Post Game Notes
SoFi Hawai‘i Bowl
Hawai‘i vs. BYU
Dec. 24, 2019
Aloha Stadium – Honolulu, O‘ahu
Attendance: 21,582
Hawai‘i Captains: Dayton Furuta, Cole McDonald, Azia Seei, Jason-Matthew Sharsh,
Coin Toss: BYU won the toss and deferred.
SERIES INFORMATION
- First meeting between the teams in the postseason.
- UH ended a string of five straight losses to BYU. It was just the second UH win in the last 13 meetings.
- It was UH’s first win over BYU since 2001. Current head coach Nick Rolovich was UH’s starting quarterback in that win, throwing for a school-record eight touchdowns.
- The Cougars still hold a 23-9 advantage, including 13-9 in Honolulu.
- The teams will meet again in Provo in 2024.
BOWL HISTORY
- Hawai‘i improved 7-6 all-time in bowl games.
- UH is now 5-4 all-time in the Hawai'i Bowl, including 1-1 versus Independents (Notre Dame, 2008).
- UH won for just the second time in its last six bowl games.
- UH has scored better than 35 points in all five of its Hawai‘i Bowl wins.
- UH is 2-1 in the Hawai‘i Bowl under head coach Nick Rolovich.
STREAKS/TRENDS
- UH has won 17 of its last 19 non-conference home games and are 12-2 in those games under Nick Rolovich. The only losses came against BYU to close out the 2017 season and to Louisiana Tech in the 2018 Hawai‘i Bowl.
- UH owns the longest streak in the country at 145 games without allowing a punt block. Hawai'i last had a punt blocked by Notre Dame in 2008.
TEAM NOTES
- The victory gave the Rainbow Warriors 10 wins for just the seventh time in program history and first since 2010 (10-4).
- UH played its 15th game of the season, the most in a single-season in program history.
- UH finished with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
- UH finished the year 4-4 on national television.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Bowl game MVP Cole McDonald passed for a career-high 492 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
- It was the third time this season and sixth time in career that McDonald passed for 400 yards in a game.
- McDonald had 331 yards on 18-of-24 passing in the first half alone.
- McDonald finished the year with 4,135 yards passing, the eigth-highest single-season total in school history.
- McDonald also had a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. His seven rushing touchdowns this season, are most by a UH quarterback since Bryant Moniz finished with eight in 2011.
- Both JoJo Ward and Jared Smart hit the 1000-yard mark receiving on UH’s second drive of the game in the first quarter.
- Along with Cedric Byrd II, UH finished the year three 1000-yard receivers. It marks just sixth time in FBS history that has happened.
- UH is the only program to have accomplished that feat twice with the trio of Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullin and Jason Rivers also doing it in 2007.
- Ward finished the season with 1,134 yards, Smart finished with 1,129 and Byrd II with 1,097 yards.
- Ward finished with the game 159 yards receiving and Smart had 142 yards as UH had two receivers over 100 in a game for the second time this season (also vs. Army).
- Smart went over 100 yards receiving for a team-high fifth time this season.
- Smart scored multiple touchdowns for the first time this season with touchdown catches of 7 and 40 yards in first quarter.
- Sophomore safety Khoury Bethley recorded his first career interception with a pick of Zach Wilson in the second quarter. He added another on BYU’s last possession to seal the win for UH.
- Bethley also added a team-high 10 tackles for a new career high.
- Junior defensive end Derek Thomas also set a new career high in tackles with nine.
- Ryan Meskell went 1-of-2 on field goals, including a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter and. He finished the season hitting eight of his last 10 attempts.
- Junior cornerback Zach Wilson made his first start of the season and fifth of his career.
- Wilson started in place of senior cornerback Roe Farris II, who saw a string of 24 straight starts come to an end.
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