The University of Hawai‘i's 2025 season was extended by nearly a month after gaining bowl eligibility, and the Rainbow Warriors have certainly cherished the extra time.
The team's senior night victory over Wyoming on Nov. 29 merely marked the end of the regular season for the Rainbow Warriors. By virtue of their 8-4 regular season, UH qualified for the Hawai‘i Bowl, where it will face California on Wednesday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
With each passing victory, head coach Timmy Chang's debut season in 2022 seems like a distant memory to those who witnessed it. The Rainbow Warriors went 3-10, hampered by a roster that was broken and under repair following the aftermath of the Todd Graham's tenure in Mānoa.
In the 25 extra days the 2025 team has had between their regular season and bowl game, the 'Bows have been hard at work, studying a formidable Cal team that features prominent Island ties in quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, safety Aiden Manutai and interim head coach Nick Rolovich.
As the Rainbow Warriors prepare for their first Hawai‘i Bowl since 2019, they've also enjoyed some of the perks of bowl week, which includes a five-night stay in Waikīkī and a gift package that includes items such as Oakley sunglasses, JBL headphones, multiple shirts, a Nike sweatsuit and a pair of Nike panda dunks, among a handful of other free goodies.
"It was four years in the making," associate head coach Chris Brown told Aloha State Daily. "I'm especially happy for guys like Zhen Sotelo and Jalen Smith and Peter Manuma. These guys who were here from day one, never quit, never gave up. They give their heart and soul, their blood, their bodies out there on the football field."
Despite being O‘ahu residents, the team got to play tourist for the week, taking team trips to Pearl Harbor and Wet 'n' Wild in addition to having a team luau.
"To see these guys actually get rewarded for all their hard work, it's really special. And I'm really, really proud of these guys, and they earned it," Brown said. "But it's always going to be business. We're going to give our 110% to get this victory against Cal. But I know in between our training and our workouts, these boys are bonding with each other, and it's going to be something that these boys will take for the rest of their lives."
Brown was a linebacker for Hawai‘i in the inaugural Hawai‘i Bowl in 2002. The Warriors entered the game 10-2 and were favored against a 7-5 Tulane squad.
"I will never forget doing the haka. We decided to do the haka before the game started, and we were so exhausted that we decided to never do it ever again," Brown said.
Tulane began the game with with a surprise onside kick. Hawai‘i, as Brown alluded to, couldn't find consistency throughout the game.
Chang, who is coaching in the Hawai‘i Bowl for the first time, was a two-time Hawai‘i Bowl MVP as a player.
"Just getting to the game and being grateful to be there, I think those were some of the most important things," Chang said.
In the 2003 Hawai‘i Bowl, Chang didn't start the game but won MVP honors after completing 26 of his 42 passes for 475 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. UH prevailed 54-48, outlasting Houston. Following the game, a full-blown brawl broke out between both teams. Helmets were tossed and swung over the course of the 10-minute melee. Although Chang chose not to elaborate on the brawl 22 years later, Brown certainly did.
"I tell you what, I was alumni at that time, but watching that game, I said, 'Attaboy, great job, Hawai‘i. Nobody comes into our house and pushes us around,'" Brown said. "To see the boys get up and defend the Island and defend their brothers, man, I mean, that's Hawai‘i, you know? Don't expect to just walk over us. We all stand together, and we're not here to get beat. We're here to win. We all, as alumni, were very proud of that day when the boys stood up for themselves."
While Chang and Brown got to enjoy bowl week multiple times, they're now coaching a team that is brand new to it.
"Just hanging with the boys, doing whatever, going to the beach, going out to eat with the boys, just having that extra conversation with the boys," freshman slot receiver Tama Uiliata said when asked what his favorite part of bowl week was following a recent practice. "Just to know them on a deeper level, not just on the field. You can go have fun with them, just chop it up. The chemistry really plays a part here. Just spending time with the boys that you don't really have during the season."
With bowl week set to come to a close following Wednesday's game, there's only one way the Rainbow Warriors are planning for it to end.
"I grew up personally watching this game and going to the games with my family," UH star quarterback Micah Alejado said. "It's just restoring traditions for a lot of people, a lot of families. Being able to do that for the state, and bring joy back going out there and just put our best showing out."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
