HAWAII BOWL
HAWAII vs. ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM
Dec-24 7:00/ESPN
Hawaii 7-5 (4-4) 5th-WAC
UAB 7-4 (5-3) T2nd-Conference USA
The Hawaii Bowl features two high flying passing attacks and defences that are not likely to stop the other side. If that isn’t enough to attract you to the game then you can at least admire the beauty of Hawaii and for us living in cold climates imagine would it would like to be in Hawaii for the holidays rather then being where we are.
Hawaii squeaked into bowl eligibility with a win the last week over Michigan State. They finished the season strong winning four of their last five games. That strong finish got them not only a bowl game but also what is essentially a home game. Bad news for UAB is that Hawaii was 7-1 at home. Quarterback Timmy Chang broke the NCAA career passing yards record this year but also broke the career interception record as well.
How can someone not root for the Rainbow Warriors? They have a great nickname and they play an exciting brand of football. Unless of course you are a purist who prefers a team that can actually play defence that is. Expect this game to be a shootout. Hawaii gave up 69 and 70 points to Boise State and Fresno State. They did however score over 40 points in each of their last three games of the season.
The University of Alabama-Birmingham or UAB for short are entering the first bowl game in the school’s history. While they must be pleased to be going to their first bowl, especially one in Hawaii the team did let a few games slip away. They lost three of their last five games including losses to Tulane and South Florida, neither team finished over .500 this year. The loss to Tulane was a 59-55 shootout and they finished the season losing a close one to Southern Mississippi 26-21.
The Blazers also like the throw the ball and the exciting tandem of Quarterback Darrell Hackney and Wide Receiver Roddy White is one of the best in college football. Hackney may not have the career numbers Chang does but he did have a solid season throwing for over 2600 yards and 24 touchdowns. Too bad the Blazer defence is just as weak Hawaii’s. Any team that gives up 59 points to Tulane has a problem. UAB has an up and coming program that could become a consistent power in the newly weakened Conference USA. This bowl appearance should be the first of several to come.
Players to watch:
Hawaii:
Timmy Chang-Quarterback. This is a pretty obvious pick. He will be throwing the ball a lot and Hawaii’s fate will depend on if he can throw more touchdowns then picks. No doubt Chang would like to finish his college career with a blast by having a big game and bowl victory. Even with Chang’s record setting career at Hawaii his NFL chances do not seem to be favourable. If he can have a perfect game, followed by a good combine he may get a signed as an undrafted free agent and sent to NFL Europe or the CFL to hone his skills before getting a shot at the big time.
Alabama-Birmingham:
Roddy White-Wide Receiver. The senior is the player in this game with the best chance of making a splash on Sundays in the NFL. He is averaging over 20 yards a catch. If Hackney is on his game he White will see a lot of touches and against a weak Hawaii defence that gave up over 38 points a game, White might be the key to a Blazer victory.
Who will win?
Hawaii will be playing at home where they are strong. UAB is not as experienced in post season play and may just be happy to be there. Hawaii should pull off the victory in a game where whatever team is the last with the ball will win the game.
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Recap of the game
Well those who wanted lots scoring sure got it. With 119 total points the game was everything it was billed to be. However it was not as close at the end as I was hoping for. It was pretty much over by the start of the fourth quarter.
There sure was lot of passing in the game. Timmy Chang threw the ball 46 times and Darrell Hackney threw the ball 54 times.
I was impressed with Hawaii receiver Chad Owens who got three touchdowns, two by receiving, one punt return. Nothing else really to write home about in this game. Lots of offence, no defence.
