Game Notes
HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i Warrior football team, winners of its last four games, will look to become bowl eligible when it hosts Wisconsin, in the regular season finale for both teams, Saturday, Dec. 5 at Aloha Stadium. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
With a win over the Badgers, the Warriors (6-6, 3-5 WAC) will head to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl and complete a miracle season-ending stretch. At the end of October, UH was 2-6, riding a six-game losing streak and needing to win its remaining five games to earn its fourth consecutive bowl berth.
The Warriors won all four games during the month of November, including a dramatic 24-17 win over Navy last week. Hawai'i shut down Navy's vaunted triple-option offense in the second half, shutting out the Midshipmen in a half for the first time all season. Quarterback
Bryant Moniz passed for 366 yards and three touchdowns, two to wide receiver
Kealoha Pilares and the go-ahead score to running back
Alex Green in the third quarter.
Slot receiver
Greg Salas hauled in 10 receptions for 147 yards, adding to his season totals of 103 catches for 1,559 yards, both of which are near the school's single-season records.
Hawai'i's defense, led by linebacker
Blaze Soares, held Navy to 242 yards rushing, nearly 40 yards below its average. Soares finished with a team-leading 12 tackles and ended the game with the second of two game-clinching sacks for the Warriors.
At the conclusion of Saturday's game, 23 Warrior seniors will be honored during the traditional “Senior Walk” ceremonies and will make their final trip around Aloha Stadium. Among the seniors is center
John Estes, who has started every game of his career on the offensive line and considered one of the premiere centers in the country.
The Badgers (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten), who were idle last week, lost their Big Ten finale against Northwestern two weeks ago. Wisconsin started the season 5-0, which included a double-overtime win over Fresno State but have since gone 3-3.
The teams have met five previous times with the Badgers holding a 4-1 advantage, including a 3-1 edge in Honolulu. The teams last met in 2005 in Honolulu, with the Badgers prevailing 41-24, despite UH quarterback Colt Brennan's 403 yards and three touchdowns.
Game #13
What: Hawai'i Warriors (6-6, 3-5 WAC) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten)
When: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009
Time: 6:30 p.m. HT
Where: Aloha Stadium (50,000); Honolulu, HI
Television: Live nationally on ESPN2 with Terry Gannon (play-by-play) and David Norrie (color).
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM will carry the game live with Bobby Curran (play-by-play) and Robert Kekaula (color), and John Veneri (sideline). Don Robbs, Chris Hart and Gary Dickman host the “Countdown To Kickoff” beginning at 5:00 p.m., and also the halftime show. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona.
Audio Webcast: espn1420am.com
Live Stats: HawaiiAthletics.com
Series Information: 6th meeting. UW leads 4-1.
Promotions: The Honolulu Advertiser, the game sponsor, will be awarding incredible prizes. Fans can register before the game at Gate 3 for the chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree and one of three Trips for Two to Las Vegas. In addition, the first 5,000 fans to enter the stadium (any gate) will receive a Honolulu Advertiser bottle opener.
UH fans are being encouraged to
"Think Green" and wear a
green shirt.
Twenty-two UH football seniors will be honored during pre-game and post-game
"Senior Night" ceremonies. The seniors include:
Greg Alexander,
Kimo Alo,
Victor Clore,
John Estes,
John Fonoti,
Inoke Funaki,
Ray Hisatake,
Raphael Ieru,
Daniel Johnson,
Aaron Kia,
R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane,
Chris Leatigaga,
Antwan Mahaley,
Jon Medeiros,
Bo Montgomery,
Viliami Nauahi,
Jayson Rego,
Joshua Rice,
Rocky Savaiigaea,
Blaze Soares,
Tuika Tufaga, and
Leon Wright-Jackson.
Survey: Fans who fill out a one-page survey at any of the Aloha Stadium gates prior to Saturday's game will be entered into a drawing for a Vacations Hawaii Trip For Two to Las Vegas. The 10-question survey, which is being conducted by the UH Athletics Department, will ask fans about the start time for UH football, game traffic, stadium parking, etc. Tables will be set up at all stadium gates beginning at 5:00 p.m. (when the gates open) and the survey should take less than a minute to complete. There will be 1,000 survey forms available and they must be filled out in their entirety for the respondent to qualify for the Las Vegas drawing. The winner must be 21 years or older to receive the trip.
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