Box Score
Post Game Notes
Post Game Quotes

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Warrior football concluded its 2008 campaign with a 49-21 loss to Notre Dame in the Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl Christmas Eve at Aloha Stadium. UH finished the year with a 7-7 record.

 

Making its sixth bowl appearance in the last seven years, the Warriors could do little to contain the Fighting Irish who finished with a 7-6 mark. The loss ended a string of three straight Hawai`i Bowl wins for the Warriors dating back to 2003.

 

Jimmy Clausen passed for 401 yards and five touchdowns to end Notre Dame's nine-game bowl losing streak and give the Fighting Irish their first bowl win in 15 years. Clausen completed 22-of-26 passes en route to co-MVP honors.

 

Clausen shared the MVP award with sophomore receiver Golden Tate his primary target, who hauled in six passes for 177 yards. Tate caught touchdown passes of 69, 18 and 40 yards. The three touchdown receptions tied a Hawai`i Bowl record.

 

Clausen passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns by halftime as the Irish took a comfortable 28-7 into the locker room

 

Senior wide receiver Aaron Bain earned bowl MVP honors for Hawai`i after scoring two touchdowns on the day. Bain finished with career highs in receptions (8) and yards (109). Junior quarterback Greg Alexander finished with 23-of-39 for 261 yards for UH. Senior Solomon Elimimian, the school's all-time leader in tackles, led UH with nine stops, including one sack.

 

Notre Dame got on the board first with 3:07 left in the first quarter when Robert Hughes rushed from 2 yards out to cap a nine-play, 87-yard drive. Notre Dame extended it lead to 14-0 five minutes into the second quarter when Clausen found David Grimes in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown.

 

UH made it a 14-7 game when Bain scored on a 10-yard connection from Alexander midway through the second quarter. It was all Irish after that. Notre Dame answered right back on its next possession with a 69-yard bomb form Clausen to Tate to move its cushion to two touchdowns and begin a string of 28 unanswered points by the Fighting Irish.