Hawaii Beats Northern Illinois 56-21 to End Skid

On October 24, 2026, at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois, the University of Hawai’i football team snapped a four-game losing streak with a 56-21 victory over Northern Illinois, as reported by Hawaii athletics. In what stands as the furthest conference game in Football Bowl Subdivision history, the Rainbow Warriors traveled more than 4,200 miles to tie their program record for points in a Mountain West game.

Hawai'i Sets Season Highs in Offense and Scoring

Hawai’i racked up a season-high 504 yards of total offense against the Northern Illinois defense. The 56 points marked the highest-scoring output for the team under head coach Timmy Chang, eclipsing their previous benchmarks for the season by storming out to 35 points in the first half alone.

Quarterback Micah Alejado directed the aerial attack with 323 passing yards and three touchdowns, connecting on four separate pass plays of 40 yards or more. Running back Cam Barfield contributed a 62-yard catch-and-run, which marked the longest play from scrimmage for the team all season. Receiver Audric Harris hauled in two passes exceeding 40 yards, while Josiah Fetui recorded his first career touchdown on a 44-yard reception.

Hawai‘i football dominates Northern Illinois 56-21 to snap four-game losing streak

The ground game added 175 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, the highest single-game total for the program since 2020. Running back DeVon Rice led the rushing attack with 71 yards and three scores, including a 33-yard sprint in the second quarter that stood as the team’s longest rushing play of the season.

Defense Forces Five Turnovers to Fuel Scoring Run

After a competitive 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter, Hawai’i outscored the hosts 35 unanswered points across the second and third frames. The Rainbow Warrior defense limited Northern Illinois to 266 total yards while forcing five turnovers.

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Defensive back Jeremiah Hughes intercepted his third pass in two games. Nickelback Elijah Palmer contributed a career-high eight tackles to anchor the secondary.

Hawai'i Enters Bye Week Before Facing UTEP

The victory lifts Hawai’i to a 2-6 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Mountain West play, while Northern Illinois drops to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in conference action. The Rainbow Warriors enter a bye week before traveling to El Paso, Texas, to face UTEP on November 7, 2026.