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On and off the field, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Hawaii are connected in many ways.

Leading up to the first meeting between ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Hawaii in Tucson — the second-ever game between the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Rainbow Warriors — on Sept. 20, 1952, "Bear Down, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥" (the UA's fight song) was publicly performed for the first time.Ìý

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ thumped Hawaii 57-7 that night. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ are 5-1 all-time against Hawaii, with the Rainbow Warriors winning the last game, 45-38, in Honolulu in 2019.Ìý  

The most notable connection? UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales displayed it during his press conference leading up to Saturday's game.Ìý

Gonzales sat down on the mini stage in the press conference room and hoisted a black shirt with "Aloha" emblazoned on the chest. The "H" in Aloha was the Hawaii logo and the "A" was ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s "Block A" logo, with "Coach Tomey" printed in smaller font under Aloha.

Dick Tomey, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s all-time winningest head coach, led the Rainbow Warriors from 1977-1986 before bringing in the golden era of UA football from 1987-2000, which was highlighted by the "Desert Swarm" defense and the 12-1 team that won the Holiday Bowl in 1998.Ìý

"This shirt represents a lot within these two programs," Gonzales said.

The Aloha shirts were sold at the UA bookstore the last time Hawaii faced ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in Tucson in 2016, when the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ donned their Pearl Harbor-themed uniforms to honor the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks in Hawaii. That was the last ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥-Hawaii matchup Tomey watched before the coach died in 2019. Saturday will be the first meeting between ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Hawaii since Tomey's passing.Ìý

When Tomey left Hawaii to become the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥' head coach and successor to Larry Smith in 1987, he "really brought a Polynesian presence to the U of A," Gonzales said. Under Tomey, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ established a Polynesian pipeline and recruited players from Hawaii, American Samoa and Tonga.

The Polynesian influence became an essential part of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s fabric as a football program in the late 1980s, which carried throughout the 1990s and different coaching staffs since Tomey's last season in 2000.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ second-year head coach Brent Brennan said there's a "natural physicality" that comes with Polynesian players.Ìý

"But the biggest thing they bring is this sense of honor and Ohana (Hawaiian for family), honor and family and that is felt the moment you're around any of those families," Brennan said. "Bringing that into your team, I think gives you a good chance to increase the physicality of your team, but it also does a great job of connecting your team on a spiritual level, on a more personal level, which I think is important for teams to be connected like that."

Joe Salave'a, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s defensive line coach and "Desert Swarm" defensive tackle, said the key ingredient to Tomey's success was being "people-driven."

"Coach Tomey had a way with everyone, no matter what the racial background was," Salave'a said. "You see it in the way people responded to him. If you didn't know coach, you would probably think he grew up in the islands because you go around the islands and everyone still acknowledges him to this day because of what he is and what he brings to the table and how he treated everyone. It's a big deal to know that both programs have had the honor and pleasure to have coach represent each organization." 

Added Brennan: "What Coach Tomey did best was he had an uncanny ability to reach into every player's soul and get the most out of them. He was really fantastic at building connection. I thought his teams always played hard, whether I was playing against him or I was coaching for him. ... He was great at keeping it simple and getting the best out of the people who played for him — and the people who worked for him." 

Brennan, who attended graduate school at Hawaii and started his coaching journey as a graduate assistant under Fred von Appen in 1998 before joining Tomey's staff at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in 2000, said "Coach Tomey was such a special guy at both places."

The Polynesian Heritage theme at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Stadium on Saturday "is really special considering the connection both teams have through Coach Tomey," said Brennan, who is cousins with former Hawaii star quarterback Colt Brennan.

Tomey also bonded Hawaii and San Jose State, a program he coached from 2005-09. Brennan was on Tomey's staff as an offensive assistant during the former ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ coach's tenure at San Jose State, and then became the Spartans' head coach from 2017-23.

In Brennan's second season as the head coach at San Jose State in 2018, the Spartans lost to Hawaii, 44-41, in a five-overtime thriller. San Jose State kicker Bryce Crawford — "who was a fantastic player," Brennan said — missed a potential game-winning field goal from the 3-yard line in the third overtime period.Ìý

After the game, Brennan "was literally by myself in the locker room crying because we were there and it came down to that one thing and then two overtimes later, they beat us," he said.Ìý

"I was wiped out," Brennan said. "That was the lowest moment ever for me coaching ball." 

