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Hawaii Beat UTEP 17-14 as Alejado Throws for 303 Yards at the Sun Bowl

Micah Alejado threw for 303 yards and Titan Lacaden set career highs with 11 catches for 109 yards as Hawaii held off UTEP 17-14 on Saturday night in El Paso.

By Orbit Post3 min read
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Hawaii Beat UTEP 17-14 as Alejado Throws for 303 Yards at the Sun Bowl
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Paso_Sun_Bowl_Stadium.jpg)

Key points

  • Hawaii beat UTEP 17-14 on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, behind 303 passing yards from quarterback Micah Alejado and a career night from receiver Titan Lacaden.
  • Hawaii opened the scoring late in the first quarter.
  • Lacaden finished with career highs of 11 receptions and 109 receiving yards.

Hawaii beat UTEP 17-14 on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, behind 303 passing yards from quarterback Micah Alejado and a career night from receiver Titan Lacaden.

Hawaii score first and build a 10-0 lead

Hawaii opened the scoring late in the first quarter. Alejado found Lacaden for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 2:57 left in the quarter, and the visitors led 7-0. Sean Olvera-Harle added a 20-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to make it 10-0.

Lacaden finished with career highs of 11 receptions and 109 receiving yards. Audric Harris added 101 receiving yards on four catches, giving Alejado two targets over 100 yards on the night.

UTEP answer before halftime

UTEP replied on the drive after the field goal. Carver Cheeks opened the possession with a 22-yard run, Lamar Sperling followed with a 23-yard run on the next play, and Sperling finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run that cut the Hawaii lead to 10-7.

Sperling carried 11 times for 63 yards and the one touchdown. After the game, UTEP quarterback Raymond Moore III pointed to his running back. "We've got to keep getting Sperling the ball. He kept us in it," Moore said, according to the El Paso Times.

A 98-yard drive decides the fourth quarter

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Hawaii then put together the drive of the game, going 98 yards in 12 plays. Sitani Mikaele ran it in from the 6 with 10:08 remaining, and Hawaii led 17-7.

UTEP closed within three on the next scoring drive. Moore threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Judah Ezinwa at the end of a seven-play, 79-yard drive, and the score stood 17-14 with 6:57 to go.

Hawaii never gave the ball back. The visitors ran off the final 6:57, converted back-to-back third downs on the closing drive, and kneeled out the win. The El Paso Times reported it was the first time in 2026 that UTEP took an FBS game into the fourth quarter with the result still in doubt.

Numbers and what comes next

Moore finished 9-of-18 passing for 109 yards and one touchdown, and he added 41 rushing yards on seven carries. Hawaii outgained UTEP 424 yards to 288, and UTEP allowed just one sack. Attendance at the Sun Bowl was 8,581. Linebacker Jayden Wilson led UTEP with eight tackles.

"You have to play four quarters of good football to win games in this league. Three quarters is not going to cut it. 17-14 shows our three-quarter effort but that's not going to cut it in this league," Wilson said, according to the El Paso Times.

Hawaii improved to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Mountain West. UTEP fell to 1-8 overall and 0-5 in conference play, according to the Associated Press. Hawaii has now won four of its last five games against UTEP.

Hawaii hosts North Dakota State on Saturday. UTEP hosts Wyoming on Nov. 14 in its final home game of the season, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. on FS1.

Timeline

  1. Nov 7, 2026Micah Alejado throws a 20-yard touchdown pass to Titan Lacaden with 2:57 left in the first quarter, and Sean Olvera-Harle adds a 20-yard field goal in the second for a 10-0 Hawaii lead.
  2. Nov 7, 2026Lamar Sperling scores on a 5-yard run after runs of 22 yards by Carver Cheeks and 23 yards by Sperling, cutting the Hawaii lead to 10-7 before halftime.
  3. Nov 7, 2026After a scoreless third quarter, Sitani Mikaele caps a 12-play, 98-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 10:08 remaining for a 17-7 Hawaii lead.
  4. Nov 7, 2026Raymond Moore III throws a 15-yard touchdown pass to Judah Ezinwa with 6:57 left to make it 17-14, and Hawaii runs out the rest of the clock to close the win.

Sources