The Arizona Wildcats will kick off their 2025 football season at home against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday while looking to bounce back from a disappointing season in which they went 4-8 after entering the season ranked 21st in the nation.
The matchup with a 7:30 p.m. MST kickoff on TNT marks the seventh meeting between the programs, with UA holding a 5-1 head-to-head record. The Hawaii victory did come in the most recent game in 2019, though.
While this will be the first game of the season for Arizona, the Rainbow Warriors come in 1-0, having defeated Stanford 23-20 in Week 0.
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“I was really impressed with their win last weekend over Stanford,” Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan said. “We know we have a good football team coming in here. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and we’re excited to play.”
In only his second collegiate start, Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado suffered a high ankle sprain from a hip drop tackle in the third quarter. Alejado would return to the game the next possession and, though he could be seen limping, has no doubts about his availability for the matchup with Arizona.
“I’ll be good,” Alejado said during the postgame press conference. “I’ll be back for next week.”
Alejado went 27-for-39 with 210 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed 10 times for 36 yards.
It was Hawaii’s defense that did enough to beat the Cardinal, holding quarterback Ben Gulbranson to 109 passing yards and an interception. It was the program’s first wins over power conference teams since that 2019 season, when it beat Arizona and Oregon State back-to-back.
Hawaii is coming off a 5-7 season where they were only 1-4 on the road.
Arizona-Hawaii will be the first Big 12 game broadcast on TNT.
New pieces see the field for the first time
The Wildcats are debuting new offensive coordinator Seth Doege and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, but based on the depth chart, they are projected to have over half their starters for the game be transfers.
“I don’t think (a lot of transfers) is going to be unique at the University of Arizona, where somewhere between 25-50% of your starters are all new players,” Brennan said. “I would also guess that at other places, that might look like 80-100%.”
One starter who is returning from last year is quarterback Noah Fifita, looking to bounce back after his completion percentage (-11.9%), touchdowns (-7) and interceptions (+6) all fell off from Arizona’s 10-win 2023 season.
Arizona Wildcats celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage vs. Hawaii
Saturday will also be the first themed home night at Arizona Stadium, with the Wildcats fittingly celebrating Pacific Islander Heritage.
The celebration will go deeper than just the opponent for Brennan and the Wildcats. Dick Tomey coached at Hawaii for 10 years (1977-1986) and Arizona for 14 (1987-2000), the last of which was when he coached with a grad assistant named Brent Brennan. The two would coach together at San Jose State again from 2005-09.
“I think coach Tomey’s connection to it, Arizona’s connection to the state of Hawaii, so many of these players have crossed over from guys on that team, I think it’s going to make it special,” Brennan said.
Tomey’s connection to Hawaii brought a lot of players from the island to Arizona during his 14 years of coaching, creating a permanent path to Tucson.
“Over the years, we’ve had a lot of players from the state of Hawaii that have been really really impactful here at the UofA,” Brennan said. “So, I love the fact that we’re getting this opportunity to bring them over here. It’s going to be an awesome night here in Arizona Stadium.”
On the current Arizona roster, five players went to high school in Hawaii, including Ka’ena Decambra. The redshirt senior was born in Honolulu, went to high school in Hawaii and played for the Rainbow Warriors for the last four seasons before transferring to Arizona.
“It’s definitely a blessing, because I am from there. It’s always great to play for your home state,” Decambra said. “I had a great moment there in time, but my journey moved on from there, and I’m on a different path now.”
The night should be filled with excitement and celebration for the first game of 2025. But regardless of the fanfare, the goal remains the same: win.
“For me, it’s just another game,” Decambra said. “I played with those guys. I’ve been through it with those guys. But this offseason has been great for us, and we’re all ready to go. It’s going to be great game.”
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