HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team will head to the Ninth Island of Las Vegas for its annual rivalry trophy game against UNLV, Saturday, Sept. 30 to open Mountain West play. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. PT (10:00 a.m. HT) at Allegiant Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors (2-3, 0-0) currently own possession of the Island Showdown Trophy after a 31-25 victory last season in Honolulu. The Rebels (3-1, 0-0) have won six of the last seven games in the series at home.  
    

HAWAI'I (2-3, 0-0 MW) vs. UNLV (3-1, 0-0 MW)
Date | Time				Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. HT
Location | Stadium				Las Vegas, Nev. | Allegiant Stadium (65,000)
Television				Spectrum Sports PPV. Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Rich Miano (analyst). Rob DeMello, Kawika Hallums, and RJ Hollis host the pre-, halftime, and post-game show.
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). John Veneri (play-by-play), Mark Veneri (analyst), and Hunter Hughes (sideline). Josh Pacheco and Hunter Hughes (from Las Vegas) and Scott Robbs and Arnold Martinez (from Hawai'i) host "The Countdown To Kickoff" at 8:00 a.m. HT.
Streaming Video				Team1Sports app (outside of Hawai'i only)
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com & Sideline Hawaii app
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | UNLV | Mountain West
Social Media				@HawaiiFootball  | #HawaiiFB | @RainbowWarriorsFootball  | Facebook

      
SERIES VS UNLV 
Series Information: UH leads 19-13
            In Honolulu: UH leads 13-3
            In Las Vegas: UNLV leads 10-6

GAME STORYLINES

• At stake this week is the Island Showdown Trophy which UH currently owns possession after a 31-25 victory last season in Honolulu.
• The Island Showdown Trophy, which was created in 2017, is one of four rivalry trophies that UH plays for and is the only one it has possession of.
• The teams will meet for the 33rd time in a series that began in 1969. UH holds a 19-13 advantage and has won four of the last five meetings.
• The teams have played every year since 2009.
• The home team has won 12 of the last 14 match-ups in the series.
• UNLV leads the series in games played in Las Vegas, 10-6, having won six of the last seven and 8 of the last 10. During that 10-game stretch, UH won in 2007 and 2019.
• The teams have played 16 times in conference play with UH holding a 9-7 advantage (3-2 in WAC and 6-5 in Mountain West).
• UH has lost its last eight road games dating back to last season, including four straight Mountain West road contests.
• The game marks the Mountain West opener for both teams.
• UH has lost its last two Mountain West openers by a total of six points—2022 at San Diego State (16-14) and 2021 vs. San Jose State (17-13).
• UH (2-3, 0-0 MW) rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat New Mexico State, 20-17 last week in Honolulu. Kicker Matthew Shipley booted a 24-yard field goal as time expired as the Warriors out-scored the Aggies 17-0 in the second half.
• A win would give UH a .500 record for the first time under head coach Timmy Chang.
• UNLV (3-1, 0-0 MW) defeated UTEP 45-28 last Saturday in El Paso, Texas. The Rebels rushed for 306 yards and generated 497 yards of total offense in the victory.
• UH cornerbacks coach Steve Irvin coached UNLV's cornerbacks during the 2018 and '19 seasons while UNLV defensive line coach Ricky Logo coached UH's defensive line during those same two seasons. Irvin was a three-year letterman for the Rebels from 1997-99 and is believed to be only the third UNLV player to also serve as full-time football coach at the school.
• UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion was UH's wide receivers coach in 2020.
• UH defensive back Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen and defensive lineman Anthony Sagapolutele, both began their collegiate careers at UNLV. Mendiola-Jensen, who recently suffered a season-ending injury, played two seasons (2021-22) while Sagapolutele played one season (2021).
• The teams have played one common opponent, Vanderbilt. UH dropped its season-opener to the Commodores, 35-28, in Nashville, Tenn., while the Rebels won in Las Vegas, 40-37, on a last-second field goal.