Hawaii football looked down and out against Cal in falling behind by 21 points. But sparked flurries of reactions after the comeback.
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Hawaii football looked dead on the island and in front of its home crowd. California even watched Jacob De Jesus hit a backflip for the first touchdown, then raced to a 21-0 lead at the Hawaii Bowl.
But the Rainbow Warriors sparked the most online postgame reactions — thanks to an epic comeback.
Starting quarterback Micah Alejado gutted it out to throw three touchdown passes. But backup Luke Weaver lobbed this rainbow dime for the final touchdown, completing the 35-31 victory.
HAWAI'I FOR THE WIN 😱
The Rainbow Warriors were down 21-0 and came all the way back to beat Cal 😳 pic.twitter.com/T0GXsqqqwu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 25, 2025
Both starting quarterback dueled each other and put on a show. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele ended his evening throwing for 343 yards — putting up that production in his home state.
But as the lone Christmas Eve entertainment, Hawaii versus Cal sparked multiple reactions.
Former Cal defender rips team in collapse against Hawaii
Cal alums weren’t happy with the final result.
Former Golden Bears cornerback Traveon Beck was vocal — posting “Cal gonna Cal” on the social media website X, formerly Twitter. But he also called out the coverage effort on the final Nick Cenacle touchdown, saying “there’s no one in the flat SINK.”
Beck, who played for Justin Wilcox in the late 2010s decade, wasn’t the only past Bear sounding off. Former Cal tight end Stephen Anderson ripped the final defensive play call.
“That was flat out embarrassing. Whoever was calling the defense today leave all your gear and credentials at the door,” Anderson posted via X.
Chris Vannini of The Athletic, however, raved about the improved Hawaii product on the field under head coach Timmy Chang. Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reminded fans that the Rainbow Warriors complete the Bay Area sweep.
INCREDIBLE, HAWAII.
This Hawaii season began in August with an improbable comeback to beat Stanford and it apparently will end on Christmas Eve with an improbable comeback to beat Cal. Bay Area bookends.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 25, 2025
Alejado, again, took plenty of hits and even had trainers tend to him twice. Weaver, who played his junior college football near Cal at Modesto JC, went 2-of-3 for 28 yards but covered 22 on the final touchdown. Wide receiver Pofele Ashlock completed his night grabbing 14 catches for 123 yards and scoring twice. Cenacle grabbed eight passes for 59 yards and the dagger.
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Category: General Sports
