HONOLULU — The Hawaii football team could not overcome a series of critical errors in a 37-24 loss to Stanford in the 2023 home opener at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Friday night.

A crowd of 12,547, the largest to take in a game at the recently expanded Ching Complex, tried to will on UH as it looked to knock off a Power Five opponent — one that fled the sinking Pac-12 for the Atlantic Coast Conference earlier in the day.

After showcasing a potent offense in a close loss against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., six days ago, UH (0-2) struggled to get going in its run-and-shoot attack. It went three-and-out on the first three drives of the game and five of the first six.

UH committed 10 penalties for 107 yards, including targeting calls on safety Meki Pei and linebacker Isaiah Tufaga that hamstrung the defense. There were also untimely pass interference and roughing the passer penalties that extended Cardinal drives and resulted in points for the visitors.

"We didn't get them off the field when we needed to and drives got extended in difference places for different reasons," second-year UH coach Timmy Chang said.

The Rainbow Warriors had a difficult time getting a read on Stanford (1-0) both offensively and defensively in the coaching debut of former Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor.

Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek did most of his damage in the first half and finished with nine catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, helping the Cardinal to a 21-10 halftime lead. Stanford’s coup de grace was a 13-yard touchdown grab by John Humphreys from Ashton Daniels to make it 37-16 with 5:30 to play.

“It was a hard week to prepare, but we knew he was a good player and we did prepare for him,” UH linebacker Logan Taylor said of Yurosek. “It’s just mental breakdowns. Hat’s off to him; he had a great game. He’s a great player. It’s a good lesson for us when we’ve got to see a player of that caliber.”

Despite an inconsistent performance, UH quarterback Brayden Schager set a passing career high for the second straight game with 355 yards. He was 30-for-53 with three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he absorbed six sacks.

"We're going to grow from this," Schager said as UH now looks to pick up its first win against Albany of the FCS on Sept. 9. "It's a good experience we've had these past two games. We've learned a lot, we're going to take it for the better and we're going to keep that locker room together."

Linebacker David Bailey recorded four tackles for loss, including three sacks.

UH failed to sack Daniels or force a turnover.

Freshman Pofele Ashlock led UH in receiving again with eight catches for 114 yards and two scores. Steven McBride had a 24-yard touchdown haul in the fourth quarter. But the UH rushing attack was nonexistent as the ‘Bows were held to minus-five yards on the ground.

The Rainbow Warriors' highlight of the first half was a tipped-ball grab by junior receiver Karsyn Pupunu, a native of Lahaina who has played through the loss of four members of his extended family to the wildfires that devastated Maui. The play helped set up a Matthew Shipley field goal going into halftime.

Attendance was 13,739 in tickets issued. The Ching Complex capacity was upgraded from 9,300 to over 15,000 in the offseason.

The festive atmosphere included a pregame tribute to the victims of last month’s Maui wildfires. 

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.