Micah Ford rushed for 99 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, including the go-ahead scoring run with 1:41 remaining, as Stanford registered a 37-27 victory over visiting Hawaii on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
Tevarua Tafiti tacked on a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 1:12 left for the Cardinal, who blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead before eventually leaving the field victorious in head coach Tavita Pritchard’s debut.
Michigan transfer Davis Warren passed for a career-high 310 yards in his Stanford debut. He completed 22 of 34 passes in his first game in nearly 20 months after tearing his right ACL in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl.
Warren tossed a touchdown pass to Atticus Joseph and Charlie Eckhardt blocked a punt for a safety for the Cardinal.
Micah Alejado completed 30 of 50 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns for Hawaii. DeVon Rice scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), Tama Uiliata had one scoring reception, and Sitani Mikaele added one on the ground for the Rainbow Warriors.
Hawaii had just 122 yards through three quarters and trailed 23-7 in the fourth quarter before coming to life.
The Rainbow Warriors trimmed their deficit in half when Mikaele scored from the 5 to cap a 16-play, 80-yard drive and Uiliata scored the two-point conversion with a double reverse with 12:43 left in the game.
Just over three minutes later, Hawaii moved within two when Alejado tossed an 11-yard scoring pass to Uiliata. The two-point attempt was stymied when Uiliata caught a pass and was stopped short by Darrius Davis.
The next time the Rainbow Warriors had the ball, they moved 90 yards on nine plays. Rice scored on a 29-yard play, catching a short pass in the center of the field at the 25 and veering right and then down the sideline to give Hawaii a 27-23 lead with 4:06 left.
Warren then crisply moved Stanford 62 yards on seven plays with Ford getting in from the 2 to put the Cardinal back ahead. Just 29 seconds later, Tafiti picked up the ball and scored on the game’s lone takeaway after teammate Zach Rowell forced Alejado to fumble.
Earlier, Ford scored from the 2 with 8:37 left in the opening quarter for the first points of the contest.
The Rainbow Warriors tied the score in the second quarter when Rice tallied on a 3-yard jet sweep with 10:18 left in the first half.
Stanford regained the lead three-plus minutes later when Warren connected with Joseph on a 6-yard scoring pass.
Early in the third quarter, Gehrig Heil was standing in his own end zone to punt. Eckhardt broke in free and blocked the ball with his right hand and it bounced out the back of the end zone for the safety and a 16-7 advantage.
Ford’s 2-yard run made it a 16-point lead with 9:51 left in the third quarter.