The opportunity was lost again Saturday night for the University of Hawaii football team in a 28-7 loss to No. 17 Boise State.

Hawaii fell to 2-4, while Boise State improved to 5-1.

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In front of a crowd of 13,467 at the sold-out Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, Hawaii trailed just 13-7 in the fourth quarter.

In what may have been the last conference meeting between the ‘Bows and the Broncos before Boise State leaves for the Pac-12 in 2026, Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty ran for 217 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown.

After Boise State took an early 3-0 lead, the star running back exploded for a 54-yard touchdown with 5:48 left in the first quarter, extending the lead to 10-0.

Hawaii had a chance to score to start the second quarter, but Kansei Matsuzawa’s 40-yard field goal was off.

The Rainbow Warriors were determined on defense and held the Broncos to another field goal.

Trailing 13-0, Hawaii narrowed the deficit with a 27-yard Brayden Schager touchdown pass to Tylan Hines, cutting Boise’s advantage to 13-7 with 3:24 left in the first half, a score that lasted until the intermission led.

After a scoreless third quarter for both teams, Hawaii appeared to force a Jeanty fumble on its own 8. After a lengthy review, the call was reversed and Boise State scored on the next play on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Maddux Madsen to Jeanty and converted the ensuing 2-point try to make it 21-7 with 12 minutes remaining.

Boise State’s final dagger came on a fourth-and-1 at the Hawaii 44, in which Austin Bolt caught a play-action pass from Maddux Madsen for a touchdown with 3:39 left in the game.

Jamih Otis had seven tackles for Hawaii, while Elijah Robinson had five, including a sack. Meanwhile, Boise State’s Jayden Virgin-Morgan had six tackles and a team-high 2.5 sacks.

Schager completed 21 of his 36 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He also ran for a net gain of five yards despite being sacked eight times.

During the second quarter, a 14-minute delay occurred when an official had an apparent medical emergency and left in an ambulance after getting up on his own.

Hawaii next hits the road for a match at Washington State, starting at 9:30 a.m. HST on October 19. The match will air live on the CW Network.

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