Former teammates will square off as coaches for Hawaii and Cal in the Hawaii Bowl

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HONOLULU (AP) — A pair of former college teammates will face off when Hawaii takes on California in the Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday.

Hawaii coach Timmy Chang and Cal interim coach Nick Rolovich were quarterbacks at Hawaii and teammates for two seasons in 2000-01.

Chang made 50 career starts in four years, while Rolovich started 12 games over two seasons.

“I’m grateful to be here with Timmy, so much great history with us,” Rolovich said on Monday.

He pointed out that the 15,000-seat Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex where they’ll play on Christmas Eve sits on what previously served as the Rainbow Warriors’ practice facility, Cooke Field, where Rolovich was first introduced to Chang.

“I think that makes it even more special, that the game’s not only played in Hawaii, but played kind of right there in that spot,” Rolovich said.

Chang, in his fourth year leading Hawaii (8-4), said he and Rolovich were roommates on the road in their playing days.

“We ended up building a close bond," he said. “I got to learn so much from this guy here, just watching him go through everything that a college student-athlete goes through, the ups, the downs. There’s so many things that I learned from Rolo. ... (We were) just kids at 18 to 20, 21 years old, coming together and now look at us here. It’s special, it really is.”

Hawaii will be making its 15th bowl appearance and its 10th in the Hawaii Bowl. The last postseason appearance for the Rainbow Warriors came in 2019, when they beat BYU in the Hawaii Bowl. They earned a bid to their hometown bowl in 2021, but were forced to withdraw due to COVID issues within the program.

Cal (7-5) will be playing its 27th bowl game. It earned bids to the LA Bowl in each of the past two seasons, but lost to Texas Tech in 2023 and UNLV a year ago. The Golden Bears are seeking their first eight-win season since 2019.

Both teams have found success passing the ball this season. Hawaii ranks ninth in the FBS in passing offense at 289.7 yards per game, while Cal’s average of 270.8 yards ranks 21st. Opponents have averaged 197.1 passing yards against the Golden Bears, the 37th best mark in the country, while Hawaii has surrendered an average of 218 yards through the air (62nd in FBS).

Cal ranks last (134th) in rushing offense at a mere 76.5 yards per game. Hawaii’s 104 rushing yards per game ranks 125th nationally.

Both starting quarterbacks are left-handed and hail from neighboring towns on the west side of the island of Oahu. Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has passed for 3,117 yards with 20 total touchdowns, is a true freshman from Ewa Beach, while Hawaii’s Micah Alejado calls Kapolei his hometown. The redshirt freshman has logged 2,832 yards through the air and tallied 22 total TDs.

Cal defensive back Hezekiah Masses and Hawaii placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa each received All-America recognition for their respective senior campaigns. Masses recorded five interceptions, 18 passes defended and 43 tackles en route to an AP second-team selection, while Matsuzawa converted 25 of 26 field goals and all 37 of his extra-point attempts to earn AP first-team honors.

Rolovich was named interim coach after Justin Wilcox was fired on Nov. 23. Just six days after the coaching change, Cal upset then-No. 21 SMU 38-35 with Rolovich at the helm. On Dec. 4, the school announced the hiring of Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as the program’s coach. Rolovich will remain on staff for the Golden Bears as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach.

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