Following Tomey's death in 2019, San Jose State and Hawaii created the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy. The winner of the Mountain West rivalry received a trophy of a fist-pumping Tomey. San Jose State won the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy in Brennan's last four seasons from 2020-23.

Brennan receiving a trophy dedicated to his coaching mentor "was special for me because coach was such a special guy to me," he said

"The trophy was really cool and it felt good because we were able to get it and hold onto for it a while — and you saw it every day," Brennan said.Ìý

Brennan, whose last game at SJSU was the Hawaii Bowl in '23, endorsed ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Hawaii having a similar trophy, but added "it needs to be played for every year." The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and Rainbow Warriors won't play again until their season-opening matchup in Honolulu in 2029.Ìý 

Even though Tomey's last game at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ was a quarter century ago, his impact is still felt with the strong Polynesian presence on the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥' roster. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ has 20 players with Polynesian roots on its roster, including star quarterback Noah Fifita.Ìý

"Over the years, we've had a lot of players from the state of Hawaii that have been really, really impactful here at the U of A," Brennan said. "Coach Tomey's connection to it, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s connection to the state of Hawaii, so many of these players have crossover with guys on the team, so I think it's going to be special."

'KD' out to 'prove to everyone he can play at the Power 4 level'

One of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s top Polynesian players is Hawaii transfer center Ka'ena Decambra, who is a redshirt senior from Honolulu.

The 6-3, 308-pound Decambra played four seasons at Hawaii — three of them were under current head coach Timmy Chang. Playing at Hawaii was "definitely a blessing because I am from there," Decambra said.

"It's always great to play for your home state," he said. "But my journey moved on and I'm on a different path now."

Decambra's path steered him to the big island of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ to help the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, who were in dire need of offensive linemen after last season, especially after losing multi-year starters in Jonah Savaiinaea, Wendell Moe and center Josh Baker, who started the last three years at center.Ìý 

"The first phone call I ever had with KD when he got in the portal, I was sold because of his energy and then when he gets on his (official) visit, his presence and his family is phenomenal," said UA offensive coordinator Seth Doege.Ìý

Doege turned on Decambra's film and was further convinced when he played offensive tackle against UCLA last year, "and it looked like he belonged," Doege said.Ìý

"That's what sold me on his skillset," Doege said. "Bringing him in, he can do it all. He can play tackle, but he can be a great inside piece." 

The initial plan was to have Decambra play guard, which he did at the start of spring practices, but "then it got to a point where we need some center help," Doege said.

Doege and the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ coaches combed through the roster and wondered if Decambra was capable of playing center, even though he never played the position. Decambra was initially considered an emergency option at center, but emerged as the starter over redshirt junior and Chandler native Grayson Stovall.Ìý  

"Next thing you know, he takes the bull by the horns and rides with it," Doege said of Decambra. "I'm comfortable with him being at center, almost as if I recruited him here to play center. I will be up here all night long, and I walk back in that O-Line room, Noah and KD will be back there at midnight, 12:30, one o'clock. ... They're back there watching tape and going through calls and going through looks.

"These guys love football. KD loves football. He came here for a reason and that reason was to prove to everyone he can play at the Power 4 level. ... He's got a chip on his shoulder to prove to the world that he's a Power 4 level, and there's no doubt in my mind that he deserves to be here — and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll play well at the center position." 

Learning center "was definitely a transition for me because I played tackle at the University of Hawaii," Decambra said.

"I wasn't as vocal on the offensive line (at Hawaii), but I was one of the older guys out there, so I had to encourage the younger players that were playing next to me and get me on the right path," he added. "It wasn't a hard transition for me. I took that role and I'm embracing it. We're all on the same page out there and we go out to work every day. ... As an offensive line, we play five as one. We're not individuals out there, we're five as one, and it's my job to get everybody where we need to go." 

Brennan said some of Decambra's best traits as a player "is that he's tough and he knows what to do and he's not afraid to say something."

"When we're in the middle of practice and it's not going well for the offense or whatever, he's not afraid to be vocal and bring those guys together and rally them and say, 'Let's get back on track here,'" Brennan said. "He's been able to do that in a short amount of time, which has been impressive. The guys really, really respect him."

