As the Hawaii football team’s starting quarterback, Micah Alejado is the undisputed leader of the pack.
And the pack has his back.
“It’s about figuring out where the problems are,” Alejado said the Rainbow Warriors’ 1-6 start, “and obviously it starts with me. Figuring out myself, figuring how I can get better in areas to give us the best chance to win.”
Alejado pointed to a crucial turnover against New Mexico this past Saturday. On third-and-goal from the 12, Alejado raced on a keeper toward the end zone in an attempt to add to UH’s 10-7 lead. But safety Drew Speech knocked the football free from Alejado’s grasp at the 1, and UNM’s Mercury Swaim recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback. The Lobos then went 80 yards for what proved to be an insurmountable 14-10 lead with 6:57 to play.
“Just undisciplined stuff by me,” Alejado said. “I started to reach out before I got there. It was a good head’s-up play by the defender. We preach ball security. We preach not turning the ball over. It was undisciplined.”
It was the Warriors’ third lost fumble of the season, all by Alejado.
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Teammates were quick to support Alejado, emphasizing losses are collective responsibilities.
“That’s our QB1,” linebacker Wynden Ho‘ohuli said. “He’s been putting his body on the line for us. We respect that. It’s not a one-man team. It’s all of us. Everybody gets connected. It all starts at that. We don’t point fingers at anybody. We always have his back.”
Center Judah Kaio said: “There are 11 guys on the field at a time. You can’t just blame one person.”
Of the setbacks, Ho‘ohuli said, “odds are in our favor at times, odds aren’t in our favor at times. You just have to accept it and go and play. Chin up, chest out. That’s all we have to do.”
Associate head coach Chris Brown has served as mentor since Alejado was a freshman at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
“The one thing with Micah is he has ice in his veins,” Brown said. “He can take the heat. I told the offensive staff, ‘don’t be afraid to get into him. He does really well when he gets coached hard.’ That’s where he came from at Gorman. (Offensive coordinator Craig) Canfield and head coach (Brent) Browner were not easy on him. They laid into him. I think that’s what makes him such a great quarterback.”
Brown said Alejado manages to block out the exterior noise.
“When it comes to anything outside, whether it’s media or what the people are saying, he doesn’t listen to that,” Brown said. “He knows what he can do. He knows he’s close. He has to settle himself down.”
Brown remains confident Alejado will regain the groove that led to being named the Mountain West’s preseason offensive player of the year.
“Micah is a special player,” Brown said. “I’ve rarely seen a quarterback with that much accuracy and that much intelligence for football. The thing is he’s trying to win the game on every play. What he has to do is play every play. He needs to take one snap at a time. We’ve got to get him back to what he does well. Once he gets his feet down and he goes through his eye progressions and distributes the ball, I think he’s one of the best in the country because of his accuracy and savvy for where the ball should go.”