College Football Stories

To wrap up our Christmas bowl series, we will focus on a game that has been played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for the majority of its’ existence. While it is not considered a “major” bowl, the Hawai’i Bowl has been a holiday staple for more than two decades. Pigskin, eggnog, and Hawaiian lei clash on Christmas annually in the Aloha State. There have been some fantastic finishes in this game over the years, many involving the home town team.

The Hawai’i Bowl typically features a Mountain West Conference team facing off with an American Athletic Conference or Conference USA opponent. The MWC always gives the Hawai’i Bowl bid to the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors if they’re bowl-eligible and not selected to play in the College Football Playoff. The Rainbow Warriors have appeared in 10 of the 22 Hawai’i Bowls to date.

The first ever Hawai’i Bowl was played on December 25th, 2002. The Tulane Green Wave took down the Rainbow Warriors 36 to 28. From 2002 to 2019, the bowl game was played in Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii. After the 2019 season, the game moved to the new Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu. The Nevada Wolfpack and the Fresno State Bulldogs are tied with the second-most appearances in the Hawai’i Bowl, with three showings each.

Overtime Thrillers

The Rainbow Warriors played in the first three Hawai’i Bowls in Aloha Stadium. The second of those three ended with a triple overtime victory against the Houston Cougars in 2003. Hawai’i quarterback Timmy Chang threw for 475 yards and five touchdowns as the Rainbow Warriors fought back from a 20-13 halftime deficit to take down the Cougars in front of nearly 30,000 fans.

Two years later, in the first Hawai’i Bowl not involving the Rainbow Warriors, the Nevada Wolfpack and the Central Florida Golden Knights lit up the scoreboard with points. The offensive onslaught could not be contained to regulation, and the Knights and Wolfpack took the show into overtime. UCF running back Kevin Smith ran for a 20-yard touchdown, but Knights’ kicker Matt Prater missed an extra point wide to the right. Nevada held on for a 49-48 win in a game that featured over 1,100 total yards of offense.

In 2024, the South Florida Bulls outlasted the San Jose Spartans in a five overtime match to win 41-39. The Spartans battled back after being down 21-10 at halftime to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, 27 to 24. Bulls kicker John Cannon, who would be named the game’s MVP, banked a 41-yard kick off the inside of the right upright to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Each team scored a touchdown and a field goal in the first two overtimes. Bulls’ QB Bryce Archie found WR Keshaun Singleton for a successful two-point try to take the lead for USF. The Bulls defense stood strong on the Spartans’ ensuing attempt, and head coach Alex Golesh and USF came away victorious.

Hawaiian History

In 2008, in front of the largest Hawai’i Bowl crowd of all-time, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish made their only appearance in Aloha Stadium. Irish QB Jimmy Clausen carved up the Rainbow Warriors with over 400 yards passing and 5 TD’s. Wide receiver Golden Tate exploded for 177 yards receiving and 3 scores. The Irish cruised to a 49-21 victory to cap off a 7-6 season in head coach Charlie Weis’ next-to-last season.

In 2006, the Rainbow Warriors defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 41-24 to finish 11-3 on the season. It tied for the most wins in program history for Hawai’i. QB Colt Brennan was named MVP after putting up 559 passing yards and 5 TD’s. This game would catapult Hawai’i into the national spotlight for the 2007 season. Head coach June Jones and Brennan led the Rainbow Warriors to a 12-0 regular season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.

On Christmas Eve 2019, the last game in Aloha Stadium history, the Rainbow Warriors took down the Brigham Young Cougars 38-34 to finish off their sixth 10-win season in program history. QB Cole McDonald was named co-MVP along with BYU QB Zach Wilson. The two offenses combined for 1,000 total yards of offense. Hawai’i receivers JoJo Ward and Jared Smart each had seven catches for over 140 yards. McDonald threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day to WR Nick Mardner with just over a minute remaining in the game to give the Rainbow Warriors the win.

2025 Hawai’i Bowl

On Christmas Eve 2025, the Rainbow Warriors made their first appearance in the Hawai’i Bowl since 2019. Hawai’i took down the Cal Bears 35-31 after a 22-point fourth quarter. Former QB and current head coach Timmy Chang has turned around his alma mater in his fourth season at the helm. The Rainbow Warriors finished 9-4, their best record since 2019. It is only the third time that Hawai’i has finished with nine or more wins since 2007.

Back-up quarterback Luke Weaver led the Rainbow Warriors on a 10-play, 68-yard drive in the last two minutes to take the lead. Weaver’s 22-yard touchdown pass to WR Nick Cenacle capped Hawai’i go-ahead drive with 10 seconds left. After Cal’s failed hook-n-lateral on the final play of regulation, a brawl ensued between the two teams. Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 343 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as Cal built up a 21-0 lead through late in the second quarter. Hawai’i scored the next 21 points thanks to starting QB Micah Alejado and kicker Kansei Matsuzawa.

Sagapolutele led a Bears’ scoring drive to regain the lead 31-28 with 1:57 remaining. Cal drove 75 yards on 10 plays, chewing up over five minutes of game clock. Sagapolutele finished off the drive with a one-yard rushing score. Bears WR Jacob De Jesus finished with 9 catches, 137 yards, and 1 TD. He was out-dueled by Hawai’i WR Pofele Ashlock, who had a staggering 14 receptions, 123 yards, and two scores.

New Year, New Stories

I hope that all of you enjoyed the 12 Days of Christmas series. While the stories will not be quite as frequent as they have been over the last several weeks, my goal is to keep the content coming. There will be a new series at the start of 2026, as the 2025 college football season is coming to a close. The dreaded off-season is almost upon us, and nothing passes the time quite like recounting and re-living some great games of the past. Thank you for all of your support, and stay blessed.