Over time, Decambra has developed a tight-knit bond with Fifita on and off the field.Ìý

"The quarterback-center relationship is unique, maybe in all of sports," Brennan said. "The amount of time they have to spend together, the amount of communication that's required for them to both effectively operate their responsibilities in the scheme, they have to spend time together. ... They also socially are comfortable hanging out together, which I think matters.

"I think teams that hang out together are connected teams, and that's a big part of how Noah and KD interact. They're good at bringing the team together, and I think as you see them progress through the year, it's going to be a lot of fun. They both have to direct traffic, so to speak. They're the two loudest voices on the offense, so they have to be in lockstep with what they're doing." 

Fifita said Decambra is "one of my best friends on the team, for sure."

"Off the field, we've been able to build a great connection since he got here," said the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ quarterback. "He's always had this swagger and always had this confidence, and he's always had this work ethic and the physical mentality. He's gotten more confident in the offense. Coach Doege and them kind of threw him into a leadership role and I think that's a little new to him, but he's taken that and run with it. He's the leader of the front, the leader of the offense. KD, he's legit." 

Even though the start of Decambra's one-year career at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ will be against his hometown college and a team he represented for four years, "it's just another game," he said.Ìý

"The biggest thing for KD and for our players is to just play good football and do their job," Brennan said. "We don't need anyone to be Superman, we just need people to do their job and do it with redline." 

UA legends honored, successors take the field

Part of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s celebratory night for Polynesian heritage will be honoring two of arguably the best Polynesian players to play for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥: Tetairoa McMillan and Jonah Savaiinaea, who is originally from Tafuna, American Samoa.Ìý

Leading up to the game, Savaiinaea will serve as honorary captain, along with Baltimore Ravens rookie and former ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ kicker Tyler Loop. Savaiinaea — who excelled at right guard, right tackle and left tackle in three seasons at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ — was a second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins and is expected to start at left guard this season. Loop made 9 of 11 field goals for the Ravens in the preseason and was named the starter.

McMillan, the Carolina Panthers' first-round wide receiver and last year's Polynesian College Football Player of the Year recipient, will be inducted into the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Stadium Ring of Honor, along with former standout cornerback Randy Robbins.Ìý

"I think it's really special that those guys want to come back," Brennan said of McMillan, Savaiinaea and Loop. "I think it speaks to the experience they had at the University of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥. I think it's important when your football alumni come back and engage with fans. Obviously, all three of those guys coming back for this game, they've all had pretty good starts to their NFL careers. I think that's something that's pretty special."

Robbins finished his UA career with 12 interceptions, which is tied for the 10th-most in program history. Robbins had four pick-sixes at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ from 1980-83. He’s tied with Trevin Wade for the ninth-most pass deflections (28). In 1982, Robbins led the Pac-10 in interceptions (6). Robbins was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a second-team All-American in 1983.Ìý

Even though Robbins, who's currently the athletic director at Casa Grande Union High School, wasn’t a first-team All-American, a Player of the Year award winner or a player with a 10-plus-year career in the NFL, his positive impact on the program got him into the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Stadium Ring of Honor.

“Whether I should’ve been in earlier or not, I’m in,� Robbins said. “I’m in the the Ring of Honor and I’m humbled by that. It’s the right time. I’ve got a couple of grandkids, so they can come see it. That’ll be great.�

Both McMillan and Loop will get a chance to see the successors at their respective positions. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s receiving room was overhauled with speedy transfers, including Tre Spivey III, Kris Hutson, Javin Whatley and Luke Wysong. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ also have rising returners in Chris Hunter, who could be ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s top receiver after emerging in the second half of last season, redshirt sophomore Devin Hyatt, redshirt senior Jeremiah Patterson and redshirt freshman Brandon Phelps. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ also has promising freshmen in Chandler native Gio Richardson, who could be a mainstay in his first season, and Orlando product Isaiah Mizell, who has been dubbed the fastest player on the team.Ìý

For the first time since McMillan and Fifita were in the seventh grade, the quarterback-receiver tandem won't share the field together. Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of McMillan setting the school single-game record with 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the season opener against New Mexico.

