USF set to face off against San Jose State in Hawaii Bowl
ORACLE PHOTO // WILL RAINSBERGER
USF football will head to Honolulu to take on San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
The Hawaii Bowl is usually played by mid-level conferences and teams in the football bowl subdivision.
The Christmas Eve game, set for an 8 p.m. EST kickoff on ESPN, marks the Bulls’ second consecutive bowl appearance under second-year head coach Alex Golesh.
“We are excited for the opportunity to compete in the Hawaii Bowl against a very good San Jose State team,” Golesh said.
Related: Opinion: USF QB Byrum Brown’s future remains uncertain
The Bulls closed their regular season winning four of their last six games, ending with a disappointing 35-28 loss to Rice.
Their reward?
An over 4,000 mile trip to their farthest-ever destination and a shot at their eighth bowl victory.
“Hawaii is a unique and beautiful destination that our players are excited to experience, and we look forward to productive bowl practices and a great game as we continue to build our program,” Golesh said.
This marks USF’s first trip to Hawaii and its 12th bowl appearance in 24 seasons of FBS football.
The Bulls are 7-4 in bowl games, including a shutout 45-0 win over Syracuse in last year’s Boca Raton Bowl.
Related: USF football is going back to the postseason: ‘Building a really cool foundation.’
San Jose State, led by first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, ended its season with a 34-31 win over Stanford, extending its record to 7-4 and 3-4 in the Mountain West Conference (MW).
Niumatalolo will return to his home state to face a familiar foe in USF.
As the former Navy head coach, he faced South Florida three times, winning twice, during his tenure with the Midshipmen.
His most recent game against the Bulls was a 35-3 win in 2019.
The Spartans are 7-6 in bowl games but have lost their last three appearances, most recently a 24-14 loss to Coastal Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl last season.
USF has only played San Jose State once, in 2017, winning 42-22. The upcoming game will be the Bulls’ first against a Mountain West opponent in a bowl.
South Florida is 2-2 all time against the Mountain West.
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