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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team looks to extend its record to 2-0 for the first time since 2009, opening up the road schedule with a trip to Columbus, Ohio to meet defending College Football Playoff Champions, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The non-conference contest is set for Saturday, Sept. 12 at Ohio Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:42 p.m. ET/9:42 a.m. HT. The game will air live nationally on Big Ten Network (Oceanic Digital Ch. 248 and HD Ch. 1248; Hawaiian Telcom Digital Ch. 79 and HD Ch. 1079).
 
Hawai'i will meet Ohio State for the first time in school history and will take on a member of the Big Ten Conference for the 19th time—UH holds a 6-12 record against the conference. In addition, this weekend will mark consecutive nationally televised games—last week against Colorado, the Rainbow Warriors snapped a 19-game losing streak on national TV.
 
This will be the fourth time the Rainbow Warriors meet a team ranked No. 1 overall—having played USC in 2012 and 2005, as well as Nebraska in 1971—and will be the second time meeting the defending national champion—the first being against USC in 2005.
 
The Buckeyes will be making a largely unprecedented appearance this week, essentially playing two games. OSU played its season opener on Monday night in Blacksburg, Va. against Virginia Tech. After racking up an impressive 42-24 victory over the Hokies, the Buckeyes headed back to Ohio and will meet UH with just four days between games. UH opened its season last Thursday, granting the Rainbow Warriors eight days of preparation and rest between games.

Game #2
Who: Hawai'i (1-0) at No. 1 Ohio State (1-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015
Time: 3:42 p.m. ET/9:42 a.m. HT
Where: Columbus, Ohio; Ohio Stadium (109,944)
Television: Live nationally on Big Ten Network (Oceanic Digital Ch. 248 and HD Ch. 1248; Hawaiian Telcom Digital Ch. 79 and HD Ch. 1079) with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Lisa Byington (sideline) on the call.
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM will carry the game live with Bobby Curran (play-by-play), John Veneri (analyst), and Felipe Ojastro (sideline). Chris Hart and Gary Dickman host the "Countdown To Kickoff" beginning at 7:30 a.m. HT, and also the halftime show. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona, KTOH on Kaua'i, and KNWJ in Pago Pago, American Samoa. In addition, the game is available on satellite radio on XM 203 and Sirius 93.
Steaming Video: Live video at www.BTN2go.com
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on www.espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided by Ohio State
Series Information: First meeting
 
Game Storylines: This is the second game for both programs and the first meeting between the programs, but the second game this week for Ohio State, as UH has seven days between games, versus OSU's four…Hawai'i will face a defending national champion for the second time (previously USC in 2005) and will play a No. 1 ranked team for the fourth time…Hawai'i will play its first road contest of 2015, traveling over 9,020 miles for the game at Ohio Stadium…Hawai'i opened the season with a win for the first time since 2011, and first in the Norm Chow era, looking for a 2-0 start for the first since 2009…Max Wittek made his debut against Colorado, throwing for three touchdowns on 202 yards. He is the first quarterback at UH since 1985 to throw for three scores in his debut…UH will appear in a nationally televised game for the second straight week. UH holds a 19-59-2 record in national TV games, snapping a 19-game losing streak last week against Colorado…UH is 6-12 in matchups with teams from the Big Ten Conference, with a record of 3-4 in the last seven games.
 
Ohio State Odds and Ends:
>>> Newcomer running back and kick returner Paul Harris arrived at UH during the summer after two seasons at California's Ventura College. Starting his career at Toledo, Harris is a Columbus, Ohio native and a graduate of Marion-Franklin High School.
 
Playing just two seasons at MFHS, Harris was earned second-team all-state honors after averaging 11.2 YPC as a senior and accruing 1,468 career yards with 23 touchdowns. His first two seasons were spent at Reynoldsburg High School, where he also earned all-state honors. With his parents coming in from the eastern suburb of Reynoldsburg, it will be a great chance for a family cheering section after a short time on-island.
 
>>> The Rainbow Warriors and Buckeyes will meet on the gridiron for the first time in the programs' history. This is the ninth game for UH against a program from the state of Ohio and the second appearance in the state.
 
>>> The defending inaugural college football playoff national champions, Ohio State, overcame a stalled second quarter against Virginia Tech, and rolled up 572 yards of total offense en route to a 42-24 win in Blacksburg, Va. on Monday night.
 
With Saturday's meeting against the Rainbow Warriors, OSU will step into barely-precedented territory in modern football, turning out essentially two games in a week. While the Buckeyes played on Monday night and flew back to Columbus, the Rainbow Warriors opened up with a win over Colorado on Thursday, Sept.3, providing UH with eight days between games, to OSU's four.
 
>>> An integral part of the offseason improvement of the Rainbow Warriors, third-year strength & conditioning coach Gary Beemer played offensive line under OSU coach Urban Meyer at Florida, wrapping in Meyer's final season with the Gators in 2010, earning a spot on the 2008 BCS team.