Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Coming off the program’s 16th nine-win season in the last 100 years and its first since 2019, the University of Hawaii football team will look to set the tone for another winning season Saturday at Stanford.
The Rainbow Warriors hit the road Thursday following their final practice in the islands, with head coach Timmy Chang and his staff receiving a send-off from members of the UH athletic department at the Lower Campus.
Hawaii will face Stanford for the third time in four years, including a 2025 season-opening victory over the Cardinal in Manoa.
After months of preparation, the Warriors are ready to begin their second season as a Mountain West program.
Senior nickelback Elijah Palmer said the team has maintained its focus throughout the offseason and now must balance its excitement with composure.
“The football team, the coaches, we did a great job of having that intensity and immense focus throughout the whole offseason,” Palmer said. “So when this time did come, we were more than prepared.”
Senior running back Cam Barfield echoed that sentiment, saying the team is eager to finally play an opponent after months of preparation.
“We’re really excited to go out there and show all the work that we’ve been putting in and finally get to hit another team and play against another team,” Barfield said. “But there’s also a level of, like, too much excitement, not being all the way up there. So just staying level-headed and knowing what we’ve got to do to go in there, minimizing mistakes and everything like that.”
Associate head coach and linebackers coach Chris Brown said Chang has emphasized taking the season one game at a time.
“He said, just live in the moment,” Brown said. “If we take one day at a time, one game at a time and we don’t look down the road, you just focus in on the game that’s at hand and you put everything into it — your heart, your soul, all your training, your fundamentals, your technique.”
The Warriors and Cardinal are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. Hawaii time Saturday in the Bay Area.
Stanford, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is listed as a four-point favorite entering the season opener.
Hawaii News, Hawaii Weather, Hawaii Sports
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Coming off the program’s 16th nine-win season in the last 100 years and its first since 2019, the University of Hawaii football team will look to set the tone for another winning season Saturday at Stanford.
The Rainbow Warriors hit the road Thursday following their final practice in the islands, with head coach Timmy Chang and his staff receiving a send-off from members of the UH athletic department at the Lower Campus.
Hawaii will face Stanford for the third time in four years, including a 2025 season-opening victory over the Cardinal in Manoa.
After months of preparation, the Warriors are ready to begin their second season as a Mountain West program.
Senior nickelback Elijah Palmer said the team has maintained its focus throughout the offseason and now must balance its excitement with composure.
“The football team, the coaches, we did a great job of having that intensity and immense focus throughout the whole offseason,” Palmer said. “So when this time did come, we were more than prepared.”
Senior running back Cam Barfield echoed that sentiment, saying the team is eager to finally play an opponent after months of preparation.
“We’re really excited to go out there and show all the work that we’ve been putting in and finally get to hit another team and play against another team,” Barfield said. “But there’s also a level of, like, too much excitement, not being all the way up there. So just staying level-headed and knowing what we’ve got to do to go in there, minimizing mistakes and everything like that.”
Associate head coach and linebackers coach Chris Brown said Chang has emphasized taking the season one game at a time.
“He said, just live in the moment,” Brown said. “If we take one day at a time, one game at a time and we don’t look down the road, you just focus in on the game that’s at hand and you put everything into it — your heart, your soul, all your training, your fundamentals, your technique.”
The Warriors and Cardinal are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. Hawaii time Saturday in the Bay Area.
Stanford, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is listed as a four-point favorite entering the season opener.
Hawaii News, Hawaii Weather, Hawaii Sports
See more of the team that is Working for Hawaii on our website: khon2.com
Stay informed about Hawaii news, weather, sports and entertainment, subscribe to the KHON2 YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/KHONNewsHawaii?sub_confirmation=1
Check out our morning news podcast: khon2.com/khon-2go
Sign up to receive the latest Hawaii news in your inbox: nxslink.khon2.com/join/6sd/signup
Stay informed about Hawaii news, weather, sports, and entertainment! Follow KHON2 on our social channels:
youtube.com/user/KHONNewsHawaii
facebook.com/khon2news
twitter.com/KHONnews
instagram.com/khonnews
