Rainbow Warriors scoop up Mountain West football awards

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For smacking around the conference leader and its heralded defense, the Hawaii football team is rewarded with made-to-order omelets at the next training table and three weekly honors from the Mountain West.

Wideout Jackson Harris was named Offensive Player of the Week, kickoff returner Cam Barfield was selected as top special teams player, and quarterback Micah Alejado was picked as the best freshman for the fifth time.

Harris, who transferred from Stanford this year, has been on a record-setting streak since recovering from a hamstring injury. Harris had seven catches for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the Rainbow Warriors’ 38-6 rout of San Diego State. The Aztecs went 25 games in a row before Harris topped the century mark in receiving yards. Harris has at least 100 receiving yards for five consecutive games, the longest streak in the FBS this season.

Barfield, whose day job is running back, scored on an 86-yard kickoff return, the Warriors’ first since 2020. He also rushed for 69 yards.

“We kind of pick and choose when we’re going to return, ” said Thomas Sheffield, who coaches the special teams. “We responded the way we needed to and blocked the way we needed to. At the end of the day, Cam hit the hole going 100 mph and the rest is history. … It was cool to see everybody celebrating on the sideline. That was the coolest part for me. We put a big emphasis on special teams. When you have a special play like that and you see the whole team respond the way they do, it shows the buy-in the kids have.”

Alejado, Barfield’s former Bishop Gorman High teammate, was 22-for-34 for 256 yards and three touchdowns. It was the fifth time in eight starts Alejado won the freshman award.

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