HONOLULU, Hawaii - The Sam Houston Bearkats got to within a score in the fourth quarter, but did not have enough in the tank to get past the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in a 37-20 loss on Saturday night at the Ching Complex.
Sam Houston (0-3) got into the end zone twice in the second half on a pick-six from Emon Allen and a touchdown pass from Landyn Locke to Elijah Green, keeping them within striking distance of Hawaii (2-1). But the Rainbow Warriors got a pick-six of their own and a strong performance from backup signal caller Luke Weaver to avenge a loss in Huntsville a year ago.
Weaver finished with 294 yards and three touchdowns in the air, pacing a Hawaii attack which overcame a pair of turnovers with 417 yards of offense. The Kats, meanwhile, finished with just 220 yards of offense behind freshmen signal callers Mabrey Mettauer and Landyn Locke.
Mettauer finished with 91 yards in the air and 45 on the ground before exiting midway through the fourth quarter. Locke entered and immediately got the Kats into the end zone, connecting on a 21-yard shovel pass to Elijah Green which still had Sam Houston within a score in the fourth quarter.
Green finished with a team-high 45 yards receiving, along with 34 yards on the ground while Locke connected on six of his 10 passes for 68 yards and score, all coming in the fourth quarter.
The Rainbow Warriors looked the part early on, quickly going 78 yards on eight plays on their opening drive of the game to go up 7-0 on a 1-yard pass from Luke Weaver to Landon Sims.
The Kats' offense finally got going on their third drive after CJ Johnson forced and recovered a fumble after a carry from Sims. Mettauer managed to move the Kats 48 yards after the takeaway, setting RJ Lopez for a 28-yard field goal, his first of two in the half.
From there the Bearkat defense continued to stifle the Hawaii offense, but it was the Rainbow Warrior defense which got the home team back on the board when Giovanni Iovino picked off a deflected pass from Mettauer and raced 41 yards up the sideline for a pick-six which upped the Hawaii lead to 14-3.
A 29-yarder from Lopez with less than two minutes to go in the half added three more points to the Bearkat tally, but Hawaii immediately got those points back when Kansei Matsuzawa connected on a 38-yard field goal of his own as time expired in the half.
Another field goal from Matsuzawa early in the third quarter upped the lead to 20-6, but the Kats got a big spark from its defense one drive later when Emon Allen stepped in front of a pass toward the left sideline from Weaver and took it back 66 yards for the first Bearkat touchdown of the night.
But again, the Rainbow Warriors were able to answer with points as Weaver immediately led them back down the field and connected with Pofele Ashlock on a 6-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to cap a 76-yard drive and keep the Kats at a comfortable distance.
POSTGAME NOTES
- With CJ Johnson's fumble recovery in the first quarter, it extended the Bearkats' streak to 22 consecutive games with a takeaway
- Emon Allen's pick-six in the third quarter was the first pick-six of his career and his second interception in as many weeks after entering 2025 without a collegiate pick
- The pick-six was the first for the Kats this year and the first since Jaylon Jimmerson opened the 2024 New Orleans Bowl with an interception and a score
- Mabrey Mettauer got the start behind center, the first start of his collegiate career
- The Kats only had three sacks in the first two games combined, but had three on Saturday against the Rainbow Warriors
