Canada’s Cenacle plays hero in wild comeback at Hawaii Bowl

HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Drew Weaver tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Montreal native Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback win over California in a thrilling Hawaii Tournament on Wednesday night.

Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado was hit hard in the previous game. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) within tying field goal range, coach Timmy Chang punted into the end zone and Cenacle squeezed between two defenders to make the catch.

“How amazing is that?” – said Chang. “This program is built on faith, and these guys deserve it, man.”

Chang, a fourth-year coach at Hawaii who had a record-setting career as the Rainbow Warriors' quarterback from 2000-04, led his program to its first nine-win season since 2019 – when Nick Rolovich, now Cal's interim coach, led 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) took a 31-28 lead with 1:57 left on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hawaii-born freshman quarterback Jaron-Kiwe Sagapolutele, who finished the game 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 the game early in the fourth quarter when Alejado connected with Ashlock for the second touchdown and then completed a two-point pass to Cam Barfield.

“These boys continue to struggle and I love them for that. They learn the hard way, but they learn how to do it and that's the most important thing,” Chang said.

Cal took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on Anthony League's eight-yard touchdown run.

Rolovich gave credit to Chang and the Warriors, who scored in their final six drives.

“They fought until the end and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Timmy deserves a lot of credit for that,” Rolovich said.

Hawaii improved to 9-6 all-time in bowl games, while Cal fell to 12-14-1.

Cal was picked third from bottom in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference media poll, but finished the season in seventh place. Coach Justin Wilcox was fired last month and will be replaced by Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi next season. Sagapolutele has committed to continue participating in the program in 2026.

Hawaii has some work to do ahead of Chang's fifth season. Although leading receiver Jackson Harris announced his intention to transfer and did not play Wednesday, Alejado and Ashlock said they plan to return.

Sagapolutele has thrown 178 consecutive passes without an interception, seven shy of Jared Goff's school record set during the 2015 season.

Cal will host UCLA on September 5, 2026.

Hawaii will also begin next season in the Bay Area when they visit Stanford on Aug. 29.