, is recovering from knee injuries. But Otis’ high school teammate, Giovanni Iovino, is a space eater in plugging run gaps and filling notebooks with observations. Jalen Smith relies on strength, speed and instincts as the dime linebacker on the weak side. When Smith replaces Iovino as the mike, 225-pound Wynden Ho‘ohuli, who shed 39 pounds in the offseason, plays the dime. Nickelback Elijah Palmer also can mix it up in the box. Palmer squat-lifted 500 pounds as a Bishop Gorman High senior four years ago. Six D-linemen rotate at the two interior spots. De’Jon Benton, who has drawn comparisons to former UH pocket wrecker Al Noga, can maneuver past O-linemen with first-step quickness and a powerful jab. Of rush end Jackie Johnson III’s 29 tackles, 8.5 were In the backfield, including 7.5 sacks. “I always liked getting after the quarterback,” said Johnson, who sought a life of grime after realizing “I’m not good with the ball in my hands. I can only run straight. I have no brakes.” At an optimistically listed 6 feet, Johnson gets even lower when he sets up in a four-point stance. Johnson follows D-end coach Jordan Pu‘u-Robinson’s advice on being “intentional” in workouts and studying videos. “You can get a rep, even a mental rep, and the more you get, the more sound you get, the more muscle memory.” In practices, quarterbacks are protected by a no-hit mandate. “You gotta let the dogs rip on game day,” Pu‘u-Robinson said.

 

 

RAINBOW WARRIORS SPECIALISTS

PK/KO—17 Kansei Matsuzawa 6-2 200 Sr.

P—19 Billy Gowers 6-1 205 Fr.

Snap—33 Jack Mowrey 6-3 240 So.

H—18 Caleb Freeman 6-0 185 Sr.

KR—0 Cam Barfield 5-7 185 So.

PR—8 Tama Uiliata 5-11 190 Fr.

Jack Mowrey, who was once rated as the nation’s top high school long-snapper, has provided key tips to kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, the Warriors’ first consensus All-American, and punter Billy Gowers, who. averages 46.3 yards per attempt. Mowrey delivers laces-out snaps to holder Caleb Freeman on FG and PAT attempts. On snaps to Gowers, who did not play organized football until joining the Warriors this year, he uses a grip that will compress the football more. Helped by his father, a former Australian rules player, the right-handed Gowers can launch left-footed punts of up to 70 yards.

Kickoff: 3 p.m. today, Ching Complex | TV: ESPN | Radio: 1420-am / 92.7-fm | Line: UH by 11⁄2