Hawaii ended up answering the call, taking down the Cardinal 23-20. Early on, Stanford looked dominant, kicking an early field goal after marching down the field, followed by a strip sack that was recovered in the end zone. However, a poor performance on both sides of the ball blew the lead and led to a Cardinal loss.

Quarterback Micah Alejado added that the spotlight only raises the stakes. "It's a humongous opportunity for us…Just knowing that everybody [is] looking at our program, our team, Hawaii's team…it is special. It's a blessing for sure just to be on this stage."