2008 Hawai'i Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Sheraton
Hawaii Bowl
game was a post-season college football
bowl game
between the Hawaii Warriors
against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
on December 24, 2008, at Aloha Stadium
in Honolulu, Hawaii
. The game was part of the 2008-2009 bowl game schedule of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. This seventh edition of the Hawaii Bowl originally scheduled a matchup between a team from the WAC
and another from the Pac-10, however, the Pac-10 failed to produce enough teams. The game was telecast on ESPN
.
Notre Dame's victory marked its first in the postseason since the Irish defeated Texas A&M
in the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1993 season, and ended a NCAA record 9-game bowl game losing streak.. Notre Dame quarterback
Jimmy Clausen
broke school bowl game records after passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and his 84.6% completion rate was the second-best completion percentage for any player in any bowl game in NCAA history. Wide receiver
Golden Tate
also set Irish bowl records upon catching for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
The game set the record for the Hawaii Bowl's largest attendance, in both tickets sold and turnstile
count, breaking the previous record set at the 2006 edition.
2-yard touchdown run, capping a 9 play 87-yard drive. After the Irish defense forced a Hawaii 3-and-out, Irish safety Sergio Brown
blocked a Hawaii punt. Notre Dame could not capitalize on the block, in part due to an excessive celebration penalty incurred by Notre Dame after the play that pushed them out of field goal range. After forcing another Hawaii 3-and-out, Clausen connected with senior wide receiver David Grimes for a 14-yard touchdown. The Warriors answered right back, however, driving 56 yards in 6 plays and scoring on a 10-yard Aaron Bain touchdown from Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander.
With the score at 14-7, Notre Dame proceeded to score 28 unanswered points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. In the 2nd quarter, Clausen connected with Golden Tate on 69-yard play action pass for a touchdown. After senior safety David Bruton
intercepted Greg Alexander, Clausen again connected with Tate for an 18-yard touchdown in the corner of the endzone on a 3rd down and 18 play with :01 second left before the half. In the third quarter, Notre Dame continued to score, on Clausen touchdowns to running back Armando Allen on an 18-yard screen play and to Golden Tate on a 40-yard deep out pass. With the score at 42-7, Hawaii finally scored on another Alexander to Bain touchdown of 18 yards. On the ensuing kickoff, Armando Allen put any Hawaii rally to rest, scoring on a 96-yard touchdown return. Hawaii scored the final touchdown of the game with 2 minutes remaining against Notre Dame reserves.
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
The Hawaii Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2002. Typically played on either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, the game matches teams from either...
game was a post-season college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
between the Hawaii Warriors
2008 Hawaii Warriors football team
The 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS college football season....
against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach is Charlie Weis. The Irish play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana...
on December 24, 2008, at Aloha Stadium
Aloha Stadium
Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in the Halawa CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaii Warriors football team...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. The game was part of the 2008-2009 bowl game schedule of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
and was the concluding game of the season for both teams. This seventh edition of the Hawaii Bowl originally scheduled a matchup between a team from the WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
and another from the Pac-10, however, the Pac-10 failed to produce enough teams. The game was telecast on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Notre Dame's victory marked its first in the postseason since the Irish defeated Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
in the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1993 season, and ended a NCAA record 9-game bowl game losing streak.. Notre Dame quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Jimmy Clausen
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
broke school bowl game records after passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and his 84.6% completion rate was the second-best completion percentage for any player in any bowl game in NCAA history. Wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Golden Tate
Golden Tate
Golden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
also set Irish bowl records upon catching for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
The game set the record for the Hawaii Bowl's largest attendance, in both tickets sold and turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
count, breaking the previous record set at the 2006 edition.
Game summary
The Irish scored first on a Robert HughesRobert Hughes
-Politicians:*Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside , British Labour politician, MP for Aberdeen North*Robert Gurth Hughes , British Conservative politician, MP for Harrow West-Sportsmen:*Robert Hughes , of Stamford FC...
2-yard touchdown run, capping a 9 play 87-yard drive. After the Irish defense forced a Hawaii 3-and-out, Irish safety Sergio Brown
Sergio Brown
Sergio Brown is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early years:...
blocked a Hawaii punt. Notre Dame could not capitalize on the block, in part due to an excessive celebration penalty incurred by Notre Dame after the play that pushed them out of field goal range. After forcing another Hawaii 3-and-out, Clausen connected with senior wide receiver David Grimes for a 14-yard touchdown. The Warriors answered right back, however, driving 56 yards in 6 plays and scoring on a 10-yard Aaron Bain touchdown from Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander.
With the score at 14-7, Notre Dame proceeded to score 28 unanswered points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. In the 2nd quarter, Clausen connected with Golden Tate on 69-yard play action pass for a touchdown. After senior safety David Bruton
David Bruton (American football)
David Lee Bruton, Jr. is an American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round, 114th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school:Bruton attended Miamisburg High School in Miamisburg, Ohio...
intercepted Greg Alexander, Clausen again connected with Tate for an 18-yard touchdown in the corner of the endzone on a 3rd down and 18 play with :01 second left before the half. In the third quarter, Notre Dame continued to score, on Clausen touchdowns to running back Armando Allen on an 18-yard screen play and to Golden Tate on a 40-yard deep out pass. With the score at 42-7, Hawaii finally scored on another Alexander to Bain touchdown of 18 yards. On the ensuing kickoff, Armando Allen put any Hawaii rally to rest, scoring on a 96-yard touchdown return. Hawaii scored the final touchdown of the game with 2 minutes remaining against Notre Dame reserves.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| ND - Robert Hughes 2 yard TD run (Brandon Walker kick), 3:08 | ND 7-0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| ND - David Grimes 14 yard TD pass from Jimmy Clausen Jimmy Clausen James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career... (Walker kick), 10:25 |
ND 14-0 | ||
| Hawaii - Aaron Bain 10 yard TD pass from Greg Alexander (Daniel Kelly kick), 8:12 | ND 14-7 | ||
| ND - Golden Tate 69 yard TD pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 6:49 | ND 21-7 | ||
| ND - Tate 18 yard TD pass from Clausen (Walker kick), :01 | ND 28-7 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| ND - Armando Allen 18 yard TD pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 10:50 | ND 35-7 | ||
| ND - Tate 40 yard TD pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 7:22 | ND 42-7 | ||
| Hawaii - Bain 21 yard TD pass from Alexander (Kelly kick), 4:25 | ND 42-14 | ||
| ND - Allen 96 yard kickoff return (Walker kick), 4:12 | ND 49-14 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| Hawaii - Michael Washington 27 yard TD pass from Inoke Funaki (Kelly kick), 1:45 | ND 49-21 | ||