HONOLULU - San José State (7-5) has accepted an invitation to compete in the 2024 Hawai‘i Bowl against the University of South Florida (6-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 5:00 p.m. (PT), announced on Tuesday. The game will be played at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus and will be televised on ESPN.
"It's an honor to be selected to compete in the Hawai'i Bowl for a second consecutive season. It speaks to our brand and what Ken (Niumatalolo) has done in his first season at San José State," said SJSU Director of Athletics Jeff Konya. "It's an elite bowl game for experiences that are provided to the participants, and furthermore, San José State has many rich ties and connections to the area, including our head coach and other staffers. We look forward to playing on ESPN as the only nationally televised college football game on December 24th."
This is the second straight season the Spartans are Hawai‘i Bound presented by Habbas Law and CEFCU, and it’s the first time in program history that the Spartans have gone to three straight bowl games. The Spartans are making their fourth bowl game appearance over the last five years, another program first.
The game will air nationally on ESPN Radio, locally on KTRB 860 AM, and simulcasted on ESPN+ for the second-ever meeting between the schools. This will be the Spartans' 14th overall bowl game appearance, tallying a record of 7-6.
SJSU finished the regular season with a win over Stanford on national television and has the best record out of any FBS school in California. The Spartans finished fifth in the Mountain West standings at 3-4, playing the toughest schedule of any Mountain West schools, including then-No. 13 Boise State (L, 42-21) and then-No. 23 UNLV (L, 27-16) before defeating Stanford to close out the season, 34-31.
The Spartans are led by Biletnikoff Finalist Nick Nash, who finished the regular season with the rare triple crown, leading all FBS college football in receptions (104), yards (1,382), and receiving touchdowns (16).
SJSU head football coach Ken Niumatalolo knows Hawai'i and the American Athletic Conference well. The La‘ie, Hawai‘i native played quarterback at Hawai‘i from 1987-89 and was part of their first bowl team in 1989. Niumatalolo also led Navy out of the American Athletic Conference to a school-record 109 wins and 10 bowl games over 15 seasons, and is a three-time AAC Coach of the Year (2015, '16, '19).
“We are ecstatic to be invited to the Hawai’i Bowl,” said Niumatalolo. “So happy for our entire program! Everyone, especially our players worked extremely hard for this amazing reward. We have coaches and players from Hawai’I, and it will be a cherished experience to play in the Hawai’i Bowl against such a great program in South Florida."
“On behalf of ESPN Events and our Executive Committee, we’re thrilled to welcome South Florida and San José State to the Hawai’i Bowl,” Executive Director Daryl Garvin said. “Players, coaches and fans from both coasts will enjoy bowl week in paradise, while we showcase the natural beauty of Hawai‘i to television viewers around the world.”
The Spartans have many Hawai‘i connections with Offensive Coordinator Craig Stutzmann, Offensive Line Coach John Estes and Senior Offensive Analyst Billy Ray Stutzmann all having played for the Rainbow Warriors.
The Hawai‘i Bowl is known for its high-scoring, thrilling offenses, and close games with two overtime
contests and seven games decided by one touchdown or less. In addition to promoting the island way of life by sponsoring events intrinsic to Hawai‘i, the bowl supports many non-profit organizations through the
Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. More than $1.8 million has been awarded to local charities since the inception
of the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. Additionally, through the Extra Yard for Teachers program, the Hawai‘i
Bowl has partnered with Teach for America Hawai’i to support teachers, schools and students.
SJSU Bowl History (7-6)
- 2023: Hawai‘i Bowl, Honolulu, Hawai‘I, Coastal Carolina 24, San José State 14
- 2022: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, Idaho, Eastern Michigan 41, San José State 27
- 2020: Arizona Bowl, Tucson, Ariz., Ball State 34, San José State 13 (Played without 30+ players due to Covid protocols)
- 2015: Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla., San José State 27, Georgia State 16
- 2012: Military Bowl, Washington, D.C., San José State 29, Bowling Green 20
- 2006: New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, N.M., San José State 20, New Mexico 12
- 1990: California Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 48, Central Michigan 24
- 1987: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., Eastern Michigan 30, San José State 27
- 1986: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 37, Miami (Ohio) 7
- 1981: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., Toledo 27, San José State 25
- 1971: Pasadena Bowl, Pasadena, Calif., Memphis State 28, San José State 9
- 1949: Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 20, Texas Tech 13
- 1947: Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 20, Utah State 0
TICKETS: Head here to support the Spartans at the 2024 Hawai‘i Bowl.
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