Kansei Matsuzawa, Who Discovered To Kick on YouTube, Helps Hawaii Beat Stanford

Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa has never been afraid to teach himself how to learn new things. That wound up paying massive dividends on Saturday. 

Matsuzawa made three field goals in Hawaii’s 23-20 win over Stanford in Saturday’s season opener, including the game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expired — but those kicks only added to Matsuzawa’s legend. 

Five years ago, then 21, Matsuzawa began to learn how to kick a football by watching YouTube videos following his move to the United States from Japan. Matsuzawa, who played high school soccer in Japan, became interested in football following a previous trip to the United States, leading to his international move.

Now in his second year as Hawaii’s kicker, Matsuzawa is pretty comfortable playing the sport he only recently adopted.

“I’m kind of nervous right now, more than when I [kicked the] game-winning area purpose,” Matsuzawa instructed reporters. “Talking English is hard, however yeah, I loved it. I loved the second. And once we gave up the second landing to Stanford, then I used to be like, ‘Oh, that is gonna be my sport.’ And I simply ready for the game-tying area purpose and in addition game-winning area purpose. I knew it was going to occur. 

“Management what I can management. That is the whole lot I do.”

That mindset has helped Matsuzawa get via different elements of residing in America. He additionally used YouTube to assist learn to communicate English and learn how to lower his personal hair when he could not afford a haircut throughout his time at Hocking School in Ohio. 

It is unclear how nicely Matsuzawa can lower his personal hair. Nonetheless, it is clear that he could make area objectives. He went 12 of 16 on area purpose makes an attempt and made all 32 extra-point makes an attempt in his first 12 months at Hawaii. At Hocking School, he made a 50-yard area purpose.

That is why Matsuzawa remained cool and picked up all through Saturday’s win regardless of a tough exhibiting within the workforce’s ultimate apply of fall camp.

“All of the coaches and the workforce [were] type of apprehensive about me, I feel,” Matsuzawa instructed reporters. “However I by no means lose my confidence. It was like, after apply, my legs are already lifeless. … However after [those] misses, it’s what it’s, and simply I centered on like the subsequent play, and I execute.”

Exterior Matsuzawa, Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado helped the Rainbow Warriors get on the scoreboard. He threw for 2 touchdowns in what was Hawaii’s first win over an influence convention workforce since 2019. It additionally marked Hawaii’s first win ever over an ACC opponent. 

Alejado walked gingerly off the sphere after he was sacked by Matt Rose early within the second half, however returned to start out the subsequent drive and completed 27-of-39 passing for 210 yards and added 36 yards speeding. Pofele Ashlock had 9 receptions for 69 yards and a landing.

Hawaii took possession at its personal 28 with 1:33 to play and a limping Alejado went 5 of seven for 51 yards to arrange Matsuzawa’s successful kick.

Matsuzawa additionally made area objectives of 40 and 37 yards, with the 37-yarder tying the rating with 2:01 remaining.

Micah Ford had 26 carries for 113 yards and a landing for Stanford.

Emmet Kenney made area objectives of 23 to open the scoring and Brandon White mistakenly downed the following kickoff on the 1. On Hawaii’s first offensive play from scrimmage, Clay Patterson strip-sacked Micah Alejado earlier than Wilfredo Aybar recovered the fumble in the long run zone to present Stanford a 10-0 lead with 7:08 left within the first quarter.

Alejado threw a 3-yard landing move to Pofele Ashlock to make it 10-7 with 2:19 left within the first.

Jackson Harris — a switch from Stanford — caught a 19-yard landing move from Alejado with 42 seconds left within the first half that gave Hawaii its first lead at 14-13. The Cardinal dedicated three 15-yard penalties on Hawaii’s 75-yard drive.

Stanford put collectively a 20-play, 85-yard drive that took greater than 9 1/2 minutes off the clock earlier than Ford scored on a 2-yard run that gave the Cardinal a 20-17 lead with 9:41 left within the sport.

Kenney added a 46-yard area purpose within the first half for the Cardinal.

The Related Press contributed to this report. 

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