The last time someone not named Loop kicked a field goal for ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, it was Lucas Havrisik in 2021. Believe it or not, Loop was considered the short-distance kicker for ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in '21, and Havrisik was the leg used for field goals over 50 yards. Loop was a perfect 12 for 12 and had a season-long 42-yard field goal as a second-year player. Yeah, the guy who set the school record with a 62-yard field goal last year and recently kicked a 61-yarder for the Ravens was considered the chip-shot kicker at one point in his career.Ìý

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ sophomore Michael Salgado-Medina will handle placekicking duties on Saturday after a close competition with freshman Tyler Prasuhn. Salgado-Medina was also listed as the starting punter on ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s depth chart for Saturday.Ìý

Australian punter Isaac Lovison had multiple noticeable punts in training camp — ones with distance and hang time, others that landed inside the 5-yard line with a punter's touch. Even though Lovison isn't slated to start, he could conceivably take a rep or more on Saturday.

Hawaii has an Australian punter: Billy Gowers, who trained with ProKick Australia, a pipeline that sends Aussie punters to the U.S. to play football. Lovison was discovered by ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s first-year special teams coordinator Craig Naivar through the ProKick Australia program. Both Lovison and Gowers, a 29-year-old freshman (yes, you read that correctly), played Aussie rules football.

Hawaii senior kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, a Tokyo, Japan native, grew up playing soccer and learned how to kick field goals through YouTube. Matsuzawa landed an opportunity kick for Hocking College, a junior college in Nelsonville, Ohio, before transferring to Hawaii.Ìý

Between last year and this season, Matsuzawa has made 15 of 19 field goals and was a perfect 3 for 3 against Stanford last week, including a walk-off 38-yard field goal.Ìý

Same, but different

Last year at this time, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ was riding a seven-game winning streak, the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ had their highest preseason ranking since 1999 and Big 12 championship aspirations.Ìý

Now? Let's just say the college football world doesn't consider the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ to be world beaters following a 4-8 season, where the average margin of defeat was 24 points.Ìý  

Still, "I think in both situations, I was really excited," said the positive-minded Brennan.

With 61 newcomers, three new coordinators and several key cogs returning, like Fifita and safety Genesis Smith, it's more of a Brennan-constructed team instead of inheriting a roster full of Jedd Fisch-era players.Ìý

"This team, we know the players better, we've spent more time with them," Brennan said. "We feel like our culture is more ingrained, guys have a better understanding of redline and a much better understanding of our expectations for them. That part feels better. ... We haven't played for a year, we have lots of new players, three new coordinators. There are so many new pieces to how our team is built, but I think we've done a great job with how they've attacked the work and how they attacked their preparation.

"It'll be played out on Saturday and we'll see how it looks like. ... I'm excited to see us play. I'm excited to see how Noah looks in this new ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ offense and how that feels. I'm excited to see the impact of the new players we brought in at every position. If you look at every position, there's new players at every position and a lot of those guys are going to play." 

A labor of love

Last year, Brennan donned a lei on the sidelines for every game. A lei is a traditional Polynesian garland that strings pieces of flowers, leaves, shells and other objects.

Benjie Medlock, a geometry teacher at City High School and de facto caretaker of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥'s players, is a Hawaii native and said in a video released on ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ football's social media accounts, the lei "expresses feelings without words."

"When Polynesian or Hawaiian people give a lei, there's always meaning behind it," Medlock said. "We use the lei to honor people. You can use it at graduation and give it to the graduate. You can also give it at funerals. Lei is super special."

Except there's one rule of a lei: always accept one.Ìý

"When you turn down the lei, when you decline it, you're rejecting the love that they're giving you," Medlock said. "It's a labor of love. ... It's not just some decoration. It's a beautiful labor of love." 

Brennan was given a lei every week by McMillan's family, which the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ coach called "an incredible honor" despite being criticized for wearing one every week. If Brennan is given a lei this season and beyond, he's following Medlock's golden rule.Ìý

"I know it was something that was a little bit of a lightning rod with our fanbase," Brennan said. "Any time someone of that culture honors me with a lei, it's humbling. To know that I am loved and appreciated or thought of highly enough for them to take the time to do that, I think is really, really special. I never wanted to disrespect that. That's why it was an important thing for me."